Visual Sound Volume Pedal

Plug in and start playing ... can't be easier

I use this pedal with various amplifier setups- mainly an MB-1/Trace Elliott rig though with various basses - it's a volume pedal so it should work the same with anything you plug into it & that's the main reason I hunt them (Yes- I do have 3 of them and would probably buy more. No- I don't want to buy your broken ones!)
The main reason I was looking for a Visual Volume pedal originally is because:
1) I am a very dynamic type of player and play an extended range bass (7 string). Sometimes the low B can muddy things up at loud volume and the high strings cannot be heard at low volume so I needed to be able to easily adjust for this.
2)I am very anal when it comes to signal noise- scratching and buzzing just won't due and I found other volume pedals not only scratchy, but also was not very "transparent" when it came to the range of a bass. The VV not only doesn't interfere with my signal, it passes it transparently.

I have read the other reviews on this page and was very surprised. I did NOT read this page before buying any of these pedals & I now have 3 of them. I bought all of them used and have never brought a backup to a live gig. The only reason I have 3 is because I leave one at my rehearsal space, one at home, and if one of them does die I have a spare! The only minor problem I seemed to have was that the second one I got did not light up all the way to the top when I initially plugged it in, but after I plugged my bass into it, all of the LED's worked fine and it has been fine ever since.
I do admit I do not 'STOMP' on my stompboxes, which is probably a good thing because I do not think that the construction of this pedal would stand up to heavy abuse- for that reason I give it a 9.

I have never dealt with VISUAL SOUND. But I like to tinker with things and have opened it up to see what's in it. As others have said on this board, there is really only a slider pot with a piece of plastic connected to it- to some that sounds cheap, BUT it's only a volume pedal people!! Why would you want to have a bunch of resisters and capacitors and thermistors in a pedal that is only supposed to do what the volume knob on your guitar does??

Overall? This is NOT the only pedal I own, but it is OFTEN the only pedal I use!!!

Simple to use. It's a volume pedal after all.

Never a problem. Used the unit for 4 years now without any problems. I run Mesa Boogie and Marshall amps, and this unit is very seemless (unlike the Morley stuff which colors the sound)

Excellent unit, has never let me down. I do keep a backup on hand though - as I have had problems with other volume pedals before, and when the Pod goes, it goes.

bought it new a couple-few years ago and it's been real easy to use

I've used this on the road for the last couple years with a tele and a matchless and just a distortion +, and it's always sounded transparent! The feel is great and it doesn't rely on some cheap rubber band mechanism like some do. I've even clunked it around in an oversize suitcase(chord case) in the back of a shock-challenged trailer for a couple years.

OK, just the other day, the LED's went a little out of synch with the position of the pedal(all lights are on, but pedal is at 75%). I went without the LED's for a while because I got sick of plugging in that adaptor for 1 thing, so I'm not sure when it really went outa synch. But I've put this pedal through hell, and I'm still using it on every gig without plugging it in(because the volume function still works so well, I can do without the lights, I have been by choice anyway). I'm not sure if the LED's are easy to fix, but I don't know if I really want to bother. It was cheaper than the Ernie Ball, and has lasted longer(no cheap rubber band).

Never have called them, but maybe after reading all these reviews, I'll ask them about the LED sychronization.

I use this volume pedal on all my jazz and rock gigs, with my archtop and supro, tele and matchless, classical gigs with a pa, at least three times a week. I love it. It does need (maybe) to be fixed, but I've got my money's worth.

Couldn't be simpler... I have run my in-line as a volume pedal and have also run it using an insert cable as a continuous controller for MIDI. Both applications work great! Mine had no manual but was very self explanitory. Mine also had no AC adapter, but the unit will accept any 9 volt adapter. What's not to like!?

I use it as an in-line volume pedal with my Roland GR-30 guitar synth. I have also used it as an expression pedal for this synth. In my set-up, I need two discrete signals and MIDI control, using it as an expression pedal worked, but it changed volume on both signals. This was a problem with the GR-30 and my Line 6 AX2 talking; not the pedal. This thing reminds me of my old chrome Morley volume pedal; extremely quiet. The signal path goes from the output of the GR-30 (mono), to the pedal, to a Digitech RPM-1, to a Whirlwind Director, to the board.
No noise whatsoever. Once again, what's not to like?

It was my main pedal for use with the GR-30 until around April of this year. It worked great. In April I got a new pedal board and installed this pedal. It began cutting in and out. I had to fall back to a newer Morley unit. But it has been fixed and now the Morley unit sits at home!

Bob and Visual Sound have taken a LOT of heat about this pedal in this datatbase. When it works no one ever thinks of a volume pedal; it is taken for granted. When something happens, it is the biggest piece of crap on earth. When my pedal started cutting in and out, I sent it to Visual for analysis and repair. I got it back VERY quickly and it worked as it had brand new. They were very friendly and highly professional.

I have had nothing but a positive experience with this company, and their products. As soon as I can find another unit, I will buy another one to replace the cheezy Roland expression pedal I have! Prior to this, the only comparable unit I found was my old Morley chrome pedal from the 70s that was stolen. I tried newer Morley, Ernie Ball, Dunlop pedals and nothing comes close. If my Visual pedal were stolen, lost, or destroyed I would search for a used one to replace it. I just wish they would start making it again. Using it with the synth, it provides crystal clear sound, allows me to see where I am as far as level, and when I move the pedal to a position it stays there; there is no movement when I take my big foot off it and it doesn't flop down like my Morley. It also has a continuous increase/decrease in signal as you use it instead of a minor one, then all of a sudden everything like other pedals. If you can find one, get it... you won't be sorry. I know I'm not.

Put it inline and use it to control your volume level.

This is supposed to be one of the most transparent volume pedals available. Too bad it is a piece of junk. No rating for sound quality because I never got the chance to test how transparent it really was. (Cuz it broke)

Can I depend on it? HELL NO! Would I use it on a gig without a backup? HELL NO! I'd give this piece of junk a negative rating for reliability. I used it maybe twice during rehearsals. First the LEDs stopped working right and then the pedal would cut out my signal. I took off the bottom and there was just a circuit board with a plastic strap attached to it. Hard to believe such a simple mechanism could break so easily.

I emailed them from their web site and got a reply saying to send the pedal and some money and they'd fix it for me. Fix it for me so that I could use it twice and break it again?? I think I'll pass. I'll give them a five because at least they answered my query.

If this pedal were stolen or lost, I'd have to go find another paperweight/BB gun target. I own some other gear and all of it is better than this thing. I love nothing about it, and I hate almost everything about it.
Visual Sound has discontinued this pedal, and I think that's a good move. But shame on them for making something so cheap.

It's a volume pedal--it rocks one way for no volume, and the other way for volume. It's got some LED's and stuff too, that are supposed to show your volume level visually--hence the name.
That's what it's SUPPOSED to do. It doesn't actually do it very often (not at all anymore).

It's supposed to be one of the most transparent volume pedals. It didn't operate long enough for me to find out if that was true.

No. I used this pedal maybe four times and now it doesn't work at all. I'm loath to call anything an utter piece of junk, but the VV pedal is about as close to junk as I've ever seen. I wouldn't use it on a gig without a backup--in fact I wouldn't use it on a gig at all! And I can't since it's $%$^in broken

I emailed them about fixing this thing and the guy emailed me back a month later and said to send the pedal and 20 bucks. Yeah right!

They're not making this thing anymore--I think that's smart because they're getting a pretty good rep with the Jekyl and the Route 66 pedals. Having this pedal in their line would only mess up their name more. If you find one of these things, don't buy it. It's is a pile of @#$%.

Like said before me, its a volume pedal. Its not all that complex...but over the course of 2 long days it became defective (the lights are neat though...if you dont mind crappy sound)

It sounded fine for two days...I had to special order this piece of poop because they didnt make it any more...and what do I get....crackling noises (its not my cables)

I wouldnt rely on this thing to be a paper weight..im sure it could find a mway to screw that up too

Im not sure yet....I havent sent it back...yet...but its on its way and if I dont get refunded I wont be pleased

Ive played guitar for six years and just recently had the need for a volume pedal....it was a bad choice....but if someone gave it to me for free then, that would be a good deal....but in all honesty DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT...IT SUCKS

It's a volume pedal. I think we can all handle that!

I run a strat into an MP-1, into a Midiverb 4, into a Peavey 60/60 power amp out through a 4x12 cab. It was quiet for the most part......but read the next section.

Okay, this pedal is a piece of ____. you fill in the blank. but until they do some redesigning to it, don't bother. my initial attraction to it was the idea that I could see where the volume pedal was based on the LEDs. that's a cool idea. my first complaint: the LEDs aren't consistent with the physical movement of the pedal. that kind of defeats the purpose. you could possible adjust this by taking the bottom off and repositioning the nylon strip that moves the rheostat. but the strip has too few holes to do this accurately. well, I could deal with that. but I've had 5 things go wrong with this pedal. they are:
1. the rubber feet started sliding off the bottom after some good use
2. the tension of the pedal movement, though adjustable won't ever stay for long
3. maybe it's made of steel, but the upper, pedal part of the mine is curved at this point instead of flat like it used to be
4. Then! some weird noise starts on account of the pedal. i'd get a whining when the pedal was just next to off...but when it was all the way off the damn noise came back. and yes I tested it, it was this pedal
5. okay, I can't recall at this point.....but it doesn't really matter to me.

I've used it at a gig without back up, but i've also repaired it 20 minutes before a gig, not the way I like to do things.
***to give it credit, the tuner out is cool.

TO BOB, the inventor who posted here on the database list, I have to say a couple of things:
First, Mike posted a bad review because that's what this database is for. If you take it personally then you won't be in business wrong. you should suck it up and go fix the problems. there are what, three bad reviews here now, and one good one? we're not out to get you. but the reality is my review is based off of the course of about 5 months wherein I only played 5 gigs with the pedal. I did practice a lot and don't give a sh*t about babying it, but it didn't hold up. it's that simple. the LEDS on there are cool, but that won't cut it alone. so instead of asking US why we're writing bad reviews, why don't you ask yourself why bad reviews are getting written.

didn't bother, just fix it yourself until you get fed up

the one thing this pedal did for me was get me into using a volume pedal as an effect. but any one could have done that. I'm looking around for another brand at this point.
---also, someone said Musician's Friend helped them out with bad pedal. my only comment there is that I paid $99 from them and saw it in a store for $75 (new) not much later. no, I'm not a fan of MF.

I found this unit to be basically plug "n" play. I like the idea of the lighted LEDs. The unit seemed to be of good construction. I like the anti-skid footboard.

After using this unit for four months, it developed a terrible crackling and will "short out" at certain positions in the travel of the rheostat. The unit is basically unusable. This is unfortunate as I liked the transparent sound of the unit and the overall design.

Forget it. The design looks good but after a couple of months of heavy gigging I have found some real flaws. I'm looking for a different pedal.

Haven't talked to them on this one yet.

I've gigged for over 30 years. I play through a Demeter Inverter 2 amp with a Digitech 2120 preamp. I play Strats out primarily. Unfortunatley, I am very disappointed with this unit. The design needs improving with many flaws that will show up and cause problems later. The sliding rheostat, for example, is prone to dirt collection. The bottom access plate will allow dirt into the unit from underneath. The components of the unit look good at first glance but I found them to be cheap and of poor quality. This is disappointing because the unit is engineered nicely and could have been a great pedal. If this unit were stolen, I would count my blessings and collect the insurance.

Before I start, let me say that the previous reviewer was extremely helpful (and friendly) about answering my questions. The fact that my opinion differs so strongly from his should in no way be considered personal.

Dismal. I had this thing connected for about a minute before I realized it wasn't for me. I heard tons of noise and crackling as I swept the pedal thru it's range of travel. Completely unacceptable. I put my old Ernie Ball back in the circuit just to make sure it was the Visual Volume and not something else. I couldn't believe how cheap this sounded.
It doesn't "suck tone" (i.e., is fairly transparent) so I will give it some points for that.

Cheap, cheap, cheap.
The unit I bought didn't work as advertised. All LEDs stayed lit all the time.
Before I sent the unit back, I opened it up. The pot is a (CHEAP) PCB mounted slider arrangement. All pots eventually need replacing with enough use. Good luck finding an exact replacement for this thing if Visual Sound ever folds (hey, it could happen).
The mechanism is a cheap plastic strap arrangment that has (IMHO) a horrible herky-jerky feel to it. It feels even worse than the cheap Boss volume pedals.

Plug for Musician's Friend here. You see, this pedal had two problems:
1) It's defective (all LEDs stay lit all the time) 2) It sounds bad
Musician's Friend graciously allowed me to return it and even agreed to refund all shipping charges (original and what I paid to ship it back to them).
I know some folks have had bad expriences with them, but not me. It's always been a pleasure dealing with them.
So, a "10" to Musician's Friend and a "No Opinion" to Visual Sound.
BTW, the Visual Sound guys seem nice enough. Nothing personal here - this particular product just sucks (IMHO).

In the past, I've used Sho-Bud (why did I ever sell that one), Boss and Ernie Ball volume pedals. A volume pedal is an integral part of my sound.
I decided to try this one because my Ernie Ball doesn't have quite the feel I'm looking for (but it's close) and after visiting Visual Sounds web site, I was impressed by the list of endorsers (Phil Keaggy, Victor Wooten, et al).
Wow! I just can't imagine someone like Phil Keaggy digging this thing. Construction is VERY CHEAP and the sound is crappy (apologies to previous reviewer - nothing personal intended).
I wouldn't use this product if you held a gun to my head (I'd pray that you'd miss).

If you can't operate this one you need help. All it has got is the pedal itself and a couple of jacks. Pedal is covered in a very rough, sandpaper like material which offers very good traction. It has a strip of LEDs along the left side of the pedal that let you approximately what volume it's set at visually (hence the name). They're easy to see, even in relatively bright conditions although your foot sometimes blocks the view. Mono pedal with a tuner out jack. Requires a 9v AC adapter but that's only used to light the LEDs. The pedal functions normally without it.

My idea of a great sounding volume pedal is one that you can't tell is there. This one comes as close to that as I've found and it doesn't seem to kill the highs when you roll back the volume. I'll give it an 8 since maybe something else is better...

Built very ruggedly, yet it doesn't weigh a ton. It seems like it'll last a long time. However the top-most of my LEDs occassionally won't light up although the pedal is wide open. However, this isn't really a problem.

Haven't contacted them yet so I can't say.

I like this pedal a lot. It's very useful if you like to control the amount of gain your using by manipulating the guitar's volume. The LEDs are helpful in judging how loud you've got the pedal set.