EV-2 action/feel

philipacamaniac

philipacamaniac

Fractal Fanatic
I finally got a waitlist EV-2. It’s a super solid piece of metal, I love the build quality. It’s replacing an EB VPjr that I’ve used for years.

One thing seems a bit off though: the action/feel of the pedal during travel. Rather than it being smooth as butter like a VPjr or the old Roland pedal I have, the EV-2 has “steps” or maybe “soft clicks” during travel. I’m not talking about the output, the pot is perfectly linear and after calibrating, I’m seeing smooth expression values and no dead spots. What I’m describing is the physical action of the pedal during travel.

Is that slightly stepped action normal or is there something wrong with my unit? Or have I missed an adjustment I should be making? I did try adjusting the tension screw at the front, but it didn’t impact the slightly stepped action, just made the travel tension tighter or looser (as expected).
 
Unlike the Ernie Ball pedals, the EV-2 uses a toothed gear mechanism. That won’t feel the same as the Ernie Ball string. But it has a distinct advantage in terms of reliability.

Over time, the Ernie Ball string will fray. Eventually it will fail, and the pedal will need to be restrung. That replacement is a fiddly process, and it can be tricky to get it right. Meanwhile, the rack-and-pinion mechanism on the EV-2 just keeps on going.

The real question is, “Does this interfere with your use of the pedal?” For me and my two FC-2s, it doesn’t, and they’ve replaced my Ernie Ball pedals.
 
Rex said:
Unlike the Ernie Ball pedals, the EV-2 uses a toothed gear mechanism. That won’t feel the same as the Ernie Ball string. But it has a distinct advantage in terms of reliability.

Over time, the Ernie Ball string will fray. Eventually it will fail, and the pedal will need to be restrung. That replacement is a fiddly process, and it can be tricky to get it right. Meanwhile, the rack-and-pinion mechanism on the EV-2 just keeps on going.

The real question is, “Does this interfere with your use of the pedal?” For me and my two FC-2s, it doesn’t, and they’ve replaced my Ernie Ball pedals.
Click to expand...

I’ve replaced the string on my Ernie Ball, while attempting to swap out the pot with a linear. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.

Thanks for confirming that what I’m feeling isn’t an issue with my unit but just the design. I think I’m okay with it, and I am definitely okay with the durability.
 
philipacamaniac said:
I’ve replaced the string on my Ernie Ball, while attempting to swap out the pot with a linear. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
Click to expand...
Yup. Just getting it back together is its own challenge. Getting it adjusted for the right throw is another trip altogether.
 
It's hard to beat the smooth feel of string based pedals, but there's no question that the rack and pinion design is far more durable. You'll wear the pot out long before you wear out the drive mechanism on those. The trade off is a bit less smooth feel. Some really thick lithium grease in the teeth helps to cushion and smooth things out a bit.

I've had to replace the strings in both of my VPJr pedals, and yep it's a pain in the ass. I swapped mine for lifetime strings from here: https://www.shnobeltone.com/product-page/lifetime-string-replacement-kit-for-ernie-ball-vp-jr

They are really fine braided steel (I think) cable with a coating to reduce friction. So far they've been holding up really well. Time will tell how long they actually last, but so far so good.

At the time I modded these VPJr's with linear pots, the EV-2 was not out yet and the EV-1 was just too big. If I had it to do all over again, I would definitely go with a pair of EV-2s now instead.
 
Last edited:
Having used both (VP Jr and EV-2), I much prefer the feel of the EV-2. The VP just felt to loose to me.
I like a bit of tension on the pedal, and you can tweak that on the EV-2 (and the Mission pedals, of which I own 2).
No way that I know of to adjust the tension on the VP Jr.
In the end, I think it just comes down to personal preference.
 
Just to circle back around to this topic, after actually using the EV-2 and not simply testing/experimenting with it right out of the box, the verdict is in.

I love the feel and the throw of the EV-2!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom