10 Best Sustain Pedals 2024 in the US

The sustain pedal is something familiar to us from the piano. There are two or three pedals underneath a piano. From right to left, there are: 1) the sustain pedal, (also known as a “damper pedal”)which allows a note to continue, to create a legato sound, 2) the sostenuto pedal, which sustains select notes, and 3) the soft pedal, which reduces the number of hammers hitting the piano string from 3 to 2, resulting in a “softer” tone.

Some electronic music companies make sustain pedals which essentially reproduce the familiar three piano pedals, so that you can use them for an electric keyboard or organ. Otherwise, they can have a single pedal, which just fulfills the “sustain” function. But there are still other options among the types of pedals available.

We've put together this sustain pedal buyer's guide to help you select the best sustain pedal that answers to your needs. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of sustain pedal,

• See useful tips about that type of sustain pedal,    

• Read reviews of different brands of sustain pedal, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of sustain pedal, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

We can distinguish between the brands of sustain pedals as whether they are piano-style or not:

• Piano Style: These will be a metal pedal in a rubberized base. The base should be made from non-slip rubber, so that the pedal will not move over the course of playing. The Yamaha FC4 is a piano-style pedal--its form resembles that of a piano sustain pedal.

• Non-piano style: These are smaller and flatter than the piano style pedals. The midiplus SP-2 is non-piano style, with a rubber-coated square shape.

We can also distinguish between the polarity of sustain pedals.

• Forward polarity: These will sustain notes when the pedal is pressed.

• Reverse polarity: These will sustain notes by default, when the pedal is not being pressed, and then make them staccato when the pedal is being pressed.

• With a polarity switch: Some sustain pedals have a polarity switch, so that you can switch between forward or reverse polarity, depending on the type of keyboard that you hook up to your pedal.

Based on all the consumers' reviews we've scanned, these are the top things they mentioned about their new stuff:

• Other polarity solutions: People noticed a problem with the Yamaha DGX-230 pedal, where they noticed the polarity being reversed. But they noticed that, inserting the pedal’s jack into the keyboard when the pedal is ON will result in reversed polarity. If the pedal is attached while in the OFF position, the polarity will work correctly.

• Compatible with several keyboards: The midiplus SP2 was seen to work well with several makes of keyboards: Yamaha, Casio, and Korg.    

• Versatility: A sustain pedal can be used for more than a keyboard. It can also be used in  synthesizers, tone modules, and drum machines.

• Weighted: You don’t want the pedal to move around when you press on it. It is important that the base be made from non-slip rubber. In addition to that, it should be weighted down, to decrease the possibility of slipping.

• Continuous sustain: The Yamaha FC3 Dual Zone sustain pedal has a continuum of sustaining--the harder you press, the more it sustains the note. People say that it makes even an inexpensive keyboard sound rich.

Yamaha--was founded by Torakusu Yamaha in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer, located in Hamamatsu, Japan. They later expanded from musical instruments to making motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and marine engines. But they are still known for the wide range of musical instruments and equipment: pianos, drums, brass instruments, woodwinds, violins, and more.              

Casio was founded by the brothers Tadao and Toshio Kashio in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan. Their first invention was a cigarette smoking device, but they later expanded to calculators, musical keyboard instruments, wristwatches, digital cameras, mobile phones, computer printers, and more.              

Roland—was founded in 1972 in Osaka, Japan by Ikutaro Kakehashi, but presently they have their office in Hamamastu. They are manufacturers of musical instruments, audio/visual equipment, electronics, and other computer-related products. They are famous for their musical synthesizers and keyboards.              

Studiologic—are makers of electronic digital musical instruments: digital pianos, synthesizers, organs, MIDI (= musical instrument digital interface) controllers, and pedals and accessories. They are ergonomically designed, for optimal mechanics and sound.