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Post subject: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 4:40 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Hey guys. I am about to order a EXP-1 pedal (actually just have to confirm the order now) and would like to hear your thoughts about it.

I recall reading somewhere that the wah-wah effect isn't good with the EXP as it's supposed to be, is that true? If not, how good is it compared to a Dunlop Crybaby?

Besides the volume and wah-wah, is it actually useable for any other parameters?

I've also searched throughout the net, but couldn't seem to find any demo of the EXP pedal so I could hear how good is it.. Does someone perhaps have it at home and has recorded some sounds with it? I'd be very much interested to hear them :)

Also has any other way been added to change the volume/expression mode, rather than to press the toes all the way down (it can, obviously, be quite bad if you have volume in preset set low so you can crank up the master volume a bit more)?

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 12:20 am
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Quote:
the wah-wah effect isn't good with the EXP as it's supposed to be, is that true?

I haven't heard that, but it's what it sounds like to you that matters. The EXP-1 pedal just changes an effect parameter, the same as the 'data wheel' on the amp. So before you buy the EXP-1 you could get a good feel for what it's going to sound like by setting up the wah-wah with the data-wheel on the appropriate parameter (sorry, I don't have the amp in front of me so can't remember what the parameter is called), then play the guitar and turn the data wheel back and forth to emulate pushing the pedal up and down. Obviously an assistant would be useful for this.

Quote:
Besides the volume and wah-wah, is it actually useable for any other parameters?

Yes, you can control almost any parameter of any effect, or the amp modelling, with the EXP-1. The limitations are that you can only control one parameter at a time, and you need to use FUSE to set it up, you can't do it on the amp. Note the pedal settings (which parameter it controls, etc) are stored with each preset, so you can have the pedal do different things with different presets.

Quote:
any other way been added to change the volume/expression mode, rather than to press the toes all the way down

You can do it in FUSE - but that's obviously not useful while playing, which is I guess what you mean. Pressing the toe switch all the way down is the only way to change mode 'live.' You could of course connect up a separate toe-switch next to the EXP-1 (or remove the one in the pedal and mount it externally) so that you can press the switch independently from moving the pedal. You'd need to wire it into the existing toe-switch connections, and this would obviously void your warranty, but it's a simple and practical solution.


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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 5:11 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Thanks Scott :) The pedal is being shipped so hopefully I will have received it by Friday, in time for band session so I can try it out in a semi-live situation before the next gig in front of the city's major :P I just hope it's as reliable as the Mustang has been for me in live situations (luckily all those things like more lights coming up on my MS-4 footswitch happened on band sessions only).

I know it can be set for almost any parameter through Fuse, but do they actually sound good? :)

Yep that's what I meant, changing the pedal mode in a live situation.. Unfortunately I don't have the skills nor the balls to go in such a procedure of removing the switch and moving it elsewhere.. Is there any practical solution I could set within Fuse so that the jump in volume wouldn't be as noticeable if it's done very quickly (but if I press the pedal to toes more slowly it'd still be a noticeable jump in volume)?

Thank you for your time :)

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 8:38 am
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Aspiring Musician
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scott-uk wrote:
Yes, you can control almost any parameter of any effect, or the amp modelling, with the EXP-1. The limitations are that you can only control one parameter at a time, and you need to use FUSE to set it up, you can't do it on the amp. Note the pedal settings (which parameter it controls, etc) are stored with each preset, so you can have the pedal do different things with different presets.


Hi Scott,
Pardon, to which Mustang model you're referring to ? and what parameters?

I do not know if Neimenljivi has a model with display (M3 -4-5) even though he was talking about a MS-4 footswitch...
but i have the expression pedal with the Mustang 3 v.2, firmware 2.1, (while I had not that pedal with the old M3 v.1. so i don't know how it was before)
and I have always done all the settings of the parameters of the exp/volume pedal in the various presets using the menu that appears when you hold down the data wheel for a couple of seconds .. in edit mode (amp or effects).
I have never used FUSE to set those parameters since I read of that function on the advanced manual ..

Dimitri


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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 9:26 am
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Quote:
I do not know if Neimenljivi has a model with display (M3 -4-5)

The EXP-1 only works with the M 3, 4 and 5 so yes the amp will have a display.

Quote:
settings of the parameters of the exp/volume pedal ... hold down the data wheel for a couple of seconds .. in edit mode

I stand corrected, I didn't realise this could be done on the amp itself. I wonder if all the pedal configuration options are available, for my own curiosity I'll check later.

(Edit: Later...)
OK, there doesn't appear to be a "menu that appears when you hold down the data wheel for a couple of seconds" with a V1 Mustang amp (firmware 1.10). So I conclude enviously this (the ability to change the EXP-1 settings on the amp rather than just in FUSE) must be a new feature with the V2 amps and the 2.x firmware. The only EXP-1 setting I can find on the V1 amp is the "EXP-1 default" in the UTIL menu.


Last edited by scott-uk on Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:06 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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scott-uk wrote:
(Edit: Later...)
OK, there doesn't appear to be a "menu that appears when you hold down the data wheel for a couple of seconds" with a V1 Mustang amp (firmware 1.10). So I conclude enviously this (the ability to change the EXP-1 settings) must be a new feature with the V2 amps and the 2.x firmware. The only EXP-1 setting I can find on the V1 amp is the "EXP-1 default" in the UTIL menu.


I see...
yes i guess that menu was added with firmware 2.0 ... the advanced manual V.2 i dowloaded was before the release of 2.1 (stable version) at the times when most of us were asking for different insert point of send-return loop.. then that feature was added in the util menu with the "beta" version firmware 2.1..

Dimitri


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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:50 am
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Yep I have Mustang IV v1.. Proved reliable for gigs and studio recordings so I am very satisfied with it :) The only thing that was missing was a good wah, hopefully with the EXP-1 it will sound like it's supposed to do.. Otherwise I'll buy myself a b-day present - dunlop crybaby :P

I have no problem setting everything through FUSE, I just want it to be useful for live situations and not sound like crap when I'll change the pedal mode from volume to expression.

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2013 5:27 pm
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The EXP-1 works and sounds nice as a wah, more vintage sounding it kind of reminded me of an old Vox wah.


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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:12 am
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Quote:
with the EXP-1 it will sound like it's supposed to do

Just to re-iterate a point... the EXP-1 doesn't add any new sounds or effects to the Mustang. All it does is give you foot-control of an existing effect parameter, rather than having to turn the data wheel on the amp (or turn a 'virtual knob' using FUSE). So the question is more whether the Mustang's built-in wah effect sounds good, and whether the finesse of control the EXP-1 gives you on that effect sounds good, rather than whether the EXP-1 itself sounds good - because it has no sound of its own.


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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:29 am
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Thanks J.LaGrassa :)

Scott - I know it has no sound of it's own, I was talking about the combination of built-in wah and the EXP-1 whether it sounds good. I will hopefully be able to test it out thoroughly tomorrow :)

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 5:12 pm
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Hi Neimenljivi,

You can definitely create a good wah control behavior/sound with the Fender® Mustang™ IV and the EXP-1 pedal. Please let us know if we can assist further from our end. And once again, thanks to scott-uk and other folks here who contributed to this discussion.

Best Regards,

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Post subject: Re: EXP-1 Pedal
Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 3:59 pm
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Thanks everyone, got my EXP on Friday, loved how it sounds and what it can produce :D It also worked splendidly during band session and I hope it also won't let me down at tomorrow's gig. Due to issues accessing Fender site from home (already spoken with tech support, nothing they suggested works, I simply cannot access Fender site no matter what) I have yet to update my M4 to the latest firmware and, as far as I understand, the only thing that bothers me (the volume mode of EXP at 100% means that the volume will be only as loud as the one saved on a preset) is fixed now (meaning 100% will actually mean volume at 100%).

One question, mostly directed towards Fender TSL, is it possible to set the volume mode of EXP to add, say, 20% of volume compared to all of your presets (bare in mind, some presets have volume knobs set up differently despite the sound being equally loud on all of them)?
The presets I use (almost all) have different amp volume levels (while their actual volume is pretty similar or, in some cases, louder to give boost for solos) so basically is it possible to set the volume mode to give an added 10 or 20% of volume on a global scale? So those presets that I have amp volume on 3 would go to 4 (if I step down on the pedal), those that I have the amp volume set on 6 would go to 7, etc?

I know it's possible by setting each and every preset by hand while using the expression mode of the pedal to give you an extra boost which would represent turning the volume knob to 1 higher. But I am not interested in that, I am just interested whether the volume mode can mean a "+1" or "+2" on whatever the preset's volume might be (otherwise I'd give up my expression mode for a 2nd volume mode and wouldn't use the actual volume mode at all)

If it's not possible (seeing how Fender R&D actually listens to their customers :P ) would it be possible to add such control of volume mode of EXP via a firmware update? The way I picture this control would be that instead of a line going from 0% to 100% there is a line going from -50% to +50% while the preset volume would be represented at point 0 (on this line). The scale would mean that 10% equates to a difference of 1 on the volume knob (meaning 10% = the difference between knob on 5 and knob on 6, as well as knob on 8 and knob on 9). That way one could easily set his volume mode, on a global scale, to just add 10% (for instance) of volume to each and every preset while using the EXP in a volume mode and it wouldn't matter whether the preset's volume is set at 3 or at 8.
Right now if I want to have an extra 10% volume boost, using the volume mode of EXP, I constantly have to adjust my pedal to correspond to the changes in presets volume knob. But by changing the volume option to what I proposed the full toes down would always mean a 10 or 20% (or anything up to 50%) of volume boost without having to correct the pedal based on the volume knob in the preset you are currently using (like it's now).

I really, really hope this can be done so I (and many like me, I imagine) can actually utilize both pedal modes on all presets, instead of sacrificing the expression mode for a useable volume mode (meaning one that doesn't have to be corrected to correspond to the changes between amp volume knobs throughout the different presets).

Also seeing how this would be a firmware update targeted at bettering the EXP (if, of course, it would be done which I sincerely hope it will), I hope that the update will be made for both the v1 and v2 lines so that those of us with the v1 Mustangs will also get to utilize EXP to it's fullest potential :)

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