FV500 expression pedal compatability issues

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Steviebone
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2022 2:02 am

FV500 expression pedal compatability issues

Post by Steviebone » Thu Aug 25, 2022 1:49 pm

I recently purchased seven FV500H to be used as expression pedals for numerous stomps. Much to my dismay, NONE of them worked with any of my stomps.

As it turns out, the problem has to do with the wiring on the expression jack. For these pedals to interface with most stomps on the market today the ring/tip must be flipped. In other words, BOSS pedals are likely wired in reverse of MOST pedals on the market today. This item would likely work out of the box on a BOSS pedal, but virtually nothing else. That's ok, but the manual NEVER mentions this, nor is there any indication anywhere I could find spec'ing how the jack was wired. The owner's manual is ambiguous at best, since it talks about instrument volume which is completely irrelevant to the issue.

I'm not the only one out there who has noticed this issue. Thing is, the FV500's are tanks! I know most people prefer smaller stuff to cram on a pedal board but if one is looking for control (long throw), sturdy construction (armored tank) and large footprint - this animal is a beast! I am putting seven of these on a board (but will have to custom make cables).

All user guides for ALL my stomp pedals cover this issue, clearly stating how the expression jack is wired (there's actually 3 flavors)... It might be advisable for Roland to clearly state how this pedal is wired and the possibility that it needs modification to work pretty much anything OTHER than Boss pedals - somewhere BEFORE someone makes a purchase - only to discover the item doesn't work as expected and must perform some detective work (beyond most people's expertise) in order to uncover the source of the problem.

And BOSS is missing an opportunity to sell an expensive add-on accessory item in a polarity reversing cable for use with other pedals (not an easy item to find). Either way it would be better if Roland addressed the issue clearly.

Either way, hopefully this post will save some other poor musician some heartache and time down the line.

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