a volume pedal with spring inside for resistance?

[Jacek Jakubek]

Hello,

Does anyone know if any manufacturers make volume pedals with a spring inside that would give some resistance when you press on the pedal? Or has anyone modified a volume pedal to do this?

The spring would make the volume quieter when you take your foot off the pedal. Maybe you could even have a screw to regulate how tight you want the resistance to be or how much volume decrease you want; that would be nice.

I tried playing a keyboard organ that has a volume pedal like this and it felt nice. It would be interesting to try a similar feeling pedal on my pedal steel.

[Larry Moore]

I have a old Sho~Bud pedal that has a spring that does that
Larry

[Larry Strawn]

Jacek,

Once again knowing what kind of volume pedal you have would be a great help.

Goodrich 120 string operated pot pedal has a spring inside to return the pedal to the off position, or heel down, I quess this spring could be adjusted for tention. The amount of volume, or no volume in the off position can be adjusted with the string windings on the pot.

Hilton active pedal has an adjustment screw on the bottom of the pedal to adjust the amount of volume in the off position, along with an adjustment for the tenstion on the pedal.

Some folks like thier pedal volume to stay the same when they remove thier foot. I prefer mine to return to the off position with just a small amount off volume.

I know there are folks out there than can explain that a "lot" better than I just did!

Larry

[Dave Van Allen]

Some folks like thier pedal volume to stay the same when they remove their foot.

I'm one of 'em.

[Michael Haselman]

A lot of C6 players like to use both feet for pedals, therefore that would definitely be a detriment to them.

[Alan Brookes]

I suggested this a few years back on the Forum. I was likening the volume pedal to an accelerator on a car. Most people at the time pointed out that you would then be compelled to keep the pedal depressed, which they didn't want to do. I experimented with an old Carter volume pedal by just putting a spring inside the box. It worked, but it was a nuisance, for the very reasons members had said, so I took it out. Maybe if you combined the spring-loaded volume pedal with an on-off switch, where you could push the pedal to the floor and switch it out, so that you had full volume until you next pushed the switch, it might have some use.

[David Doggett]

In analogy to the gas pedal, I think a spring to give some resistance, and to return to no or low volume when you get up for a break, would be nice. But what you would need is the equivalent of a cruise control, with an on/off button within easy reach on the guitar. When you have your foot at the volume you want, you could hit the cruise control and remove your foot for some two-footed pedal work. Somehow I'm doubting we will see this inovation from any pedal makers any time soon.

[John Billings]

Alan, if I pushed my pedal all the way down, it would blow everybodies wigs off! I keep the amp up pretty high, and play around half pedal so I can push the pedal down for purposes of sustain. How about mounting a push/pull pot under the guitar. Push it on, and set the volume you want for two hoof playing, with the pedal floored. Pull it off and use the volume pedal normally. What you'd be doing is turning down your axe at the pot so it wouldn't blow your ears out when you floored the gas pedal. Does that make sense? Or should I make more coffee?

[Michael Haselman]

Actually, this may be a little nitpicky. If your pedal is working properly, a little shift of your foot and it stays off. I've never felt this to be a problem after 30 years of using them.

[John Billings]

Michael, I agree. Never been a problem for me either. Just tryin' to think of a solution for a problem I ain't got!

[Alan Brookes]

...Just tryin' to think of a solution for a problem I ain't got!

I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Simply downgrade to the Ernie Ball Volume Pedal, and it stays anywhere you leave it.., but smooth as silk.

[David Doggett]

Well, yeah, I'm in the habit of bringing my pedal to off when I'm not playing. But every now and then I forget to put the amp on standby during a break, and in crowded spaces some inebriated soul manages to accidentally push the pedal full on and bump my guitar at the same time. I have to come running out of the bathroom to fix things quick.

But my main interest would be that maybe a little resistance would help my pedal action be a little smoother. But I have to admit, this is at the bottom of my list of things I might need.

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Well Dave, if I had an extra Ernie Ball, I'd send one to ya to try out, that's about the only way you could really tell. I like a pedal, I can depend on staying exactly where it's at, without having to do anything but remove my foot and know it's not going to creep up or down on me. That's the only pedal I've found, that's Built Like nothing I've ever seen before, (no exageration at all) whoever made them, definitely took pride in their work, as well as a very simplistic form.

Hey! I give credit where credit is due. Not because I use one, but the first time I seen one, it was evident, why it was they left the front and rear open. Simply because I'd too want everyone to see the quality workmanship that went into making a pedal as simple as possible, that performs the job it was intended to do, but built with Quality all the way through from start to finish.

I can't say that about the other two pedals, nor the third I previously used.

I just measured to make sure I was right. The shaft that it pivots on is a solid 1/2" diameter.

Concerning any of their newer models, I can't say anything about, but on this one, I definitely can. The craftsmanship, was pure art at it's finest.

[John Cadeau]

The new Hilton pedal

[Jani Peter Sandvik]

i dunno but the tension of materials maybe gives resistance

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Dave D, This is what I was talking about. You'll notice that the 1/2 in diameter shaft, also goes throught a nylon bushing, there's also, a small shaft in the rear, that has a free floating roller guide, so it always keeps the string in parallel. The pot that's in it, is still the original volume pot. I believe namely, due to the way there isn't much stress on shaft, due to the way it's made to hold equal pressure on the pot shaft at all positions. wires unplug, and for even easier servicing, two countersunk Phillips screws on the bottom of the pedal, allow the entire block assembly to come out with the pot. Also, note the thickness, but even moreso, the quality I was talking about. If I had another, you'd be welcome to one.

PS: That's not rust on the shaft, that's dirt..

[Jerry Overstreet]

Don is exactly right. I love this feature about the Ernie, and it takes only a short while to get used to the longer travel. I think these older EB's with the side jacks work just fine for steel and have a more even volume taper. JMO.

[Jacek Jakubek]

I should have mentioned the pedal I use is a Hilton light beam pedal.

The pedal does have a couple of plastic screws underneath that you can probably adjust, they are "volume" and "off point." There's also another blue plastic screw that says "tone patent pending."
I have not messed with the screws yet because I'm not sure exactly how they should be adjusted. Perhaps someone knows where I can get an instruction manual for my Hilton Pedal?

I usually play with my volume pedal fully engaged and when I try to decrease the volume, it decreases too much. That is why I thought the resistance spring might help, but maybe adjusting the pedal electronically so it decreases the volume more gradually would work better.

[David Doggett]

Jacek, I have to say I don't understand your volume pedal technique of playing with it fully on. Most players use a volume pedal differently, in order to get sustain. They attack the notes with the volume pedal about 1/3 on, and set their amp volume so that is their playing volume. On long notes where sustain is desired, you increase the volume pedal to match the die-off of the strings, so that you get a steady sustain. Then to attack the next note, you jerk the pedal back to it's normal attack position. It is a very tricky and subtle technique that is difficult to master, but when done well it gives that beautiful liquid sustain the pedal steel is famous for.

So I don't see the point of playing with the pedal full on. You don't have anywhere to go with it but back quieter, which will kill the volume.

On the Hilton, the off-point screw adjusts how much volume there is with the pedal backed all the way off. Some players like for there to be no volume with the pedal full off (my preference). But others like for the off position to give them some volume, maybe even close to their playing volume, so they can always return to the same volume after pushing the pedal down for sustain.

Hilton advises to mostly leave the tone adjustment alone. But I have figured out a good use for me. I set my amp tone controls flat, or centered. Then I adjust the tone control of the pedal to give the best tone it will. Then I don't ever touch the pedal tone control again, but do all my tone adjusting with the amp controls. What the pedal tone adjustment has done is to center my preferred tone with the center of the amps tone controls. Then I have the full range of the amp controls in both directions.

Don B., that is certainly one of the best designed pot pedals I have ever seen.

[David Mason]

I fiddled with a little piece of foam taped on to do the same thing. It's cheap & wears out quickly, but it sure is easy and it works OK.

[Don Brown, Sr.]

David D,

I'm one who wants my volume to be off when the pedal is up too. That gives full control over how it's used. And I believe that it's maybe, one of the least thought of, and yet most important parts of the total learning process. I'd rate it's importance right up there with bar control, and all else that goes into playing steel.

"But again, only my personal opinion" I guess if it wasn't for variety, there wouldn't be much need for discussions..

Everyone have a great up and coming "New Year"

Don

[Alan Brookes]

Jacek, I have to say I don't understand your volume pedal technique of playing with it fully on...

Dave: when people first start using the pedal steel it's too overwhelming to learn to co-ordinate both arms, and both legs. The volume pedal is the first thing to go. You're used to using the volume pedal to lengthen the sustain, but anyone asking the question raised here hasn't reached your level yet.

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Larry, that wouldn't be all that bad if only playing a single E9, but there's nothing any worse than taking your foot off the Vol pedal, jumping over to C6 and having it creep either way, back up or down. So that's why it's most important to have a pedal that stays exactly where you left it.

I'm quite certain that all players who play both necks, have had that problem, at one time or another. There's times when you're using both feet on the pedals.

[Alan Brookes]

Don, it's a matter of what instrument you have. If you have an instrument with separate gain controls for the two necks you just have to set them so that they produce the same volume, and then the foot volume will work the same on both necks.