volume pedal advice needed

[hensonbass]

I play an upright bass that has two pickup systems. I leave one pickup on full volume all the time. I then blend in a second pickup at various amounts according to the sound I need. I have a high quality 2 channel preamp that blends these two signals with the properly needed impedance.

What I want to do is use a volume pedal after the second pickup before going into the preamp so I can vary the amount of volume needed with my foot.

Do I need to have an active/buffered volume pedal (a'la Visual) or can I get away with using a passive one? Keep in mind the second pickup is a passive piezo transducer requiring at least 1 MegOhm impedance.

I am very concerned about high frequency/tone loss. What brands are my best options to maintain tone and performance?

[Pat Harris]

I use an Ernie Ball passive volume pedal with my Fishman Full Circle and it works like a charm going directly into an amp. I think keeping your cables short is more important than the actual volume pedal. If you're running through 40 feet of cable, you're going to loose some signal strength.