These are a pretty well known pedal and thought to be very similar sounding (and design) to a BOSS SD-1
Take a look around online and see what muso's say about this unit, typical comments are 'transparent and warm sounding analog overdrive. This pedal will drive and accentuate the nuances of your guitar and playing style'
I have seen the E200D rebadged with various other branding (DAPHON is a common one), so look for the E200D when searching and don't worry about the FREEDOM part of the name!
FREEDOM Guitar Effects Pedal
Function: Overdrive
Model: E200D
Made in China
Robust, rugged ALL METAL diecast case and foot pedal
Three user controls, LEVEL - TONE - DRIVE
Dual power, either a standard 9V battery or plug an external 9V power source into the rear connector (300mA suggested ** see notes below)
Semi rubberised base (if using on a wooden floor then some little adhesive feet will help the pedal from sliding away during use!)
Rubber topside pad for the foot
SUPPLIED:
FREEDOM E200D
NOT SUPPLIED
9V Battery (Australia Post does not like customers sending batteries through the Post)
Leads - neither the input or output audio leads are supplied (standard 1/4" jack plugs)
External power pack is not supplied - easy to obtain, nothing special to this unit EXCEPT the centre pin is NEGATIVE - watch out for that!
COSMETIC CONDITION:
In very good condition
Clean
Aluminium knobs are undamaged and firmly secure in place
Footpedal operates fine BUT see my note below under 'TESTING'
Case has a small piece of a corner missing - yes this is all nice and strong diecast metal but it is also brittle and suffered a side knock in the past which caused the corner to break away. This damage is at the front, left hand lower side. It does NOT affect operation of the pedal nor the holding of the battery compartment lid.
TESTING:
First up, lets talk pedals....
A decent pedal will be strong and tough, this pedal is certainly that. The footswitch is activated via a metal finger which activates the switch when pushed down. No problems here. When the foot is lifted, TWO springs return the pedal back to the rest position and here is the issue. These are both pretty ordinary compression springs, held in place by friction fit metal posts inside the pedal. Well, one spring has gone A.W.O.L !!!
The pedal still operates and returns once the foot is lifted (and does NOT feel 'light' or 'lop-sided' to one side when pushed with the foot) but of course it would be better if both springs were doing the work instead of one.
I don't have any spare springs that I can find so the new owner can either use the pedal in its current condition or get a spring from the likes of Bunnings (like I said, the spring is not a special type)
Accessing the pedal 'insides' is easy - two screws are easy to access and once undone, the top section of the pedal will come away revealing the springs and the top of the footswitch. No bigeee!
While looking inside at the springs I noticed the footswitch, a bit under-rated in my opinion - thump your foot down on that one thousands of times and it is not going to last (in my opinion) Sure, the unit is robustly cased but a poor choice of switch when it comes to long term durability. I particularly think the pedal is more suitable for in-studio use and probably wouldn't go the mile if used regularly in 'live gig' situations.
Battery leads are undamaged, clean shiny. Battery fits snuggly inside the compartment and held in place by the clip in lid.
*** External power supply rating seems somewhat of an overkill! I measured the maximum current the pedal draws while in operation, 6mA. There is no way in the world this will need 300mA current capacity so if you have a little plug pack capable of less than 300mA, no sweat. Just make sure it is 9V and check/double check that polarity at the centre, it MUST be negative.
Tested 'live' using just the battery, also made sure the battery check lamp came on - it does!
These little 9V batteries have a current capability of around 550mAH so there is plenty of 'play time' (almost 100 hours) with a fresh battery before you may need to change it. As usual with pedals, disconnect your instrument lead when not in use as this will save the battery.
With all the said, so what does it sound like?
I am a 'tech head', roadie type of sound guy and besides, most of my instruments from the post production studio days have found new hands and feet, so ... I rang my mate and had him come over with his geeeeetar (Les Paul copy for what it's worth) and away he went, playing da Blues man!
He told me (and I heard) NO scratching or other strange noises as the 3 controls are varied to achieve the sound he wanted. He liked the sounds he could achieve, was pretty impressed actually but of course we are not in the league of his Blackstar pedals.
