Volume pedals

Hey,I'm new to volume pedals and i just wanna have one to be able to do country steel bends and/or weird crazy spacious swells.I run a RMC pic wah, Bonamassa FF( or Badcat 2 tone) and a TC polytuner into a tube reverb box then into a Roland space echo into a Vic double deluxe. Does a volume pedal get along with other pedals too? I was thinking about a Ernie Ball,but maybe there is a better one out there. thx for any input.

Hi fuzzchuck! Welcome to the forum...

Volume pedals are wicked cool, and most get along really well with other pedals. You'll definitely want to put it after your tuner and before the reverb box so those decay effects from the 'verb and Space Echo can trail off without the volume pedal cutting their signal.

I would strong recommend AGAINST using the tuner output on most volume pedals. In most cases I've heard (this is my personal experience so TDPRI community at-large please correct me) having a tuner connected to the tuner output really muffles tone. Almost like it loads down the signal or something...

One other thing to consider is long-term maintenance. Potentiometer-based designs like Ernie Ball will eventually require replacement as they accumulate dust and/or wear out over time. Optical-based designs like the Visual Sound volume pedal (the first one that came to mind, not necessarily a recommendation as "the" optical volume pedal) generally require less service though you may lose some of the "feel" in pedal travel.

Last weekend I saw Junior Brown in Austin using a Jim Dunlop DVP1 Dun Grip Rubber Tread Volume Pedal. It was the only pedal he used with his Guit - Steel going into a Twin Reverb. That Dunlop Volume Pedal was nice! I figure if its good enough for Junior Brown....

I use a Morley Little Alligator. It uses heavy-duty metal chassis, Electro-Optical circuitry and a linear taper. I use if for lap steel mostly, and I adjust the bar that the rocker sits on so that it is a little tighter, giving me greater control over the taper. They go for $60 used to about $85 new. Mines not had a single problem in 9 years. NO tone suck is a big plus.

I would strong recommend AGAINST using the tuner output on most volume pedals. In most cases I've heard (this is my personal experience so TDPRI community at-large please correct me) having a tuner connected to the tuner output really muffles tone. Almost like it loads down the signal or something...


I don't use a volume pedal, but if I did I would have to test that! :?:

thanks everybody.Might go shopping for one this weekend.Cheers!

I like the Dunlop DVP-1. The one Fender makes is not bad, either.

My lovely wife bought me the Fender Volume/Tone pedal for lapsteel. It's a reissue, up/down=volume, sideways=tone. Tone and volume swells at your command.

I've always used an EB, and more recently,
and EB VPjr. After repeated string breakage,
I switched to the Roland FV500H. But it doesn't
feel as nice, especially for faux steel work.

I'm going to send the EB VPJr I have to them
for cleaning and restoration, and ask them to reinforce
the pedal, or whatever they can do.

Never had *ANY* problems with tone loss, but I always
have used a Boss compressor before the volume pedal.
A decent buffer eliminates any issues. And the tuner out
doesn't seem to create any problems either.