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Topic: Volume Pedal Pot thoughts |
Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 4 May 2013 2:25 pm |
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I was chatting with a ham radio friend the other day that is a guitar player and electronics tech also. We were talking about volume pedals and pickups. He said he didn't see why we don't run pots on the order of 1/2 meg ohm in the pedals. His thinking was the pedal impedance would be almost invisible to the pickup. Any thoughts? Anyone ever tried it?
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 4 May 2013 2:32 pm
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| That is the industry standard for steel guitar passive pot pedals. |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 4 May 2013 2:51 pm
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Hmmm... may look at replacing the 250K in my EBJr with a 1/2 meg...
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 4 May 2013 3:00 pm
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| I'm not preaching one way or another. Just stating that .5 Meg is the standard Goodrich value. I'd probably go for it if I had the 250 pot. And if anyone is not conversant in the terminology and is confused, 1/2 meg == 500K. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 4 May 2013 3:00 pm
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Pedal impedance is FAR from invisible to the pickup. 500k (same as half Meg) is the standard load that steel pickups are compatible with. But, when given control of the impedance load, steel players tend to choose a value lower than that, often times even lower than 250k. As you get down into the lower values, say in the 120k to 250k, the edgy treble bite of the pickup gets tamed or mellowed a bit, and players generally (not always) tend to gravitate in that direction. Even Peavey found this to some degree. In their steel amps that were intended to be used with the 3-wire setup where the guitar plugs straight into the amp's input, hits an active buffer stage, then gets sent back out to/from the volume pedal, the load that Peavey set for the pickups was lower than 500k, maybe around 330k if I recall correctly. So in practice 250k is a totally viable option, 500k is the standard, and if someone uses a buffer device before the pedal, then the pot value virtually doesn't matter... you could use 10k, 50k, 100k, 250, 500k, etc. Since there's buffering, the pickup can't "see" the volume pedal anymore and it's tonal response doesn't change in relation to the pot's value.
It's when the pickup directly sees the volume pot that there is significant interaction.
B |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 4 May 2013 3:31 pm
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"1/2 meg == 500K"
My brain suffered loss of brain cells... I knew that, but didn't think of it.
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 10 May 2013 1:34 pm Re: Volume Pedal Pot thoughts
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| Scott Duckworth wrote: |
| I was chatting with a ham radio friend the other day that is a guitar player and electronics tech also. We were talking about volume pedals and pickups. He said he didn't see why we don't run pots on the order of 1/2 meg ohm in the pedals. His thinking was the pedal impedance would be almost invisible to the pickup. Any thoughts? Anyone ever tried it? |
The difference in sound and total volume between the two common values isn't a lot, but it's noticeable, especially with pedal steel pickups. (Electric guitar is a different animal, really, so it's sometimes wise to take the advice of straight guitar players with a grain of salt.) |
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Tommy Shown
From:
Denham Springs, La.
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Posted 17 May 2013 5:20 am
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I recently bought a Dunlop Pot from Tom Bradshaw. It is a 470k ohm pot. I don't realize the 30k ohm difference. It is sealed in plastic, that is great. Because you don't have to worry about dust getting in to the pot itself to damage the contacts. Thus, meaning not to use contact spray.
Tom sells a great product. And he has only had six come back, after selling them for seven years.
Tommy Shown
SMFTBL |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 17 May 2013 7:00 am Ernie Ball Volume Pedals
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Scott,
Most Volume pedals that have the "Jacks" on the front of the volume pedal, were not designed for Pedal Steel. That does not mean they will not work. But, they will not work for me. Mr. Ernie Ball, the companys founder and name sake, was a steel guitar player. The company now, even though it sells a few steel guitar accessories, is a "Guitar" company by all appearances. Understandably so, that is where the money is.
I am an Ernie Ball Volume Pedal user. I have found two of the older 6166 volume pedals that have the input and output jacks on the right side. They are "not" a low profile pedal, but because I am 5'2" ish they work perfectly. Mine are modified. I have installed a tuner out jack, using Randy Beavers volume pedal tuner out mod. I have also drilled a hole in the left side of the pedal so that I can adjust the pot setting using a screwdriver. Works like a charm. These older pedals can be bought cheap. $45 usually. If you install a new Bradshaw or comparable 500k pot... They are built like a tank and will last years.
Note: They may be the wrong pedal for a tall player. Probably have to try one. Of course, if have loads of money... You could look at the Telonics pedal. If I win the Lotto, I may try one myself. |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 17 May 2013 8:26 am
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Thanks Dick, for the info. I am thinking about moving my jacks to the right side.
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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