The Steel Guitar Forum

I apologize in advance as I assume this topic has been beaten to death but here it goes. I'm currently using a Stage One volume pedal but I'm still pretty jerky with my mechanics. I sat in with a band last night, kind of an informal audition, and there were a few times where I really struggled with getting the volume right.

Early in my pedal steel career, about six months ago, another forum member kindly let me try out his rig, which included a Hilton volume pedal. My recollection was that the taper was a little kinder to me, I seemed to be able to sit at a nice volume but there was a little bump at the end if I needed some more.

I know that I still really have to practice my basic mechanics but I'm wondering if there's any advantage to going to the Hilton now ? I realize it's probably a matter of opinion but I'm open to suggestions. Got the gig by the way !

Unless your "challenges" were pretty minor and subtle, you'd be better served by practicing at stage volume in your basement a bit.
The difference between pedals is mostly pretty subtle, so I'd urge practice. Especially when experienced players give the Stage One pedal high marks.

The first time I played with a band I too found the volume the toughest thing to get right. It took me a good while to find the amplifier level that put my "home" pedal position (somewhere near minimum) in the right place. So like Lane says, practice at stage volume when you can. (I encourage my wife to walk the dog.)

As a completely separate matter, I would thoroughly recommend the Hilton. It is extraordinarily transparent and noise-free and reproduces all the faults in my playing with stunning accuracy

if you're thinking about your volume pedal while playing, you're using it wrong.
set it at midpoint and play. then it's just there if you need to fade out your last notes or sustain ringing notes longer.
it becomes a subconscious tool.

Chris is 100% correct.

Having good tools is nice, but a good player with crappy tools will sound better that a poor player with great ones.

The key to learning is to practice and practice again and then practice some more, and then get out and play with a band.

I'd like to add some of Chris's idea to my remark.
Your volume should be something subconscious, unless you're trying technical stuff like "gutting".
If you are experiencing volume issues, you might be having right hand attack issues, or you're not used to producing the volume necessary to hang with a full band with drummer.
Either way, I predict that this issue will resolve itself by your fourth gig with the new band.
And congratulations

All very helpful and much appreciated, thanks !

Steve Vroman wrote: I know that I still really have to practice my basic mechanics but I'm wondering if there's any advantage to going to the Hilton now ? I realize it's probably a matter of opinion but I'm open to suggestions. Got the gig by the way !

A new pedal would be no advantage at all, IMHO. Get out of the idea that just buying stuff will make you a good player. It's natural to feel better with new stuff, but that seldom translates to playing any better. You'll need a lot of dedication and seat time to make it.

There are many pedal steelers that have never had a great player sit down at their rig and show them how good it can really sound. I have...and believe me, it's a humbling experience.