Expression Pedal Help - What is "best"?

J

JFB

New Member
My son uses an FM9. He wants an expression pedal. I am clueless but would like to get him a nice birthday gift. Any guidance you can provide is appreciated. He plays mostly 80's rock covers. The band also writes originals but this gives you an idea what music he enjoys. He is a self proclaimed tech geek so the more buttons and options the better (hence the FM9). He has more money than me so just because he has an FM9 doesn't mean I can afford a $600 pedal :). Durability, configurability, he mentioned something about Mission having two output jacks. Anyway thanks in advance for your guidance!
 
Mission Engineering makes (or did) a couple expression pedals with two jacks - the SP-1 and the SP-2.

But they do different things.

The SP-1 has one jack for the expression output and one for the switch (for whatever switching may be desired).

The SP-2 has two jacks for expression and the switch changes between them.

I'm not sure the SP-2 is still in production.

I think retail on them is roughly $125 US.
 
Mission are great, as are the Fractal expression pedals. I prefer a wah-style pedal for controlling wah and volume swells, and I use a Mission SP-1 for that - and I use the toe switch to toggle between wah and volume. I also have a Fractal EV1 expression pedal that I use for controlling other parameters like amp gain, delay time/feedback. I suspect either would be a great addition to your son's FM9!

I should mention that I've also used Ernie Ball, Boss, and Dunlop expression pedals, and although they each had their advantages all of them eventually broke - though the Ernie Ball was just a broken string which was a relatively easy fix.
 
It sounds like he wants a Mission Engineering SP-1. It’s also nice that it comes in a few colors like red, black, etc. (also the Chris Broderick special edition SP-1 is white). You’re looking at under $200 either way. They can take a couple weeks to arrive so order soon if you need to.

They are very good pedals. Expression pedals are a very personal thing so assuming at least decent quality, any of them could be the “best” depending on the person.
 
Mission SP-1
Fractal EV-1 or 2

The Fractal does NOT have a toe switch like the SP-1 does. Personally, I like the SP-1 because the switch allows me to turn on/off a wah or other effect, and feels exactly like the classic Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal that just about every guitar player has ever used.

I've used both, and they're both awesome.

Since this is a gift, I wouldn't wander too far off the reservation.
 
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If you are going for the SP-1, make sure you are OK with a latching switch over a momentary switch. The latching switch can still be used to bypass effects, but cannot be used as a "stand in switch". Mission makes a lot of pedals with momentary switches as well, if that is what you prefer.
 
Casimir said:
If you are going for the SP-1, make sure you are OK with a latching switch over a momentary switch. The latching switch can still be used to bypass effects, but cannot be used as a "stand in switch". Mission makes a lot of pedals with momentary switches as well, if that is what you prefer.
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Yes this tripped me up. I'm not sure how much @JFB knows about all this jargon.

Bottom line is the SP-1 still can be used to do a ton and he may not be limited at all by the SP-1 (I know I'm not), but a momentary switch can do a little more.
 
Surprisingly I have been thrilled with the inexpensive Moog EP3 (50$). I own 2.

What I love most about them is the size(height).
I can put it literally up against the FM9 or FC12 and the EP3 is a hair higher then the fm9/fc12. Then through the full rage of the pedal, no part of the pedal ever goes below the edge of the fm9, so no worry of foot being obstructed by the FM9 if it is slightly off the edge of the pedal. It was like they designed the fulcrum point specifically with the FM9/FC12 form factor in mind (clearly that was just luck)
 
sarge said:
Surprisingly I have been thrilled with the inexpensive Moog EP3 (50$). I own 2.

What I love most about them is the size(height).
I can put it literally up against the FM9 or FC12 and the EP3 is a hair higher then the fm9/fc12. Then through the full rage of the pedal, no part of the pedal ever goes below the edge of the fm9, so no worry of foot being obstructed by the FM9 if it is slightly off the edge of the pedal. It was like they designed the fulcrum point specifically with the FM9/FC12 form factor in mind (clearly that was just luck)
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Hm. I have one of those in a drawer. It came with a digital piano I got and I never even thought to try it with my FM9 (I have a pair of EV-2s) but I’ll go and see what you mean. 👍
 
Deadpool_25 said:
@sarge I see what you mean. That Moog is basically the perfect size (both depth and height) next to the FM9.
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I had one laying around that I used with a previous modeler and when I stuck it next to it, I was suprised what a perfect fit it was. Like you said, both height and depth. I have a dunlop which is a great expression pedal, but it collects dust. Seems sturdy enough and at that price, if it breaks, I'll just grab another.
 
sarge said:
I had one laying around that I used with a previous modeler and when I stuck it next to it, I was suprised what a perfect fit it was. Like you said, both height and depth. I have a dunlop which is a great expression pedal, but it collects dust. Seems sturdy enough and at that price, if it breaks, I'll just grab another.
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I have a 2nd one showing up tomorrow lol
 
Just delving into this area for the first time. I am considering getting the Mission pedal with the momentary switch. Question about using the switch. If the pedal is functioning in Volume pedal mode, how do I get to the switch (all the way down) to switch something without activating maximum volume? Seems like I am missing something.
 
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For me, Moog easily wins in the bang for the buck department, as well as size & weight. I've been using a couple for a few years now with zero complaints. The feel & sweep are great. I've also used the AMT expression pedal, which is good if you need something small. Their feel probably isn't for everybody, but otherwise mine have worked fine. I have no doubt all the other recommendations are excellent, but the Moog is a really solid option. YMMV of course.
 
22 frets said:
Just delving into this area for the first time. I am considering getting the Mission pedal with the momentary switch. Question about using the switch. If the pedal is functioning in Volume pedal mode, how do I get to the switch (all the way down) to switch something without activating maximum volume? Seems like I am missing something.
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You don't... this is an issue, in my opinion.
 
hippietim said:
This gizmo might help you out:

https://missionengineering.com/shop-2/products/expression/multi-use-exp/expressionator/
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Thanks Tim. That looks pretty neat, but it might be overkill for me right now. I'm still trying to figure out how to use one expression pedal with the Multiplex Block to alternate between volume and Wah. What I assume is that I need to use another switch on the FM3 or FM9 to take the expression pedal out of the volume mode and then I can access the expression pedal switch in the all the way down position without blowing everybody out of the place. I guess I need to be careful with that. I'm still having trouble imagining a practical example. I'll keep reading.
 
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