The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi everyone, i'm a pedal steel new new newbie and have tried to play some basic stuffs with no volume pedal...i think it's time to get one. any suggestions? Here in italy is nearly impossibile to find exotic things like telonics, etc. so i must to go with the more common ones, at least at the beginning,....ernie ball, morley, boss and so on....
i was thinkin about a fender volume/tone pedal because i like a lot some of the Hank Williams/Don Helms wah-like things, but i'm pretty uncertain.
thank you in advance

The big chrome fender pedals are pretty decent and can be found at good prices. The big consideration is that these pedals are tall. If you have enough room under the guitar to work the pedal and your right knee levers it would be a good choice imho.

Jim Palenscar sells the volume/tone pedal.
Before I'd get one of the volume-only pedals you listed, I'd get a Goodrich 120. They show up used on the forum often enough.

You mentioned Ernie Ball....I've been playing about a year now and I've only used an Ernie Ball volume pedal. This has worked good for me. If you have limited choices, the Ernie Ball is fine and won't impact your learning in a negative way. You can at least start with the EB and upgrade later.

I'd keep watching on the forum for a used Hilton pedal.
They show up up occasionly for a fair price. You won't
ever have to worry about replacing a pot or string again.

I with agree Carl. Get the best and have no problems. Jack

Hey, Damiano,

I'd be glad to help a steeler from across the pond.

I've got a bunch of Goodrich pedals that I've picked up over the years. A lot of 120-models which, really, are a good mainstay. Heck, although I use a high-end volume pedal, I always carry a Goodrich as a backup. They're all in good condition and I'd be glad to sell you one.

Email me and we can discuss price and shipping. I can do you real well on the price but, as for shipping, I'm not familiar with what that would be.

I made my first volume pedal out of a knackered wah wah pedal, I just ripped the guts out and wired the pot straight to the jacks.

Get a good one like Goodrich or Hilton.Don't waste your money on buying cheap ones.

Thanks everyone, your help is very appreciated!
I'll take a look here in the forum for a used Goodrich or Hilton (e-mail sent, Eric). In the meanwhile i've found a used boss FV-500, just to try some swells...

An Ernie Ball pedal (or what ever standard volume pedal is available ) will work fine. Many working players in the states use them. No need for anything specialized. I would stay away from a tone/volume pedal. They are mostly for retro playing and are a bit harder to deal with than a simple volume pedal.

Damiano, On this Forum you can ask "what's the best........? Fill in the blank, amp, strings, guitar, etc and you will get as many answers as there are products. It's like asking what kind of car should I buy? I'm not demeaning your question; it's a good one. In my humble opinion the Goodrich 120, or L120 are used by a majority of players.