Topic by Jake Johnson

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  • Jake Johnson
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  • From: Atlanta
  • Registered: 04-05-2007
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Topic: Continuous sustain pedals--the Yamaha FC3?

I've been looking over the various options for a continuous sustain pedal. I'm aware of the 3-pedal boards, but I'll probably just be getting a single pedal. Does anyone here have any experience with the Yamaha FC3?

And more generally: there seem to be several ways of describing what I think of as a continuous sustain pedal. Some of the ads\descriptions for some pedals speak of half-pedaling, and some speak of having a second velocity "zone." Am I right in understanding that all continuous pedals are basically the same (except for the polarity), and that some of the ads were just written by people who weren't sure what the pedal did--or are there more variations than I've assumed?

Reply by mooks

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  • mooks
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  • Registered: 01-08-2008
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Re: Continuous sustain pedals--the Yamaha FC3?

I find the FC3 perfectly adequate. It's a very simple device really - a lever, a spring, and a 10k potentiometer, so it returns an analog voltage that a keyboard/controller can digitize to 127 steps. I imagine all similar pedals do the same thing.

I assume that "half pedalling" is old piano playing terminology. It should really be called partial pedalling!

One thing I like about the FC3 is that it's soft enough and at the right height to pedal with my big toe which I find gives me more precise control!