Hey, NAMM Gods:  Why don’t guitar effects pedals come from the factory with velcro attached to the bottom? If you want to add a new effect to your pedalboard (most of which use velcro to secure the pedals), the first thing you have to do when you get it is to remove the smooth rubber foot pad that comes from the factory. This involves razor blades, scrubbing pads, steel wool, and/or solvents. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to scrape off factory installed rubber before I can use my new toys.

Why can’t they attach the foot pad backing to velcro, and the other half of the velcro to the bottom of the pedal? That way you could have the option of peeling off the smooth, velcro-backed rubber if you wanted to stick the pedal on a board, without taking a razor to your brand new pedal. The velcro would be industrially attached at the factory, automatically making a better job of it than 99% of the people (including me) who stick it on themselves. Or, if you wanted to use the pedal by itself, you could leave the rubber pad on. I don’t have access to the data to cost it out, but my guess is it wouldn’t add more than 50 cents to the wholesale cost of the pedal to do this. Probably less. I’d definitely pay a dollar or two more at the counter to eliminate the need to deface my pedals. I think a lot of other people would too.