Yamaha Accordion Accessory (FC7)

My used Hammond XK-1 didn't come with a volume pedal. Or a Leslie foot switch for that matter. I can recommend getting a Yamaha FC-4 foot switch for Leslie and another one for piano sustain pedal. Those are nice, and that's what made me consider another Yamaha product for this expression pedal, which I have missed.There was of course a lot of differing opinion, Hammond v Yamaha v Korg etc. That's how these things go. I was a little puzzled by some reports of the pedal range being fast or slow or touchy. I need not have worried about that, and since I could see only one other Hammond mentioned in these reviews I thought I had better write something. It works great.I just replaced my main board battery which died accidentally, due to longer than normal inactive storage. It wasn't low, it was 100% dead and no volts. All presets got reset to factory values, and the whole instrument went back to default-everything. When I plugged in the FC-7 it worked perfectly, immediately. Right outta the box. Case closed.If you are controlling your Hammond XK-1 by the panel volume knob, you really need one of these. Instructions on how to interface it: Open box, plug it into the little hole back there. If that fails somehow, your default foot controller settings may have gotten changed. There is more info below, specific to checking that on the XK-1. If the FC-7 doesn't work perfectly on the first try.The FC-7 is heavy duty, rubberized, of substantial construction and then some, and has a nice spring detent at the full volume position so you don't hit a hard stop when you are maxxed out. Yeah, you can adjust the instrument gain settings so detent is actually about 90% of full volume, and then you have an extra 10% boost whenever you push it beyond the spring detent. But I just prefer simple. Cord storage is under the toe end, wrap it around the small reel and 1/4 inch plug-holder down under there.I haven't tried the Hammond original equipment pedal because I didn't know if it was worth the premium price, but this one is more like it. Now I know how much I missed the foot pedal. The FC-7 is a nice piece of equipment, and a suitable addition to the outfit. Happy I bought it.=====The remainder of this is info specific to the Hammond XK-1. It may help if you can't understand the manual... it is very difficult for me, as it was written with Japanese sentence construction. Of course the English is very good, it's just that I find I can read the words and it takes me a while to decipher what it really said.If your pedal is jumpy or too fast, you may need to restore your default settings, listed here:Menu Button, #4, up, up. (The up key is numeral 8)Source = Pedal (Normal) (This is the default setting. Spin the Value knob if you need to change it.)(There is a Monitor Value displayed next. Mine runs smoothly from 0 to 127, when operating the pedal with defaults. Check yours here.)Right, right, right, right. (The right key is the numeral 2)LEVEL shows minus 35, the default value. (Spin the Value knob if you need to change it.)LF LIMIT shows minus 20, the default value.HF LIMIT shows minus 30, the default value.Gain shows 110%, the default value.Push the Exit button, then Play button.For the Yamaha FC-4 Leslie foot switch, that is a tip/sleeve plug. (I call it a mono 1/4" phone plug.)The default foot switch settings work for me. But note that there is a second set of settings provided for a different plug, and the unused settings must be disabled. (The default is, both types are enabled!)Menu Button, #4, up, up, up.MODE, TIP: LESLIE S/F= ALT (This is the default for alternating operation. Push for fast, push again for slow.)Next, go cursor-right one more step.MODE, RING: Twirl the Value knob to say OFF.Push the Exit button, then Play button.If you somehow have a foot switch that is a Tip/Ring/Sleeve type (I call it a stereo 1/4" phone plug) then I believe you need to reverse both values.That is, MODE, TIP should be switched off and the MODE, RING should say LESLIE S/F = ALT.I don't have a weird plug to check that with, but the idea is to choose one and disable the other.So you definitely don't want both plug mode types to be enabled at once. You can still get it to work by pulling out the plug very slightly and playing with it, but that doesn't seem like such a great operating idea.

Perfect expression pedal for Viscount Legend organ module. It's very well-made and heavy so it won't move around during a performance. Does everything it needs to, with no unnecessary features.

just like most yamaha products this variable pedal is awesome. I got it for my yamaha keyboard and it works great. its heavy and has slip resistant rubber feet. it slides less on my wood floors. can be set up for sitting or standing.

This pedal feels solid and works very smoothly.However, be aware that some expression pedals are wired differently than others. I had this plugged into my Novation Impulse, and although it was "working", it snapped very quickly from the lowest to the highest range, when I was only moving the pedal between maybe the 20% and 40% position. I thought it might be a problem with my synth, but with some Internet searching I found that actually the problem was that the polarity between the "tip" and "ring" of the stereo 1/4" connector needed to be reversed to work correctly with my keyboard controller. (I believe that for some keyboards it is necessary to add a capacitor or resistor into the circuit as well, but that was not the case for me. Google it--there are some good blog posts on the subject.)What I ended up doing is getting two stereo "break out" cables to split the tip and ring apart and then to join them back together in the reversed order. When I did that, the expression pedal worked perfectly.

My wife uses this for controlling the volume of her Nord Electro 6D keyboard. She can turn down when playing chords and comping; and then turn up when soloing. It's quite useful in that regard.The level is continuous when not being adjusted, i.e., it effectively stays at whatever setting you apply until you want to adjust.Also, it's a rugged piece of gear. It's a bit large and maybe a tiny bit heavy for transport, but not exceedingly so. The size is an advantage, though, in that it stays put on the floor and is not easily knocked around.

This FC7 pedal is bigger, twice the size, than the actual FC3A sustain pedal, i'm new to learning the piano/keyboard, and the FC7 pedal almost instantly changed the capability and tone of my Yamaha MX88, the ability to warp and decay with the switches has greatly improved, changing volumes with layers and splits with the on-board DAW, etc...I highly recommend this pedal for beginners or pros utilizing Yamaha synthesizers, it's critical piece to the devices functions, I needed this when I purchased my synth but didn't know.

I've used a number of different expression pedals over the decades. Players I know highly recommended this so I got one and it's far better than the others. Due to the relatively long throw, it's better when sitting than when standing. That long throw provides better control & sensitivity.It's smooth-operating, rugged and heavy, and the non-slip bottom works great even on the wood floor where I practice. All my other pedals I have to thread through a cable tied to my stand legs; not needed with this one.This pedal is compatible with Yamaha, Korg, Studiologic, and I think Kawai. Roland, Alesis, Moog, DSI, M-Audio, and Kurzweil use a different wiring scheme. You can either rewire the cable swapping Tip and Ring, or get a 1/4" TRS Polarity Reversing Adaptor to make this compatible. Nord and Hammond are adjustable to work with either type of pedal.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Just what I needed. Lightweight but heavy and sturdy enough to not slide around. I use it with my Nord Electro to control the volume for my synth section. Muuucchh easier than having to lift my fingers and press buttons lol