The Steel Guitar Forum

I have never owned or used a volume pedal before and I'm not sure what I'm looking at when I shop for one. I don't want to break the bank as I'm on a fixed income but would like to add one to my Lap Steel. (I think) What experience does anyone have with these. There are some used ones on Evil Bay that are within my budget but I don't have a clue.

I'll give you my story and $0.02.

Before I played pedal, I started out on lap steel and started using various volume pedals to simulate what a pedal steel sounds like.

My first VP was the standard Ernie Ball one. It was decent, but it truly did suck tone (or cut the highs and other frequencies if you prefer). I got around that by putting a buffer in front of the VP (I think I used an MXR Micro Amp if memory serves).

Ernie Ball soon came out with their own buffered pedal, and I used that for a time. But the Ernie Ball's kept breaking on me (and no, not the pot nor the string). They're so cheap - relatively speaking - that I just picked up new ones. But when I looked back, I realized I could have bought a better VP instead of replacing them.

I tried a Mission VP for awhile. Good pedal and buffered, but like most "guitar oriented" VPs, the jacks weren't ideal.

Finally, I just decided to go whole hog and get a Hilton. I'm still using that same Hilton - I can't recommend it enough. Well worth the cost - should have started with that.

FWIW, I also have a Goodrich passive pedal that I got when I bought a steel from a guy. It's a good pedal, and I use it on my "always setup" practice rig. I personally prefer the Hilton, due to the buffer, the throw and the adjustments one can make.

Since you're on a tight budget, I bet one of the regular Ernie Ball's would work just fine. I highly recommend putting a buffer ahead of them. You might be able to find a used one with a buffer mod. Or a used Mission Engineering one. If you can afford it, I would of course recommend a used Hilton.

Good luck!

Goodrich 120 or L120 are often sold used between 100-150.
While many pros use Hilton and Telonics, many others still use the Goodrich

Here is the link to Stage One volume pedals for only $110 including shipping

http://www.stageonesteelguitars.com/volume_pedal

I have one of Doug's pedals. Works great, smooth gear drive, no strings to fuss with, tuner out, good price.

And his guitars are pretty awesome too!

You cannot go wrong with Doug's pedal.
My apologies, Doug, for not remembering them.

Question on the Stage One pedal: What is the value of the pot?

The Stage One pedal uses the 470k Dunlop pot.

Aside from the features already mentioned, I like that it's lightweight.

Doug's Stage One pedals are very smooth, no string to break, and have a tuner out jack. They don't rob your tone either. And for 110.00 you can't beat them. FYI the 470 K pot is just as good as the 500.