Pedals are the crack cocaine of the musical accessories industry. Guitarists are helplessly addicted. I recently watched a video in which artists Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Death Grips) and Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta) fed a guitar through 100 pedals in a room the size of a walk in closet. The result was ear piercing, atonal noise; but their arrival at it was reminiscent of two seven year olds with a full day to spend in the Lego® store. Besides possessing the power to turn adults into children, stomp-boxes have tremendous economic capabilities. They are discretionary purchases, and move in coherence with per capita disposable income and musical preferences. However, pedal sales ride high even when guitars and amplifiers decline. It amasses to a single choice for the guitar player: spend more than a thousand on a new tube amp or guitar (and risk arriving at a sound similar to what you had before), or a couple hundred on a pedal and completely overhaul your sonic voice.
Limited Batch Selection
The difficulty for many pedal brands is satisfying the guitarist’s constant appetite for innovation. Like Reinhart and Alderete, guitar players will go to great lengths to acquire an original sound. Once they find it, they will do anything they can to keep it a secret. Oklahoma city based manufacturer and niche market retailer Walrus Audio continues to deliver on this craving. They hand build boutique pedals and retail them primarily through their online website (as well as in independent guitar shops worldwide). Walrus carries two main product categories: stomp boxes, and power supplies. They are fairly limited in breadth (11 pedal models, 2 power supply models), and depth. Online, Walrus is comparable to a limited supply luxury retailer, and they embrace the exclusivity associated with owning one of their products. For Walrus, running out stock on a certain color combination of their feature pedals is further enticement for a customer to buy while they still have it.
Segmentation and Innovation
Walrus’ online retail platform is built completely around the customer segments they do and do not want to attract. They strive to “find the balance between art and performance in sound manipulation” (Contact, n.d.). The Walrus team often recruits artists to demonstrate the out-of-the-ordinary sonic abilities of their pedals. These demos are integrated into their website, along with their Instagram and Facebook pages. Using musicians, rather than relying on the few Youtube “pedal reviewers” informs guitarists of Walrus’ passion for artistic innovation. Furthermore, they typically do not explain or show how they crafted the sounds in the demo. This leaves gear-heads reaching for their wallets in childlike awe. Displaying a pursuit of originality also means attending trade conferences. Since their inception in 2013, the Walrus team has displayed their gear at two National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) conferences. This past winter, guitarists flocked to their NAMM booth to hear about their unreleased and ingenious creations (at the time, the Bellwether, Vanguard, and Luminary). For Walrus, retail is all about embracing change.
(The Walrus team at NAMM Winter 2015. Source: http://patrz-pod-nogi.blogspot.ca/2015/05/efekty-gitarowe-na-namm-2015-czesc-6.html)
A Metal Box With An Identity
Walrus does not build pedals limited to stereotypical guitar sounds and package them in a casing that is plainly stamped with their function – whether it be overdrive, or reverb (see competitor Boss’ RV-6 Reverb below). Rather, they design them to look as good as they sound, and give them each an identity. Their overdrive is the Mayflower,and their reverb is the Descent (also pictured below) – built for the segment of artists that would think of running an electric harp through them (which they did). A Walrus product's array of features, artwork, circuitry and hand-made durability commands a higher price, but customers are willing to pay for the additional quality. Walrus' social platforms also feature Songs At The Shop performances of touring bands recorded live off the floor in their Oklahoma headquarters. It is no surprise that many members of these bands are highlighted as brand ambassadors on Walrus.com’s Artistpage.
Walrus does not build pedals limited to stereotypical guitar sounds and package them in a casing that is plainly stamped with their function – whether it be overdrive, or reverb (see competitor Boss’ RV-6 Reverb below). Rather, they design them to look as good as they sound, and give them each an identity. Their overdrive is the Mayflower,and their reverb is the Descent (also pictured below) – built for the segment of artists that would think of running an electric harp through them (which they did). A Walrus product's array of features, artwork, circuitry and hand-made durability commands a higher price, but customers are willing to pay for the additional quality. Walrus' social platforms also feature Songs At The Shop performances of touring bands recorded live off the floor in their Oklahoma headquarters. It is no surprise that many members of these bands are highlighted as brand ambassadors on Walrus.com’s Artistpage.
(A side by side comparison of two reverbs: Boss' RV-6 (149.99 USD) and Walrus' Descent (299.99 USD). Sourced from: http://www.boss.info/products/rv-6/ and http://proguitarshop.com/walrus-audio-descent.html)
The guitar pedal industry is continuously adapting to technological advancements. Walrus Audio has gained a competitive advantage by competing on a global scale while simultaneously maintaining a small-batch boutique style. Walrus’ position has been strengthened through the alignment of their direct-to-consumer retail experience with the customer segments that share their dedication to ingenuity. For Walrus, an exceptional customer experience does not stop after purchase. They stand behind their pedals with a 5-year warranty and bundle online orders with a complementary, fully stocked pick holder.
References
Artists. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://walrusaudio.com/artists/
Contact. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://walrusaudio.com/contact/
Carusotto, D. (2014). IBISWorld Industry Report OD4644. Acoustic & Electric Guitar Manufacturing in the US. Retrieved February 1, 2016 from IBISWorld database.
Mills, M. (2016, Feb 1). Why Guitar Pedals Remain Popular Even When Electric Guitar Sales Drop. San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Web.
Why Effects Pedals Are The Perfect Product For a Difficult Economy. (2011). Music Trades, 159(6), 84-90. Web.
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