| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic Volume Pedal
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  Volume Pedal
Jeremy Burnworth

 

From:
Brooklyn, NY
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 4:10 am    
Reply with quote

What's the best value volume pedal for lap steel? (~meaning on the cheaper side~)
Thanks!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Randy Reeves


From:
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 4:32 am    
Reply with quote

for a non active pedal I like the Ernie Ball. around 100 dollars. the string has never broken and my pedal is over six years old.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Roman Sonnleitner


From:
Vienna, Austria
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 4:33 am    
Reply with quote

I like my George Dennis vol. pedal - very smooth taper, no tone-suck; it's an optically controlled active vol. pedal, so it does need a battery or power supply; haven't tried any of the "pro" choices (Goodrich, Hilton), never tried a passive Ernie Ball; I did own a Morley Pro Series active vol pedal, and that one you should NOT get - very unusable taper, all the volume change action happens on the last third of the pedal travel, feels more like an on-off switch...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Steinar Gregertsen


From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 4:43 am    
Reply with quote

Don't use volume pedal much, but when I do I prefer my George Dennis over the Ernie Balls and Morleys I've owned.
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Thomas Ludwig


From:
Augsburg, Germany
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 5:54 am    
Reply with quote

Roman,
how long is battery life in the George Dennis pedal ?

Thomas
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
John D. Carter

 

From:
Canton, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 6:15 am    
Reply with quote

I bought a Morley about 3 months ago that runs on an "Electro-Optical" Circuit. It is advertised to provide a "studio quiet, smooth and even volume taper. . . no more pots to wear out, clean or replace" It is still new in the box because I only bought it because it was "on sale." I think I paid about $45.00 for it. The box is telling me that I own the "best volume pedal made" lol. Who knows?
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Roman Sonnleitner


From:
Vienna, Austria
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 8:00 am    
Reply with quote

Thomas Ludwig wrote:
Roman,
how long is battery life in the George Dennis pedal ?

Thomas


Don't know - I always use mine with a power supply unit...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Jason Hull

 

Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 10:00 am    
Reply with quote

I made a passive volume pedal out of an old sewing machine foot pedal. Just added 1/4" jacks and changed the pot. Works great and was dirt cheap. Built like a tank, too.
View user's profile Send private message
Lynn Oliver


From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
Post  Posted 11 Mar 2010 10:41 am    
Reply with quote

How about a used Goodrich 120?
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Veli-Pekka Haanmäki


From:
Finland
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2010 4:49 am    
Reply with quote

Lynn,I use Goodrich 120 pedal and I do prefer it over "all-around" pedals like Morley and Ernie Ball.Goodrich works great for steel.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Matt Berg


From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2010 8:50 am    
Reply with quote

I use a Behringer cheapo pedal as a CV controller for a Korg AX3G. I use the Korg as a tuner and for delay, which it does quite well. (it's not good for other FX like distortion or that cruddy amp modelling). The whole setup, including the TRS cable set me back about $80. And what's really nice about it is that the volume pedal is pre delay but post main signal, so you still get a little echo effect after you chop off the volume. It's a natural sounding effect with no effort.

I guess you could put a dedicated volume pedal in the middle of the signal chain to get this, but a lot of people, like Bobbe Seymour don't. In his demos, where the volume pedal appears to be after the delay, he's very meticulous about where he chops of the sound (between delay repeats), but it seems like that would sound bad if done sloppily, whereas with my setup, the delays can ring even when my main signal's cut off. Of course, I have my delay at more of an ambient setting, he's using it for a doubling effect at the tempo of the song.

I have posted on this before, I don't know if any other SGFers are using a similar setup, but it sure works well for me. And the sweep on this pedal seems fine to me. I read something once about voltage controlled pedals that explained how the values associated to the decay are derived, durned if I remember all the detail.

BTW, I thought the Goodrich/Hilton type pedals were more appropriate for pedal than lap because of some impedance issues, and that laps were typically closer to guitars in terms of how they drive pedals..... Anyone wanna 'splain this????
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Roman Sonnleitner


From:
Vienna, Austria
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2010 9:06 am    
Reply with quote

Matt Berg wrote:
I use a Behringer cheapo pedal as a CV controller for a Korg AX3G. I use the Korg as a tuner and for delay, which it does quite well. (it's not good for other FX like distortion or that cruddy amp modelling).

.......

I have posted on this before, I don't know if any other SGFers are using a similar setup, but it sure works well for me.


Not yet - but I'm planning on doing that, once I saved some money to get a Line 6 M9 - I'm thinking about that one for replacing my delay/tremolo/reverb/compressor pedals on my pedal board, and once I get one, I might just as well use an expression pedla to control the volume through the M9.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Charles Davidson

 

From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 12 Mar 2010 9:44 pm    
Reply with quote

I like my Dunlop Hi-Gain,It's about ten years old, NO strings to slip or break,has the original Pot,and a new one is about 80 bucks. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.
_________________
Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC !
View user's profile Send private message
JW Adams

 

From:
Davao Philippines
Post  Posted 13 Mar 2010 9:09 am     volume pedal
Reply with quote

I don't use a volume pedal very often with my lap, so i ordered the new Dunlop DVD-1 #99.00 it has a new steel band drive,no strings or rachet gears, it has adjustable tension, low noise electronics
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Gary Meixner

 

From:
New York, USA
Post  Posted 14 Mar 2010 8:59 am    
Reply with quote

Jeremy,

I played lap steel for quite some time without using a volume pedal and learned to do a lot with the volume control on the guitar. When I decided to start using a pedal, I tried a number of diffrent ones built for guitar and hated them including Morley and Ernie Ball. I lucked into a used Goodrich 120 for a few bucks and like it a lot. It does effect the tone a bit by reducing the high end and this may be what some don't like about this type of pedal. Incidentally it will take time to learn to control any kind of pedal to get the subtle effects that make it a valuable addition.

Good luck,

Gary
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron