Expression pedal recs

bluesdoc

bluesdoc

Inspired
I'm on the list for Cliff's controller and would appreciate suggestions for expression pedals that I can use for vol and wah functions. Any favorites here? I've seen guys have good luck with very inexpensive pedals, but whatever works well, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks.

jon
 
Hello Jon!

I love my modded Crybaby by Stillwell. He doesn't do them anymore, but I imagine someone else out there is smart enough to do it.
 
Rocktron Hex pedals seem to work fine for me so far.

Reasonable inexpensive.

They're nice and sturdy too.

I did have to swap tip & ring wires on one end of each cable, but that's no big deal.

I bought a long TRS cable, cut it in half, and did the swap when I put on the new ends.

I also got some house numbers for a couple of bucks at Wally World and put a big "1" and a "2"
on the pedals so I can tell which is which when they get moved around
 
Why would the Rocktron Hex pedals and the Axe-Fx have incompatible polarity??? Is this a well known issue for users here? Hey, no problem doing the switch, but I wonder why it's needed?? Ie, something unique to the AF or to that pedal :?

Also, Cliff, if you see this, will this be the same for the MCF101? (I'm guessing the polarity of the AF and MCF would be the same...)

jon
 
bluesdoc said:
Why would the Rocktron Hex pedals and the Axe-Fx have incompatible polarity??? Is this a well known issue for users here? Hey, no problem doing the switch, but I wonder why it's needed?? Ie, something unique to the AF or to that pedal :?

Also, Cliff, if you see this, will this be the same for the MCF101? (I'm guessing the polarity of the AF and MCF would be the same...)

jon
Click to expand...


Who knows....

It is what it is.

It's not a secret.

I learned it on the defunct older board before I bought the Hex pedals.

It's no big deal to wire a cable with tip & ring crossed.

Some folks have been rewiring the pedal.
 
Scott Peterson said:
Hello Jon!

I love my modded Crybaby by Stillwell. He doesn't do them anymore, but I imagine someone else out there is smart enough to do it.
Click to expand...

Stilwel said in another thread that he will be not doing the modded crybaby anymore, he says the Rocktron Hex is pretty much the same thing and is cheaper....

It might be nice if someone who give a detailed thread with pictures on how to convert the Rocktron HEX pedal to work with the Axe FX and food controllers.... Any takers? This is a common issue and many people who play don't necessarily mess with the soldering iron.
 
oddb0d said:
Scott Peterson said:
Hello Jon!

I love my modded Crybaby by Stillwell. He doesn't do them anymore, but I imagine someone else out there is smart enough to do it.
Click to expand...

Stilwel said in another thread that he will be not doing the modded crybaby anymore, he says the Rocktron Hex is pretty much the same thing and is cheaper....

It might be nice if someone who give a detailed thread with pictures on how to convert the Rocktron HEX pedal to work with the Axe FX and food controllers.... Any takers? This is a common issue and many people who play don't necessarily mess with the soldering iron.
Click to expand...

For those who are less inclined to modify equipment, the easiest solution is to buy a TRS ( tip, ring, sleeve ) stereo
cable from one of the online or local cable vendors and have them cross the tip & ring wires when they build it.

Second easiest would be to take the pedal to a local tech and have them swap the tip & ring leads on the expression output jack.
That's all there is to it, swap two wires. The hard part is opening up the pedal.
I'd take pictures. but I'm too lazy to take a pedal apart. :roll: You don't really need it.
This is only second easiest, IMO, because it will probably void the pedal warranty.
After doing this, any normal stereo TRS cable should work.
 
Didn't the Stilwel pedals have a built in switch for on/off just like a crybaby or vox, or was it switchless?
 
The Rocktron HEX TRS expression output jack will work AS-IS with GC Pro, Axess FX1, Rocktron All Access etc.

Unfortunately, you have to reverse tip and ring for use when connected DIRECTLY to an Axe-Fx pedal port.

Yes, my pedals did have the option of a toe-switch, but I recommend using the auto-engage function of the Axe-fx instead.
I don't even have the toe-switch installed on my personal wah/exp pedal.
 
Yeah, the auto engage is a great way to go!! I guess when my Rocktron Hex pedal gets here, I'll either reverse it or the cable, depending on which has easier access. No biggie either way. Been soldering stuff since 1959 :shock:

jon
 
Has anyone been using Roland's products? I was looking at the EV-5, EV-7 or maybe even one of the FV-500 series.

Any comments, good or bad?

Terry.
 
Tone Seeker said:
Has anyone been using Roland's products? I was looking at the EV-5, EV-7 or maybe even one of the FV-500 series.

Any comments, good or bad?

Terry.
Click to expand...

I have one, but I'm not sure which one. I picked it up at GC for $70. I didn't want to really use that one. I would have preferred a Hex, but I needed it right away.

Anyway, it works great. No complaints whatsoever, except that it is too expensive IMO.

D
 
dk_ace said:
I have one, but I'm not sure which one. I picked it up at GC for $70. I didn't want to really use that one. I would have preferred a Hex, but I needed it right away.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback!

Just curious. . . what is it about the Hex that you prefer over the Roland product?

I'm trying to decide what to pick up when I purchase a new controller. The only exposure I have to any of these is the pedal in my old Boss GT-6 (the built-in one was very solid).

Terry.
 
bluesdoc said:
Yeah, the auto engage is a great way to go!! I guess when my Rocktron Hex pedal gets here, I'll either reverse it or the cable, depending on which has easier access. No biggie either way. Been soldering stuff since 1959 :shock:

jon
Click to expand...

Got the Hex pedals. Popped off the bottom, switched the red and blue leads on the exp jack, and bob's yer uncle.

Way easier than dealing with tiny, cramped contacts on cables.

jon
 
Rome said:
1560g :cool:
Click to expand...
Thanks. :D

That puts the Hex at 4 lbs. The Roland "Industrial Strength" FV-500 series are 1200g, or 2lb 11oz.

That says two things to me. 1 - The Hex seems like a pretty good value, given the construction. 2 - Carrying 3 of these around would be a bit weighty.

Terry.
 
Tone Seeker said:
Rome said:
1560g :cool:
Click to expand...
The Roland "Industrial Strength" FV-500 series are 1200g, or 2lb 11oz.
Click to expand...
Hi, I've just bought a Boss FV-500L.
Note it's my first pedal, anyway I've noted the difference between this and most pedals mounted in standard multieffects/midi pedalboards.
My impressions are that :
it's strurdy (weight is 1.6 Kg/3 lbs 9 oz) (1.470 Kg on my scales)
it's very "linear" I've tested it with both the wah and the drive of both amp and overdrive
it has e very good "soft" feel (note hardness (pedal feel) is controllable by means of a screw on the bottom
it's versatile (you could also use it as a stereo volume pedal)
it's easy to connect it (a standard TRS 1/4" cable is good, no swap needed)

May be the reason we should swap wires for the Rocktron to use it with the Axe-Fx is that there is no standard, so Roland/Boss made something different (as for many other things), and our Axes comply with them. This is not a perfect world...
 
terry64 said:
Tone Seeker said:
Rome said:
1560g :cool:
Click to expand...
May be the reason we should swap wires for the Rocktron to use it with the Axe-Fx is that there is no standard, so Roland/Boss made something different (as for many other things), and our Axes complies with them. This is not a perfect world...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I've seen polarity switch reverse as a firmware option in other gear, perhaps Cliff could add that in a future firmware. Would save guys from having to solder connections on brand new hex pedals if there was a simple software setting.
 
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