janmaat Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Having joined a band where the volume changes quite dramatically (some sort of Brazil-inspired fusion), I think I need a volume pedal. What do you guys use and recommend? Does any volume pedal do, or is there something specifically bass related to consider? And where do you put it in your chain -- suppose as the very last thing, ie. in front of preamp/di (in my casse, ebs microbass II) ? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simwells Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 The Ernie Ball units are probably the most popular, personally I've got one little Morley ones though do find it to be a bit difficult to control specific volumes due to the very sharp sweep at the toe end. More useful for swells than controlling the voltage really. I would put them last as a means to mute though before any delays or reverbs if you're using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janmaat Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 To be more precise, what's that difference between high-impedance and low-impedance pedals I keep reading about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simwells Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Go high impedance if you're using a passive bass with no buffers between it and the amp otherwise go with a low impedance unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I use a Fender volume pedal (great build quality) and I use it before my effects chain to control swells in conjunction with reverbs and delays etc. I have other means of killing delay trails if I need too so I'm happy with having the volume first. I would say that a volume pedal is probably not the best way of dropping volume anyway, I'd rather just play lighter or use an equaliser pedal with a low volume/gain setting instead. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 As said, high impedance pedals are great for placing right after your bass in the signal chain. Low impedance pedals may play nicer in the middle or at the end of a chain of effects. Another option is an active volume pedal - these can go anywhere. I've got a George Dennis volume pedal on my guitar board, it's active so sits wherever I want, optical so has no pot to wear out, and also has a switchable distortion effect if I go an extra push down at the top of its range. They do a range of volume pedals with different effects built in, or just dedicated volume - I picked mine up dirt cheap on eBay and don't use the built in effect, so don't be put off by that if you spot one cheap, you can safely ignore it and just use the volume function. If switching between a min and max volume is a concern, I think some of the Morley volume pedals allow you to set a minimum level, so your bass will never disappear. Alternatively, there's pedals out there (or easily built DIY style) that are essentially the same as the volume pot in your guitar, but in a box - if you just want to switch between 'loud' and 'quiet' this would be a simple solution, and cost buttons to build if you're that way inclined. I played with a guy who used the Ernie Ball VP Jr - heavily abused it as he basically emulated a pedal steel guitar in our alt. country band so the volume pedal was in constant use, and he swore by it, so if you're going for a simple passive solution they're probably a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janmaat Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Thanks for the advise! - I'm planning on the end of the chain, since I'm playing an active (really hot!) fretless bass, and then I compress that signal and run it to an envelope filter. So it's a bit fiddly to get that sound right in the first place, trigger the envelope at the right point -- when I turn the volume on the guitar down, even when I play with a lighter touch, that changes the sound too much. Hence my thinking about placing that volume pedal at the end of chain - suppose, any low impedance would do? Chain now is: active bass -- ebs multicomp -- emma discumbobulator -- (volume pedal?) -- ebs microbass preamp / DI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Yeah, that would be the place for it, and any low impedance volume pedal (or any active one) will do for your needs. Placed after those pedals, it will effectively act as a master volume. The only big tonal difference it will make is if you use any drive from the Microbass - it will reduce the gain hitting the pedal so your drive tone would clean up a bit. If you're running it clean anyway then it's no biggie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiophonic Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Bumping a very old thread rather than starting a new one. What (if any) are the downsides of using a high impedance volume pedal in the middle of your signal chain (active bass, post-buffer)? I use a Boss Hi-Z one for swells and I've been sticking it at the front of my chain, purely for ease of set up when gigging (it's bulky, so it's off the board, plus i can leave it at home if those songs aren't in the set). Obviously it makes more sense to run it post-compression (at least) and probably post-everything except the delay pedal. I'm about to rejig things and probably get a bigger board in the process, but I only want to do it once! The total chain may be longer than this - I've got an tuner, overdrive and a phaser too, but the principle is the same. Current chain in most situations: Bass > VP > Comp (BB) > Chorus (TB) > Line Switcher (BB) > Amp Delay Pedal (TB) > Ditto (TB) in a loop Proposed Chain: Bass > Comp (BB) > Chorus (TB) > VP > Line Switcher (BB) > Amp Delay Pedal (TB) > Ditto (TB) in a loop Likely issues?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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