electro-harmonixElectro Harmonix Volume Pedal

I purchased this Electro-harmonix Next Step volume pedal as it looked like a quality built volume control pedal, I had read a few reviews for it and was not put off by the small amount of cons that were highlighted. I am certainly glad that I bought it as it performs incredibly well and it does exactly what it says on the box so to speak, I have used it many times now without a problem. Initially when I first used it there is no doubt it did take some getting used to compared with the standard type of rocker pedal that has been around for many years and I do still own some, but the purpose that I bought it for was to fade sounds in and out of a good quality echo unit i.e. Eventide TimeFactor or Space and this pedal fits the bill exactly.The quality build of this pedal is excellent I don't know how they built it for the price they charge as it is built like a tank and unlike the original pivoted pedals this Electro-harmonix volume pedal does not have any moving parts at all and actually rocks back and forward on it's own rubber base. Unlike the usual volume pedals that use a potentiometer driven by a cog and flat gear rod that is varied by the rise and fall of your foot on the treadle and usually after a lot of use become noisy and in some cases the potentiometer needs to be replaced. With this pedal using no moving parts it is not likely to need any repair or maintenance at all, unless it breaks down, but knowing Electro-harmonix I have a couple of pedals that I have had for 30 years and they are still going strong.One of the cons that was highlighted was that it moves about on the floor and is not usable on a carpet due to the rocking action on the base as opposed to the fixed base of a standard pedal, well I have used it on a hard floor without a problem in the studio and you don't come across many area's with a carpet, unless you are using it in the house or bedroom. Also the use of it on a pedal board would be restricted I would agree with, but I have always found that you are restricted and use my Ibanez WD7 outside of the pedal board, but I know quite a few guitarists have all their pedals contained within the board, so this is a point of contention. One of the good things about Electro-harmonix is they listen to musicians and they have brought out a lightweight cradle to conveniently mount any of the next step effects on to a pedal board, the cradle is made out of a durable polymer and facilitates the mounting and transportation of any of the next step pedals onto a pedal board.The sweep movement of this pedal is approximately the same as a standard pivoted pedal, to switch the pedal on the input jack must be inserted and the pedal is on immediately, the pedal indicates that it is on by illuminating the centre of the pedal "ehx volume" legend. To switch the pedal off you tip the pedal fully forward so that the rear of the pedal is tipped up, the pedal legend goes off when the pedal is switched off.On the right hand side of the pedal is your jack plug input for your instrument your bypass volume level control and your calibrate button. The bypass volume is used to match the volume of the output when the pedal is off and is easily set by switching the pedal on and off while adjusting the volume to match. The calibrate button is pressed once and the legend flashes, once you have the pedal on a flat surface you then press the button again and this sets the full sweep of the pedal, you can if you wish even reduce the sweep of the pedal by using the calibrate button and resting the front edge of the pedal on something solid before pressing calibrate.On the left hand side of the pedal you have the 9v input if you wish to power the pedal from a power supply this includes a small double cable clamp for the power cable if you are powering it on a pedal board with loop in and out. You also have the facility of a direct output and a separate volume controlled output, which is as handy in the studio as well as on stage and can be used in a number of ways. I would not hesitate in recommending this pedal as it is very high quality, it is built like a tank and uses no moving parts what so ever, it performs superbly and is a first class high tech piece of musical equipment, I also nearly forgot to say that it is excellent value for money.

May update later once I've had it a while. It's true that you have to have your foot on it the whole time to control it as it lays flat as soon as you take your foot off. However, for playing sitting down it's not a problem for me. I've found the design to be more natural to use than a conventional pedal, and tipping it forward to turn on and off is very easy and also quite natural. Maybe not the only volume pedal to use of playing a gig, but would be great for studio or home use. I'm using it at home and I'm glad I bought it. Very well made a low cost at £58. Feels much more expensive.

Because this pedal sits on the floor, when you take your foot off of it, it goes back to full volume! If you want say 75% volume, you have to keep your foot on it which will get tiresome. What i normally like to do is set the volume pedal at about 60-70% and set my amp volume accordingly. This allows me some extra volume when it comes time to do leads and stuff but this configuration is absolutely impossible with this pedal. On the plus side, the logo light up...