Bad Horsie as expression pedal?

warlockII

warlockII

Fractal Fanatic
Guys and Gals,
I realize this has probably been discussed before, but I can't find the thread...
I love the feel of my Bad Horsie wah and am thinking about using it as my expression pedal. Is there a reason why this wouldn't be as good a choice as a "true" expression pedal?
I'm currently using the pedal on my Lexicon R1 and have used a boss pedal in the past. Neither feel as good to me as the Horsie.
Thanks!
 
Nope, I mean actually using my wah pedal as an expression pedal. I've never tried a little aligator...does it have the same feel as a Bad Horsie?
 
I'm skeptical it'll work.

An expression pedal provides a variable voltage divider to the unit you're hooking it up to. The unit measures the relative voltages on either side of the divider and uses the ratio to pick a value for the continuous controller.

The Bad Horsie doesn't have a traditional potentiometer in it that you can use as a variable voltage divider. It works its wah magic using an optical resistor circuit. When you move the pedal you change the brightness of an LED that shines on a light dependant resistor that controls the filter applied to your signal (see schematic here). There's no voltage divider in the circuit, at least not one you can re-purpose for expression pedal use.

Would be cool if it could be used. I loved the sweep on my BH2. Best wah I ever owned. If I'm wrong, I'd sure be okay with that!

Edit: pretty sure the Little Aligator uses the same opto-electrical control topology to vary volume so it's also out as an expression pedal.
 
just because it's a pedal and can plug in doesn't mean it can be used as an expression pedal.
 
I don't mean this to come off as rude as it might appear...
It seems as if far too many of the replies on discussion groups anymore are peoples gut feelings, NOT actual experience.
Has anyone actually tried using a wah pedal? I'm afraid the taper might be wrong. Before you ask why I don't just try it, the axe II is at the Jam room and I won't be there for several days.
Thanks!
 
warlockII said:
I don't mean this to come off as rude as it might appear...
It seems as if far too many of the replies on discussion groups anymore are peoples gut feelings, NOT actual experience.
Has anyone actually tried using a wah pedal? I'm afraid the taper might be wrong. Before you ask why I don't just try it, the axe II is at the Jam room and I won't be there for several days.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I posted a link to a schematic and tried to put it nicely that the electro-optical control circuit the Morley uses can't be repurposed as an expression circuit.

I'm 99.99% certain in my diagnosis of the situation. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I tried to use my Little Aligator with poor results. Nothing happened until the pedal was about 3/4 of the way down making it hard to control the wah effect with any accuracy. Saving my pennies for a real expression pedal.
 
If you're asking whether you can gut your Horsie, install new electronics, and use it as an expression pedal, the answer is yes. There's always a way. But you might find that it's more hassle and expense than buying an actual expression pedal with a Bad Horsie-style pedal.

If you're asking whether you can just use your Horsie as-is for expression pedal duty, the answer is no. An expression pedal is a voltage divider; a wah is a variable EQ circuit. They're different things.
 
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Wow, people sure get their panties in a twist very easily!
Thank you JYflorida and Rex. I appreciate your answers based on trying things out, not on what specs say should work. I think we've all seen people do things with equipment that people didn't think was possible before...that was what I was getting to earlier, not to insult the answers that were given.
 
warlockII said:
I appreciate your answers based on trying things out, not on what specs say should work.
Click to expand...

I once tried plugging grapes into my axe fx to see how it sounded. But it didn't work. Good thing I tried it though!

I didn't try green grapes though, only purple.

:p
 
warlockII said:
Wow, people sure get their panties in a twist very easily!
Thank you JYflorida and Rex. I appreciate your answers based on trying things out, not on what specs say should work. I think we've all seen people do things with equipment that people didn't think was possible before...that was what I was getting to earlier, not to insult the answers that were given.
Click to expand...

Some of us are soooo smart we don't have to stick a fork in the light socket to tell you it's a bad idea.

But hey, if you want to experience it for yourself kid go right ahead...
 
Sorry, mate. Never tried. But I'm not surprised to hear it won't work. I'm also trying to save up for the mission pedals. They do look sweet.

PS. I believe gut feeling comes from experience.. Or most of the gut feelings. lol. I've been corrected many times in my career by my boss by his gut feeling.
 
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