VISUAL VOLUME

Developed in the 1940’s, the volume pedal was one of the earliest effect pedals ever produced. Some of the earliest users of it included the members of Bob Will’s Texas Playboys. Those hillbilly jazz cats had to be ready to solo whenever their cigar chomping, fiddle-playing bandleader would point his bow their way. Later, steel guitarists would begin to not only use it to facilitate volume changes like those Playboys, but also to make a smooth swelling effect. Two decades later, legendary guitarist Larry Carlton would use that same swelling effect with his electric guitar on hits by The Crusaders, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and many others. The volume pedal was soon the indispensable tool for the session musician worldwide. Today, it’s hard not to find one on the pedal boards of the top musicians in any style of music. With its great popularity though, it’s interesting to point out that the design of current volume pedals has only subtly changed since the first ones saw the light of day over 60 years ago. This leads one also to ask the question, “Why are we still using clunky cast metal housings with a potentiometer and a piece string attached to it?”