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Author
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Topic: Tone and volume pedal?
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Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
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posted 01 September 2004 08:56 AM
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Does a volume pedal really have a lot to do with your tone? I've been usin an old Morley VP for about 25 yrs. to my ears I have a good tone with my Emmons Legrand.
but, would a Goodrich 120 or Hilton(which I can't afford so I shouldn't even mention it)
give me a better tone?
also, I have the pentad pickups on my emmons.
I'd like to hear some opinions from you emmons players on which pick-up gives the better tone. I've heard a lot of good about these single coil, but I don't think I'd like the hum. thanks
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.
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J Hollenberg
Member From: The Netherlands
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posted 01 September 2004 11:35 AM
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Terry,I also have an Emmons Lashley Legrande and I have tried the single coil ( to much hum )and the pentad where I only use one postion, didn't like the other four.So finally I installed the Bill Lawrence L 710 and I am very pleased with it.My guitar is still sounding like a Emmons but without the hum.Concerning the volumepedal, I have used a Goodrich L120 but the pot was going bad and a new one costs here about $30.So after replacing two pots I decided to buy a Hilton.In my view the best volumepedal there is today. ------------------
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Jim Palenscar
Member From: Oceanside, Calif, USA
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posted 01 September 2004 08:42 PM
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Basically it comes down to what the signal has to go through. If it's a pot- whether it be Ernie Ball/Goodrich/etc.- it's going to have a certain amount of loss- depending on the quality of the pot. The original standards- Allen Bradleys (A/B's)- are increasngly hard to come by and have been replaced by others including some from Canada. The newer technologies (Hilton/Goodrich) using light, etc., offer a very clear signal that one is hopefully not burdened with replacing every x amount of hours of use. |
Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
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posted 03 September 2004 02:37 PM
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Thanks guys.
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord.
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Vann Cranford
Member From: Ayden, North Carolina, USA 28513-7004
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posted 04 September 2004 04:33 PM
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Hey Terry,
I have gone to using a Hilton pedal and GeorgeL cables. In my opinion you can't get any better than that. You know the old saying,"You get what you pay for!" Take care! Vann Cranford |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 04 September 2004 05:20 PM
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quote:
Does a volume pedal really have a lot to do with your tone?
Generally, no. When someone tells you "Pots ruin your tone", just consider this...
The Fender Telecaster is revered the world over for it's bright, clear, clean sound, and to my knowledge...they've never made one without a "pot" volume control in it.
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Will Holtz
Member From: San Francisco, California, USA
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posted 04 September 2004 06:03 PM
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I've never ripped open a Fender amp, but I'd be willing to bet the volume pot is somewhere downstream from a pre-amplifier stage. This is drastically different from the typical pedal steel setup where the pot goes between the pickup and the first amplifier stage. After going through a pre-amplification stage the signal are fairly robust and can be forced through a wide range of resistance values without much distortion. However, before any amplification the signals are much more likely to distort if the input to the pre-amplification stage is connected to a resistance far from the value it was designed for. Pot pedal present a resistance from 0 ohms (off position) to about 10k ohms (fully open position) -- in terms of pre-amplifer design, this is a wide range. |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 05 September 2004 03:10 AM
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Uhhh...Will, the Fender Telecaster is a guitar, not an amp!  |
Will Holtz
Member From: San Francisco, California, USA
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posted 05 September 2004 12:09 PM
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Yeah, I know such things, but was a little short on sleep yesterday and mis-read the previous post. Sorry about that.
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Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 05 September 2004 12:37 PM
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Quite alright. Will!  (Been there myself.) My only point was that straight guitar players don't obsess over a volume pot between the pickup and the amp, and yet so many steelers do. That fact just never ceases to amaze me. |
Bill Findlay
Member From: Baytown, Texas, USA
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posted 05 September 2004 01:47 PM
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I've tried both the Hilton and the Goodrich Pot pedals.....The Hilton is smooth to operate and does have a clean tone,,...But after saying that I couldn't tell a lot of difference between it and my Goodrich. I've decided to use the goodrich just because it does not need a power source and my tone is what I'm looking for..I have occasion to see some very good steel players at our local club and they all use the Goodrich, not sure why, but the have a toneal quality that is tops in my opinion.....The down side to the Godrich is the Pot wear but I don't find it nesessary to replace mine too often..If price is a consideration the Goodrich Pot is fine in my opinion....I've also tried other pedals such as the Morley and find they take some getting used to on the steel..mainly because the action is usually too quick for steel ...the tonal quality from my Morley is not as good as the Hilton or Goodrich....IMHO...
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Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
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posted 06 September 2004 04:51 PM
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quote:
....I've also tried other pedals such as the Morley and find they take some getting used to on the steel..mainly because the action is usually too quick for steel
I agree bill. I have a morley and while the tone is ok to my ears, the quick action I don't like.
Thanks for the info on the Goodrich. I'll be gettin a 120 in the near future. ------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord. |
Clark Frady
Member From: West Columbia, S. C.
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posted 08 September 2004 06:59 PM
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It is amazing how you can get your questions answered by reading these forum "posts". Terry, I have wondered about this same question and now I have determined that I could settle for a Goodrich, although the Hiltons are a nice sounding pedal. They are just a little pricey. Most of my HUM comes from the pickup in the Carter Starter, I really need to find out what type of pickup to get for the Carter Starter. Thanks..  ------------------
Clark Frady "I steel for fun!!" [This message was edited by Clark Frady on 08 September 2004 at 07:00 PM.]
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Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
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posted 11 September 2004 12:19 PM
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I agree Clark. this forum is really great, especially for country hicks like myself, that don't know much about nuttin.
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord. |
Scott Appleton
Member From: Half Moon Bay, California, USA
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posted 14 September 2004 07:40 AM
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you are forgetting the other benifit from the Hilton.
the digital sustain circuit is built into the pre amp
so this pedal opens up your sound even better than just a no pot pedal of any make can.
The ultimate is the Black box tube pre into a Hilton.
I have been useing a Goodrich L10K for some time
and have no problem with it. The Hilton is just the
Jauguar of pedals.
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Mullen S12 Almost Mooney
71 Tele, Regal 45
Sho Bud S10 NP
Line 6 Flextone 3 + JBL D130 |
Richard E. Lee
Member From: Macedon, NY, USA
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posted 14 September 2004 08:16 AM
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Terry, I can only echo what all the other guys have said..I'm no different than everybody else..I fooled around for all these years with Morley,Goodrich,Dunlap..etc.finally after all that, I broke down and spent the $300, or whatever,,and got the Hilton...and never looked back..thats my 2cents (for what its worth)..put it toward Keith's pedal..and you too, will never look back. Cheers |
Terry Sneed
Member From: El Dorado, Arkansas, USA
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posted 14 September 2004 08:24 AM
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Richard, I know the Hilton is the best pedal on the market. but when you just can't afford it, you just can't affor it, and I can't afford it. 
wish I could, but I can't.
Terry------------------
84 SKH Emmons Legrand D10
session 400'rd Steelin for my Lord. |
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