Customer Reviews

Dunlop High Gain Volume Pedal

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This article was meant to be a Dunlop volume pedal (GCB-80 is the model) review but as it turns out, it will be a how-to-fix-it manual as well...

Let's start at the end - this pedal has one "tiny" problem -it does not allow no volume at all, but rather the pedal starts from some volume (still, very audible, especially if distortion effect applied) to full. It's kinda weird that the pedal does not fully do, the only thing it's supposed to do - control the volume.

From visiting a few forums I've learned that this is a known issue among people who bought it and most people were pretty disappointed . But, thinking about it again, maybe it's how the manufacturer intended it to be, low volume for rhythm parts and then break into heavy parts with full volume. In this way, you can never mute the guitar , you got minimum and maximum set.

Anyway, this was no good for me , cause I needed a volume pedal for mostly guitar effects, such as whaling sound (Mark Knopfler's "brothers in arms" for ex.) and so on. It is more practical to use a pedal then messing with the guitar volume knob, although the pedal does take some time to get used to.

So, I looked here and there, and found out there is a remedy to this, but no explanation whatsoever on how to do it. But, at least now I knew that the potentiometer inside can be adjusted. It's not a technical or electronic limitation, or malfunction etc.

Before we get into how to fix it, you probably ask, why didn't I return it?
Well, the pedal itself is very sturdy, built from solid aluminum. It's heavy too which is great cause you don't want a light pedal that will flip over if you pull the guitar cable a bit or slightly kick it with your foot (I also have the Dunlop cry baby wah wah(tm) (GCB-95), so I was familiar with the built quality). So, it's stable. It looks good. The pedal movement up and down is very smooth and accurate, and the sound is neutral, with no noise what so ever. potentiometer (the electric component that varies the volume) is said to have a million cycle life span. Mine has 999,800 cycles left :P

[...]

I have to award this volume pedal with 4 stars, since i have needs that this pedal is quite lacking, 1st: I did the minimum volume fix, but there's still a little bit signal coming through, very minor since you could only hear it on high amp volumes, 2nd: the travel sweep is kind of short and it takes time to get used to since you cannot adjust the tension of the pedal, so if your feet is heavy, you won't get the smooth volume swell right away, practice is key. It doesn't suck any tone even though it's passive, well i don't notice any tone loss.

All in all, it's built like a tank, does a really good job, it's quite a starter level volume pedal, that's what i've expected since i'm new to volume pedals. :) but for the price, it's a win-win pedal, it can definitely outlive you.

Sound: 5/5
Durability: 6/5
Features: 3/5 (it's a volume pedal what can i say more. but the tension adjustment is really useful but it's lacking)

I got What I paid for, a volume pedal, excelent response. FOUR star because one thing, Went i turn off the volume from the pedal, I gotta make shure that it's on exact 0 "cero" volume, because if it's not, It's gonna sound a lil' lil' lil' bit... But I Love the pedal anyway

Other than several effects pedals that I purchased through Amazon, the Dunlop High Gain Volume Pedal is probably one of the best and essential pieces of musical equipment I have ever purchased!

The Dunlop volume pedal now allows me to rise above the rest of the music to play guitar riffs or solos without changing the chord playing sound of my guitar if I so desire. The pedal is very receptive, and the sound doesn't get thin or wimpy when playing the pedal at lees than full volume like other pedals that I've heard and tried do! No more fumbling with guitar volume knobs which would usually change the tone of the guitar, especially when playing both neck and bridge pickups together.

I should have bought one of the babies a long time ago! To anyone looking for a receptive volume pedal which doesn't lose its edge and remains true even when not played at "full throttle", then this Dunlop volume pedal is for you -- and the one that I recommend!

Smooth and quite! I have tried other volume pedals, and there are better out there, but not for this price. I paid $70.00 for this pedal and when I need another one it will be one of these.

Well, it does what is intended, well. It's got a stridy Dunlop design like a wah pedal. If you're wanting a good volume pedal, this is a good choice.

This pedal is an incredible volume pedal that works flawlessly...but only if you're playing on clean.

As a NWOAHM/Thrash guitar player I use a lot of very heavy distortion (high gain) and regular volume pedals just weren't able to tame the sound when I need it docile so I went on Musician's Friend, saw this and thought, "a volume pedal designed for high gain? I'm buying this." I have never been more disappointed in a pedal since I bought an Original CryBaby (compare it to a Morley Bad Horsie and you'll be disappointed in the CryBaby too).

I understand that for some, depending on the style, this pedal works admirably. But to the metal heads out there...DON'T BUY THIS!!! IT WILL NOT SATISFY YOUR THIRST FOR TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE SOUND (and sound level specifically)

Not only does it not adjust sound very well at all at high gain levels, the swelling/quelling of volume is completely flawed. It's as if the volume scale went from one to two to three to EIGHT with nothing in between leaving you with basically two possible volume levels: whisper quiet (it WILL NOT reduce the sound to zero. I guarantee), or full volume.

Do not buy this pedal. There are plenty of far better volume pedals, or you can do it the old fashioned way and change the volume on the guitar itself.