Volume pedal

A treadle-operated volume control that lets the player change level with the foot while both hands stay on the instrument.

A volume pedal sits in the signal chain, usually at the start or the end depending on whether the player wants to control the guitar's own output or the entire rig including the effects. Placing it first makes it a swell tool, since the effects hear the swells as dynamics; placing it last makes it a master control that fades everything together. Some designs are passive and simply attenuate, while active ones use a preamp so the tone does not darken as the pedal closes.

Example: A guitarist who fades a chord in from silence with their foot as they hold it is using a volume pedal.

Volume pedal

See also