I must never be so impudent as to think that I can speak for the masses, but it is certainly my own frustrated findings that getting ahold of a good quality, sturdy expression pedal is no easy undertaking. How about it, dear Reader, are you more than a little disenchanted with the seemingly endless parade of over-priced, cheaply-made, plastik-y, fly-weight expression pedals that lay in wait on Amazon's web pages or on your local retailer's shelves?

You know the kind I'm talking about, right?; with their short, wired-in (read: non-field-replaceable) cables and flimsy plastic construction. Oh sure, most of them will indeed provide you with the means to execute volume swooshes, wah sweeps, and sundry other expression assignments - that is until the plastic bits snap off, or they slip from underfoot, or the no-name potentiometer crackles and dies, or the thin cable breaks.

It just so happens that our friends at Mission Engineering offer quite a few guaranteed, hand-crafted remedies for the aforementioned expression pedal quandary - one in particular is the EP-1 Expression Pedal.

Without a doubt, one of the finest multi-purposed digital effects processors to have ever adorned a musician’s pedal board is Eventide’s “H9 Harmonizer”. If you haven’t already checked out my previous installment on the H9, I invite you to do so (Eventide H9 Max Review Link). It is my considered opinion that there are only a couple of ways to improve a pedal board that has been armed with an H9:

A) Add a second H9.
B) Pair it with a compatible expression pedal.

Fortunately, the latter suggestion is what we’re taking a look at in this review; thanks to Mission Engineering’s decidedly apropos SP-H9 Expression Pedal.

At first glance it’s obvious that Mission SP-H9’s stylish fascia perfectly matches that of Eventide’s digital wonder box; however, its likeness isn’t the only adjunct that has been meticulously designed to seamlessly integrate with an H9. You’ll be pleased to know that this expression controller also provides a TS (On/Off) toe button to facilitate on-the-fly bypass functionality and other handy momentary control. What’s more, a solitary ¼ “ TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) cable is all that’s required to make the necessary connection.
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Mission Engineering’s MSRP lists the SP-H9 at $149 (USD) / $202 (CAD). While it’s true that there are some lower priced expression pedals on the market, none of them - and I do mean NONE – are so perfectly compatible with an Eventide H9. It’s also worth noting that Mission’s Made in USA build quality is top-notch, to boot!