The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello all. My new PSG should be here around April 15.So what brand volume pedal do you you guys like. I am not looking for the best right now . But a good one to start with . Thanks Jerry

I would go for an Electronic VP such as the Hilton and be done with it. If you go cheap, you won't be long before you will be back looking for a new Pedal. Get the Hilton (what I use) to start with and you are set.

Jerry, I'm only at this game 2 years but switched to a Hilton within 2 months of getting my first guitar.

They are among the very best available.

Like Jack said, get one now instead of wasting time with a mediocre pedal.

The volume pedal will be a big part of your playing so may as well get used to a good one.

I have both, but prefer the pot pedal for two reasons. I can fix it if it breaks down, and I don't have to worry about having a place to plug it in.

As for the players who bemoan pot pedals (most, because they never properly maintained theirs), I put them in the same category as people who never change the oil in their cars, and then get all pissed when the engine blows up.

i agree. simple and fixable. mine are never a problem. hate to have to plug something else in.

I vote for a Hilton too, not all that preferenshal I got it cheap and Keith completely rebuilt it to modern design for a ridiculously cheap fee (60$ aand that incl s/h)anyway it's a great pedal but I have an old Sho-Bud pot pedal that I like just fine too.....I don't like Ernie Balls for psg or Dunlops (ugh)I've used Fenders aand Goodrich too and liked them too guess I ain't that picky

A good many top pros still use Goodrich.
The pot pedals do have a certain amount of Tone Suck, but that can be overcome with an Izzy, Match Box or Black Box.
Whichever choice you make, you'll find both validation and vilification here.

Donny Hinson wrote:I have both, but prefer the pot pedal for two reasons. I can fix it if it breaks down, and I don't have to worry about having a place to plug it in.

As for the players who bemoan pot pedals (most, because they never properly maintained theirs), I put them in the same category as people who never change the oil in their cars, and then get all pissed when the engine blows up.

Agreed. I have had same two old Goodrich Model 120 pedals for many years now. I keep good pots in both of them and see no reason to "be back looking for a new pedal".

One word: Telonics!

Pot pedals are inexpensive and last forever with only a change of pots every 10 years..I have two Emmons pedals I've been using since the late 70's....Save your money...JS

I'm begining to think this is getting like the Medical profession; as much as they would like to think; there isn't a Pill for every cure. Sometimes the "old remedies" are better. If we bought every gadget that was advertised on here, we would be financially embarrased. ( I know, cuase I tried it) Ain't nothing going to improve tone and technique but desire and practice. JMMO 'search out the old paths and when you find them, walk therein'. Have a Blessed day.

I've an original Emmons pot pedal on the guitar and a Hilton backup in the seat, also an old Ernie Ball, and I use them all at different times for different reasons.

The Hilton sounds the most transparent and works the best over all but messing with the extra power cables can be a pain. The Ernie Ball is adjusted to be wide open when fully depressed but will not turn all the way off as a result, a common issue with many pot pedals. It sounds gnarlier than the Hilton, good for blues and other genres where a gutsy "edge" is appropriate. The Emmons pedal is the one I use at home the most and is the easiest to set up but for pure, clean tone when it really matters it's the Hilton every time....

Got 2 Hiltons and for me, they are the best . Excellent builder and unbeatable service. Jack

Had a Hilton and telonics. I'm back to using a Goodrich with a Dunlop pot. Gotta, agree with John Swain, save your money. No need in a $500 volume pedal, that I can see...

I use either Telonics or Hilton pedals; I have both, and I can't see going back to a passive pedal except in an emergency situation.

Yes, they are expensive, twice the price or more of a Goodrich 120. And yes, having to access a power supply is an inconvenience.

Question to ask yourself: How important is the purity of your sound?

I've compared the sound of my guitars numerous times in public situations to other players' instruments with different pedals, at gigs and at steel conventions. In each situation, the pot pedal lost abjectly in quality and delivery of tone to the active pedal. Matter of fact, you can ask Jim Palenscar and Frank Carter about my experience in the Infinity room last year at the SWSGA show.

The fact is, the potentiometer in the passive pedal is, as Lane Gray described it, a "tone suck." I can hear it plain as day in comparison, and because I'm now using my active pedals de rigeur, I find it very difficult to handle a pot pedal, except in my music room giving a lesson or practicing when it's inconvenient for some reason or other to access one of my active pedals.

There are those amongst us, some great players, that don't particularly care one way or the other and go with a pot pedal (e.g. Jim Loessberg), and that's okay for them. Others can't hear the difference for one reason or another, or even prefer the sound of the passive pedal. But for me, the differences between the pedals is so profound that the expense of the active pedal matters little. I must have the clarity and quality of tone I hear.

Of course, this is my experience only. Your mileage may vary and what's good for you is okay by me.

I can endorse both the Hilton and the Telonics pedals since I own and use both. Keith Hilton and Dave Beaty are two top-shelf businessmen who stand by their products for the steel community.

Herb Steiner wrote: The fact is, the potentiometer in the passive pedal is, as Lane Gray described it, a "tone suck." I can hear it plain as day in comparison, and because I'm now using my active pedals de rigeur, I find it very difficult to handle a pot pedal,

The active pedal sounds different (better) because it provides a buffer amp connected to the pickup by just a short cable. If you use a buffer amp at the guitar, you can use a passive pedal and still avoid "tone suck".

The "3 cord method" is a similar way to do the same thing with a passive pedal, but in my experience the long cable from pickup to amp does some "tone sucking", and it is better to use only a few inches of cable between pickup and buffer.

Personally, I'd like to hear an A/B (or better yet, an A/B/C) of
A: a Hilton/Telonics (I'm aware there's a difference, but AFAIK, they're of like kind );

B: A Goodrich 120 (for thirty years considered the standard by which to judge: it bugs the snot outta me to hear it called mediocre) after an Izzy/Matchbox, and;

C: A Goodrich 120 after a Black Box.

My informal casual opinion (gleaned from the HSGA bimonthly jams where in January they had 9 passives, mostly 120s, and 7 actives) is that the Hilton does about as good a job as B. And Herby sells newly minted Izzys for under a hundred.

I'll not call anyone silly or misguided for claiming a preference, but I just have my doubts as to the awesomeness of the modern active pedals. (Although a Telonics pedal makes more sense to my brain than three-figure tone bars)

Ernest is correct about the buffer amp, I've seen the improvement. The Black Box as well, and I own a Black Box in fact. But its weight and bulk make it impractical... for me... to carry around. I have a client who uses me on all his albums and he insists on the Black Box being there, so I do take it to his sessions.

I will give the benefit of the doubt and take everyone's word for it that the Little Izzy and Match Box improves the sound coming out of a pot pedal. More power to you.

So, the next question might be how much more gear do you want to buy, haul around, replace batteries, and hook up?

I just gave my own .02 based on my years of experience. I've done my own A/B tests and know my own preferences. I've proven the point to myself and that's the only person I care about.

I think this is one of many subjects where if you laid all the steel players end-to-end, they'd still never reach a conclusion.

A pot pedal without a buffer doesn't sound at all like a pot pedal with one.

A pot pedal with one sounds sorta similar to a MODERN active pedal.

They both sound better than a photocell pedal, which I've only seen one steel player use.

I recommend making a decision on your own, and stick with it. There are folks in this forum who'll back your wisdom, and there's folks who'll just know it'll all end in tears.

Do I think Herb wasted his money? Not at all. He gets the sound he likes and his bills are paid.

My only disagreement is with the folks calling the pot pedal mediocre. No need to disparage perfectly good proven gear.

Herb said:

Yes, they are expensive, twice the price or more of a Goodrich 120. And yes, having to access a power supply is an inconvenience.

I added the blue to the line I want to address.

This doesn't seem like it should be an issue. You have a plug on your amp that has to be plugged in, Right? That means electricity is somewhere within reach. You can get a $10 extension cord to plug the pedal into. Doesn't sound like a reason not to use an electronic pedal. And Herb, I am not challenging your statement, as it may sound that way. I am just stating that if they really want to have the benefits of the electronic pedals (I use a Hilton and a Goodrich LDR2), the electricity issue won't really be an issue. And of course, I used to use Goodrich pot pedals also, and they were just fine. Just wore mine out and decided to go electric.

I am back to standard Goodrich pot pedals. I like how they sound and how easy they are to deal with. Hilton makes a good pedal too.

An easy way to reclaim the highs is just put your tuner between the pickup and the pot pedal, so the pickup doesn't see the pot directly....I use a Hilton for gigs (for all the reasons above), but use tuner + Ernie Balls for practice (for all the reasons above).

Herb Steiner wrote:I've proven the point to myself and that's the only person I care about.

I care about everybody, and I love kittens too.

Steve Lipsey wrote:An easy way to reclaim the highs is just put your tuner between the pickup and the pot pedal, so the pickup doesn't see the pot directly.

Cool. I've never seen a tuner with a buffer amp inside. What kind do you use?