Volume pedal in middle of FX chain

djspecialistdjspecialist Frets: 901
I want to get a volume pedal which will be placed in the middle of my FX chain:

    Guitar -> Overdrive -> [Volume] -> Modulation -> Delay -> Amp

IIUC, one option is to get a low-impedance pedal such as the Boss FV-500L - and this will be OK as long as there is a buffer in front of it (i.e. a buffered bypass pedal, or any pedal which is switched on).

Would a higher-impedance volume pedal such as the EB VP Jr / Boss FV-500H also work in this position?  Or would the existence of a buffer before the volume pedal make it act strangely?

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Comments

  • markvmarkv Frets: 459
    I have a Mission Engineering VM-Pro. It has a buffer in it, internal switches for various modes of operation, and works anywhere in the chain. Here's the manual.
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  • @markv that looks like a great pedal.  Not cheap though - I was wondering whether one of the more economical options would do the job.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    A high-impedance pedal will usually work fine even after a buffer. What is the overdrive? That may dictate which you choose anyway.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • ICBM said:
    What is the overdrive? That may dictate which you choose anyway.
    There are a few :)

    Currently, the overdrive part of the signal chain is:

    ARC Soothsayer -> VS-XO Drive 1 -> Snouse BlackBox 2 -> VS-XO Drive 2 -> RambleFX Marvel Drive 2

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    OK… I have no idea what any of those are!

    Just asking because if it was - for example - a Fulltone OCD, you need a high-impedance pedal. The OCD has no output buffer and so suffers from tone suck when running into a low impedance (or a long cable).

    I assume they're all true bypass? If so then you still need a high-impedance volume pedal (or a buffer), since when they're all off the guitar will be connected to the volume pedal.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Aren't the Visual Sound pedals buffered?
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  • Sassafras said:
    Aren't the Visual Sound pedals buffered?
    Yes, they have a switchable buffer on each of the two sides.  I have it enabled on one of them (#1 IIRC).
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  • markvmarkv Frets: 459
    @markv that looks like a great pedal.  Not cheap though - I was wondering whether one of the more economical options would do the job.
    Yes, I was lucky & picked one up on here for about £100. Seems like a lot for a volume pedal, I know. But it is seriously solid. I chose it after having the same dilemmas about impedance matching as you are, and it seemed like the best option.
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  • ICBM said:
    A high-impedance pedal will usually work fine even after a buffer.
    In that case, should an option such as Boss FV-500H or EB MVP (Jr) be OK?  Since these are relatively inexpensive and easy to find, getting one would allow me to try out use of a volume pedal, and work out whether I actually need any of the features offered by the higher-end pedals.

    ICBM said:
    OK… I have no idea what any of those are!
    ARC Soothsayer == tweaked RAT
    VS-XO Drive 1 =~ 808
    Snouse BlackBox 2 == tweaked BluesBreaker
    VS-XO Drive 2 =~ ODR-1
    RambleFX Marvel Drive == MIAB

    All TB, except for the VS-XO which as I said has switchable buffers on both sides.
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  • Does anyone have an opinion on the Dunlop DVP1XL?
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