Line6 FBV Express MKII

Using this for a few months now. This was recommended to me by one of Thomann's studio techs (kudos to them!), and i couldn't have been more happy.

Positive sides: first of all, the unit feels very sturdy and rugged, and looks like it could withstand fair amount of abuse. Also, the included software lets you map keys however you want - Hi/Lo values, CC's, notes, whatever. You can even save the mappings as presets if you use different mappings for different software. Works perfectly with DAWs and with Amplitube 3. Uses pretty standard USB connector (type B), no proprietary crap here (except for Line6 amp connector which looks like a regular Cat5 cable anyway), doesn't need any special drivers - works out of the box with Windows 7 x64. Top notch stuff, really love this thing.

There are a few small flaws with it, however. First of all, the USB cable is not included. As a IT guy i have loads of cables lying around so it wasn't a problem for me, but i think this should be clearly indicated on the product page.

The wah/volume switch takes a bit of time getting used to, but works quite well. The pedal itself, when pulled completely downwards, doesn't always rest on a zero value so if you're controlling a Whammy pedal emulation, you'd have to constantly press the pedal down to make the pedal value zero and thus NOT slightly pitch-shift the sound all the time. Not a big deal though, since you can just switch off the Whammy with a button :-)

Also, sometimes the unit stops sending MIDI signals without any apparent reason - although the problem usually solves itself after a minute or two.

Overall, a great product and well worth its asking price. I would give it five stars if it wasn't for a few small flaws.

I use mine with an Amplifi 75, and it's a godsend for that, because otherwise you're fiddling around with the app. You can save your top 4 settings as A-D on the stomp buttons and then of course make any changes via the dials on the Amplifi.

The wah-wah volume pedal is good too. The action is a bit lighter than say a real Cry Baby pedal, but it's absolutely fine, in fact some may prefer the lighter action.

You've to do a little stomp on the pedal to flip between wah-wah and volume.

If I'm nit-picking, more stomp buttons and a second swell pedal would be nice, but I guess for the price, this is more than good enough.

The Line6 FBV Express MKII is the perfect accompniment to many Line6 products such as Spider IV amps and the POD.

Personally I have a Spider IV 150w Amp which is a great combo modelling amp, however it can be impractical when it comes to changing channels etc. In order to do this you need a dedicated footswitch or floorboard. I chose the FBV Express MKII because I was happy with the fact that it could change up to four channel settings and was far cheaper than the FBV Shortboard MKII. The one tap tuning is a breeze to use and the dual wah/volume pedal is faultless.

The price from Thomann was yet again superb, I had been searching the web for this product in the uk and whilst there were some reasonable deals to be had it was Thomann who were by far the cheapest, their price was within £10 or so of secondhand ones being sold on ebay. I was even tempted to go for the FBV Shortboard due to their price but managed to resist temptation.

The product was delivered to Scotland within 3 days of ordering so absolutely nothing to complain about there either.

I bought this Line6 FBV Express MKII from Thomann in Germany
because I value their great quality accessories, great prices , and
with fast and safe deliveries.
I am a modest electric guitar player and I have an old (but amazing)
Line6 Spider-IV-75 watt amp to practice on and make some very
cool noises.
The Line6 FBV Express MKII is the perfect partner to many
of Line6 products. I did a lot of online research about it and many
musicians recommend it.
It is very well made, very sturdy and is a compact-sized Footswitch for
a very good price. Its not too heavy either -just the perfect weight
and size to fit into my guitar gig-bag or a small suitcase for traveling.
The FBV Express MKII can also be used on many other amps,
DAWs and software systems which is an extra bonus !
It is a very useful accessory for any musician who does not have
alot of money to buy expensive equipment.
The cool footswitch "Wah-Wah-Pedal" works very nice and it
also has a built in tuner.
Some times it is difficult to find these Line6 FBV Express MKII
available in music stores, but I am very happy
that Thomann still has them in stock brand NEW ,
and at a very cool reasonable price.
Thank You Thomann ! You are the best !

I've purchase it to use as an usb midi controller.
The device is well made and the possibilities seems just fine. However it does not work with my system.

Actually, by reading the different reports it seems great with a line 6 amp but for the use i purchased it, it is just disappointing.

Indeed, when i plug the device in an usb port, it starts on, lights blink and it is recognized by my OS (Mac OS Lion on a Macbook pro Late 2011, the device appears on the report system) but it is not by the Line 6 softwares you have to download from their web site (even the latest versions) so it is not possible to edit the parameters (CCs , Midi channel...) wich makes it useless if you want to use this pedal in order to control Amplitube `Guitar Rig...

It seems to be an ongoing problem for a while, please check their forum :

authorized my computer, uninstalled and reinstalled their softwares (Monkey and FBV Controller), plugged it directly in my computer's usb ports without any other usb device plugged : still the same !
Line 6 support assumed that it is a technical problem and suggested i should return it for a check/change.
I will in fact return despite i kwow it is not a technical problem but a software problem : The pedal works just fine, it is their drivers that do not recognize their own device so it is not possible to update the firmware of the pedal to get it work as a midi controller via usb.

However it might work with a Microsoft OS since i've read some people managed to do it but i'lll suggest anyone to visit Line 6 support website before buying it.

Regards

I have been playing for 6 years just connected to my Line 6 amp but one day I decided to accept a new adventure - use a pedal - and I just loved it!

I cannot say one thing that I don't like on it. It work perfectly with my other gears. I compared to another FBV's prices and functions but I choose this one at the end because It seemed to be the best for the price.

It is very easy to use but it's a little hard to switch from volume to wah when I'm sitting.

I plug it into my Line 6 Spider IV and my Epiphone Les Paul Custom guitar. In theory, this is not a effect pedal, but when we talk about his sound... the word is "amazing"!
The distortion is insane and the clean tone is a beauty. I just play metal and rock but we can play any kind of music on it.

It is very hard and stable. I wished that this would be a long time companion and now the proof is alive! I can definitely depend on it and would use it in a gig without any backups.

I bought this pedal to control my POD X3 bean.

Functionally speaking, this thing is pretty plug and play. It's certainly not infinitely customizable, but it definitely serves its main purpose: to switch between tones and operate the pedal function of said tones.

I don't use my POD live as much as I had anticipated I would, so mostly this thing serves to jump between my selected tones during my writing process. I definitely haven't taken the time to take advantage of it's full range of capabilities, but again, it fulfills a need. What you see is what you get. Reasonable build quality and functionality, but by no means mind-blowing.

Good purchase.

I bought this to go with my Line6 Spider Jam 75W.

It serves three useful functions.

1 Foot control for looping. This is essential for making an uninterrupted silent continual loop while still playing your instrument.

2 Volume control and Wah using the pedal. Two separate functions accessed by a hard press on the top of the pedal, no danger of doing so accidentally.

3 Tone/effects switching. Four different switches to choose from programmed or user defined tones and effects.

Oh yes, and an easy LED chromatic tuner. That is also very useful especially in the dark on stage.

It is solid and reliable and worth the price.