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Topic: Goodrich L120 Volume Question |
Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 10:50 am |
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Recently bought a used L120 and when I got it the string was really loose. I set it up according to the string replacement YouTube video that Goodrich has, and it’s nice and tight and rolls smoothly, but when it’s fully open it seems to not be at full volume (not quiet, just not as loud as when I bypass the volume pedal straight into the amp).
Any ideas what the issue may be? |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2019 10:08 am
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Hi, Jaimie.
This is a user adjustment issue.
By design, the pedal will not provide the complete travel of the pot from full-on to full-off. Instead, it covers maybe 95% of the pot's full range.
Therefore, you have to decide where you want the sound to start as you push the pedal down. Most people set it one of two ways:
1) It's at full-on with the toe down. Therefore, it's not going to be at full-off with heel down (there's usually a slight amount of sound still coming through).
2) It's at full-off with the heel down, and about 95% of the way to full-on with the toe down.
It's a matter of personal preference. I prefer #1 since I play with bands. The slight sound still coming through the amp at heel down is not audible in a noisy environment. Even in a quiet space, it's hard to hear.
To make the adjustment, you'll need to slightly loosen the string enough so that you can manually turn the shaft of the pot to put it where you want.
For example, if you want full volume at toe down, you'll put the pedal in that position, then turn the pot shaft to full-on (you can use a screw driver if the pot's shaft is slotted). Then tighten the string to lock in that adjustment.
IMPORTANT: I've referenced 'full on' and 'full off' here. But actually, you only want to approach those points stopping just short of hitting the end of the pot's travel. It will destroy the pot if you adjust the pedal so that the pot actually hits its internal stop. You'll know when this happens because, without any sound going through the pedal, you'll hear a soft mechanical click when you push the pedal to full on or off. If you hear that click, very slightly roll the pot back so that the click stops; that sets the pot to as close to the end of its travel as it can safely get. Better yet, be pro-active, and roll the pot slightly back from its endpoint when first making the adjustment. |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 30 Jul 2019 6:47 am Goodrich L120 Volume Question
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The diameter of the String Pulley on the pot controls the speed and degrees of pot shaft travel.
By placing a smaller String Pulley on the pot will give the pot more degrees of travel. Giving more volume. I have one volume pedal I made a wide washer that allowed me to install the set screw in the washer and the string actually runs on the Pot shaft to get the travel I want. |
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Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 30 Jul 2019 5:33 pm
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| Got it sorted out based on Tucker’s suggestion. It’s almost full on with the toe down. I made little marks with a sharpie where the pot was full on and full off to ensure I got it as close as I could to full on without it hitting the end of the travel. Works great. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 27 Jan 2020 6:14 pm Re: Goodrich L120 Volume Question
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| Jamie Kitlarchuk wrote: |
Recently bought a used L120 and when I got it the string was really loose. I set it up according to the string replacement YouTube video that Goodrich has, and it’s nice and tight and rolls smoothly, but when it’s fully open it seems to not be at full volume (not quiet, just not as loud as when I bypass the volume pedal straight into the amp).
Any ideas what the issue may be? |
There is no issue, that pot is operating normally. The volume will always be less with a passive (pot) pedal than a direct-to-amp connection, as the shunting resistance is never completely at infinity. To put that in layman's terms, there is always resistance partially shorting the input, which reduces the maximum available volume somewhat. The answer to that is simply to use more amp volume. |
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