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#1
06-10-2013, 08:57 PM
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Volume Pedals That Retain Acoustic Sound Quality – DIY, MODS & Store Bought?
Trying out volume pedals, and talking with other folks concerned about loosing tone, it seams that volume pedals are not designed to retain the sound quality of acoustic guitars. Well, not the cheap ones in my budget i guess.
If my goal is to retain the timbre and tones of acoustic guitar? 1-Are there any brands & models that one would recommend? (don’t limit suggestions by stereo vs mono, but an ideal one would be stereo that can also act as an expression pedal for an effect, so >~300k pot) 2- More important: If modding an old one or building from scratch I hear (from mostly electric players) that a 1 meg-ohm pot is all you need to retain the sound quality. Is this true or not? If not what is needed? Thanks in advance for the help. Last edited by cadmus; 06-13-2013 at 06:56 AM. Reason: OCD 
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#4
06-11-2013, 08:26 AM
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That cap serves to pass the higher frequencies straight through as they suffer the greatest loss when you start "throttling back". Take any electric and reduce the volume, you typically experience the higher freqs dropping out more dramatically in a passive volume control adjustment. The cap's purpose is to restore a lil more bite as you back off the volume.
However, as every pickup is different...ideally you'd tailor it to the guitar pickup in question. That said, yeah, the 1M or larger pot means that...when fully up...you effectively null the loading effect of the pedal itself. UNLESS, you're using a passive piezo pickup and you're inserting the volume pedal BEFORE the pre. As the piezo's have a larger impedance, the pedal will still have a significant loading effect. Thus, it would usually be better to place the pedal after a pre if one isn't onboard. My 2 cents... BradM
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<{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< bradM - SW Ohio - love to pick! <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}><
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#6
06-12-2013, 10:12 AM
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i like the Visual Volume pedal. it can handle two channels and i love that i can see where my volume is. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...l-volume-pedal
i tested it and i would say it does affect the tone a very small amount but the tradeoff is worth it to me robert www.roberttemplemusic.com www.soundcloud.com/roberttemple-1
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#7
06-12-2013, 10:44 AM
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Quote:
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Thomas R. Pullen Partner - Mojo's Music
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#8
06-16-2013, 05:32 PM
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Quote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMhCquTBzfE But until i see a schematic i will not get it.
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#9
06-16-2013, 05:37 PM
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preamps improve volume and retain the sound/tone/timbre of a passive system and most have a volume knob. Slap a pinion gear on that preamp's volume pot and put a plank on it and you got a volume pedal that doesn't suck. How would one make (or mod an old one) a pedal that did the same thing?
Last edited by cadmus; 06-16-2013 at 06:16 PM.
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#10
06-16-2013, 08:04 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Thomas R. Pullen Partner - Mojo's Music
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#11
06-16-2013, 09:12 PM
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Quote:
"Could you refer me to readings and resources to explain this "buffered" thing." but it should read: "Could you refer me to readings and resources to explain any "buffered" thing." (to answer your question: no, but i see it everywhere. help is greatly appreciated, thanks)
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#12
06-16-2013, 09:22 PM
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__________________
Thomas R. Pullen Partner - Mojo's Music
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#13
06-17-2013, 08:17 AM
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Quote:
There are a couple of things that can happen. With a passive 250K volume pedal and a passive piezo you will load down the signal. With a buffered pickup there shouldn't be the issue of loading but the taper of the volume pot may not be right.
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#14
06-18-2013, 05:20 PM
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There’s a couple of guitar pedal builders out there who are installing a buffer into the Ernie Ball pedals,
These guys: http://www.thru-tone.com/Ernie_Ball_Mod.html (expensive!) This guy: http://this1smyne.com/shop/eb-brand-new/ (half the price!) I find the Ernie Ball volume is not a problem with my electric guitar, but with the piezo in my acoustic, it does suck tone. It’s fine with the soundhole pickup in my Weissenborn as well.
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#15
06-18-2013, 10:25 PM
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In a nutshell, a buffer is very much like a no-gain -to- low-gain preamp. It's typically a chip with circuitry inserted into the signal path to, 1 - provide isolation between the input & output and, consequently provide the proper load impedances at the input & output, respectively.
On the +, since you're only loading the signal with only a fraction of the load a single pot gives...buffering preserves more of the original bandwidth. On the -, if the circuit isn't designed appropriately...you've added noise, sucky tone reproduction, etc. If you go buffered...always good to listen vs mail-order (or read forums!  ). Keep in mind, Behringer & Neve both produce mic pre's...mucho dollars & quality apart...you will most definitely hear the difference.So, buffered is the way to go...if done right. And, you can find many a good schematic online that already gives solid design and is a fairly simple build. Cheers! BradM
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<{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< bradM - SW Ohio - love to pick! <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}><
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