Most useful uses for expression pedals?

[GuitarNut]

4 on my primary Axe Fx2, 1 on the second.

 

[Pinkycramps]

Still, unless you have 4 feet, you can not control them at the same time

That is true. but who's to say you can't switch from one to another in a hurry without changing presets or scenes?

I have always had 3 expression pedals on my rig (which is a non AXE rig at the moment: Mesa MKV with a refrigerator full of FX). I have a dedicated Volume, a Morley Tremontti Wah (touch wah.. only way to go) and a wildcard expression that does whammy, delay, or whatever I set it up for on a given preset.

I imagine that when I get my AXE (soon me hopes...) I might get away with just 2, since I really never use Wah and Whammy together, so I could use a volume and wildcard I guess. I think I'll probably start that way. (Then knowing me I'll max it out and have 4 on there with a 12 foot wide pedal board.:lol)

 

[Tremonti]

I've made some presets where it changes amp gain, delay feedback, delay input gain and reverb volume at once, and it's a fun one to use. Very...expressive. Screw it, I'll get the big board!

Atta boy!!

 

[henryrobinett]

Still, unless you have 4 feet, you can not control them at the same time

Who needs to control all four at the same time? Or even two at the same time? I just want access to the sounds and variability.

 

[MesaGuitarGuy]

I use 3

1-dedicated volume
2- wah (mainly)
3- drive, to slowly add drive pedal for cool dynamics

 

[Roland]

1 - volume [attached to Cab level]
2 - wah
3 - anything else. When I use a GR-33 it controls synth volume. Also useful for rotating cabinet speed

 

[tgorycki]

One good reason to have 4 controllers is if you are using the same basic amp setup from song to song but want control over more parameters without switching presets.

 

[Cagey]

Another reason to have 4 controllers is because you can. You may not need all 4 at once, or at any point in your current setup. But, at some point you may want an extra to set a parameter by foot and at will, so you build it in. Easier to do it now, planning for the future, than to scrap/sell the current board because it's too small/limited.

 

[unix-guy]

For many years I have had two pedals: an "optical" wah (Morley Bad Horsie II or Dunlop 95Q) and an expression pedal assigned to control a "whammy" effect.

Since moving to the Axe Fx, that pretty much stayed the same but the wah was replaced with an EP to control the wah in the Axe Fx.

Recently I got a Gordius Big Little Giant and I've now programmed a button that toggles EP1 between Wah/Whammy at any time, and I've started using EP2 to control volum swells in an "ambient" patch. I will be expanding EP2 to be more of a "wildcard" use per preset or scene (Gordius power!) as I feel the need.

Kevin