Pedal idea: No foot switch!

[lowbasslowbass]

Here is an idea I hope some effects makers will find interesting:

 

More and more musicians use looping/bypass/switching systems. Everyday I see pedalboard photos here - most of them have a looping system.

 

So, most people don't switch on/off individual pedals anymore - everything has a remote access and control.

 

Maybe it would save the effects makers some time, labour, parts and money if they offered some pedals without foot switches - or make some for those who have simple setups without looping systems.

 

[KBN]

[MorePaul]

I believe there are one or small houses doing this

 

This are, also of corse, things such as "modular synth" modules (wherein it is assumed patching will be done by hand configuring cables) that fall into this as well

 

It would prob not be super great for major manufacturers as it could limit their market to those using an external switching system (and the cost savings at those production levels might not be realized)

 

The old Korg PME system was sort of like this (the modules plugged into a proprietary switching "backplane" module), sadly - while excellent units..I think the proprietary natur of that system hurt it in the end

[dot-dot-dot]

 

Originally posted by lowbasslowbass Everyday I see pedalboard photos here - most of them have a looping system.

 

 

You have to remember, though, that HCFX members are not representative of the market as a whole.

[Joe Klink]

Dumb idea, sorry.

[Jaymeister]

I'll take my pedal with a switch and an LED thanks. Never know when I'll want to just play the pedal on its own outside the confines of my huge rack and switching system.

 

Although, I have seen guys rip the guts out of some pretty pricey pedals and rehouse them in a rack based system with loop control, etc...and no stomp switch. Some are thinking along these lines, but it's a small minority, and there are no standardized ways of doing it.

[lowbasslowbass]

Thank you for your input so far.

[josiahcooper]

you know what would be cool is if pedals had an extra switch output, that way you could have your pedals on a stand and you could reach them to tweak them, and tap them on at your feet

[zachary vex]

try selling a pedal you don't want anymore without a footswitch.

[Jaymeister]

 

Originally posted by zachary vex try selling a pedal you don't want anymore without a footswitch.

 

 

Nobody re-sells pedals...they are kept for life

[The Gainster]

I have two pedals without a footswitch....and my TTE...

[varialbender]

It wouldn't be a bad idea if you were able to convince everyone to go with this as a standard.

[capnbringdown]

There have been some manufacturers in the past who have done this, and I have always found this concept annoying and a complete turn off. It pisses me off when we have to pay this much for these pedals and the manufacturers can't be bothered to put in a led, let alone a {censored}ing footswitch. And those damn switching systems are expensive and loopers get expensive fast, not something I'd like to ahve to invest in so I can play my pedals.

[dot-dot-dot]

 

Originally posted by Joe Klink Dumb idea, sorry.

 

 

I don't think it's a dumb idea. The problem with it is that it goes against "the standard", so it'd be a bit unlikely to be adopted.

[Narcosynthesis]

It is a nice idea, but imho, a bit too specialised to work

 

By removing the switch and led you are restricting yourself only to the guys with big rack systems, or the guys with tb strips on their boards, which even here, is a small number - out of all the members just on the effects board, the majority of them are just switching pedals on/off individually, with only a few using tb strips, or big enough tb strips to handle what you are suggesting

 

plus there is the fact, that even if i did run everything in a tb strip, I still like the option of pulling off one or two pedals to use elsewhere - if I go round to a friends or a rehersal, I can only take a couple of pedals rather than the whole board if I want, saving me carting everything about, which would be impossible with pedals without switches (unless I used a smaller looper, which would just be too much hassle)

 

Its a cool idea, but I can't see it offering much of a benefit, out of the few people who could use it, I doubt the $10 saving on a switch and stuff would be worthwhile

 

David

[Stevoreen]

 

Originally posted by josiahcooper you know what would be cool is if pedals had an extra switch output, that way you could have your pedals on a stand and you could reach them to tweak them, and tap them on at your feet

 

 

 

Now THAT would be useful. I could definitely use pedals that I could reach over and adjust on the fly.

[puretube]

customized Tube-Wiggler:

 

 

with remote-switch jack instead of stompswitch...

[lowbasslowbass]

Nice!

[Uriah]

I still have my old DW Labs looper, but it's still a good idea to use pedals with a stompswitch and LED. I don't think I'd buy one without it, unless it's a line driver or something like that...

[guitarcapo]

I really don't understand the advantage of taking a feature away from a product. What's to gain?

[puretube]

 

Originally posted by guitarcapo I really don't understand the advantage of taking a feature away from a product. What's to gain?

 

 

you can put the pedal in a (beerspill-safe) rack;

you can put it on top of yer amp, if you wanna fiddle knobs

without bending over;

you can save space on the floor;

you have only one cord on the ground;

you can remotely switch from various locations on a larger stadium stage;

you can have a roadie/mixer do the switching...

[MorePaul]

I think capo might have been referring to the feature strip of the switch itself as opposed to the addition of remote switching

 

but yeah, those are good reasons and that general design philosophy is one thing I like abt Rack gear with footswitch capability, console units like the old X-911, etc