anyone ever tried using a footswitch that actuates ONE resistor?

[newholland]

i wonder if just putting ONE resistor inline with a footswitch would work well for instantaneous volume cuts with an NMV amp. I mean.. hell.. it works with a volume pot. besides for it's lack of flexibility-- any reason nobody's done this? you could use the very best resistors you can find.. and {censored}.. if you only need ONE.. why not go all out? seems like a fantastic way to switch on a NMV amp with a really clean and minimalistic setup.

 

any reason that wouldn't work? hopefully the teemuks, et al jump in!

[Warhorse]

You would need more than just a resistor i think anyway. I think someone make a vol pedal that has a way of always coming back down to the same place. That would do what you want.

[Pepi]

That would suck tone bad

[newholland]

why would it suck tone worse than a pot? it's less in the way than your volume knob.

[newholland]

You would need more than just a resistor i think anyway. I think someone make a vol pedal that has a way of always coming back down to the same place. That would do what you want.

 

your volume knob IS a resistor with a shunt to ground.

[Warhorse]

Yeah true. So i guess the problem would be to figure out the right value resistor. It would be much easier to build a box with a pot and an on/off switch.

[guitarbilly74]

I'd wire the resistor to a pair of jacks and a switch and build it in a separate pedal case instead of modding the amp. Or get a $20 Dano EQ and reduce the gain level with it with the advantage you can also compensate for tonal changes. Or even a volume pedal with a minimum volume knob ( I am TIRED of recommending this )

 

These are better ways to do this IMHO than modding the amp.

[newholland]

I'd wire the resistor to a pair of jacks and a switch and build it in a separate pedal case instead of modding the amp. Or get a $20 Dano EQ and reduce the gain level with it with the advantage you can also compensate for tonal changes. Or even a volume pedal with a minimum volume knob ( I am TIRED of recommending this ) These are better ways to do this IMHO than modding the amp.

 

that's exactly what i was thinking-- to make, basically, a footswitch that you put in line with a switch. all you'd be doing is putting a resistor in the circuit when you turned it on-- basically doing the same thing you'd get if you turned your guitar volume down. i wouldn't want to mod the amp-- but if you were in a place where you could really run your amp hot (or use a lower wattage amp)-- you could have the flexibility of a footswitching amp for clean/dirty if you wanted it, and it'd be as out of the way as possible otherwise. i wouldn't want to mod the amp-- but i wonder if you'd run into issues without some sort of buffer. i've had way better luck in passive situations with straight resistors than pots.. that's why i wonder. if you get a good enough resistor-- you could minimize damage to the signal as well.

[sir riff a lot]

leech pedal.

end thread

[newholland]

Yeah true. So i guess the problem would be to figure out the right value resistor. It would be much easier to build a box with a pot and an on/off switch.

 

yep-- but you could initially wire it with a pot-- get it right on the pot, and then measure the pot's R value.

 

not sure what a 'leech pedal' is, but googlin' now.

[guitarbilly74]

 

that's exactly what i was thinking-- to make, basically, a footswitch that you put in line with a switch. all you'd be doing is putting a resistor in the circuit when you turned it on-- basically doing the same thing you'd get if you turned your guitar volume down. i wouldn't want to mod the amp-- but if you were in a place where you could really run your amp hot (or use a lower wattage amp)-- you could have the flexibility of a footswitching amp for clean/dirty if you wanted it, and it'd be as out of the way as possible otherwise. i wouldn't want to mod the amp-- but i wonder if you'd run into issues without some sort of buffer. i've had way better luck in passive situations with straight resistors than pots.. that's why i wonder. if you get a good enough resistor-- you could minimize damage to the signal as well.

 

 

The issue with having a fixed resistor instead of something like a Volume Pedal with minimum volume control or even a pot wired to the switch, is that depending on the volume you are playing, the "clean" point will also change. You will want something you can adjust for different volume levels/scenarios.

[newholland]

well.. it looks like a leech pedal is the same idea. with a pot. making it a volume pedal. i just wondered if it's possible with a straight resistor- NOT a pot. yep- it's less flexible to some extent- but you could also do the same thing with a notched attenuator, which is basically a switch that puts variable straight resistors inline versus a pot. they're typically used in nicer audio gear-- and i wonder how much audible difference or feel difference it would make.

[newholland]

The issue with having a fixed resistor instead of something like a Volume Pedal with minimum volume control or even a pot wired to the switch, is that depending on the volume you are playing, the "clean" point will also change. You will want something you can adjust for different volume levels/scenarios.

 

yeah-- but if you have a baseline-- you can still use your volume knob to fine tune it-- kinda like having a boost-- but backwards it's a DROP pedal..

[guitarbilly74]

yeah-- but if you have a baseline-- you can still use your volume knob to fine tune it-- kinda like having a boost-- but backwards it's a DROP pedal..

 

well, ok then yeah, it's really easy to do. All you need is the resistor, a switch, 2 jacks and the pedal box. I am sure there is a schematic for this online and if there isn't I can draw one for you.

[metalhobo]

Try a 1M resistor. That should give you about -6dB with most amps. 10M for about -21dB, although you actually may be introducing noticeable noise with a resistance that large. If you want more cut than -6dB, I would actually recommend using two resistors, putting the second one in parallel with the amp's input.

 

Also you can get away with using an SPST switch instead of the DPDT of most pedals.

[metalhobo]

 

That would suck tone bad

 

 

It would actually "suck" less tone, if my definition of "suck" is the same as yours. You're essentially creating a voltage divider with the amp's input, which thus increases the input impedance seen by the pickups.

[DeadNight Warrior]

Yeah true. So i guess the problem would be to figure out the right value resistor. It would be much easier to build a box with a pot and an on/off switch.

 

I think this'd just be a better way of doing it. That way you can adjust it for different guitars or for different songs or whatever. If I used a more traditional amp set up, rather than the Axe-FX where I can just do it with different presets, I'd no doubt have made one myself by now. I'd still run a volume pedal, but sometimes I want to be able to just hit a switch and have it drop to the right place. But that right place changes depending on the song and the guitar I'm playing, and possibly how I happen to be feeling on the day.

[newholland]

 

Try a 1M resistor. That should give you about -6dB with most amps. 10M for about -21dB, although you actually may be introducing noticeable noise with a resistance that large. If you want more cut than -6dB, I would actually recommend using two resistors, putting the second one in parallel with the amp's input. Also you can get away with using an SPST switch instead of the DPDT of most pedals.

 

 

hm. you know-- i really can't say because this is still largely theoretical. i've used mills resistors for passive applications with MUCH more voltage-- but i do wonder what would happen if you threw something high quality inline. having NO moving parts rather than several hasn't let me down in passive crossovers-- but getting the values right IS a bitch. but you still have at least SOME control with your volume knob for fine tuning. i just wonder if having the resistors in series would bung things up.

[peavey_impact]

Why not make it controllable on the fly? Morley Little Alligator