NAMM is packed to the gills with synths, guitars, saxophones, et cetera. But, I promise you right now, the Dimension Tripper from Casio is the only wireless expression controller on the floor that you operate with your guitar strap.
The concept is simple. It’s an expression pedal. Just, not in pedal form. Now we’ve seen expression controllers in all sorts of shapes and sizes: Faders, rollers, even lasers. The Dimension Tripper does the same thing, except instead of rocking a pedal back and forth with your foot or sliding a fader back and forth with your hand, you pull down on your guitar itself.
There are two parts to the system. The transmitter goes between the end of your strap and the strap button on your guitar. One end of it is retractable and, as you stretch it out it sends information over Bluetooth to the receiver. Under ideal conditions there is about 20ms of lag, but even on the floor at NAMM with all of the interference it was barely noticeable.
The receiver is a relatively standard looking box that sits on your pedalboard and connects to your target pedal. A row of lights in the middle gives you visual feedback as you stretch out the sensor on the transmitter.
The two parts are a bit bulkier than I would have expected, though. The receiver has two foot switches and is basically the size of a standard guitar pedal. The transmitter is nearly 5 inches long and is 1 inch thick. You will notice it when you play, and will need to shorten your strap significantly.
Other than that, it works like any other expression controller. You can use it for energetic wah wah effects, or gentle volume swells or to crank up the weirdness on a ring modulator. It can even be used in place of a foot switch to turn on and off effect. So you could yank down hard at the start of the chorus to kick in an overdrive.
The concept is definitely gimmicky. But I have to admit it’s fun and actually felt kind of natural. Most players move their guitar a bit when anyway, and this just felt like an extension of that. I had to be a little more emphatic and move with more conviction than I might normally, but I adapted pretty quickly. Is it practical? Probably not. But kudos to Casio for trying something different.
What’s not clear is whether or not this will become an actual retail product. Right now Casio is running a crowdfunding campaign where you back the Dimension Tripper for 32,736 yen, or about $221. If the wireless expression controller has a life beyond that however is still up in the air.
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