The Steel Guitar Forum

I am wondering if anyone uses a volume pedal on a Lap Steel? I don't know much about them and I see on Amazon there are quite the price range. Just for home use if it's something I should give a try, are the cheapies Junk?

Yes you can tastefully use a volume pedal with a lap steel for cool volume swells and to help with sustain, you just don't want to pump it too much or use it excessively to cover up mistakes. A popular one that isn't quite so expensive is the Ernie Ball VP Jr. Sometimes (or eventually really) the string wears out but there's a cheap string kit to fix it and its not too hard once you learn the trick.

Carco Clave uses one to great effect. He also balances his other foot on a brick/block. After being fortunate enough to see him play I've emulated this and found it really helpful at times.

One interesting 'tool' it can add is multiple stages of volume control (hand and foot) which can give you added control over effects pedals (if that's your thing).

Check out this video of Chris Scruggs:

Wonderful work with the volume pedal at the 2:30 mark.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC9Gx6R ... Quj0#t=177

So I am falling in love with mine. No pots and really smooth so it won't break. Plus you have a separate output for your tuner. And a Bypass mode.

Electro Harmonix Next Step Volume Pedal Precision Volume Control

I've gone back and forth between volume pedals and using the guitar control.

Volume pedals are much smoother and more useful overall....but I sort of love not having any pedals between my amp and guitar, and going "old school" - including pseudo-wah-wah with the tone knob too.

I would use the volume pedal if I played more country music, but I mostly prefer to play Hawaiian stuff so I don't use the volume pedal much anymore.

I use one and like it a lot.
Has a jack for a tuner and a bypass so I can plug/unplug without the irritating "pop".
Not to mention of course you have the volume thing going on too......

I use a double Deluxe34 stand. When playing in a sitting position, I place an old Sho-Bud VP between the ABY box and the amp. When I need to play standing up, I ditch the VP.

Jerry Byrd used a foot volume control but he had his set up just the opposite; back was wide open and forward was off.
I guess it worked for him.

Erv Niehaus wrote:Jerry Byrd used a foot volume control but he had his set up just the opposite; back was wide open and forward was off.
I guess it worked for him.

It did work in reverse, but he used it more to keep the overall volume even, not so much to eliminate the attack sound.

Ron, I never used a foot volume control when learning, only the steel volume control.
Have a Sho-Bud pedal my father used and have tried it some, but still prefer the volume
control on lap steel. I guess you could say old habits are hard to break. Sometimes
Sho-Bud pedals are reasonable on Ebay.

C. E.

I used a DeArmond volume pedal in the old days ( late 40's--early 50s)for country music.
In later years,( after a 40 year hiatus), got away from it in Hawaiian music. But, it was sure hard on volume pots !!