The Fender Treadlite Volume/Expression is a treadle-style pedal from Fender that works as both a volume pedal and an expression pedal, with a list price of $99.99 RRP1. It has a status LED but no buffer, and it shares a '70s-style look, complete with a 'wood' effect and a traditional foot treadle, with the Treadlite Wah1.
What it does
As a volume/expression pedal, it uses a traditional foot treadle to control either your signal's volume or a parameter on another device, depending on how it is connected. Fender lists it at $99.99 RRP, and it has a status LED but no buffer1. Its '70s-style appearance with the 'wood' effect matches the Treadlite Wah, giving players two treadle-style options in the Treadlite line1.
The pedal has a status LED, and it does not include a buffer. That matters for players building long pedalboard chains: without a buffer, the pedal leaves your signal path as a passive-style volume control would, which some players prefer and others compensate for with a separate buffer pedal elsewhere on the board1.
Design and price
The Treadlite pedals take a deliberately retro visual approach. Writing at the announcement, Jef of gearnews.com described the look: both models "look to me like something out of the '70s in appearance with the 'wood' effect," referring to the wood-effect enclosure finish and the traditional foot treadle1.
The announced RRP was USD 99.99 each, putting both Treadlite pedals at the same price point when they were shown in January 20201.
Fender later released a very similarly named line, the Fender Tread-Light Volume/Expression, which became available in November 2020. Players searching for this pedal may be looking for the Tread-Light version, and Fender also offers the Fender EXP-1 Expression Pedal as a separate expression option. For how pedals like this fit a setup, see Expression Pedals and Volume Pedals.
Sources (1)
- NAMM 2020: Fender Treadlite Wah and Volume/Expression pedals, gearnews.com, 2020-01-18
