I completely agree with you. The pedal is the icing on your cake. The problem is these days you can buy a guitar that you could gig with if needs be for the price of the pedal. The thing is these pedals are over built. In short you are paying for more than tone. The arguments for doing this are nonsense. Few people keep a pedal longer than it will die from age. Add to that most classic pedals were never built for longevity but they still are around and are used daily.