The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi-- I just started playing a GFI expo, single neck. I am leaning toward a multi-effect pedal like the new Fender Mustang pedal, or one of the Boss units, or Zoom. But I am hoping to save some money and use the pedal for volume swells, instead of a dedicated Hilton or Goodrich.
Do any of the multi-effect pedals have a decent enough pedal for pedal steel volume control? I of course care about reverb, echo, and maybe some amp modeling, but what I really hope to do is use the pedal for volume and get everything I need from one box.
Please share your opinions and experience.
Thanks
Michael D

Michael, I can honestly say that You're NOT going to do Yourself any favor's by trying to go that way, any multi-FX board with a good enough VP/EP built in is going to be a SEVERE impediment to Your pedal rack even if it is only a S-10,

I'm not trying to sell You on the most expensive gear but My suggestion would be for You to watch the amps and accessories section for a good deal on either a goodrich light-beam VP or a Hilton pedal and get Yourself a ZOOM MS-50G for Your multi-FX...$99 most anywhere.

Just My Two cents worth.
Josh Gibson.

I like the digitech Rp (Rp70 $49) units and they'll fit in your seat...Hilton and goodrich are great but if you are looking to save money try the Zum stage one volume. Instead of going all in one spend the same on the 2 seperate and it will help you out. IMHO

Joshua Gibson wrote:Michael, I can honestly say that You're NOT going to do Yourself any favor's by trying to go that way, any multi-FX board with a good enough VP/EP built in is going to be a SEVERE impediment to Your pedal rack even if it is only a S-10,
Josh Gibson.

Josh, So are you saying that a multi-effects pedal will be too cramped un a pedal steel? is that what you mean by it being an impediment? The measurements suggest it is going to fit, but are you saying it will make it hard to play the pedal steel?
Thanks!

Effects boxes come and go....you don't want to use a multi fx with a vp for two reasons :

1. If the unit breaks down you are stuck w/o a volume pedal. Likewise,better newer gizmos come out all the time

2. The volume pedal on a multi f/x is just not the same as a QUALITY volume pedal like a Goodrich or Stage One. The stage one goes for 99 bucks and I've NEVER heard of Doug Earnest or Bruce Zumsteg putting out anything less than stellar.
The volume taper on multi f/x is not the same as a traditional volume pedal.

If you are just starting out, you should just stick with amp reverb and a volume pedal before delving into effects. Develop your chops before muddying up the water with effects. Less is more when you are just starting out. I don't know what amp you are using,but, a decent amp goes a LONG WAY in helping to develop your steel mojo. Take the words of folks who were once beginners just like you. It will save you time,frustration, and much $$$.

BTW were all life long students of steel. You learn something new every day.

The "guitar" pedals do not work well for steel guitar. Do yourself a favor and get a "steel guitar" volume pedal. The Zum Stage One volume pedal would be a very good volume pedal to start with.

A separate effects pedal with delay and reverb (the two main effects uses with pedal steel) is what you need to start. The Zoom MS50G will do that, plus other effects if you want.

But, if you are just starting out with pedal steel, go with a "steel guitar" volume pedal and only reverb/delay for effects. The main concentration when starting out with steel is to learn the steel, not worry about effects. Volume Pedal technique is something else to learn and you need a "steel guitar" volume pedal.

Aside from the taper being more optimized for six-string than steel,you run into an ergonomics problem with an integrated unit-the buttons to turn on effects will either be to the right or the left of the volume pedal;if they're to the right,you have a long reach with your right foot to get to them and you have to take your right foot off the VP.If they're to the left,you can use your left foot to turn effects off and on,but you won't be able to see your foot very well,plus if you have a LKR knee lever you'll run into that.

And if you think about playing pedal steel,you're using both hands,both feet,and both knees,which gets you pretty involved with the whole thing,right? So what you need in the way of effects is something you can change/turn on/off on the fly without having to think about it and with only a minimum of motion.What I did with my rackmount Alesis Quadraverb was to get a stomp switch for the bypass and put it by pedal 1 so when I needed to turn effects on or off I could hit it with my left heel during a pedals-up passage.I do the same thing with a Boss DD-6 when I feel lazy and leave the Q-verb home.I've also seen setups where the player had a multi F/X on a milk crate to his right so he could switch effects with his right hand.Forumite Bob Case has used a Line6 POD on a little bracket attached to the right rear leg of his steel.

Thanks fellas. I am thinking I will get a little all-in-one small fx box like the recommended Zoom pedal and just link that up with a dedicated pedal steel volume pedal... I am glad you all saved me from buying a big pedal rig that wouldn't really work under my guitar. I am thinking about the Zum Stage One pedal but can't find much in the way of reviews. I like the idea of passive for the simple reason of not needing to plug it in. (The Zoom takes AA batteries besides the plug.) I was hoping though, to have a way to listen to my playing on headphones so my wife doesn't have to suffer through the practicing, etc. But I don't see a way to do this very easily with the way my new setup is unfolding....

If you want something with a headphone out, consider a used POD XT or X3 as it is a multi-effects unit with a headphone jack on it for "silent" practicing.

A POD X3 is the effects unit I use live and for recording. However, I also have a Zoom MS50G for backup.

The digitech rp 155 is also an excellent choice as well. It also has a headphone out as well for silent practice,as well as Lexicon reverbs. The POD is also an excellent choice too. I haven't had the pleasure of playing with one,however,they get rave reviews and are smaller than the digitech AND fobro Tommy Dodd makes a nifty little bracket that attaches it to the leg of the steel. These units are tried and true for pedal steel and either one will work wonderfully.


BTW Dale Hansen, also a fobro has a side business making accessory trays for steel and he made me a bracket for my digitech rp155. Either unit will allow you to add custom presets. Jack Stoner has written some custom patches for the POD and Dick Sexton has written some good presets for the digitech. All can be found using the forum search engine. The Zum stage one is a new product and so far the reviews have been stellar. Those reviews can be found in the new products section of the forum.

I hope that we've helped you on your journey of musical discovery with the pedal steel guitar. You've already made the right choice by buying a GFI pro steel guitar. That's a good horn with a lot of r&d and real world input from several touring professionals.

I have Pedal Steel Guitar "tones" (what Line 6 calls programs) that can be downloaded and installed on either a POD XT or POD X3 on my web site.

WEB SITE

Michael,
What I meant by impediment is that due to the dimensions of most multi FX boards it would make it difficult to fully utilize the taper of the EP...by the time You got anywhere with You'd more then likely have You leg butted up to the cabinet, And I'm speaking from experience .

A lot of times, the volume pedal of a multieffects is on the right. That would put the unit way under the pedal steel, which I don't think would be too convenient either.

If you go with a 'standard' volume pedal and learn to use it, you'll be able to play straight into an amp when you want to. And like was said earlier, multieffects come and go because IMO they keep improving. The Zoom G5 is very powerful, btw. Just switched to it recently !

To save money you could go with a regular pot pedal, from Goodrich.

My 2c