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Author Topic:  Goodrich L120 volume pedal questions
Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2017 10:06 am    
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I recently purchased an L120 to use as a backup for my Hilton and I think there is something wrong with it. Here is a summary of what I'm experiencing:

- One issue is that there is a big jump in volume at the very end of the travel; instead of going up smoothly, the volume increases drastically between 80% open and 100% open.

- Also, I feel like I'm loosing some of the highs when the pedal is not fully open, like the sound is somewhat muddy.

Is this how it's supposed to sound? I even tried the volume pedal loop on a Quilter Steelaire, running three cables to the amp (guitar direct, volume pedal send and return) and it still didn't sound right.

Maybe I'm just too used to the Hilton but it's really day and night between the two. I'm wondering if someone has experienced similar issues or has any advice. I also wrote to Goodrich pedals to try and figure out if my pedal is behaving the way it should.
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 26 Sep 2017 10:54 am    
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What pot is installed? That could be part of the problem.
Losing some highs is normal for a pot pedal, compared to a Hilton. How much can depend on the pot that is used. May be an indication it has an incorrect or defective pot.
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Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 27 Sep 2017 7:26 am    
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I have had a couple of high-end electronic pedals returned to me because the tone didn't change throughout the sweep- go figure. The current pots used in the Goodrich pedals have a logarithmic/audio taper where the gain increases fairly dramatically at a point about 2/3 of the way through the travel however if you want to know if your pedal is functioning correctly please send it to Goodrich and we'll check it for you - no charge.
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Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 6:14 am    
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That's interesting Jim. I guess its whatever you are used to.

My pedal has the older pec 500k pot. According to Kevin I should change it to the newer Goodrich designed pot. Does anyone have experience with this 470k pot? Like it? Did you see a drastic difference with the previous pot?
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Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 6:49 am    
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Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 6:57 am    
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The reason we changed pots when we got the company was that the PEC "HL" pots that were guaranteed for a million cycles were failing (getting noisy) at a rate that was unacceptable. Their taper was good but longevity was not. Apparently you got a good one as it's still working Smile
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Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 7:14 am    
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Jim, will the new pot behave similarly? In terms of tone and, for lack of a better description, uneven volume increase?
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Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 7:22 am    
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Yes- in general all pots will change the tone unless there is a buffer in the circuit in which case that shouldn't happen. The "uneven" rate at which the gain increases is a function of the audio taper of most all volume pots and is generally considered to be a desirable trait and the reason that audio taper is selected vs a linear taper for volume (as opposed to a linear taper commonly used for tone pots). If you have any question about your pot being good- send it to us and we'll check it out for you.
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Gordon Hartin

 

From:
Durham, NC
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 12:46 pm    
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I've plugged my volume pedal in backwards and had weird results. Just in case check.

Did this recently start happening?

What also could be the culprit is that your pot still has a lot of travel room left on it. So when you pedal is full volume, the pot could be only 60% on. You could readjust your string to be More on when fully engaged.

Greg Cutshaw has a great tutorial on stringing the volume pedal http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Goodrich%20120%20Pot/Detailed%20Stringing/Detailed%20Stringing.html

Gordon
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Alex Cattaneo


From:
Quebec, Canada
Post  Posted 28 Sep 2017 3:40 pm    
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I bought the pedal from another forum member recently so this is not a new behavior. Maybe it's just not for me, because I'm too used to the Hilton by now. I have plenty of volume when the pedal is fully engaged, so I don't think what Gordon describes is the issue here.
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