Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Dual Expression Pedal

So, as much I look forward to new products from Electro Harmonix, Expression pedals are not extremely exciting. EHX did release several rocker pedals a couple years back. The "Next Step" line of rocker pedals looked futuristic and new, but that's always a gamble with guitarists. The fact that you couldn't attach it to your pedal board and unfamiliar functionality kinda doomed them. However, the new Expression Pedal is back to basics and that is the best news we could hope for.

It's Plastic

Yes, this pedal is basically the Wailer Wah, but in expression pedal form. It has great features, for an expression pedal. You can reverse the polarity and set a minimum value via trim pot. It works with a wide range of pedals and has a conventional construction. Constructed out of glass-reinforced nylon (plastic), the pedal is light weight and hopefully affordable.

Expression Impressions

I like that EHX is providing choices. They've taken risks with unproven ideas, but they've also provided a good option to those who prefer conventional pedals. It Seems like they are covering all bases. The Expression Pedal is much more affordable than the "Next Step" Expression pedal. Just moments ago, EHX posted the list price of $49.30, which is roughly half the price as their previous expression. However, It's hard not to compare this pedal with the MOOG expression...

Deja Vu

Plastic construction and identical feature set, make this pedal a near clone of the Moog EP3 Expression pedal. Not that EHX is a new-comer to cloning pedals. However, not everything is a direct clone of the Moog. First off, the EHX pedal looks like it is larger than the Moog. I don't have exact dimensions of the EHX pedal, but by simply looking at the promotional photos, you can tell that the EHX looks much like a typically Dunlop Wah shape (if not size). The Moog is sized between a full sized and the mini sized pedals that we've seen released lately. With the larger size, you have a slightly larger price tag. The Moog sells right at $40. So, less than $10 difference for a near identical pedal.

Conclusion

I like this pedal, if only for the fact that it is a departure from those weird rocker pedals that they put out previously. It comes with a 6' TRS cable (just like the moog). It doesn't work with everything, probably. I know that the Moog expression doesn't play with Line6 very well. Also, the Moog seems to use an audio, rather than linear, pot. This means that moving the pedal half way won't necessarily give you a 50% value. This lends its self to wah-type applications, but it will still work with effects like pitch bending and other non-wah types. If you liked the Moog but wished it was a little bigger, this might be your thing.

So, as much I look forward to new products from Electro Harmonix, Expression pedals are not extremely exciting. EHX did release several rocker pedals a couple years back. The "Next Step" line of rocker pedals looked futuristic and new, but that's always a gamble with guitarists. The fact that you couldn't attach it to your pedal board and unfamiliar functionality kinda doomed them. However, the new Expression Pedal is back to basics and that's the best news we could hope for.

It's Plastic

Yes, this pedal is basically the Wailer Wah, but in expression pedal form. It has great features, for an expression pedal. You can reverse the polarity and set a minimum value via trim pot. It works with a wide range of pedals and has conventional construction. Constructed out of glass-reinforced nylon (plastic), the pedal is light weight and hopefully affordable.

Expression Impressions

I like that EHX is providing choices. They've taken risks with unproven ideas, but they've also provided a good option to those who prefer conventional pedals. It Seems like they are covering all bases. The Expression Pedal is much more affordable than the "Next Step" Expression pedal. Just moments ago, EHX posted the list price of $49.30. Which is roughly half the price as their previous expression. However, It's hard not to compare this pedal with the MOOG expression...

Deja Vu

Plastic construction and identical feature set, make this pedal a near clone of the Moog EP3 Expression pedal. Not that EHX is a new-comer to cloning pedals. However, not everything is a direct clone of the Moog. First off, the EHX pedal looks like it is larger than the Moog. I don't have exact dimensions of the EHX pedal, but by simply looking at the promotional photos, you can tell that the EHX looks much like a typically Dunlop Wah shape (if not size). The Moog is sized between a full sized and the mini sized pedals that we've seen released lately. With the larger size, you have a slightly larger price tag. The Moog sells right at $40. So, less than $10 difference for a near identical pedal.

Conclusion

I like this pedal, if only for the fact that it is a departure from those weird rocker pedals that they put out previously. It comes with a 6' TRS cable (just like the moog). It doesn't work with everything, probably. I know that the Moog expression doesn't play with Line6 very well. Also, the Moog seems to use an audio, rather than linear, pot. This mean that moving the pedal half way won't necessarily give you a 50% value. This lends its self to wah-type applications, but it will still work with effects like pitch bending and other non-wah types. If you liked the Moog but wished it was a little bigger, this might be your thing.

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Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Expression Pedal

So, as much I look forward to new products from Electro Harmonix, Expression pedals are not extremely exciting. EHX did release several rocker pedals a couple years back. The "Next Step" line of rocker pedals looked futuristic and new, but that's always a gamble with guitarist. The fact that you couldn't attach it to your pedal board and unfamiliar functionality kinda doomed them. However, the new Expression Pedal is back to basics and that's about the best news we could hope for.

It's Plastic

Yes, this pedal is basically the Wailer Wah, but in expression pedal form. It has great features, for an expression pedal. You can reverse the polarity and set a minimum value via trim pot. It works with a wide range of pedals and has conventional construction. Constructed out of glass-reinforced nylon (plastic), the pedal is light weight and hopefully affordable.

Expression Impressions

I like that EHX is providing choices. They've taken risks with unproven ideas, but they've also provided a good option to those who prefer conventional pedals. It Seems like they are covering all bases. The Expression Pedal is much more affordable than the "Next Step" Expression pedal. Just moments ago, EHX posted the list price of $49.30. Which is roughly half the price as their previous expression. However, It's hard not to compare this pedal with the MOOG expression...

Deja Vu

Plastic construction and identical feature set, make this pedal a near clone of the Moog EP3 Expression pedal. Not that EHX is a new-comer to cloning pedals. However, not everything is a direct clone of the Moog. First off, the EHX pedal looks like it is larger than the Moog. I don't have exact dimensions of the EHX pedal, but by simply looking at the promotional photos, you can tell that the EHX looks much like a typically Dunlop Wah shape (if not size). The Moog is sized between a full sized and the mini sized pedals that we've seen released lately. With the larger size, you have a slightly larger price tag. The Moog sells right at $40. So, less than $10 difference for a near identical pedal.

Conclusion

I like this pedal, if only for the fact that it is a departure from those weird rocker pedals that they put out previously. It comes with a 6' TRS cable (just like the moog). It doesn't work with everything, probably. I know that the Moog expression doesn't play with Line6 very well. Also, the Moog seems to use an audio, rather than linear, pot. This mean that moving the pedal half way won't necessarily give you a 50% value. This lends its self to wah-type applications, but it will still work with effects like pitch bending and other non-wah types. If you liked the Moog but wished it was a little bigger, this might be your thing.

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Ugly Truth About Mission Engineering Expression Pedal

A few months ago I picked up a Line6 M5 stomp box modeler. I have been openly critical about multi effects units here on this blog, but the M5 has impressed me. The entire M serious is impressive, but the M5 fits into your already established pedal board. I bought mine because I wanted a Slow Gear, Whammy, and Seek Wah. I didn't have a thousand dollars so I looked for a alternative. The M5 comes up all aces. There are a ton of bonuses. But this isn't a review of the M5, this is.

The main problem with this pedal is that there are so many things that are only unlocked when you add an expression pedal. This leads you on a journey in and of its self. Line6 offers an expression pedal. It is $50 and made of plastic. There are several places on the internet that document the unreliability of this pedal. I avoided this pedal and sought an alternative. The first expression pedal that I bought was a Boss FV-50. It was large and metal and an utter failure. It was on a list of compatible pedal that I found on Line6's support forum. I might have gotten my hands on a dud, so I returned. A little while later I was able to find a used Mission Engineering EP1-L6. For half the price of a new one and less than the Boss 'no go', I found my replacement.


It Works

So, Line6 typically doesn't function with most expression pedals. Basically, an expression pedal is just a pot wired between two jack. But there a tiny little fairies that have to bless each pedal that enables it to work with a particular type of pedal... or something like that. It actually has to do with the value of the pot and how it's wired up. It's simple, but also a little more complected than it seems. This pedal takes all the thinking out it. It even has the Line6 logo on it. It's a metal case with the right guts. So that seem pretty solid. What could be wrong with it?

It's Expensive

Like I previously said, It is a metal case, a pot and jacks. The parts make up $25 of cost, so that's about a 500% markup. True, Line6 probably makes their expression pedal for pennies, but for much less you can buy an actual Wah pedal that includes everything and an actual effect. I won't bash a business for making money, but when it comes to my dollars, I need a little more bang per buck. That's why I only bought this pedal when I found it used.

It's Roamy

The nice thing about Wah pedals is that they are spacious on the inside. Why is this a good thing? Well here is an idea. Imagine you are using you expression pedal to control a wah sound on your M5. How would you turn the effect on? By tapping the on/off button on the M5. But that's not how a wah works. You put the toe down and press, right? Why can't we do that with our expression pedal? The enclosure is already drilled for an input, output and switch. So wire in a looping circuit and you can engage your M5 when you stomp on it like a wah.

Conclusion

I can't really recommend buying this pedal outright. You could probably build one for way less... But this pedal works very well and is super solid. If you can can find it used, then it become much more reasonable. If you like to tinker, then you have a lot of options as for what to do with all that space. You can put a buffer or boost in there, or just a looper and status LED like I plan to...