Volume Pedal

Jam10

I was just wondering how a volume pedal works. Obviously it controls your over all volume but what's the difference between a volume pedal and using the volume knob on your guitar? Is a volume pedal a must for a good pedal board?
What are some good volume pedals out there? Another question...would you put your volume pedal last in the chain right before the amp or put your delay last in the chain right before the amp?
Thanks!

BinFrog

The major difference between a pedal and using the knob is ease of use. It's much easier to use a volume pedal that it is to try and play while using the volume knob.

I use an Ernie Ball VP Jr. and it's perfect.

I use it as the first pedal in my chain, just before my overdrive pedal. That way I can throw a volume swell into any pedal after it and manipulate the output.

ianvomsaal

Volume pedal is purely for ease of use: I use two volume pedals (one at the beginning of my board and one at the end).
I'm seriously looking at the new version of the Visual Volume because of the LED's (heard some good things about these).
I like seeing where I am on a dark stage, and it would certainly make it easier to get back to a set volume consistently.
This way I could do away with my boost pedal and just keep my volume at 7 or 8, then move it up to 10 for the solos.

- Ian

lucylespian

A volume pedal is just a volume pot set up so that the movement of the pedal rotates the pot. The taper tends to be more linear, which is great for volume swells.
the taper on guitar pots is less linear, but that results in losing harmonics, rather than volume which allows your tone to clean up without losing too much volume, an idea completely lost on the thousands of gearheads who change their guitar pots to a more linear taper.
I use an Ernie Ball Junior first in my chain, great for volume swells, and a handy way to make everything quiet for guitar changes etc
Clever dicks like Joe Bonamassa can use their pinky for those violin like volume swells, but I'm still at the pedal stage.

Jam10

Wouldn't you want to keep the volume pedal at the end of the chain, closest to the amp? That way you can set your overdrive pedals the way you like them and then use your volume pedal to change the overall volume of the amp without changing the tone of your pedals? If you use your guitar volume knob it changes the tone of your overall sound but a volume pedal won't change the sound just the volume from the amp.
Also this might be a dumb question but......what is a volume swell?
Thanks!

lucylespian

Jam10 wrote:

Wouldn't you want to keep the volume pedal at the end of the chain, closest to the amp? That way you can set your overdrive pedals the way you like them and then use your volume pedal to change the overall volume of the amp without changing the tone of your pedals? If you use your guitar volume knob it changes the tone of your overall sound but a volume pedal won't change the sound just the volume from the amp.
Also this might be a dumb question but......what is a volume swell?
Thanks!

You are probably right, but I don't use any OD or dirt pedals at all, I only use wah, delay, trem so what you noted is not an issue for me. All my OD is in the amps.
A volume well is where you turn the volume down, pick a note, and then turn the volume up. It takes all the attack out of the note, and esp with gain, gives a violin type sound to the note. It's a VERY cool sound. I can't think of a PJ song with it in.
I don't so much use the volume pedal to set volume, more for the volume swell effect.

ianvomsaal

lucylespian wrote:

It's a VERY cool sound. I can't think of a PJ song with it in.

CLICK to listen:"INSIDE JOB" off the latest Peal Jam album (electric guitar in the beginning).

Jam10 wrote:

Wouldn't you want to keep the volume pedal at the end of the chain, closest to the amp? That way you can set your overdrive pedals the way you like them and then use your volume pedal to change the overall volume of the amp without changing the tone of your pedals? If you use your guitar volume knob it changes the tone of your overall sound but a volume pedal won't change the sound just the volume from the amp.
Thanks!

That's why I have one at the beginning and one at the end - I also play with my guitars volume pot a lot.
I've noticed that how much signal actually hits your pickups can be as important as how much signal hits the pedals you're using.
I like doing volume swells from the beginning or from the end of my pedal chain (it really dependig on what pedals I'm using at the time).
When using an OD pedal I like to use the volume pedal at the end of my chain since it smooths out what's hitting the amp - the full signal swells into the amp.
Having a volume pedal at the end of your chain also makes for a nice kill-switch (Isince 've noticed that some OD/Distortion pedals seem to generate noise by themselves).

- Ian

keeponrockin

Sorry to High Jack the thread, but I have a Dunlop HiGain pedal, that doesn't go all the way down (the sound doesn't shut off completly) is there any way to fix this?

Jam10

Can you still do a volume swell if you have your volume pedal at the end?

xtremehardy388

Jam10 wrote:

Can you still do a volume swell if you have your volume pedal at the end?

Yes, it'll sound muffled if you have the overdrives/distortions on too

FinsburyParkCarrots

Here's the most tasteful example of volume pedal usage that I can think of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLVM560Fok

His volume pedal sits on the end of the effects chain, but there's a split feed thingy happening anyway.

BinFrog

Jam10 wrote:

Wouldn't you want to keep the volume pedal at the end of the chain, closest to the amp? That way you can set your overdrive pedals the way you like them and then use your volume pedal to change the overall volume of the amp without changing the tone of your pedals? If you use your guitar volume knob it changes the tone of your overall sound but a volume pedal won't change the sound just the volume from the amp.
Also this might be a dumb question but......what is a volume swell?
Thanks!

I use mine at the beginning because of how my overdrive pedal interacts with my pickups. Using the volume before it allows me to actualy control the overdrive level on the pedal essentially without affecting its volume. Then with the OD off I can interact with the rest of my pedals. A volume pedal is much more effective before a delay pedal, where you can replicate the volume effect repeatedly as opposed to using volume swells on a pre-set delay pattern.

ianvomsaal

I updated my original response (I went more in-depth)

- Ian

StuffnJunk

mike does volume swells at the end of his Wishlist solo using his guitar volume knob

if you play alone, i'd say a volume pedal is unnecessary

if you play in a band, a volume pedal is essential......the other guitarist in my band is ALWAYS either too loud or too quiet, and is always fiddling around with shit to adjust......thanks to my volume pedal (ernie ball junior), i am quiet when i should be, and loud when i should be...simple...the bassist just complimented me for that, and said the volume pedal is the best thing i ever bought

yes you can adjust the volume with the guitars knobs, but thats a pain, and the sound gets compromised (it sounds like it does to my uneducated ear, at least)

journeyman

StuffnJunk wrote:

mike does volume swells at the end of his Wishlist solo using his guitar volume knob

Yes! Good example. Does he display this on SVT? I think he demonstrates a volume swell to mimic what Ed wants to hear from his e-bow.
"It's just such the sound" Ed says. Shut up Ed and listen to Mike play that shit much better with a swell. Fuckin Ed.