2023 is getting to its end and we would like to still ship as many crowdfunding units as we can.
As I’ve reported previously, more than 3/4 of the backers are fulfilled and we’re doing the efforts to fulfill the remaining ones.
As it has been also reported, sadly there are many backers that are skeptical about the 150€ voucher, many of them thinking it is a scam and that we are all thieves
That said, I am inviting here those who went for the 150€ voucher solution to share here their experience, so that the skeptical backers have a bit more of information to base their decisions.
If you did go for the 150€ voucher purchase, please tell about it here to let other backers know how it went.
What can I say? Everything’s fine and as promised. Already spent 100€ and really enjoy my dwarf. For me except the long waiting time I am happy to have contributed.
I paid the extra 150€ because I couldn’t wait any longer to receive a dwarf and it was absolutely worth it! There are many amazing free plugins, so it will take me a while to spend the vouchers but I love knowing that if I get the urge I can just do that without worrying.
The dwarf is still very good value even after the price is increased from kickstarter with the vouchers, just look at the competition! In fact there is no competition because the MOD ecosystem is unique, you simply cannot get a nice pedal like this where you can build your own plugins from scratch anywhere else!
If you supported the kickstarter because you believed in something, don’t stop believing!
While I was initially hesitant to spend more money on the project, I also realized that the initial crowdfunding offer was actually very low.
After applying for the voucher offer I received the unit very quickly and subsequently got 3 store vouchers of €50 in separate batches. These vouchers were of course extra motivation to browse in the plugin store for premium plugins. This was actually quite a treat since there are some great premium offerings. Some of which blow the free plugins out of the park.
Definitely worth it! And certainly adds value to the device as the paid plugins open up a whole new world of possibilities.
Since then the number of excellent plugins has only increased. I still have some money left on the vouchers and will take another look at some cool stuff soon.
Purchased the voucher to support the company, delivered as promised through voucher codes for the plugin store. Bought a number of amp simulations and pedals last week, worked like a charm with budget to spare for upcoming goodies! You’re probably going to buy something in the plugin store anyway once you get the dwarf (GAS!!!), so might as well hit the ground running.
I wanted to support the project and the founders after their herculean effort of bringing it back to life after the restructure. So I paid the 150€ extra to get the Dwarf. I also like the idea of a marked for commercial plugins to supplement the free offerings.
The unit came quickly after paying, and works very well.
I admit I had some apprehensions myself, but ultimately I paid for the voucher and got my Dwarf a few weeks later, with the custom graphics as promised. It’s legit.
I’m normally skeptical of crowdfunding campaigns failing to deliver, because most of the time it’s due to mismanagement, but COVID is a force majeure if we’ve ever seen one, and the people at MOD Devices had already demonstrated their capacity to ship working hardware to people.
I’m still a little bit frustrated by the ordeal, because I feel like those of us who opted to wait a little longer ended up being punished for it. The fact that they kept selling retail units (as far as I’m aware) was also a bitter pill to swallow, but the necessity for it is also easy to see. Frankly, I don’t know what they could’ve done differently.
Gianfranco is a great brand ambassador. He always replies to emails within a day, pretty much always with a solution, and also follows up after the fact. Cheers to him.
I initially supported the Indiegogo crowd funding campaign because I saw a great guitar pedal based on open source technologies. I had seen a predecessor of the Dwarf (likely the original Duo) a couple of years before on the Frankfurt music fair (Musikmesse) and was already back then blown away by the possibilities. The crowd funding was too good an opportunity to pass on.
After the news of the insolvency broke and it was unclear how the story will unfold (I was in the third group who didn’t get any of the units until then), I bought a Dwarf from Thomann at full price, just to have one. When the reboot of Mod Audio was successful a few weeks later, I still went for the voucher offer and now have two Dwarfs happily working together.
Since the original promise of the crowd founding and the intermediate troubles, the MOD platform has evolved a lot despite all challenges. With the new NAM and Aida-X plugins and all the simulations made possible by them, the Dwarf has gained even more value for me.
The only sad part is that the MOD team had to endure quite a hard time and negativity. While I can understand the frustrations by backers for the wait time and having to pay more money as originally promised, this crowd funding fell together with some really bad times with the pandemic and supply chain crisis, etc…
Anyway, overall I’m very happy with the final outcome. Best wishes to us all and the MOD team on a path to even greater possibilities for our little Dwarfs!
I’ve said elsewhere that I was very sceptical about the voucher scheme and held out for quite a while. Maybe I could wait and get the unit for my original pledge some day? Well, yes, maybe, or maybe MOD goes out of business and I get nothing! So I took the plunge, which absolutely the best thing to do.
For a start, the Dwarf is worth it: that’s a big question-mark to get out of the way before anything else. It’s fun, it’s well built, the software system works well, the new reverbs are excellent, the new amp models are strong. I don’t see why anyone sits this out over 150 euros.
Secondly, the vouchers are like having found money. Want a new effect or amp from the store? Great, it’s basically free. That means you explore more and tailor the effects onboard to how you want to use the unit. You don’t “need” 150 euros’ worth of extras but you’ll choosing them anyway.
Money is a tool, a means of shaping the world, it’s power. The MOD team consists of good people, dedicated to their community. I want more companies like this, so I happily supported them with the voucher option.
To me it was worth it for every day more I can spend with this awesome device.
The process itself worked flawlessly.
It was absolutely the right decision for me.
Some more jibber jabber:
I became a “tier 3” backer because I wanted to have others their units first, because I didn’t actually need it at the time. Boy, was I wrong: I don’t need all the other stuff I have and I’m a Dwarf-only user for the foreseeable future. It’s a great product. I’m glad I opted for the vouchers, so that I can have more of my life time to spend with the device.
Also I wanted to support the MOD team, because I admire them for the endurance and especially the transparency they showcased throughout all the rough times they’ve been through. They are and always were dedicated to fulfilling the backer orders, even throughout a freaking insolvency. (Let that sink.) They have absolutely no legal obligation to do so, but still found a way to stay true to their community and keep the company / the dream alive. There should be more companies with this kind of mindset. It was a no-brainer for me to support that.
i’ve supported MOD right from the start, and have a Duo, Duo X, Dwarf, and Control Chain Footswitch. i heartily thank everybody on the team, and especially @gianfranco, for their efforts to deliver these wonderful products, even though i’ve gotten everything through Kickstarter… as such, i always realized that the ~ideas~ might not translate into ~devices~. that’s how kickstarter works - we support a thing because we have ~hope~! but the MOD team have always regarded it as more than that, and continue to make every possible effort to deliver these things which they also believe in. take the example of the Control Chain Expression Pedal… it is extraordinary to me that, in spite of the many difficulties during the past few years - both globally and for MOD in particular - development continues towards perfecting and delivering the Expression Pedal. that is a very tangible illustration of the good faith and honest intent of the MOD team.
so, yes, i paid the extra 150 euros to get my Dwarf, and i am only grateful to have been able to support the company that way. it arrived quickly, as promised. i already owned a lot of paid plugins for my Duo and Duo X, so i have not yet used the vouchers. but here’s the thing: there is so much scope in these devices, and there are so many ideas around how to develop that scope, that i have every confidence that the future will bring things for which my vouchers will be really useful for me. i also have zero fear that the vouchers will become valueless, or dysfunctional, or something - @gianfranco has already demonstrated every possible effort to make the vouchers work, and i know that if i am concerned for any reason i can just write to him and get an answer. that brings me to my last point:
the available contact with the MOD team, and their desire to get everything working in the best possible way, is unparalleled. when things go south, or there’s some issue, they don’t just disappear. they’re here for the community and for the devices. …and we’re here for them… that has been demonstrated over and over!
ok… enough from me!
get your Dwarves and enjoy them, y’all!
I have had an awesome experience! The voucher allowed me to purchase two plugins I really wanted.
I am holding off on anything amazing that comes out in the upcoming years. I play with people who own a Quad Cortex and a Helix. My sounds are just as good as theirs.
With the Aida-X, this platform has gained even more value!
I know it’s more money however, it kind of worked as a savings account to purchase plugins that I want.
In order to show skeptical backers that I’m not an over-indulgent fanboy of the MOD company, I’ll begin with a honest recall of my state of mind before the 150€ voucher offer. I was quite unhappy with MOD’s communication during the problematic crowdfunding era because it was always more optimistic than reality. Many times, they announced things that never happened. Before the offer, the least I can say is that I had lost trust in the MOD company.
So I think that when they offered the delivery for an extra 150€, they understood that many backers where skeptical and that they had to be very straight with the process. They had the good idea to accept the payments only when the units where ready to ship. And as I’m concerned, they did. I paid and received the Dwarf a few days later so I guess this offer can be trusted. It’s very straightforward and clear, without blurry suspicious communication.
As far as I know, it’s the safest way for backers to receive their Dwarf If they can afford it. I know people are angry because the most patient and supportive backers (tier 3) are the ones who have to pay the extra 150€ so it feels unfair. But life is not fair. So the question is : will anger and revenge give your 300€ back ? They are either completely lost in anger or they can be used as the 2/3 of the investment if you still want the pedal, which is very well built. Being pragmatic is the most efficient behavior.
thanks, @funkypou , for this frank response… it’s refreshing!
this. yes. … i definitely agree that this represented a new confluence of promise AND actual, clear capability for the company. for me, this single policy is a cornerstone in my continued faith in MOD.
The fact that you spend 150 to get 150 in plugins, made it easy for me. The paid plugins are very good and well worth the price. I can’t imagine getting a Dwarf and not buying some plugins. This is a fair deal and I am quite happy that I took it.
I got the voucher to help support the mod team.
I’ve had the duo for years and love all the upgrades with the Mod Dwarf.
The voucher had allowed me to add some really nice plugins to the Dwarf. Getting it early really helped since I can’t afford to buy them out of my current wages.
The Dwarf wasn’t the only project I backed that was delayed by the unexpected pandemic. (The other project was the Osmose keyboard). After approx. 3 years, I now have both and I’m happy. I was always impatient but didn’t really see any reason to be mad. With the extra €150 I just have some software to get started, which is kinda great. And it’s a pretty cool device
A long time ago I was a Mod DUO user, so I decided to back the Mod Dwarf but after a few months I backed out because I stopped playing guitar. At that time refunds were accepted with a deduction of 10% of the funding, which was an acceptable deal. Then the insolvency of MOD Devices occured and it was game over… 265€ gone. The proposed solution to purchase a voucher and still buy I device when a new batch is released is not an option for me. Still hoping for a partial refund, but I’m losing hope.
After being rather annoyed and expressing my annoyance when it looked like Mod were dead in the water along with any chance of me receiving my Dwarf, I decided to pay the €150 to just bring the matter to a close, more than anything else. Any enthusiasm I had for the thing was lost; I was probably just going to flip it.
To my surprise, the Dwarf delivered everything I hoped it would and does it all so enjoyably. It’s great fun, yet a serious tool. I’ve gigged with it a few times now and have set up patches and snapshots that can cover all my bread and butter uses, but using the €150 vouchers, I’ve also splashed out on some other more exotic special effects for when the mood requires more atmosphere. It’s refreshingly flexible and eclectic, and more often than not, I’ll just play my guitar through the Dwarf straight into the front of a clean tube amp and it covers all bases. Tremendous stuff
