New image Hilton pedal with reverb

[Keith Hilton]

One other thing about inventors: If it were not for Thomas Edison we would be watching television in the dark!

[Dennis Detweiler]

Too bad there's not a pot that has a 3/16 hex shaft. We could use our tuning driver. Another thought, is there a splined screw driver that will fit a splined pot shaft? I know they make a tiny one for tuning chainsaw carburators.

[Jack Wilson]

I play Fender 2 channel amps, pedal steel in normal channel and Tele in vibrato channel. I use a reverb stomp box for the normal channel because it doesn't have reverb. I tried out Keith's volume pedal with reverb and it sounded great. I found a reverb setting that I liked, and it would make life easier because one less power supply and patch cords. I told him when I find a reverb setting I like, on an amp or stomp box, I never change it.

[Dennis Detweiler]

I'm more likely to change my reverb setting if playing in a large room with no acoustic materials compared to a smaller room that is carpeted and has other acoustics soaking up the sound.
Is there such a pot that has a very short or subdued metal slotted shaft? Similar to a trim pot?

[Keith Hilton]

Thanks for trying the pedal Jack, glad you liked it.

[Dennis Detweiler]

On the other hand, a very short shaft could be made by cutting it off and leave enough stem to cut a slot. This would alleviate the chance of it getting bumped from it's setting. I can't think of any other way?

[Phillip Hermans]

This is really cool! I am always trying to find ways to simplify my rig.

A question about the signal flow of the prototype, if I understand correctly it is:

Guitar pickup -> pre-amp -> reverb -> voltage control (volume pedal)

Does the reverb have its own path to the output jack of the pedal?

Because it seems to me if I played a note and then closed the volume pedal to 0, I would have no output and therefore no reverb tail. Is this the behavior of the prototype?

[Keith Hilton]

Phillip, I will try to answer you questions. The signal path you described is correct. Guitar to pre-amp, to reverb, to voltage control of the signal.
You asked this:
"Does the reverb have its own path to the output jack of the pedal?"
Answer: Yes, its own path, just like a amplifier reverb, or stomp box reverb. The guitar signal is mixed with the reverb signal at the reverb stage of the circuit. One control knob controls how much reverb is mixed with the pure guitar signal---from zero reverb to a bunch of reverb. If you turned the reverb wide open, you would hear more reverb signal than the pure guitar signal. So the reverb has it's own signal path to the output, that can be controlled by the mix knob. Just like the reverb knob on a amplifier, or stomp box reverb.
You said: "Because it seems to me if I played a note and then closed the volume pedal to 0, I would have no output and therefore no reverb tail. Is this the behavior of the prototype?"
Answer: If you pushed your volume pedal to have zero volume, why would you want a reverb ringing? Think of it this way: The volume pedal with the reverb circuit inside works exactly like a normal volume pedal, and like the normal reverb on an amplifier. All I have done is put a reverb inside the volume pedal. The volume pedal controls volume like it always did, and the reverb works like it always did on a amplifier, or stomp box. Only difference is the reverb is in the volume pedal and not on a amplifier, or a stomp box reverb.
Basically every thing is the same, except the reverb is inside the pedal. The benefit of the reverb being inside the pedal is the following: There are amplifiers that don't have reverb, or a reverb channel. You eliminate running cables and power to a floor mount reverb stomp box. Nothing mysterious or crazy about the reverb in the pedal--everything operates like you are used to a reverb operating.

[Ted Tonjes]

I still have and use my two Hilton Volume pedals and still love them. So I'm very interested in this new product.

[Steve Lipsey]

I have a full pedalboard, but my "grab 'n go" setup is a volume pedal and a reverb, straight into the PA through a DI....and that actually is just fine for a surprisingly large percentage of gigs...so the question isn't "how can you make this more complicated"., as some are asking...it is "do you want a single uint that addresses a whole lot of gigs and fits in your picket?"

[Keith Hilton]

Steve, I totally agree with everything you said. It can fill a need, like you described. Running straight into the PA, without hooking up any extra guitar cables, or a extra power supply to a reverb unit.

[Danny Naccarato]

Following this. Very interesting!!

[Keith Hilton]

I am finishing up building Jack Wilson a pedal with reverb. Jack wants it because one of his amplifiers is an old Fender amp that only has reverb on one channel. He has been using a reverb pedal on the channel that does not have reverb. The advantage Jack sees is not having a separate power supply, or battery, for the separate reverb pedal. The Hilton pedal is powering the reverb from inside inside the pedal. To me the reverb sounds like a Fender spring reverb. Wiring has cleaned up since the first build in the picture at the start of this post. I think I am the first to put a reverb inside a volume pedal.

[John Lacey]

Do you have a price point figured out yet Keith?

[Keith Hilton]

Thanks for the question John. I am not to the point of figuring the cost of adding the reverb. I am just doing some Proto-Types now, to eliminate any bugs down the road. Jack Wilson's pedal with reverb is a Proto-Type. I will try to post a picture of it soon. Jack said he would report back after he uses the pedal. Jack tried my first build at my place, but I did not let him have it. Jack will get to take this new pedal home and use it on some jobs. Maybe Jack will report the results here on the Forum.

[John Larson]

This type of boruns trim pot would be an option with a hole drilled in the side of the chassis. I would think most steel players keep a small screwdriver in their tools kit.

Or this 9mm style trimmer for a more tooless option.

[Josh Yenne]

You know whats funny.. I LOVE reading the directions... as I get older I keep realizing that I am indeed the outlier!

That little pot that John put up I have in a WHA pedal... they seem to be a good choice for tiny spaces but PLEASE label them clearly. if you use them.. every pedal I have had that has them in there doesnt label any of them clearly.. and my eyes are generally pretty good!

This volume pedal with verb is a very cool idea... Im still old school tube amp reverb lover but having a nice delay in there would be great... thats for sure.. anything that makes my setup easier... and I do enjoy having delay there.

Within the last year I changed my setup quite a bit and now its pretty easy to have a carbon copy mini in my chain.. but having something right there all the time with no extra setup WOULD be amazing.. I have to look into this more.. I guess even having a "differnt" reverb would be cool... I only skimmed so ill look more but I didnt see if it had verb choices...

I.E. I've never heard a digital "spring" reverb that comes close to my actual tube driven reverbs in my amps.. but having a hall or plate verb choice for VERY long decay would be interesting if it was right there on tap.

I love the inventiveness no matter what! Maybe next you can team up with Peterson and build in a Peterson tuner right into the pedal like the Ernie Ball VP jr. is doing.. it's BRILLIANT! (Im using it for guitar and there are some things I'd change on the Ernie volume pedal.. but I hope others start making competing devices.. I'm sure they will )

but I digress... meant to basically say..

COOL!

[John Larson]

Lots of syntehsizer manufacturers do this kind of thing where the trimmers are inside the chassis with a hole for screwdriver access. Set it and forget it.

[Jack Wilson]

I picked up Keith's reverb volume pedal prototype and it meets my needs for my setup. I play pedal steel and guitar at gigs and use a Tone Master Twin because it has two channels so I can EQ each instrument different. The normal channel on the Tone Master doesn't have reverb, so I was using a reverb stomp box for that channel. One more thing to carrier and hook up. I set the reverb knob on the Tone Master 3 1/2 and never change it, so after I found the setting I like on Keith's pedal I will not be changing it. This volume pedal also runs on 9V, which I also like a lot.

[Keith Hilton]

Jack, thank you for the review. If you will remember Jack, I ask you what type of reverb you thought this was most like. You said like the spring reverb in an older amplifier. Like reverb in an amplifier, there is only one control knob. There are many types of reverb. Some reverb boxes have many adjustment knobs. I hesitate building this reverb in pedals for customers, unless a person understood that it is like the reverb on an amplifier, one adjustment. In other words--- more reverb or less reverb.

[Gary Sill]

Remember, Keith was the person that invented a new way to enhance the sound of electrified instruments by cleaning up the sound of all steel guitars and 6 string guitars by game changing ways to change volume by inventing his circuitry in his volume pedals. Now, Keith is pushing the envelope further by introducing the ability to add REVERB in his volume pedal.

To experience the most advanced technology in your guitar tone----definitely buy from an innovative person like Keith. A trend setter---Hilton Electronics

Gary Sill
Sill Music Supply

[Jim Pitman]

How about a a small dual wafer switch set up like a stepped attenuator?
Here's a link to a C+K part available at mouser:
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/240/m-3050931.pdf