My guitard told me that i should purchase a volume pedal rather than using the volume pot on my bass because it lowered the output of the guitar. That seems odd. Wouldn't the volume pedl do the same? Seems no matter where you atenuate the signal it is still atenuated isn't it? Does anyone have any idea about where he is coming from and what he might have been talking about??
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Volume Pedal
- Thread starter eotpr
- Start date
Yes, but that's how the pickups work with being ground to the bass and stuff. You turn down the volume, and you lose some treble. You can mod your bass by adding a capacitor (and probably a resistor) to the volume pot to prevent treble-loss, but I think that a volume pedal could probably work just as well.
a volume pedal would likely be powered so it would offer boost as well as cut while the bass (if it's a passive bass) will just roll off volume. A volume pedal would probably use an op-amp to boost the signal and then attenuate that with the volume knob.
The results are basically the same if the volume pedal is passive - isn't it just a pot on a treadle anyway? Your guitarist doesn't know what he's talking about, and I don't know what he's talking about either...
The one advantage a volume pedal can give you, however, is foot control of your volume (instead of using your hands). But unless you're doing violin-style volume swells or changing your volume frequently, you probably don't need a volume pedal. Most bassists I've known never use one.
Now, if it's an active volume pedal (a la Morley, Visual Sound, etc.), then it's a bit different. You can get a gain boost from those kinds of pedals, above and beyond what your bass puts out when the volume knob is maxxed. It does introduce a buffer and a new circuit into the mix, though, so you might get a very slight tonal change (good or bad? You decide). But if you just need an instant boost in gain, consider a simple boost pedal instead - it'll take up less board space and require only a stomp instead of a sweep of the foot.
So, unless you need variable control of your volume that can be managed by your foot, you don't need a volume pedal IMO.
The one advantage a volume pedal can give you, however, is foot control of your volume (instead of using your hands). But unless you're doing violin-style volume swells or changing your volume frequently, you probably don't need a volume pedal. Most bassists I've known never use one.
Now, if it's an active volume pedal (a la Morley, Visual Sound, etc.), then it's a bit different. You can get a gain boost from those kinds of pedals, above and beyond what your bass puts out when the volume knob is maxxed. It does introduce a buffer and a new circuit into the mix, though, so you might get a very slight tonal change (good or bad? You decide). But if you just need an instant boost in gain, consider a simple boost pedal instead - it'll take up less board space and require only a stomp instead of a sweep of the foot.
So, unless you need variable control of your volume that can be managed by your foot, you don't need a volume pedal IMO.
First of all, the vast majority of volume pedals are passive, not active.
Also, if you have an active bass, then you won't have ANY treble loss. If that's the case, then your guitarist is a dummy. Treble loss is generally isolated to passive basses when you lower the volume.
Also, if you have an active bass, then you won't have ANY treble loss. If that's the case, then your guitarist is a dummy. Treble loss is generally isolated to passive basses when you lower the volume.
Wait, isn't the treble loss due to bleeding into the ground wire? Would this still be a problem with a volume pedal?
If his bass has an onboard preamp (which, based on his posts, I assume it does), it's going to be minimal, IMO.
But I'm looking beyond the negligible tonal nuances - a volume pedal offers something very different than a volume knob in terms of control, and I wanted to make sure he's aware of what a volume pedal is really for.
MysticBoo said:
Right, this is what I'm saying. Would a volume pedal really attenuate treble like a volume knob?
Thanks guys the bass has a Bart pre and Bart pickups. It is active. He was suggesting a passive volume to use with both the active and passive basses I use. It seems like adjustment of the amp itself might prevent the loss of highs? I see where there would not be much difference between a passive pedal and a passive bass volume pot. I don't really need to use the volume much after it is set I juse varry my attack. As practice goes on I need to increase my volume so I was using my volume pot to do that. I try to keep the practice volumes down.
Right, this is what I'm saying. Would a volume pedal really attenuate treble like a volume knob?
That really is the crux of this whole thing. I really do not know. I hope that there is a guru out there that can tell we the unwashed...
Paging bongomania. Please pick up the white courtesy phone. bongomania, white courtesy phone, please.
Right, because they both change the volume.That's still not what I'm asking about.
AFAIK, it still would attenuate more than volume if it's a passive volume pedal. It's not immune to the drawback of a passive volume knob, because that's really all it is, except moved by a treadle instead of your hand. And regarding the ground wire.... it's still there one way or another as long as it's hooked to the bridge.
An active volume pedal would affect tone a bit differently, but that's dependent on the circuit inside.
Either way, it's not worth fretting about, IMHO, since he's driving it with an active bass.
But moving away from the volume pedal technicalities (and what little I know about them), here's what gets me...
eotpr said:
Why would you need to increase your volume?
Anyhow, I'm just trying to grasp why you'd need to worry about treble loss and volume issues, if they were never issues before. And I'm not clear as to why you'd need to increase your volume over time, unless you're battling hearing fatigue...
