Volume Pedal Question

[Mobilemike]

Hey all!

Here's a question about volume pedals for you...

Usually I've seen volume pedals work where when the pedal is all the way in the down position the signal is muted, and when it is all the way in the up position, the signal is as loud as it can get.

Recently though I saw Nickel Creek live (incredible show!) and Sean seemed to be using a volume pedal differently. He used it more like a boost pedal. When the pedal was all the way down, his guitar was not muted, but was at a lower volume that he used for full out strumming. Then he raised it all the way up to boost the level for single note lines and leads.

He was pretty clearly not using a normal pedal and riding it somewhere in the middle of its range - he would go over and stomp the pedal all the way down to lower his volume for strumming.

Anyone ever heard of something like this, or know of a pedal that works this way, where the signal is not muted but just lowered when the pedal is all the way down? I know I could just use the boost function on my preamp but I like the flexibility and bulletproofness of the volume pedal option.

Thanks!
-Mike

[RyanM1]

This one can do it, Ernie Ball MVP:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MVP/

[Mobilemike]

Wow that was easy - thanks!

-Mike

[DesolationAngel]

The Boss does it too... you can dial in how much is 'off'.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FV500H/

[Mooh]

In the olden days I sometimes blocked my volume pedal to do this, literally with a block of wood to raise the heel setting.

[BTF]

You can mod most any volume pedal to do this. All you need is a 25K or a 50K linear pot. The pot goes in between the minimum-volume lug on the pedal's main volume pot (it will usually be the left-side lug looking at the back of the pot and which is grounded). You separate the main-pot lug from ground and run a wire from the left-side "minimum volume" pot lug to the main volume pot lug you unsoldered. The center lug of the "minimum volume" pot is wired to ground.

Depending on your MV pot setting, the main volume pot can't entirely cut off the signal.

Sorry to prattle, just hoping this could help!

[jseth]

I've used a few volume pedals, and I have NEVER seen one that is "off" when pressed to the floor! I think you've got it a bit reversed...

My Ernie Ball pedal has a setting that lets you either mute or lower the volume dramatically (but not mute entirely) when the pedal is rocked back as high as it can go...

Problem with "passive" volume pedals is, they cut out a lot of the source signal when doing their job, especially noticeable on the higher frequencies... not such a problem with an electric guitar, but I didn't like it for acoustic guitar...

[BTF]

If you wanted the pedal to work backwards, you could wire it that way. The taper of an audio pot would cause the attenuation to be unusual in reverse, unless you replaced the pot with a reverse audio pot. A linear pot will be the same wired either way.

If you have a passive volume pot and don't like the high end attenuation at lower volumes, may I suggest you solder a 33pF or 47pF capacitors across the two hot lugs? The small values of these capacitors will add "air" to the attenuated sound without the harsher treble bite that a Fender bright switch does.

Just offering...

[akagilligan]

Hilton and you'll never need another.

[DesolationAngel]

Originally Posted by akagilligan

Hilton and you'll never need another.

Can I ask why? What makes it worth three times the price of the Boss, for instance? (I'm not saying it's not, I just wonder)