pedals slip around

[JanCK]

My foot pedals move around too much.  The sustain pedal is much better about staying put than the little square FC5's.  I tried sticking double-sided tape onto the FC5's and sticking it to some rubber-like kitchen shelf liner.  It helps, but it still moves around so that I'm never confident that it will be where I expect it to be.  It might be better if the floor was hard, and not carpeted, so maybe it won't be a problem on a gig.  But here at home it slip-slides away.  Has anyone with that problem found a solution?

[travlin-easy]

I solved this problem 20 years ago by attaching the hook side of Velcro to the bottom of the foot pedal. It adheres to all carpet. If I was performing on a tile floor, I carried a 2' X 4' piece of carpet with me, placed it beneath the keyboard stand legs, which held it firmly in place, then placed the pedals on the carpet.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[Lee Batchelor]

I solved this problem 20 years ago by attaching the hook side of Velcro to the bottom of the foot pedal. It adheres to all carpet. If I was performing on a tile floor, I carried a 2' X 4' piece of carpet with me, placed it beneath the keyboard stand legs, which held it firmly in place, then placed the pedals on the carpet.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Ah, the wisdom of the ages! Great hints, Gary...thanks. Don't worry about the age comment. I too, have had way too many birthdays!

[Bruce Breen]

Or, maybe attach a strip of the Velcro (for the carpets), beside the strip of the rubber you already mentioned you use (for the smooth floors). Then you should be prepared for any surfaces...!?

I had pedal wandering problems on the hard floors at my gigs, so I've used that style of rubber you mentioned (actually the same piece!) for over 15 years and it works great for those floors!
Surprisingly though, I have never had any wandering problems on carpets so far (I have a Berber style, carpeted floor in my practice area of my home). 

[Lee Batchelor]

Surprisingly, with all this technology, the pedal designers can make a pedal that does basically anything. They've left out one MAJOR component - usability. I have learned a very valuable set of skills over my years of gigging. I can simultaneously:

1- Select the proper registration for a solo.
2- Invoke my mixer.
3- Make minor adjustments to levels as required.
4- Play the solo.
5- Receive the cue and come up with a different solo at the request of my vocalist.

...and here's the big one....

6- All while using both feet to grab my sustain pedal and pull it back into position where it belongs.

Now, if that's not multi-tasking, I don't know what is??!! To be fair, some pedals have an additional floor flap where your heel resides. It keeps the sustain pedal in place. I've only seen those pedals made by Roland. I'm sure Yamaha has the same thing. As for the effects pedal switch, that's a different kettle of fish. Wish I had invented Velcro!

[KeyboardByBiggs]

6- All while using both feet to grab my sustain pedal and pull it back into position where it belongs.

ROFL! I too developed this skill a long time ago.

[stephenm52]

ROFL! I too developed this skill a long time ago.

Plus one.

The best sustain pedal I've used is the one that came with a Roland FP90 piano.  It had a strip of rubber attached to the underside of the pedal.  You placed your foot on the rubber strip and the pedal would never move.

[Lee Batchelor]

That's what I was talking about, Steven. Roland has that rubber flap. Does Yamaha? I've never seen one. I have a Roland pedal as you describe, but it doesn't work well with Yammy products.

[stephenm52]

That's what I was talking about, Steven. Roland has that rubber flap. Does Yamaha? I've never seen one. I have a Roland pedal as you describe, but it doesn't work well with Yammy products.

Lee,  To the best of my knowledge Yamaha does not have one.  When I sold the FP90 I should have kept the pedal and substituted another sustain pedal.  I never thought much about it but I think it would be easy enough to fabricate a rubber strip for a pedal that works with Yamaha.

[KeyboardByBiggs]

Why not just get the Roland one?

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Roland/DP-10-Damper-Pedal-1274034492104.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXGP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgoCEiPqa4QIVzoCfCh1zWQHlEAQYAyABEgLNS_D_BwE

I think it should work. If the polarity is different it's a pretty simple little surgery to change that.

[Lee Batchelor]

Why not just get the Roland one?

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Roland/DP-10-Damper-Pedal-1274034492104.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXGP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgoCEiPqa4QIVzoCfCh1zWQHlEAQYAyABEgLNS_D_BwE

I think it should work. If the polarity is different it's a pretty simple little surgery to change that.

Agreed, however, I seem to remember there were times I'd plug a Roland pedal into my T5 and regardless of polarity, it would't work. Perhaps my Roland pedal was faulty? I still have the pedal. I should try it on my Genos.

[KeyboardByBiggs]

I still have the pedal. I should try it on my Genos.

Let us know!

[KeyboardByBiggs]

Here's a tutorial on changing the polarity (if needed) on the older Roland DP6:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0TNTsR7OE

[Lee Batchelor]

Let us know!

Yes, I will. I just need to remember where I put it!

[Lee Batchelor]

Okay, found my Roland pedal with the rubber heel flap. There's no model number, but it's the one with the heel flap !

It works perfectly on the Genos!

[KeyboardByBiggs]

Okay, found my Roland pedal with the rubber heel flap. There's no model number, but it's the one with the heel flap !

It works perfectly on the Genos!

YAY! 

[jimlaing]

Hi - I use the Velcro and carpet piece concept too; only started doing that ~6 months ago.  Works great, albeit one more thing to bring and set up; but I can set the carpet piece in place in a minute or so.  I added small pieces of Velcro under each pedal.  I'll have to take some pics.  I made my carpet piece big enough so that my keyboard stand goes on top of it.  I made little holes for 2 of the front legs of my keyboard stand, so that the carpet is always placed the exact same position.  I also made marking on the carpet where my pedals go, so that they are always in the exact same place, and "muscle memory" (for 'where is the pedal') takes hold.  I have 3 pedals: a dual foot-switch (sustain and drum fill), a volume pedal, and a small AirTurn pedal for page turns on my iPad.

It has worked great; I no longer have to worry about pedals moving anywhere!

[Hubie-J]

Hiya
I have 3 pedals fixed to a piece of thin metal sheet and drilled two holes at one end and fixed two screws and nuts that go into two holes in the keyboards X-Stand and that way it don't slip around on wood or any floor covering.

[AlBags]

Very OVER-complicated fixes here ..

Just STICK velcro (MALE!) strips to underside.
Works on my (x3) Yamaha Pedals just fine!

Al.

[jimlaing]

Hi - actually, the solutions are not really over-complicated: I play mostly on hard floors (wood, linoleum, tile, sometimes even concrete if outdoors).  Velcro alone would not help for most of my venues. . .

Jim

[DaveS]

I've attached a sustain pedal plus two other momentary pedals to a 12mm piece of plywood about 75cm wide by 30 or so deep.  I've also attached a solid chrome handle to one of the edges (the forward, not rear edge).  The plywood is black, and blends well wherever I play.  I find this sort of thing is very good.  As an added measure, I've attached some small grey "peel n stick" adhesive squares on the underside in various spots, which takes away all slippage issues.  The rubber-like squares are sold as furniture underpads used to prevent scratching hardwood floors from chair legs.  Works a treat for me!

Cheers

Dave S

[Lee Batchelor]

Everyone, don't you find it odd that the manufacturers haven't come out with some sort of solution? The Roland pedal is the best, with its "fly-out" heel pad. The FC7 pedal from Yamaha weighs in at a little over a metric ton and stays pretty still. The square foot switch weighs about the same as a grasshopper and moves when a fly sneezes next to it. There must be some sort of material they could use on the bottom of these various floor devices!

[Stijn]

I use a Studiologic VFP2 and it is quite stable, silent and precise.
About € 46, Amazon $ 60

Stijn

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[jimlaing]

Hi - I use one of these also; same model I believe!  I had to re-wire to have two TS "mono" 1/4" plugs instead of the single stereo plug, in order for it to work on my Yamaha keyboard ...
-Jim

[Stijn]

Hi Jim,
I bought mine with 2 mono jacks, like the one in the picture

Stijn

[attachment deleted by admin]

[jimlaing]

I had tried to buy one of those, but they shipped the 3-conductor (single cable) by mistake, and told me that to re-order the two, 1/4" TS mono version, would take 10 weeks.  So I kept the one they shipped and modified it.  Seems that at least around the time I ordered mine, I could not find the 2-cable, TS mono version, anywhere . . .

Jim

[KeyboardByBiggs]

I bought mine with 2 mono jacks, like the one in the picture

Are they the correct polarity or did you have to alter them?

[Stijn]

You can switch polarity in Genos.

[andyg]

There are plenty of non slip pedal mats out there if you google that term.

These are not cheap but they work. https://giggear.co.uk/buy/stageworks-non-slip-pedal-mat?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyO2M3OXk4QIVzrztCh0WnQkMEAQYASABEgL-_PD_BwE

[travlin-easy]

Jim, in your case, just epoxy some suction cups to the bottom of the pedals - problem solved.

Gary