From tonysounds@yahoo.com Sun May 16 20:25:29 2004
Subject:Re: Expression Pedals

Hey Bruce....I guess I have to concede you're right: All of these freakin clones SHOULD come with an expression pedal, and in the case of the Electro, doubly so because it's expression pedal doubles as its wah wah pedal. I guess I've just become so conditioned by the lack of "accessories" provided by keyboard makers that I just assume its par for the course.

As for the price differential of the FC7 and EXP100yaddayaddayadda....definitely more cost involved in the HS pedal: its not made of plastic and rubber, and there's more than just a regular pot in there too. (Not being a tech, I can't tell you what this thing is, but it's almost like a large metal comb.) Regardless, the thing is sweet, and I'm really not bitching about paying for it, because it is so sweet.

T

Bruce Wahler wrote:
Hi Tony,

>Bruce, I totally respect you and your opinion not only because you have the player's view tied to the engineer's insight, but I gotta disagree with you on this one: the FC7, which I love, is not even in the same game with the XK3/EXP100F. It feels right, it sounds right, and it works right.
>
>I dont know much about tires or Vettes (I always preferred the 67 Mustang), but for some that expression pedal might be too much of a deal breaker for them. The VK7 didn't ship with an expression pedal, nor did the Electro.

I'm not saying that no one should buy an XK-3 because an expression pedal doesn't come standard; I'm saying that if the street price of an XK-3 is (and I'm making these numbers up) $1999, then the real street price is $1999+125 = $2124. Buying an XK-3 because one feels that it better mimics the idiosyncrasies of a Hammond B-3 than the competition, then using it with a volume pedal is flawed logic, IMHO.

As far as the VK7 not shipping with an expression pedal: I didn't know that, but it's wrong, too, IMHO. A dedicated clone should ship with an expression pedal. Hell, Farfisas, Voxes, and Elkas did, and they weren't even "serious" organ clones, for the most part. It reminds me of Chrysler's latest round of TV ads, where every car they show starts at about $15K less then the "price as shown." Is it a $24K car, or is it a $37K car? The same is true of organs: It's not a $2K organ if it's going to cost another $100+ before it's complete.

I can sort of buy the Electro and VR760 shipping without a pedal, because these are "tween-er" keyboards that may or may not be used in a classic organ situation. In fact, there are at least a couple of list members who use an Electro plus another dedicated organ clone, so there is clearly a demand for the Electro as a non-organ keyboard in some cases. Given that situation, adding in the cost of the expression pedal to the Electro is probably a questionable decision.

Oh, and one last thought: That expression pedal is most likely a high-margin add-in for Hammond-Suzuki. Even if the EXP100F has superior design and build than the competition -- which I'm not conceding -- I doubt that it costs H-S more than $25-30 to make it -- maybe $5 more than it costs to build an FC7. But the street price of the H-S expression pedal has always been pretty high, just like some of the aftermarket options at your local car dealer.

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

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