Volume Pedal Primer

[Keith Hilton]

David, I have your pedal in for repair. Have had it for a long time and need to get it shipped back out to you. Trouble is, I can't contact you by e-mail. I have tried many times to e-mail you. Even made posts on this forum for you to answer. You won't anwer my e-mails, or my letters on this forum. You only pop up on things like this discussion. I can't repair your pedal for free, as it is more than 8 years old. That would be like expecting someone to fix a car they bought 8 years ago, with 150,000 miles on it for free. Since you live in a place where mail may not get to you like it does other places in the world, I need to talk to you about how to ship it. Also need to discuss repair costs. If you don't let me know these things, don't expect your pedal to be repaired and shipped out. Your Friend Keith

[Wayne Franco]

If you are just getting back into playing. Like Bob so correctly said. You need to talk to other players. Since I'm not in your area I'll give you my opinion from the other side of the continent. The adjustments in the back the Hilton Pedal make it easy to adjust the "on" point of the pedal. It's also easy to adjust how much volume you have on when the pedal is all the way off which to me is a VERY important feature. I like my volume pedal to still have some volume when it is off because it makes for a smoother sound to me. Maybe that is some thing you did't even consider.Try that with a string. You might think differently very quickly. Just my 2 cents.

[David L. Donald]

David, I have your pedal in for repair.
Have had it for a long time and need to get it shipped back out to you.

Trouble is, I can't contact you by e-mail.

I have contacted you, repeatedly.
I get emails from people daily.
Mike Perlowin sends me one every few days.
Donna Dodd has contacted me at

shobuddist@yahoo.co.uk for 5+ years running.

I get emails from forum PM messages, see below

And I have had the same working email for 6+ years....
And another one I also sent you.

samuijazz@hotmail.com

BOTH of which I check quite regularly
And I have no arbitrary spam filter, it just goes into another folder.
Which I check and empty AFTER checking names and topics.

I have tried many times to e-mail you.

I have no clue what you are doing wrong,
but I can list dozens who use the same email addresses that I gave you: BOTH of them.

Even made posts on this forum for you to answer.
Not seen one,
you could also post in threads I am involved in.
More than a couple out there.
I have not seen ANY asking me to contact you.
Please show me, when and where.

You won't answer my e-mails, or my letters on this forum. You only pop up on things like this discussion.
Well, because I AGAIN,
VERY obliquely brought myself back on YOUR radar.
I didn't flame you even then. I held my anger in check....
I have shown much tolerance in not venting here on the forum.
But now you have opened this up for me...


I can't repair your pedal for free, as it is more than 8 years old.

That would be like expecting someone to fix a car they bought 8 years ago, with 150,000 miles on it for free.

Total bollox!
I JOINED the forum in 17 Feb 2003 not even 6 years ago.
I didn't get my steel until 5 months later.
I didn't get your pedal, new from you, till late 2003 or early 2004.
It is under 5 years old,
and ONE FULL YEAR...
of that time it has sat in your shop....
so it was 4 years old when you got it in for repair.

Or is it 2 years now...
I moved in here in December 2007,
I had not had the pedal for sometime.
I remember sending it in December.
But NOT from the new studio.
I remember wanting it back from repair for my wedding July 2007;
It had been gone some time then.
One year anniversary last July 2008.
So it seems I sent it and it was received by you
December 2006
So maybe it was only 3 years old when you got it back....
I had tried for 5-6 months to find the power supply myself.

I have sent you emails saying I never expected free,
since it was a 110v accidentally plugged into 220v
by a 'helpful musician'.... It wasn't a problem in Europe,
but only with the idiotic hodge-podge of plugs Thailand mixes up.

Even though you say send it and you will fix it.
You tell many people, no problem, send me the pedal.
You have told me you changed the PS supply type since mine was built.
And so I guess you are now blowing off all customers
with the older supply, right?

I sent a mail saying you could just put a new
board and PS combination if that was faster
and then scavenge the old ones for parts.

I sent emails noting that I have taught myself
to build tube amps from scratch in the time you
have had this pedal for Factory Repair.

I have watched other customers say how happy
were with the prompt service, and ease of dealings.
And gritted my teeth and didn't flame you.. .
But now you are implying I am somehow at fault here...
NOT so, and that's why I am finally speaking out..

And I talked you product up BIG TIME in the past.


I got it to you via UPS.
And just expected it for a gig after my wedding during AUGUST 2007

I JUST expected my pedal to be fixed an sent back last February.


And again last summer when we WERE in contact directly.
Jogged again by the wedding aniversary and no pedal...


Since you live in a place where mail may not get to you like it does other places in the world, I need to talk to you about how to ship it.


I get mail from many places I have both a
Post Office mail box at a post office
and a postal address for my building,
and the postmaster here is a personal friend.
I got several sets of strings and CD's b0b via the forum store.

FedX and UPS BOTH are on the island in the same expediters office,
and will deliver to my door.

There was return mail info on the original packaging.

The UPS/FedX driver knows my name and even delivers to my door
He even delivered to a bamboo roofed restaurant
on the side of the road, so I could wait for the
rain to stop during monsoon season...
even when only the PO box is on the package
and not the actual house address.
I am a listing in his work phone....

I average about 5 packages from overseas a month
via
USPS, UPS, Express, FedX, DHL, Royal mail
Likely the cost of shipping both ways will be 1/2 the pedals cost.

Also need to discuss repair costs. If you don't let me know these things, don't expect your pedal to be repaired and shipped out. Your Friend Keith

How am I supposed to let YOU know the repair cost?

You ALWAYS had PM at the bottom of ANY of my
13,102 posts on the forum prior to this one.

Here is a small sample of the people who contacted me
without any problems and continued dialogs for some time
in several cases.

Tony Davis Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:40 pm
Gene Jones Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:56 am
Bill Hatcher Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:00 pm
John P.Phillips Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:05 am
Tamara James Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:20 pm
Tamara James Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:30 am
Tamara James Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:21 am
Charlie McDonald Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:18 am
Howard Tate Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:08 pm
Howard Tate Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:25 am
Charlie McDonald Tue Oct 28, 2008 1:38 am
Charlie McDonald Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:26 pm
Charlie McDonald Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:21 am
Jeff Hyman Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:32 am
Charlie McDonald Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:09 am
Charlie McDonald Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:17 pm
Charlie McDonald Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:12 pm
Charlie McDonald Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:51 am
Charlie McDonald Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:55 pm
Charlie McDonald Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:52 pm
Charlie McDonald Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:14 pm
Charlie McDonald Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:02 am
Charlie McDonald Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:58 am
Charlie McDonald Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:39 pm
Richard Sevigny Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:13 am
b0b Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:02 am
Charlie McDonald Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:15 pm
Charlie McDonald Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:08 pm
Charlie McDonald Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:37 am
Charlie McDonald Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:10 pm
Tamara James Sat Sep 20, 2008 2:05 am
Tamara James Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:56 pm
Charlie McDonald Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:59 pm
Charlie McDonald Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:49 pm
Rick Campbell Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:46 am
Charlie McDonald Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:11 am
Michael Douchette Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:56 pm
Charlie McDonald Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:09 pm
Michael Douchette Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:19 pm
John Roche Sat Aug 30, 2008 3:13 pm
Papa Joe Pollick Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:12 am
Michael Douchette Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:28 pm
Richard Sevigny Mon Jun 23, 2008 9:07 pm
Gil Berry Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:04 am
David Doggett Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:37 am
David Doggett Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:05 pm
Archie Nicol Mon May 12, 2008 7:17 am
Archie Nicol Mon May 12, 2008 6:22 am
Archie Nicol Sun May 11, 2008 6:21 pm

~Doesn't appear I am out of touch for SGF members....
I have sent you my address by email before.
I am easily contactable.
Maybe some one else will chip in and agree with that.

David Donald
25/18b Moo 2 T. Namuang
Koh Samui Surat Thani
84140 Thailand
tel (66)8 9755 8067

[Keith Hilton]

David, good to hear from you. Now I can finally get your pedal fixed and on it's way back to you. I will contact you by Monday, here on this post, as my e-mail to you does not work. I will let you know what is wrong with the pedal, and the cost for the repairs. Will also relate the cost for return shipping. Glad to learn you trust the mail service where you are at.

[David L. Donald]

Keith I have not heard from you by any of the
three methods posted above.

For the record I will be going to Burma for 2 weeks
starting at 4 am Jan 2nd
and will be totally incommunicado till likely Jan 14-15th
This is not normally the case I am reachable
within 2 days typical worst case.
But I am going to the real 3rd world for a bit.

BUT I am also playing a festival in Feb and want my pedal back.

If I have not heard from you before I go I still expect my pedal to be fixed.

[Keith Hilton]

Ulric, thanks for using my pedal. Please tell "Debbie" at Godlyd, I said hello. It is good to know the people in Norway, Sweden, Holland love steel guitar.

[David L. Donald]

I have sent two emails.
If you don't get them it's your spam filtering
that has been the problem.

[Keith Hilton]

David, I got both of your e-mails. The repair cost you quoted is correct. I will install the new power supply. With the new power supply you will not need a transformer. Again, I am sorry for the long delay in getting your pedal repaired.