T-Rex files for bankruptcy: Is this the end of a popular pedal brand?
In recent years T-Rex has made a name for itself with the Replicator delay pedal, a real tape echo in pedal form. Then there was the Replicator Junior and the attempt to revive the Binson Echorec. Above all, the company has been known for making great boutique effects pedals and pedalboard power supplies. Now news has emerged that the company has filed for bankruptcy. Can they survive the financial turmoil?
Bankruptcy is never good news! Even less so when it hits a small well-liked company that has attracted attention with interesting and high-quality effects. Some of them are on the pedal boards of David Gilmour, Pete Townshend and John Mayer.
According to the Danish newspaper Vejle Amts Folkeblad, T-Rex filed for bankruptcy on 21 February. The debts of approximately USD 560,000 from the last fiscal year can’t be recovered, apparently. My guess: Maybe the replicator effects were just too expensive to develop?
At the moment we don’t know what the future holds for T-Rex and its nine employees. I hope that the development of the Binson Echorec replica continues, that the nine employees keep their posts and the company gets back on its feet.
But USD 560,000 is a lot of money. For some of the bigger players in the musical instrument business, it’s small change. I’m guessing that either some investors could support the company or the company is bought up. I just hope that it will not end in a fire sale, with inferior effects sold under the T-Rex label. There are many possibilities, only a few are good for the company and us musicians.
Sure would be a pity if this company disappeared completely.
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- T-Rex Replicator Tape Delay · Source: T-Rex
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- T-Rex Replicator Junior Tape Delay · Source: T-Rex
Pedal Price Reductions
Now, we’re not sure if these two things are related, but the prices of T-Rex products are extremely favourable at Thomann right now. The Replicator Tape echo costs just EUR 444 instead of EUR 845, the Replicator Junior is priced at an almost ridiculous EUR 299 instead of EUR 599.
And effect pedals like Quint, Mudhoney Danish Collection or the Replay Box cost only EUR 89 or 99 euros instead of 199.
Hopefully, selling through more of these pedals will help T-Rex in the short term, as demand for the company’s products may increase with such heavy discounting. I own a load of the T-Rex pedals and a Fuel Tank power supply myself, so I really hope they can keep the company going as I love my T-Rex pedals!
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3 responses to “T-Rex files for bankruptcy: Is this the end of a popular pedal brand?”
There will be lots more of these, this year and next. You can only flog so much overpriced crap before the market is exhausted. As I have said before, the music /tech sectore will be a smoking hole in the ground in two years.
The brand name is pretty strong so probably there are many companies that could
consider buying it. As usual it all depends on guarantees that the engineering talents
will stay and not just leave and re-appear in an competing start-up.
The issue is not if T Rex is good quality or not, the question is how many pedal makers/brands can the market hold? Almost as insane as acoustic guitar brands on steroids… the amount of pedal makers is stupendous and unhealthy. Many are falling over themselves coming up with the most bloody colour designs, prints and names. At least T Rex were clear and nicely designed.