Ah, the Lovetone Ring Stinger ring modulator pedal from hell. I owned one back in the early 2000s and used it liberally on the first Infinite Ego - Savior Onasis album.
Here is what amounts to a product demo of the LTRS in all of its horrifying glory.
The circuit design was brilliant and unique, the sounds were amazing, but, alas, it was the build quality that left everybody dissatisfied.
I never even took mine to a gig and it broke; it sat on my recording desk and was never even stepped on and the thing fell apart.
Luckily for the original owners, they broke their RS pedals and still sold them for a profit.
I used mine for about a year after Lovetone had gone under and then it broke. I ended up selling it in a state of disarray for more than I paid for it and, in the intervening years, the prices have gone crazy.
Homemade clones go for $350 and the real deal can fetch anywhere from $650 to $700 on the bay and on Reverb.com I found one that had sold for over $900.
My recommendation is to definitely avoid buying one unless you are willing to shell out a lot more than it's worth and knowing that it is incredibly fragile as far as pedals go, it will break (repeatedly) and that it will cost a lot to get repaired (repeatedly).
Listen to that demo track carefully: the RS sound is unique but I think that a person can cobble together a few pedals and get close....but there will be no cigar I'm afraid. It is one of a kind.
Hopefully, someday a plugin or true clone with all the features will be manufactured, until then we can only dream or compromise.
Here is what amounts to a product demo of the LTRS in all of its horrifying glory.
The circuit design was brilliant and unique, the sounds were amazing, but, alas, it was the build quality that left everybody dissatisfied.
I never even took mine to a gig and it broke; it sat on my recording desk and was never even stepped on and the thing fell apart.
Luckily for the original owners, they broke their RS pedals and still sold them for a profit.
I used mine for about a year after Lovetone had gone under and then it broke. I ended up selling it in a state of disarray for more than I paid for it and, in the intervening years, the prices have gone crazy.
Homemade clones go for $350 and the real deal can fetch anywhere from $650 to $700 on the bay and on Reverb.com I found one that had sold for over $900.
My recommendation is to definitely avoid buying one unless you are willing to shell out a lot more than it's worth and knowing that it is incredibly fragile as far as pedals go, it will break (repeatedly) and that it will cost a lot to get repaired (repeatedly).
Listen to that demo track carefully: the RS sound is unique but I think that a person can cobble together a few pedals and get close....but there will be no cigar I'm afraid. It is one of a kind.
Hopefully, someday a plugin or true clone with all the features will be manufactured, until then we can only dream or compromise.