lamradio Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm thinking of getting a volume pedal for one reason: Every once and a while, I will get a complain that my rhythm volume is too loud. The volume is perfect when I go to a solo because everyone wants the lead to really cut through the mix and scream, but when I go back to playing chords (on distortion I might add, clean is never a problem) then some have said it's too loud. Does anyone else use a volume pedal for this reason? Or should find a happy medium and always stick to the same volume? It's not a big issue, just curious what other lead guitarists do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 It's weird but I never could get used to a volume pedal. Just always found it easier to dial in using my pinky finger/volume knob. And I'm always riding that damn control knob BTW.But sure, that would probably work you. You just have to decide where you want it in series with the rest of your effects...before or after ( I feel it's more flexible before the effects chain .....others like the simpler approach of cutting the vol. at the end but I think you loose some dynamics that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 It's weird but I never could get used to a volume pedal. Just always found it easier to dial in using my pinky finger/volume knob. And I'm always riding that damn control knob BTW.But sure, that would probably work you. You just have to decide where you want it in series with the rest of your effects...before or after ( I feel it's more flexible before the effects chain .....others like the simpler approach of cutting the vol. at the end but I think you loose some dynamics that way. Come to think of it, I do find myself using the volume knob quite a bit. But that does cut out the gain, and some of the songs we play need the full gain through the whole song. I guess a volume pedal would work for me then, but the only thing I dont like about them is that you have to kind of "ear it" to find the right volume, so it may be different every time. I wish there was some sort of switch that could change the volume to the same level each time.. I'm sure there is.. Or better yet, I wish my amp had two lead channels. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twisted Acres Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 perhaps a clean boost pedal like BBE's Boosta Grande: linky dinky Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 perhaps a clean boost pedal like BBE's Boosta Grande:linky dinky Cool! That may be just what I need. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stickman Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Or this: MXR Micro Amp! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oceanman Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Some volume pedals have an EQ on the side to know the exact level your at. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 One thing to consider is your amp...an all tube wont benefit as much from a volume pedal, because the signal going to the amp is still going to vary with use of the pedal...this results in a loss of bite and break up just like a knob turn down...so going up in volume is really the only way itll help you...solid state amps are different in that the signal going in doesnt vary the output as much, tonally anyways Must guitarists i know rely on vol/tone knobs and changing pickup switch to go from solo tone to rhyth tone...those pedal boosts are pretty good if they stay clean...but even then your stage volume is going UP...which is what your stated problem is Compressors and EQs are more of an option in your situation...Try changing tone and timbre instaed of volume and see if the transition between lead and lay is more apparent j Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FaintingGoat Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I use an Ernie Ball volume pedal and have come to rely on it. To my ears, I sacrifice some tone when I turn down the volume knob on my guitar, but this isn't the case with the pedal. If you're interested in looking at boost pedals, there are lots of good ones listed here. I'd also add the Fulltone Fat Boost to the list of suggestions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Theobscureart Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Its all in what's comfortable for you and what your needs are. I used to run a music store and this is what I've done for a few former customers with the very same dilema: Go to your local INDEPENDANT (heh) music shop and ask to plug into the following: A volume pedal, a clean boost and a Boss GE-7 Graphic eq. Try em out separately and see which works best for your situation; i.e. if the material you play requires a more nuanced volume change or swells a la pedal steel licks, go with the volume pedal. If you're just looking to knock it up a notch for solos, the boost or overdrive is fine. I mention the EQ pedal cause its more versatile than people realize. You can set each of the 7 eq faders to neutral and boost the level and you've got a clean boost; or you can boost the hi-end and you've got a trebble booster to cut through the rest of the band. A lot of people will say that the EQ pedal is a tone sucker, but 83% of people who say that can't actually tell the difference! Maybe you need a combination of any of these. Try 'em out. I'd say get a volume pedal no matter what. I believe there was a thread on just those a while back. Just go with what feels best, sounds best, and is affordable. Just my 2 cents. Oh yeah... One thing I do is lower the rhythm (neck) pickup on my telecasters and raise the bridge pickups. When I kick the lever the lead (bridge) position its much more powerful. Just a thought. (Don't raise the pickup TOO high or the magnets will fudge with the string's orbit and then you've got issues.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I don't have a lot to add to the discussion, but to say that using all of the above suggestions for different situations has worked for me. In an ideal situation*, I use my volume knob to vary the level of overdrive, two separate overdrives set at different grit levels, a clean boost for solos, and a volume pedal after my overdrive to vary the volume of the already-overdriven sound. Different places you have something to adjust volume will effect your tone in different way. In the above example, lowering the volume knob on the guitar will reduce the overdrive I get from the pedal (it will also subtly roll off highs). The volume pedal will not vary the overdrive from the pedals but will reduce the overdrive that I get from the amp (if any). The clean boost after the overdrive pedals will not effect the overdrive from the pedals but probably will push my amp into overdrive. I will point out that you are much more likely to notice the tonal differences than your audience is. Your audience will notice that your guitar is loud/ soft, clean/ dirty, but rolling off highs and amp distortion versus pedal distortion, will probably pass right by them as long as the overall sound is good (of course, whether your sound is inspiring to you will effect your performance, which is to say, YMMV). Another, expensive, option, if you want to have a specific sound for rhythm and lead, is to have two separate amps for each. * I am not always in my ideal situation: I currently have my volume pedal before my overdrive because of pedal board space considerations. It is now essentially the same as my volume knob. The audience doesn't seem to notice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think I may go with the boost pedal. Many of the songs we play work just fine when I adjust the volume knob or switch between the neck and bridge pick-up (typically the blues songs or classic rock), but others I would like to keep the same gain and tone the entire song, just boosting the lead volume during solo's. If I have the boost pedal before my distortion pedal in my effects chain, then I think that will work great just boosting the volume during solo's, without effecting the tone/distortion level . Some of the shows we play don't have a in-house PA system so we bring our own. We have a pretty damn nice setup (JBL speakers, Sub's, rack effects, the whole nine yards) but we don't have a full time sound guy. So when we do the sound check, I will go in front of the stage as far as my cable will reach to make sure my guitar level is good. It always sounds great during sound check, but that can all change drastically when you get a room full of people. So I end up turning up during the show and it's hard for me to tell if it's too loud, or not enough. I guess that's just something I have to do the best I can with until we can afford a full-time sound guy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If I have the boost pedal before my distortion pedal in my effects chain, then I think that will work great just boosting the volume during solo's, without effecting the tone/distortion level . Oops, no this is the opposite of what will happen. The boost AFTER the overdrive will not alter the tone from the pedal but will increase the volume going to the amp, which will make you louder overall. If you put the boost before the overdrive pedal, it will make your overdrive dirtier (because you are overdriving the overdrive pedal, so to speak). It might make you marginally louder, but not as much as putting the boost after the overdrive. Guitar --> Distortion/Overdrive --> Boost --> Amp is what you want. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Oops, no this is the opposite of what will happen. The boost AFTER the overdrive will not alter the tone from the pedal but will increase the volume going to the amp, which will make you louder overall. If you put the boost before the overdrive pedal, it will make your overdrive dirtier (because you are overdriving the overdrive pedal, so to speak). It might make you marginally louder, but not as much as putting the boost after the overdrive. Guitar --> Distortion/Overdrive --> Boost --> Amp is what you want. Ah, got it backwords... Thanks for the correction. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reflectedinthemoon Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 although i agree that using a volume pedal isnt quite right for this application (tone loss, control difficulty, etc), i'm not sure a boost pedal is the miracle answer either. i think there are other, more subtle solutions (albeit more difficult) that might work better. i dont presume to know anything about this band, but you may want to take a look at the overall dynamic of the group, and see if anything needs changing. if nothing needs to be changed there, maybe take a look at your playing style. if yer strumming away at the electric rhythm like you were banging out something on a big ol' acoustic, try toning it down a bit. again, dont want to insult anyone here, just giving my two cents. then again, maybe a boost is the answer heh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 if yer strumming away at the electric rhythm like you were banging out something on a big ol' acoustic, try toning it down a bit. again, dont want to insult anyone here, just giving my two cents. Well like I said, many of the songs we do, I'm able to control the dynamics and tone with strumming and/or volume control. But it's the hard rock songs with loud, heavy distorted guitar through the entire song that has the problem. I guess it's just tough when my band plays so many different types of songs and styles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jhc Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 The other part of the equation is the amount of headroom your amp has. If you have a loud, clean amp like a Twin, there shouldn't be any problem with using a boost. However if your amp is on the verge of breaking up during the rhythm parts and you kick on a boost for leads, you may be adding more distortion than volume (much like the example above where the boost is placed before the distortion pedal) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 The other part of the equation is the amount of headroom your amp has. If you have a loud, clean amp like a Twin, there shouldn't be any problem with using a boost. However if your amp is on the verge of breaking up during the rhythm parts and you kick on a boost for leads, you may be adding more distortion than volume (much like the example above where the boost is placed before the distortion pedal) JHC, I haven't seen you in forever! Glad to see you here, buddy. (Sorry to be a thread hijacker, Lamrod. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.