The M-Audio SP-1 US65000 is a sturdy and solid pedal. The case is metal, not plastic, so it'll hold up well over time. The rubber pads on the top and bottom keep it from moving around, though the pads have a tendency to come loose.
The main reliability issue with the pedal is the low-cost construction inside. Instead of having the pedal actuate a switch inside, there's just a stiff bare wire that presses down against another bare wire to make contact. It works and is cheaper to manufacture than using a real switch. However, if the pedal goes unused for a few days, oxidation forms on the bare wire, which results in unreliable contact and flaky pedal response. Depressing the pedal a dozen or more times clears off the oxidation. If it doesn't, opening the pedal and cleaning the wire resolves any inconsistent/noisy pedal signals.
If you're handy with a soldering iron, replacing the pseudo-switch with a real momentary contact switch would yield a really great pedal. M-Audio SP-1 US65000 Sustain Pedal for Keyboards
This pedal seems to work pretty well, especially considering the price. I couldn't find many pedals that had my keyboard (Casio CTK-650) listed for compatibility. This pedal's claim of any keyboard holds true for this one.
The only negative I've found is it seems like the physical click sound of the pedal button is a little louder than I would have liked.
All in all, this pedal seems good for the price.
I was torn between going for a more expensive realistic piano sustain pedal or this cheapie looking pedeal. I just needed a sustain pedal for some piano and synth work. For the time being I am happy with it. This is just a basic sustain pedal. It's either all on or all off. In other words, there is no control of how much sustain you can put on it, which I wish I had known before I bought it, but it works pretty well and it's pretty solid. You get what you pay for.
Update9/2010
This thing hasn't seen a whole lot of abuse or misuse, or even use for that matter. So it was a mystery why the rubber gripping just came right off after a matter of weeks. Oh well, not a big deal to me. It has either sat in a box (most of the time actually) or been on the floor when I need it. It finally crapped out on me this week. It just won't work at all. Tried it on 3 different keyboards, 2 different programs (it had previously worked on everything) and now it just doesn't register. Disappointing cause I was in the middle of composing. I thought maybe it was a software thing. Nope. Did all I could think of. Nothing. It's a pretty simple little thing so I tried opening it up, everything looked fine (Cheaply constructed, I mean it's a damn little PIN that is the switch and not an actual SWITCH) Even went as far as to replace the cable and solder a new one in myself. Still didn't work! For as long as I've had it (about a year and half) it really hasn't seen a lot of use and only in my home studio. I'm a guitar player so I mainly stick to that, so I was upset when this thing just up and dies when I have a cheap $30 distortion pedal I've had since I was 13 that still works. I mean, I know it was cheap but, really?
I received a Keystation 61 as a gift and i was looking for a Sustain Pedal for a better performance. What can be better than one designed by the same company? Yes, M-Audio did a great job, is just like any Yamaha or Roland Sustain Pedal and due the universal plug you can use it on any other keyboard brand
Listen,
If you preform out on a weekly basis I urge you not to buy this sustain pedal. The rubber grips on the bottom and top of the unit fell off of mine after a week of practice and three shows. On the very last night that I used this product the spring mechanism went all wackadoo and required an additional tap to release, which, as you might imagine, was not the easiest way to finish a gig--especially in front of a packed house. Those who are going to buy this pedal should only do so if they are looking for a "throw-away" accessory, perhaps for their child who is still trying to figure out wether or not they are interested in keyboard studies. If I had a choice between buying this pedal again and smashing myself in the foot with a hammer I'd probably chose the latter...at least with a cast on your foot, your audience might be forgiving of botched chord transitions.
I'm giving this item 4 stars, chiefly for its usefulness, not necessarily for quality. This is the second of these I've had, so once the rubber pads started lifting off, in a matter of days, I took them off, flaked the weak glue off the surfaces, took off the nubs which seem to come out easily enough but don't seem to want to go in. Then replaced the glue with Barge contact cement, and now I've got a useful little pedal that I can kick aside when I'm not recording at my desk. If it dies mechanically, I'll post an update. If you have the room, though, I'd advise getting a full-sized sustain pedal though. - Midi Keyboard - Pedal Keyboard - M-audio - Footswitches'
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