The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm a guitarist that has just come in possession of an old lap steel. I don't intend on gigging with it, but want to start learning it and am seeking a volume pedal. I'll probably end up using the volume pedal more for guitar though and am looking for a volume pedal that works well for both. I'm leaning towards a Goodrich L120. I've seen a couple of posts on the web hinting that the Goodrich doesn't work well for guitar work because it's too sensitive and ends up moving when you try and take your foot off the pedal - a guitarists nightmare, so I've come here to hopefully get your input. I'm pretty much sold on the pedal otherwise for it's reputation in quality, clear tone and smooth taper. Please feel free to weigh in....

thanks in advance,
Brian

It all depends on what you're looking for in a volume pedal and how you're supposed to use it.
If you're going to use it for lowering the volume once in a while a smooth action pedal may not be the best.
Goodrich and other pedal steel guitar volume pedals are sensitive, it's true, but they do stay in place when you take the foot off!
I have seen several guitar players using (and loving) Goodrich pedals. Tuck Andress, just to name one....
If you look for a stiffer action you may evaluate the Ernie Ball pedals.

Thanks Gianni, just what I wanted to hear. For the steel, I want to learn and use the basic swells and constant riding that I hear in steel music. For guitar, I want to use it as a simple volume adjuster between rhythm and lead and to simply adjust the volume on the fly to match the song - just like the guitar volume knob. But I do want a quality (preferably passive) pedal with as little high end loss as possible and a smooth even action. Believe me, I wanted to just buy a used Ernie Ball (cheaper) but from what I've read, I don't think I'd be happy with it in the end and if I've learned anything from my gear purchasing experience over the many years, it's buy cheap, buy twice.

For your purpose, I would suggest the older Ernie Ball pedal. The one with the connections on the right side will work well for steel and guitar. The taper is longer for a smoother action, but it requires a little more clearance if sitting under a steel.

Guitar players I know don't like the Goodrich pedals for standing/playing guitar. They're better if you get to sit down.

Plenty of steel players use the EB pedal. It works fine.

buy cheap..buy smart!

chris ivey wrote:buy cheap..buy smart!

I guess that's one way to look at it. My experience is cheap and smart are often not the same thing. Or I should say, everything I've ever compromised on, for the sake of price, has bitten be back at somepoint when I've realized the shortcomings of my frugal decision and had to eventually buy the right thing as well.

But sometimes, the cheap thing can be the right thing. My biggest concerns about the EB is the 250k pot and will it be dark. I have a lap steel, so the connectors at the top won't be an issue.

As far as EB's go, whats the skinny on the JR? Are they less preferred?

thanks guys, this is really a great help.

Well... I think the price difference is only partly due to a difference in quality. Both EB and Goodrich pedals are great!

At Ernie Ball they may surely benefit of bigger economies of scale. One thing is making 1,000 pedals a year in a workshop, other thing is making 100,000 in a big factory!
This surely allow them to achieve cost advantages and be able to sell their pedals at a much more reasonable price...
This doesn't necessarily mean that one is better than the other in terms of quality.