Volume pedals

[Nick Bidmade]

Was reading the thread on pickups and wondered if similar advice might be obtained re volume pedals.
I want to upgrade from a £10 cheapo I currently use but can't really afford the Goodrich - my playing doesn't really warrant the expense...
I'm looking at Dunlop and Ernie Ball - has anyone experience of either and any recommendations to make on these (or any other mid-priced) VP?

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Nick, I think the E.Ball work quite well but not sure if you can get them with the jack sockets on the side.... I could do a Goodrich 120 part worn for £65 or new (without box) for £85

[Nick Bidmade]

John - I forgot to add that I'd probably need a low profile pedal being 6'3" - probably ruling out the 2 pedals I'd originally highlighted!

[Donny Johnston]

Get yourself a Goodrich pot from Gerry Hogan and fit it in your cheapo pedal.

[Nick Bidmade]

Hi Donny - a great idea, but I wouldn't know where to start. I'm pretty hopeless with anything mechanical or electrical. (Makes you wonder why I went for pedal steel with such ineptitude!)

[Malcolm]

Nick it is a simple job, only three wires to solder.There is an article on the US forum which shows how to do it.Any good repair engineer could do it for you.

[Nick Bidmade]

Many thanks Malcolm - I'm going to pursue this and talk to my local music store to see if they can do this for me. I can't quite figure out the mechanism that rotates the arm on the pot and how to remove it but I'm sure someone with the know-how could.

[Malcolm]

Nick one thing I should mention is that pots these days are not the same quality they used to be.My first pedal was a ZB ,and the pot lasted about nine years, more recently on my Goodrich pedal the factory fitted pot lasted one year, I then ran through many pots- Alan Bradley -PEC-Claristat, some lasted a few months some a lot less before going scratchy.I got a Dunlop pot from Tom Bradshaw in the States(these are good quality but a lot trickier to solder) this is still going(two years) , although I rarely use it now having bought a Hilton potless one.When I count up what I spent on pots (average pot is £25) I could have got two Hiltons .If you can possibly afford one go for the Hilton .

[Nick Bidmade]

Hi Malcolm - once again, many thanks for the advice and info. I am really only a 'hobby' player, so can't justify the cost of a Hilton... I'm struggling to justify the cost of a Goodrich, to be honest, but I do need a low profile pedal. My current one, a Bespeco, doesn't seem to allow for replacement parts. They are only about £25 new - I think the idea is they are 'disposable'. I will keep it as a spare and go for the Goodrich, despite your warnings about the pots failing fairly regularly. It is one of the 'industry standards' for psg, unlike the Ernie Ball which seems to be more of a 'generic' pedal. The new Goodrich are advertised as the '1 million' pots, so I'll start counting when I get it!!!

[Malcolm]

Best of luck with it, I'd go for the Dunlop pot if it was me.Malcolm