Abacus Foot Controller For Triaxis

I currently control my Triaxis through my effects processor. (An old GP-8....) I've been considering another midi option for awhile (probably the Rocktron midi-mate) but I came across a used Abacus foot controller for a decent price. Has anyone used one? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Does it only control the triaxis? Can I use it to control the triaxis and my effects processor? (Through the tri) What other capabilities does it have? Any thoughts or views would be appreciated. Thanks!

if my memory serves me correctly these units were horrible.....very unreliable and most folks that owned one had it die at some point.......i never had one with my triaxis and always just used the good ole "midi-buddy" footpedal and it worked great.

my buddy had the abacus and it was nothing but problems for him......he wound up getting a midi-buddy like mine.

Thanks Masque. That's good to know and probably why lots of folks don't use them. The other thing that's putting me off is that it has limited functionality. It seems I'd be better off buying a real midi foot controller than the Abacus.

masque said:

if my memory serves me correctly these units were horrible.....very unreliable and most folks that owned one had it die at some point.......i never had one with my triaxis and always just used the good ole "midi-buddy" footpedal and it worked great.

my buddy had the abacus and it was nothing but problems for him......he wound up getting a midi-buddy like mine.

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I bought a Triaxis/Abacus during the first year of production. Both are still going strong and never acted up in all these years. My Abacus controls the Triaxis and Rocktron Intellifex and via the Triaxis controls the MB Strategy 500 power amp.

Not sure where the idea that they're horrible/unreliable comes from. Mesa's warranty and product support are good.

I used an Abacus for years. I bought it new in the mid nineties and have to say this product is perfect for the Triaxis. I had it paired with the Triaxis and a Lexicon MPX-1 (still do but I am not currently using rack gear at this time). The Lexicon had to be midi mapped so each effect patch could be paired with the Triaxis preset of your choosing. The manual that comes with the multi effects unit should explain this relatively clearly. I have to say the Abacus was long (27") and heavy. But this unit is built like a tank and it can't imagine one breaking down. I recently put it back in commission to work with an Eventide H9 I recently bought and it works as well as ever...a great product. I have to say the I've is a bit imposing nd I am shopping for smaller footprint that is lighter. Also, it isn't "smart" meaning you can't program complex configurations of effects chains, using all of your other pedals like most of today's midi foot controllers (ala the Voodoo Labs Ground Control) but in its defense, I'm not interested in doing that at this time...