T. P. Dodd Inc. Pedal-Lock

T. P. Dodd Inc. Pedal-Lock

It's time to stop your pedals from getting away from you

by Phil O'Keefe

Have you ever set your keyboard up on a tiled floor or wood stage? If so, you've probably had the experience of having your keyboard's pedals not staying where you put them. Even though many pedals have a rubber bottom on them that is designed to keep them from slipping and sliding, on some floor surfaces, they have a nasty habit of doing it anyway, which is both annoying and distracting, and can even cause your performance to suffer. Well now there's something that promises to fix the problem - lets see how the Pedal-Lock works, and how well it lives up to that promise.

What You Need To Know

• The Pedal-Lock is a rather clever solution to a problem that most keyboardists will have experienced at one point or another - the tendency of expression, volume and sustain foot pedals to slide across the floor while you're trying to use them.

• The Pedal-Lock consists of two long strap-like pieces of material with hook and loop style fasteners. The material is wider at one end, with a slit cut into the center to allow the other end to pass through it and form a loop. The product is designed to loop over the two legs of your keyboard stand and spans the floor in between the legs, and each strap is then connected to the other with the hook and loop fasteners.

• An additional piece of hook material is included. This is backed with an adhesive. You simply apply this to the underside of the pedal you want to keep in place, and then place the pedal itself into position at any point along the main strap that you want. The hook and loop material keeps the pedal positioned where you placed it.

• The Pedal-Lock straps are black, with white lettering for the product name and website silkscreened on to the material.

• Installation is very fast, and you can fold most X type stands up without having to remove the Pedal-Lock straps if you don't want to. 

• To instal, simply wrap the strap end through the slit at the other end of the strap, and around the foot of your keyboard stand.

• Do the same thing on the other stand leg with the other strap, then pull the ends of the two straps towards each other and fasten them together. Apply the hook material to the back of your pedal, and then position the pedal where you want it on the connected straps.

• The standard version of the Pedal-Lock is designed for keyboard stands with legs that measure up to 34" wide. If you have a larger stand with legs that are spaced further apart than that, you can get an optional expansion strap ($7.95) that will allow the Pedal-Lock to work with stands that are up to 70" wide. 

• An added benefit is that the stand is generally more stable and secure with the Pedal-Lock straps installed. Additionally, you can use the straps to bundle your cables together on your way to and from the gig when you're not using them on the stand.

• Pedal-Lock strap systems are made in the USA and carry a 30 day, 100% money-back guarantee.

Limitations

• Only one piece of Velcro hook material for the underside of a pedal is provided. If you have more than one pedal that you want to use - say, a sustain pedal and an expression pedal - additional 2'x4" adhesive Velcro pedal attachments are available for $1.95 each.

• In some cases, you may need to remove any rubber feet from the bottom of the pedal in order to assure good contact between the Velcro on the bottom of the pedal and the Pedal-Lock straps.

Conclusions

This is a must-have for keyboardists who use pedals of any kind, but it will also appeal to other musicians too. Pedal steel guitarists will want one to keep their volume pedals in place, and some guitarists may want to use one with their amp stand to lock their switching and effects pedals into position too.

This is a super-simple yet highly effective solution to the very common and frustrating problem of footpedals that slide away from you. You could make your own if you're handy with a sewing machine, but the cost of the pre-made Pedal-Lock solution is reasonable enough to make it a very attractive alternative to the hassles of DIY, and they look nice too. It's an effective system that is very affordable and that scores high on the frustration reduction vs price paid scale. Get one of your own - you'll be glad you did! Just don't forget to measure your stands first, and make sure you order the extra pedal attachment pieces for any additional pedals you want to keep in place.  -HC-

Want to discuss the Pedal-Lock or have questions or comments about this review? Then head over to this thread in the Keys, Synths and Samplers (KSS) forum right here on Harmony Central and join the discussion!

Resources

T. P. Dodd, Inc. Pedal-Lock ($19.95 "street", including free shipping in the USA - the extension strap for stands 35"-70" wide is an additional $7.95, and additional Velcro strips for the backs of the pedals themselves are $1.95 each)

Pedal-Lock product web page     http://www.pedal-lock.com/index.php

You can purchase the Pedal-Lock directly from T. P. Dodd Inc.'s website at www.pedal-lock.com

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Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.