If you use fuzz/OD/distortion pedals - get a volume pedal

[soldano16]

Adding a volume pedal POST the fuzz and OD pedals makes for an incredible system that allows me to now use my overdrives and especially fuzz pedals with a complete range of tones and dynamics on the go. Take my Analogman Peppermint Fuzz pedal, which gives off a hugely thick fuzz with great ringing tones - but only when everything is turned up on the pedal and up on the guitar which makes it incredibly loud. But now I can get the tone by just using the post fuzz volume pedal to bring down the final volume. And I can dynamically change the tone and overall nature of what the fuzz is doing by lowering my guitar volume as I raise the pedal volume. That cleans up the fuzz and at a certain point gives me a wicked OD type tone that is very differerent from the thick fuzz I started with. So while I used to be basically stuck with one tone per pedal at a given volume, that's all wide open now and I can pick and choose what I want and can even change it while playing. How cool is that?

I can even do this trick with just the guitar since I normally run my guitar volume well below ten, somewhere around 6.

Anyways - everyone who uses an amp with OD type pedals should have a volume pedal to allow this ability to dynamically change the gain level and dynamics while playing live.

 

[PremiumPlus]

Makes great sense to me, soldano16! I'm shopping for a volume pedal right now and that's one of the reasons I want to get one, for the dynamics you're talking about. What did you get, and why? I know that after an effect or buffer that you won't see the 'treble suck' that so many people complain about. I've been attracted to the Visual Sound because it looks so repeatable in terms of coming back to the same level with the leds. What do you think?
-Dave

 

[soldano16]

What did you get, and why? I know that after an effect or buffer that you won't see the 'treble suck' that so many people complain about.
-Dave

My 1st criteria when I recently decided to go from using only one pedal to having a pedalboard was insisting on at least one looper switch so that I could bypass everything. So the treble suck is no issue for me as I take out the volume pedal when I take out the fuzz or overdrive. When I'm actually running the OD or fuzz pedals, treble loss is never an issue. My pedalboard is only 5 pedals, 2 OD's, 2 fuzz pedals and a delay. The pic doesn't have the Lovepedal BBB07 the postman delivered today. :~)

I got the Ernie Ball VP Jr (passive version 250K). It works very well. I'm 100% pleased with the feel of the pedal and the sweep of the control.

I got to use the new setup with a band this week and the results are amazing. I just dialed in the levels I needed on the fly.

 

[PaulSG]

I can't imagine anyone not having a volume pedal...

 

[100watt marshalls x3]

When I read this I got very excited about the prospect of having a louder clean tone and playing thick fuzzed sounds at a lower volume but when I tryed it I did not get those results.

I have a 73 Superlead with Rich mod and a captain coconut two and Ernie Ball mono Vol pedel. When I lowered the Vol pedal it cleaned up the Marshall and the fuzz was also cleaned up due to the cleaner Marshall how do I fix this????

 

[Jurius]

I rarely use a volume pedal. I do use an attenuator and a Klon OD boost.

 

[Ephlat]

Is the result any different than using the amp's levels?

 

[100watt marshalls x3]

I'm not sure I never tried it with the amps levels. I was just playing around with one in the shop through my gear.

I just this minute brought a EB mono Vol pedal on ebay so I'll try it out a bit more.

Has anyone tried the divided by thirteen Lift pedal I'm interested to know if it's a boost in just Vol or gain as well.

 

[skylabfilmpop]

I have a Lift. Its a GREAT clean boost and buffer. But for a great OD try the Dynaranger or Joyride. I use LIFT just as a buffer/Line Driver for big stages. The Volume pedal is a great thing to have after the FUZZ and OD section, but you might want to think subtractively. Run your amp with some gain already, set the Fuzz/OD to hit the amp a little above unity gain. Then you can get saturated and more brittle fuzz tones from one pedal. Its a nice way to tuck really thick driven tones under a singer too. Use a Fuzz>IC or Mosfet OD>Volume pedal chain, using the IC or Mosfet OD to saturate the FUZZ (like a preamp) and then lower the volume pedal. It should sound pretty good unless you run a high wattage amp dead clean. In that case the interaction of the bright cap on the volume pot could make things fizzy. Don't forget t o put the wah AFTER your germanium and silicon pedals as well. The wah inductor can screw with these even in bypass when placed after. Here you go:

Compressor>rangemaster>RedSnapper>Wah>Volume pedal>5 Way Buffered True Bypass Switcher>Tremolo>Phase>Choralflange>LIFT (reboxed and under the compressor)

 

[100watt marshalls x3]

Ok I think I know what your saying. I might buy an anologman Sunlion for a vintage germ fuzz and use the silicon fuzz mod in my captain coconut so I will have three types of Fuzz...

Guitar-RMC3LE Wah with Foxrox mod-Captain Coconut 2-Vol pedal-Sunlion-Superlead

I also want to incorporate these other items

1966 JMI AC30TB, with -Hotcake, Sunlion, RMC3LE

Other things into the Superlead- TC electronic line booster+, MXR Phase 90.

My A/B box allows my amps to hum when using the other one what is the best A/B to solve it?? I was thinking of the Divided by Thirteen A/B box.

 

[jakeddy]

Using a volume pedal this way isn't so much a volume pedal but a gain pedal. It's also good to use a low z volume for this too.

 

[100watt marshalls x3]

What is a low Z pedal and what does it do???

 

[jakeddy]

The guitar signal is high impedance or high Z, if you want to just turn the guitar signal up and down a high impedance volume pedal is what you want but after the guitar signal goes to a pedal the impedance is changed to low impedance or low Z. If you want to adjust the volume in the middle of a pedal chain (like after the distortion) a low Z volume is a good choice.

Here's some http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=boss+volume the FV 500 L stands for Low Z. This pedal is finding it's way onto a lot of pro boards lately.

 

[skylabfilmpop]

Hey 100 watter

Thats a lot of boosts, Before you go burnin' a lot of cash I can share that after having both a rangemaster and a variety of tonebender clones on my board, into a mildly driven amp and in performance they sound really close to each other. I like the combo of an IC based OD (in my case menatone red snapper) like a tubescreamer, barber pedal, MI crunch box exotic AC, Timmy, and a germanium or silicon thing that does somthing cool. I love the rangemaster (/13 dynaranger or Toneman rangemaster, I have both) because it is a really expressive overdrive/FUZZ with cool harmonics jumping out everywhere. The IC based drive can be really flexable acting like a slight compression/clean boost for less saturated leads or as a rythm OD preamp in situations where I need to play really quiet, or need to duck a saturated part using the volume pedal. Putting all the fuzzes and drives before the volume pedal still affords you the opportunity to clean up using your guitars volume knob AND use the volume pedal to duck the level of the distortion or change the tone. I guess my philosophy is if you are going to have a lot of fuzzed, get really crazy or flexible sounding ones: Octavia, Malekko B:assmaster, Fuzzrite, Zvex Fuzz Factory. The /13 Switchhazel is probably the best AB box out there as it has in it the LIFT clean boost/Buffer and isolated a/b switching , it keeps your pickups from loading or losing power driving two amps. On the AC 30 subject, the /13 RSA31 is evolved from the best holy grail AC30's that came across Freds bench. In addition to literally fixing shipping containers full of vintage UK amps purchased by California vintage dealers Guitar Oasis, Black Market Music, Guitars R US, Truetone, and Guitar Traditions, Fred also serviced a lot of top call clientele before starting his amp line. In the trenches he would blueprint every exceptional amp that came his way measuring the drift og the components against the schematics and even the inductance of the transformers. The RSA 31 is about the best AC30 you can find but it has a bit more gain on tap, and has a half power switch (or can be ordered with MV) for those times when you don't want to chase everyone out of the club. Check one out.

 

[100watt marshalls x3]

Thanks for the tips I always seem to go in cycles from pedals to no pedals and back again. I just picked up a mono EB vol pedal is this design ment to be pluged straight into the guitar???

I havn't tried a rangemaster but I thought it would sound good in the vox or with my Les Paul in a Marshall I'll check out the switchhazel for sure.

I wanted three fuzzes because I like the germ fuzz set low for it's cleaned my sounds through a strat and I like the silicon Fuzz with gain all the way up for wild solo's.

 

[jakeddy]

Thanks for the tips I always seem to go in cycles from pedals to no pedals and back again. I just picked up a mono EB vol pedal is this design ment to be pluged straight into the guitar???

I havn't tried a rangemaster but I thought it would sound good in the vox or with my Les Paul in a Marshall I'll check out the switchhazel for sure.

I wanted three fuzzes because I like the germ fuzz set low for it's cleaned my sounds through a strat and I like the silicon Fuzz with gain all the way up for wild solo's.

It will work fine, just place a buffered output pedal before and after it and you'll not have a problem with tone suck.

 

[soldano16]

When I lowered the Vol pedal it cleaned up the Marshall and the fuzz was also cleaned up due to the cleaner Marshall how do I fix this????

Where are your volumes on the guitar? It's the balance between your guitar volume and volume pedal that's the key. Try more guitar volume/lower volume pedal if things clean up too much.

If you always have your guitar volume almost at ten to begin with, it doesn't work. You need to turn up your amp a bit and play with your guitar volume slightly down. That's how I play before I was told about this idea.

 

[soldano16]

Is the result any different than using the amp's levels?

Of course.

remember - VOLUME PEDAL AFTER OD PEDALS

A fuzz tone is hugely sensitive to the amount of guitar volume it sees. Turn down your guitar volume and you can turn your fuzz into a mild OD. But now your volume is gone.

No it's not. You just give more volume on the volume pedal.

The bottom line is your overall volume can be the same while at the same time giving you the option of how much guitar volume you want to show the effect pedal.

 

[soldano16]

I do use an attenuator and a Klon OD boost.

And this let's you show the Klon different guitar volumes (=different tones) while still getting the same overall volume.

 

[jamisonlps]

I have a EB VP Jr and like it alot.

Don't forget it has a small black toggle switch that selects 2 different taper/ratio options. A nice feature.