| Author |
Topic: Volume Pedals |
Gordon Caffey
From:
Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
|
Posted 16 May 2004 4:33 pm |
|
Does anyone have suggestions on what kind of volume pedal to use with steel guitar? I have an old Morley, but it's kind of tall which is a problem with the knee levers.
Thanks,
Gordon |
|
|
 |
Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
|
Posted 16 May 2004 4:40 pm
|
|
Gordon,
What kind/brand of steel do you have, maybe you could get a rack(pedalboard)mount, or maybe one of the new lightbeam, I hear they are real good. Check buy and sell section for one. They can range from $75 for a pot pedal to a couple hundred, according to how much you want to invest, and/or how hi tech you want.
Bill |
|
|
|
Gordon Caffey
From:
Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
|
Posted 16 May 2004 4:42 pm
|
|
Bill,
I have a GFI D10 with 9 pedals and 8 knee levers.
Gordon |
|
|
|
Craig A Davidson
From:
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA
|
Posted 16 May 2004 5:43 pm
|
|
I would get a Hilton and be done with it. They are worth the money and have some form of height adjustment.
------------------
1985 Emmons push-pull,S-10 Marlin,Evans SE200,Hilton pedal
|
|
|
|
Ben Lawson
From:
Brooksville Florida
|
Posted 16 May 2004 5:53 pm
|
|
I second the Hilton vote. I got mine over a year ago and switched back and forth between it and my old pedal and realized quite a difference.
I got the low profile unit with the Emmons adapter (thanks Herbie) and it works great on my 9&7 push pull. |
|
|
|
Sidney Malone
From:
Buna, TX
|
Posted 16 May 2004 6:17 pm
|
|
I would go ahead and get a Hilton also!! I picked up a used one off Buy & Sell for $220 a couple of weeks ago and I love it!! Smooth & clean!
------------------
Fessy S-12U, Future MSA Millennium S-12U, Stereo Steel
|
|
|
|
David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
|
Posted 17 May 2004 3:30 am
|
|
| Very, very happy with my Hilton also. |
|
|
|
Wayne Franco
From:
silverdale, WA. USA
|
Posted 17 May 2004 4:35 am
|
|
| I am happy with my Hilton pedal as well! |
|
|
|
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
|
Posted 17 May 2004 5:02 am
|
|
I'd get the Hilton too, I have the low profile model as I'm 6'4" tall and my right knee always touched the bottom of the changer with a regular height pedal. I just wish they had a removable wall wart instead of it being permanently connected to the pedal.
------------------
Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.
|
|
|
|
David Mullis
From:
Rock Hill, SC
|
Posted 17 May 2004 5:13 am
|
|
Get the Hilton. It's the best pedal available and Keith's customer service is second to none.  |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 17 May 2004 7:47 am
|
|
The Hilton is a fine pedal, but if you can't afford one just yet, pick up an old Fender pedal. They're dirt-simple, last forever, and they're the best shielded pot pedal made. Yes, you might have to buy a pot every few years (about $25), but other than that, they're quite compact and reliable. I've been using the same Fender pedal for over 35 years, and I've changed the pot about 4 times.
Fender pedals, in good working shape, sell for about $100. Those that need a new pot can often be had for $50-$75. |
|
|
|
George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
|
Posted 17 May 2004 7:51 am
|
|
| Get a Hilton and be done with it. Also, you can get leg lift kits from Bobbe Seymour. This is probably a better way to go if you have volume pedal height problems. I have long legs, so I must have the legs of the steel longer, which is what the lift kits give you. |
|
|
|
Walter Hamlin
From:
Talladega, Alabama, USA
|
Posted 17 May 2004 2:40 pm
|
|
Amen to the Hilton. I've used others and I wouldn't trade my Hilton for all of them. Pots are not what they used to be.
Walter
|
|
|
|
CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
|
Posted 17 May 2004 2:45 pm
|
|
| real satisfied w: my Hilton too |
|
|
|
Dan Galysh
From:
Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 17 May 2004 6:23 pm
|
|
| The Hilton is it! |
|
|
|
Terry Wood
From:
Lebanon, MO
|
Posted 17 May 2004 8:19 pm
|
|
I have known Keith Hilton for 35 years, since he was the principal and math teacher where I attended Jr. High School. The man knows his stuff! If that's not enough, he worked with the space project for awhile.
I'm proud to call him friend.
Get the Hilton pedal. You will love it and you want need anything else. How can you top the best.
GOD bless!
Terry J. Wood
|
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
|
Posted 17 May 2004 8:24 pm
|
|
My dos centavos:
There are volume pedals, then there are volume pedals, and then there are SERIOUS volume pedals.
The ones to avoid if possible are the pedals made basically for lead guitarists. These would include any cheap-ass small plastic pedals like the Boss, your expensive Morley, and the Ernie Ball pedals with the jacks on the front face of the pedal.
Then there are the potentiometer pedals made specifically for steel guitar. These can be vintage or new, but all work on the same principle. The vintage pedals would be the aforementioned Fender, the Sho~Bud, the Bigsby, early Ernie Ball (jacks on side of pedal), the Don Edwards, the Dekley, early Goodrich, and others. The general consensus is that the best modern, new pot pedal is the Goodrich 120 for a free-standing pedal. This pedal is the current standard for this design. The Goodrich can also be equipped with a pedal rack bracket. The Emmons and Derby pedals, practically identical, are both designed to hang on to the pedal rack and are not free-standing.
All these pedals use potentiometers to change the signal going to the amp. This type of pedal now retails in the neighborhood of 175-200 bucks new. Used pedals go from 50 bucks up to 200-300, depending on their vintage status.
There were a few attempts at a light-beam pedal that never really caught on because of tone problems. There have also been pedals designed that had tone circuits in them that are good ideas, but the basic standard pedal is the potentiometer pedal.
The SERIOUS volume pedals are the Hilton and the Goodrich pedals that don't utilize pots. Though I don't know enough about electronics to comment on their design specifics, the new technology permits much higher quality performance from the pedals in terms of pureness and clarity of tone. These pedals cost from $240 to $300, and most users, and I am one, feel that the increased performance quality is worth the money.
I have two Hilton pedals. I also have two Goodrich 120 pot pedals. Both are excellent products.
One thing about the Ernie Ball pedal, any of the newer vintage models. It is a Royal Pain In The Ass, in my experience, to change out the pot on an Ernie Ball pedal. The Emmons/Derby design is the easiest, by far. And sooner or later, the pot will have to be replaced.
------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 17 May 2004 at 10:36 PM.] |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
Posted 18 May 2004 10:17 pm
|
|
| Moved to "Electronics" section of the Forum |
|
|
|
Gordon Caffey
From:
Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
|
Posted 23 May 2004 5:23 pm
|
|
This can be closed. I ended up buying the Hilton pedal from Ronnie Neighbors in Hot Springs, AR.
Thanks for all of the information!
Gordon |
|
|
|
