The Steel Guitar Forum

Now that iam getting a lap steel do I need a Volume Pedal? If I do whats a decent one for steel? and do i need any other kind of electronice? Thanks

I would say you can hold off on the volume pedal until you get some serious playing time under your belt. I would recommend you buy a reverb pedal first, but that's just me.

I use one on gigs with other artists, but I don't use one when I'm at home playing the music that I pursue.

A Goodrich 120 is a great steel guitar pedal, and there are also some more high tech pedals available, such as a Telonics. For me, I just need something rugged with a good taper and clean pot. The Goodrich pot needed to be replaced after about a year. I've also used an Ernie Ball and a Boss volume pedal (the one made of aluminum).

volume, or swell, pedal is definitely part of a certain style or technique, so try one if that is a sound you like. People get the same effect by rolling off the volume knob, although that will have an effect on tone as well as volume, while a pedal might not. Other pedals - reverb is great if your amp doesn't have it, distortion is great for rock or blues, I personally have a multi-effect pedal that has amp emulation, about a million different effects and a swell pedal that can do a lot of different controlled effects like volume, wah-wah, etc. I play with it about twice a year and put it away again...

Brian

Yes, a foot volume is necessary, particularly when doing harmonics. If you hit a clam, you can cancel it with the foot volume or if you hit a good one, you can emphasize it with more volume.

Depending on what style you are playing, you might want to consider looking for a volume/tone pedal. For lap steel, I use the boo-wah tone effect a lot more than the volume swell.

It's the sound you hear on the steel solo around 1:50 if you don't know what it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtuwAJTXvTU

I want to play older country but the first thing i will learn is sleep walk. I play alot of big shows and this should add some entertainment value. Iam not sure how long it will take to learn but iam thinking maybe 2 3 weeks? I learn quick but not sure how hard this instrument will be to learn.

I myself like the Hilton Volume Pedal. It works fine with my Pedal Steel and my Lap Steel I have not tryed it with my Dobro yet but that is next.
Sam White

I myself like the Hilton Volume Pedal. It works fine with my Pedal Steel and my Lap Steel I have not tryed it with my Dobro yet but that is next.
Sam White

Jimmy Prince wrote:I want to play older country but the first thing i will learn is sleep walk. I play alot of big shows and this should add some entertainment value. Iam not sure how long it will take to learn but iam thinking maybe 2 3 weeks? I learn quick but not sure how hard this instrument will be to learn.

I don't know who may be quoted as saying: "It takes two years to suck."

Thats what i was afraid of....lol

Jeff Mead wrote:Depending on what style you are playing, you might want to consider looking for a volume/tone pedal. For lap steel, I use the boo-wah tone effect a lot more than the volume swell.

Jeff - or anyone using a Volume Tone pedal: Do you have any trick to doing the boo-wah without the pedal being on full volume?

Joe Burke wrote:

Jeff Mead wrote:Depending on what style you are playing, you might want to consider looking for a volume/tone pedal. For lap steel, I use the boo-wah tone effect a lot more than the volume swell.

Jeff - or anyone using a Volume Tone pedal: Do you have any trick to doing the boo-wah without the pedal being on full volume?

I've found the guitar and pedal need to be on full volume for the effect to work. Pretty much anything between the guitar and the pedal kill the effect as do certain pedals anywhere in the chain.

Further more, some amps emphasise the effect more than others and I usually have to mess with the tone controls to get maximum effect. On some amps the effect doesn't work at all and I've never really figured out what makes a good amp for boo-wah. I have an idea it is something to do with impedence but beyond that I haven't a clue.

The best I ever used was an ancient tweed Fender Champ - one volume knob, nothing else.

I like a Goodrich 120.

I can play without a volume pedal, but it adds so much to what a steel guitar can do, I almost always use one.

Here is what a foot volume pedal can do for you:

1. Make a chord or note sustain much longer (by increasing the volume as the string movement is decaying)

2. Instantly punch it up when taking a solo or playing an important lick that needs to be heard over the band.

3. Strike a chord at low volume and swell it like an organ pad (soft attack)

4. Fade out the final chord of a song

Dom

Hi Jimmy. Volume pedals are very useful as Dom points out, there are good uses and Dom uses it very well. However, it is just as important to learn good picking techniques first so that you don,t use the pedal just to cover bad picking habits.
Once you have perfected good picking practise, then the volume pedal can ad much more to your playing for sure. Both picking and volume pedals are much practiced skills on steel guitar as much as any other aspects of playing.
Have fun and kind regards.

Since I already have one on my pedalboards for underarm guitar, I use it. But on my C6 lap steel, I'm trying to get decent before I even plug into any pedals.

On my boards I have an old rebuilt Ernie Ball on one and an Ibanez VL-10 on the other. The Ibanez is small and has worked well for me for years. I also own a recently repotted D'Armond that I've had since the '80's and an old Morley that's an opto-pedal. It's one of the old big chrome ones that has an AC plug.

Volume pedal definitely adds options but as of late I have been practicing without one.

And if I need a volume boost I have a solo button for those times when I need that extra above the band moment.

Less is always more. And once you are really comfortable then use one. But that takes years.

When I ventured into lap steel a few years ago I just plugged it into an amp and played without the VP. Mainly because my cables were way too short or way too long. And I've never added one since, although I must say I have been curious and thinking about it of late. But it works just fine without a pedal.

Now the pedal steel? Well that is not something I would play without a volume pedal.