Curious About This Lehle Volume Pedal

[Flip Brown]

I love my Lehle Mono 90 volume pedal and their accessary bracket. It's easy to adjust the side-to-side angle for someone like me with a "duck foot" stance. However I could just see the little round ball that tightened the screw rolling across a dimly lit stage and down a rabbit hole so I went to my local hardware store (the kind where you can buy one of something without it being in a blister pack) and got a replacement metric wing nut. Perfect solution! I can set it so if I need to tweak it I can do so before I'm getting ready to play. While I was at it, I also replaced the two Allen-head adjustments for the bracket attachment to the pedal bar with wing nuts too. Love my Lehle Mono 90 - I can adjust the feel, it's dead quiet, and the rubber surface gives a solid grip.

[Keith Hilton]

I can tell you a lot about the Lehle volume pedal. Around 8 years ago I contacted a company called "That Corporation", because they make integrated circuits, IC chips. That Corporation is located in New Jersey. They make a really good voltage controlled amplifier IC. I worked with That Corporation's application engineers, and built a pedal using their voltage controlled amplifier IC. The pedal I built had a "Hall Effect Sensor" control system, insead of a infr-red control system. A Hall Effect Sensor changes voltage from the movement of a magnet.
I sent That Corporation all my electronic design work. The design was basically the Hilton pedal circuit, only with a Hall Effect Sensor, instead of a a infr-red sensor. Plus, the Engineers at That Corporation had looked up my circuit from my patent that is on the Inter Net.
I wound up not buying That Corporation's voltage control IC, because the voltage control IC I had used for many years was just as good if not better.
It was not long after working with the application engineers at That Corporation, that I saw the Lehle volume pedal come out. I checked out what the Lehle company in Germany manufacturers, and it seemed to me that the Lehle company was a subsidiary of That Corporation. All the Lehle products were exact copies of the designs That Corporation has in their IC application papers. It made me wonder if That Corporation in New Jersey was not owned by Germans, like the Lehle company. That Corporation wanted someone using the voltage control IC they manufacture, and I did not buy their IC. I am absolutely certain the engineers at That Corporation sold me out to Lehle.
Looking back I should have had a confidentiality agreement before I presented the circuit designs of how to build the Hilton volume pedal using the Hall Effect Sensor. But than again, my patent is on the Inter Net for all the world to see. For all the world to copy.
I do have something to say to George Kimery, I am certain the circuit inside you Lehle pedal is my Hilton pedal circuit. So George, the heart of your pedal is really a Hilton. Furthermore George, I am happy the Lehle pedal is working out for you.
I am not angry or bitter about what happened. I do think the whole story needs to be told. I think it is good that people can pick between many volume pedals now days.
For those of you using Hilton volume pedals, let me thank you! I have been building Hilton pedals for over 22 years, and owe my success to my many devoted customers. Hilton pedals are built in the United States. The trend is for manufacturing companies to built throw away products, an not have a repair department. I do personal repair on Hilton pedals, no matter how old they are.

[Erv Niehaus]

Keith,
I'm sticking with you.
Erv

[Keith Hilton]

Erv, I appreciate you and all the others using my volume pedal. It is a good thing if people have choices in picking the products they purchase. In making choices the more information you have the better. Competition makes the manufacturer update his product. I had to put power lights on all my pedals when the Telonics pedal came out with a power light. I had to put a up and down stiffness adjustment in one of my pedals, because the Telonics pedals had that feature.
I don't think the Lehle pedal has a power light. Plus, I don't think the Lehle pedal has a up and down stiffness adjustment.
One of the most important things when buying a product is to ask yourself this question; "In time is there repair support from the manufacturer?." Repair support is a good thing about companies like Peavey, and Telonics, they have good repair support.
Again, Erv, know that I appreciate you! I owe my success to loyal customers--and I never forget that.

[George Kimery]

Keith, that's a real bummer about your idea and design being ripped off. The Hall Effect technology does work very well. Because they ripped you off is no reason for you to back off building your version. You have always built a top quality pedal and I am sure if you build one, it will be up to your usual high standard.

[Keith Hilton]

George, thanks for your kind reply, your friendship means a great deal to me. I will continue to build Hilton volume pedals. Sometimes things in life happen, very discouraging things. Being angry and bitter changes nothing, and serves no purpose. A tree that weathers bad storms becomes a stronger tree. A person who has never faced life's small and large tragedies is always a frail and weak person. This deal with the Lehle pedal is to me like water off a duck's back. If you want to know real tragedy and hardship, try coming home as a DRAFTED disabled Marine from the Vietnam War as I did. Try finding out after 28 years of marriage that your wife has been sleeping with all your buddies. From your kind reply George, I know you are a good person, thanks for being my friend!

[George Kimery]

Keith, if you remember, when a certain, unnamed company, started making a pedal that I considered a rip off of your pedal, and questions would come up about the pedal, I jumped in to your defense more than once, and told people to buy your pedal instead of a rip off. I bought my first Hilton pedal directly from you. I liked it a lot, but at the time, I had an Emmons pp and just liked the classic pp tone a little better with a pot pedal. Later, I got a Zum guitar and wasn't getting the sound I wanted with the pot pedal. I went to the Super Jam in Nashville and heard so many of the pro's using your pedal and they sounded great, so I bought a 2nd one, used off the forum. I kept going back and forth between it and my pot pedal. They both sounded good,but different. I needed money, and sold the 2nd one on the forum.

I am an experimenter by nature and love to try new things. When I saw the video from the NAMM show of the Lehlie pedal using the magnetic Hall effect, I was very intrigued by the technology, not knowing it was your idea. I ordered one from a place with a good return policy to see if I would like it. I do like it, but I still like my pot pedal too. I go back and forth between them, depending on what amp I am using and the venue.

I think you are a really class act as a person. When you got ripped off, most people would have had an attitude that would come across as sour grapes. Saying anything they can think of to bad mouth the Lehlie pedal. You do have a good point about repair service maybe being a problem, probably being in Germany.

I have always had respect for any company that says a competitor makes a good product, but says theirs is better, and here's why. I don't have a lot of respect when they say the competitor's is a piece of junk (when I know better) and any brand except theirs will be nothing but trouble and a waste of money.

I have the highest respect for you and admire you for your integrity and building such a high quality pedal and other products for steel players for so many years. You are, and always have been, a big part of steel guitarists lives. Thank you for your contribution to our art.

[Keith Hilton]

George, there is one thing I forgot to mention. The Lehle pedal is made in Germany. During World War II my Father was killed at Anzio Beach, Italy by the Germans. The same people that killed millions of people in gas chambers. I am not bitter or angry. But---no one likes being ripped off. I must admit that when I first found out I was ripped off, it did bother me for a while, knowing it was Germans that killed my Father.
I am not trying to run down the Lehle pedal. I am not trying to promote my product. Because of the circumstances involved, I thought people might like to know how the Lehle pedal came about.

[Erv Niehaus]

Keith,
After reading all the hype, I wanted to try the Telonics pedal.
Tom Bradshaw is a good guy and he sent me a Telonics pedal on trial. He said if I didn't like it, I could return it.
I tried it next to your pedal, over and over again.
I couldn't tell one cent's difference, no way to justify the price of the Telonics, so I sent it back.
I informed Tom of my decision and he agree with me.
Erv

[James Quackenbush]

Keith,
Sorry for everything that you’ve been through....I had no idea how your life unfolded when I purchased your volume pedal.....What I do know is that I liked the pedal so much,that I bought a second one for a spare !! Keep up the good work !! I believe in Karma....”Whatever you put in the lives of others, comes back into your own ! “.....Jim

[Joki Schaller]

Dear Mr. Hilton,

It is with deep regret that we have to read your comments here.

In 2017 you contacted our sales rep in the US to tell him the „real story“ and Burkhard Lehle wrote you a mail, to which we never got a reply or statement.
Attached is a copy of the mail. It is an open letter, so everybody can read.

Concerning your theory, that LEHLE is related in any way with THAT corp., we recommend to take a look at the Company Register of Germany, which shows no relation in any way.
https://www.unternehmensregister.de/ure ... anguage=en

Best regards
Joki Schaller
Lehle Support

Link to email