Expression pedals are probably the most underutilized pedals around. With a simple rock of your foot, you can alter any number of different parameters your favorite effect units. Yeah, there might be a bit of under-the-hood tweaking needed to get the full results, but trust me—it’s worth it.
Dunlop DVP4 Volume (x) Mini
Purely on a value-per-inch basis, this volume/expression comes in heavy. At half the size of its larger counterpart, the mini offers an internal trim pot that controls minimum expression values, plus the aux output can also function as an always-on tuner output.
$139 street
Moog EP-3 Universal Polarity Expression Pedal
In some corners of the sonic-sculptor set, using a Moog pedal without an expression control is near criminal. This wildly affordable pedal is universally accepted among pedals, synths, and more thanks to a polarity switch.
$59 street
Lehle Dual Expression Pedal
What if you need to control more than one pedal? This dual expression pedal offers a ton of features that include accommodating TS, TRS, or RTS inputs, switchable polarity, momentary or latching switching, and a USB port for MIDI capabilities.
$259 street
Electro-Harmonix Expression Pedal
This lightweight, rugged design from one of the most esteemed pedal makers of all time features a polymer housing, range control, polarity switching, and a reverse switch that allows you to change the direction of the parameter you’re controlling.
$72 street
M-Audio EX-P
Crafted out of molded plastic, this expression pedal offers a slip-resistant surface, integrated TRS cable, and a polarity switch, which allows it to work with a wide range of controllers and pedals.
$29 street
Fender Tread-Light
Created around an original Fender circuit, this combo volume/expression pedal uses top-mounted jacks in order to squeeze into cramped spaces. It includes a switchable LED light and operates on
9V battery or center negative AC Adapter.
$119 street
Boss EV-1-WL Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal
If wireless is your preferred routing solution, this expression pedal uses wireless MIDI in addition to Bluetooth, USB, and TRS to control any parameter you can think of. It also uses an iOS/Android app for even deeper editing capabilities.
$169 street
Mission Engineering SP-1
The company’s most universal expression pedal is built to handle the rigors of night-after-night rocking. It’s designed to work with nearly any digital amp, effects pedal, or MIDI controllers with a single TRS cable.
$149 street
Source Audio Dual Expression Pedal
This fully customizable pedal features two TRS outputs and a 3.5mm sensor output designed for the company’s line of SoundBlox pedals. It also includes a range adjust knob that controls the sweep of the expression sent through the outputs.
$119 street
DOD Mini Expression Pedal
Space is never an issue with this pedal. It’s only 5" long and 3" wide and built from solid steel. It also has selectable output modes (TRS, TS, or RTS) to ensure it works with nearly anything you can throw at it.
$119 street
Effects Bakery MECHA-PAN BAKERY Series MECHA-BAGEL OVERDRIVE
Konnichiwa, guitar lovers! 🎸✨
Are you ready to add some sweetness to your pedalboard? Let’s dive into the adorable world of the Effects Bakery Mecha-Pan Overdrive, part of the super kawaii Mecha-Pan Bakery Series!
🍩 Sweet Treats for Your Ears! 🍩
The Mecha-Pan Overdrive is like a delicious bagel for your guitar tone, but it’s been upgraded to a new level of cuteness and functionality!
Effects Bakery has taken their popular Bagel OverDrive and given it a magical makeover. Imagine your favorite overdrive sound but with more elegance and warmth – it’s like hugging a fluffy cat while playing your guitar!
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
STREAM / SHARE / PURCHASE HERE.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
