Telonics pedals

Ben Godard · Post by **Ben Godard** » 12 Jul 2022 2:34 pm

I have just a quick question about telonics pedals. I’ve heard nothing but good reviews from day 1 since they’ve released them. I’ve heard that you can select different tapers in the pot and many other great things

My question is this. Does this pedal have to be powered like a Hilton. I’ve have always just used a simple Goodrich pedal. Passive circuitry with just a 50k pot

Can some explain the Trlonic pedaa as l and how it works

Thanks

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 12 Jul 2022 2:46 pm

Yes. It needs a power supply.

Tony Edwards · Post by **Tony Edwards** » 12 Jul 2022 4:18 pm

Yes. The Telonics volume pedal can take a power supply that plugs into an outlet, or it will take a Telonics cable that twist locks into the pedal and twist locks into a Telonics combo amplifier. I never noticed much difference in a volume pedal until I got a Telonics. It does give you a better tone.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 13 Jul 2022 12:31 am

I have a Telonics and a Hilton pedal and I power either off my Telonics amp or from the same separate PSU.

The variable taper on the Telonics is just one of many great features that I never use. It sounds great, but I have to suggest that the Hilton is better value for money.

Dale Rottacker · Post by **Dale Rottacker** » 13 Jul 2022 4:01 am

Another vote for the Telonic's Pedal... they really seem to be "The Cream of the Crop". Its the ONLY pedal I've ever used that I've had Zero issues with.

Once you've picked one the the Tapers that suits you best, you may never touch it again, and may even forget which taper number you picked. BUT, that said, you may have a different guitar or different pup's and find that another taper makes you happier.

Telonic's Pedals truly are Space Age in their design and function.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 13 Jul 2022 6:03 am

I agree that Telonics is easily the best if your budget stretches that far.

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 13 Jul 2022 8:54 am

Ian Rae wrote:I agree that Telonics is easily the best if your budget stretches that far.

That would take some real stretching and hiding from my wife.

When a company says send phone number or email for pricing, they may be a little expensive.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 13 Jul 2022 10:11 am

The Telonics and Hilton pedals will both get the job done. I have both, plus the Goodrich Omni pedal and a shed load of passive pedals.

The Telonics is just awesome though. I love it and it's the go to pedal for sessions and gigs for me. I do find that the Telonics has a far less sterile affect on my tone than my Hilton does.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 13 Jul 2022 10:50 am

My Telonics pedal never leaves the house. For gigs I insert the Hilton in the input loop of my Telonics preamp. As far as I know, the input stages of the pedal and the preamp are the same.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 14 Jul 2022 10:20 am

If there are no problems with your goodrich then keep it and take your wife on a long weekend. I personally switched back to plain old goodrich pedals after some adventures with active pedals. I prefer the goodrich. The telonics pedal falls into the solution looking for a problem category.

Graham Bland · Post by **Graham Bland** » 14 Jul 2022 10:40 am

Deleted: Sorry this is a Telonics question and not my rant!

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 14 Jul 2022 1:35 pm

The Telonics pedal is top notch in quality, precision and versatility.

I've gone back to standard Goodrich pot pedals for a simpler setup and to maintain that classic pedal steel sound at all pedal positions. The standard steel guitar passive pickup was designed to work well and achieve a certain classic sound when loaded with a 500K pot pedal.

The Telonics pedal achieves other things and if you prefer that sound then that's a good way for you to go.

Ben Godard · Post by **Ben Godard** » 14 Jul 2022 2:49 pm

I may stay with a pot pedal. I’ve never heard Lloyd or Paul ever mention the active pedals models. I know Paul simply used a Franklin stereo pot pedal with a high quality 500k pot like Clarostat

I do hate the extra power cable that I’d have to use. I stopped using power on my strip flip tuner too. I just charge it up full before a gig

But as far as response and how it can keep adding gain, how does it compare to a standard pot pedal

Gary Newcomb · Post by **Gary Newcomb** » 15 Jul 2022 10:52 am

I’m curious if there really is a difference in tone between the Hilton and Telonics pedals? I used a Hilton for a long time but have been using an Omni (set to passive) for the last few years.

Chris Grigsby · Post by **Chris Grigsby** » 15 Jul 2022 7:26 pm

Not sure if the still make it, but the Goodrich H10k active pedal is my favorite of all the ones I've tried, i.e. Teleonics, Hilton, and Goodrich Omni. And it runs off of just a battery, so no extra power supply and outlet is needed.

Hilton would be my second choice as the Telonics is overkill for my needs. The Omni is the only one I didn't like the sound of in either active or passive mode. But I did like how high it was since I have short legs!

Best,
Chris

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 16 Jul 2022 1:45 am

Bob Hoffnar wrote:If there are no problems with your goodrich then keep it and take your wife on a long weekend. I personally switched back to plain old goodrich pedals after some adventures with active pedals. I prefer the goodrich. The telonics pedal falls into the solution looking for a problem category.

Well the problem that needed a solution was that the Allen Bradley 500k type J pot had ceased being produced despite there being a reasonable market for them. So called replacement pots weren't lasting 5 minutes. So that's why the Hilton and Telonics pedals were born. Jeff Surratt of Show Pro guitars has tracked down a pot that works well with good tone and has longevity, so don't throw those pot pedals away yet folks.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 16 Jul 2022 6:36 am

Ken Byng wrote:
Bob Hoffnar wrote:If there are no problems with your goodrich then keep it and take your wife on a long weekend. I personally switched back to plain old goodrich pedals after some adventures with active pedals. I prefer the goodrich. The telonics pedal falls into the solution looking for a problem category.
Well the problem that needed a solution was that the Allen Bradley 500k type J pot had ceased being produced despite there being a reasonable market for them. So called replacement pots weren't lasting 5 minutes. So that's why the Hilton and Telonics pedals were born. Jeff Surratt of Show Pro guitars has tracked down a pot that works well with good tone and has longevity, so don't throw those pot pedals away yet folks.

There have been excellent replacement pots available for the last 10 years. Bradshaw has them and Goodrich has spared no expense in making sure they are being manufactured and are easily available. The new ones I put in 8 years ago have not worn out. I sold my spares because I don’t need them. This ridiculous idea Goodrich pedals need to have there pots replaced all the time has got to stop. It’s just not true.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 16 Jul 2022 6:44 am

I was using a Hilton pedal but wanted to try out a Telonics pedal.
I contacted Tom Bradshaw and he sent me a Telonics on approval.
I did a comparison test between the Hilton and the Telonics.
I couldn't tell ten cents difference between the two so I sent back the Telonics.
Erv

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 16 Jul 2022 7:16 am

Conductive plastic pots have been available for over 10 years. These eliminate the carbon track and wiper and can easily outlast the old Allen Bradley pots. One of the earlier versions, the Dunlop HotPotz is still going strong in my work hose Goodrich 120 pedal after 15 years. There are new versions on this pot that make installation easier to solder and that have a paper pretty close to the old AB pots.

Justin Griffith · Post by **Justin Griffith** » 27 Jul 2022 12:31 pm

I’m a little late to the ball game, but it is the one piece of equipment I own that faithfully works day in and day out. It’s very versatile. You can adjust almost everything. It doesn’t color your tone. It’s the one product I own that does exactly what it should do.

I stumbled across it by accident due to a foot injury. Dave and his crew built a pedal to accommodate a different range of motion in my foot. I can’t say enough good about Dave or the product.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 27 Jul 2022 2:23 pm

I no longer have a Telonics pedal--I landed on a Lehle as the best pedal for me, but the Telonics is a great pedal and the company stands behind their product 100%. I had a problem with mine, and had a replacement in the mail within a couple of days, no questions asked. Goodrich and Hilton have similarly great products and customer service from my experience. If I ever have a problem with the Lehle, I'd be surprised to get the same level of service (at least in speed), since they're outside the country, but so far so good.

Dave

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 1 Aug 2022 6:02 pm

I bought 2 Telonics Volume pedals in 2010 when they first became available - and thats all I have used since then... best VP on the market without a shadow of doubt. Never had an issue with either of them.

I also use a Midi controller which attaches to the leg of my steel, and run a shorter cable to power the VP from that! this makes setup a lot quicker, The midi controller just plugs into the back of the amp so I still have 2 cables running back to the amp - but it's not an issue. I use a TCA500 Telonics amp.

Murray McDowall · Post by **Murray McDowall** » 1 Aug 2022 10:32 pm

I have had a Telonics TCA500-C and a Telonics volume pedal since late 2017.
The pedal and also the Amp are just brilliant. Great gear.
Yes, the pedal requires a power supply, but IMO that’s a small inconvenience for excellence!

gary pierce · Post by **gary pierce** » 2 Aug 2022 5:04 pm

Ben Godard wrote:I have just a quick question about telonics pedals. I’ve heard nothing but good reviews from day 1 since they’ve released them. I’ve heard that you can select different tapers in the pot and many other great things

My question is this. Does this pedal have to be powered like a Hilton. I’ve have always just used a simple Goodrich pedal. Passive circuitry with just a 50k pot

Can some explain the Trlonic pedaa as l and how it works

Thanks

Yes a 24 volt power supply.

Larry Hamilton · Post by **Larry Hamilton** » 5 Aug 2022 8:41 am

I have bothe volume pedals and like them both but my primary pedal is the Telonics. One of the tapers in the Telonics IS the Hilton taper and one for Hilton with aa little more gain toward the end of travel. So multiple pedals in one. Like was mentioned above, once you find what you like you usually just stay there and forget about it unless you want to experiment again. Great pedal.

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