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Anti-Booster, lowers the volume of the guitar to a set value
- Turns any single-channel amp into a two-channel setup
- Allows different sounds in combination with fuzz, distortion and overdrive
- Integrated adjustable treble-bleed circuit
- High impedance
- Can also be used as an A/B switch for two guitars
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Completely passive, therefore also excellent in front of fuzz pedals
- 9V power supply for the LED
- True Bypass
The Volume Switch goes the opposite direction as a booster - it reduces the signal instead of amplifying it.
If a gain stage (this can be an effect pedal or the amp's preamp) is already overdriven, boosters usually only provide more distortion and compression - with the Volume Switch, you set your desired lead sound on your gain stage, and then passively reduce the level with the Volume Switch for less distortion and compression without colouring the sound - similar to the volume control on your guitar, but via footswitch and with adjustable treble bleed.
It allows you to get a cleaner sound out of an overdriven tube amp preamp (basically adding another channel to the amp) or to get a second sound out of fuzz, distortion and overdrive pedals.
Especially with fuzz, the best sounds are often found when the fuzz's knobs are set to maximum and the guitar's volume knob is turned down - with the Volume Switch, you can achieve this via footswitch.
The Volume Switch has a treble bleed circuit that can be adjusted by the mini knob, which prevents treble loss and allows the signal to sound clear even at low volumes. The circuit is designed to be tonally neutral to my ears with the mini-knob at 12 o'clock - but our ears and amps are all slightly different, so more or less treble can be let through if desired.
The Volume Switch has two uses:
- As a volume switch as previously explained
- As an A/B switch for two guitars: The guitar with less output is connected to the black input jack, the guitar with more output to the red input jack. The Volume Switch then alternates between the quieter and the louder guitar, with the volume (and the treble passed through) of the louder guitar being adjustable with the two controls. Perfect for matching the volume of both guitars and providing an equal base for your amp.
Optimised for use as the first pedal after the guitar, but can also be used elsewhere in the signal path - with buffered signals, however, the control path of the volume potentiometer is not entirely linear.
Inside, two mini-switches can be used to adjust the LED brightness and whether the LED and is off or blue when deactivated - it lights up red when active. Perfect if you use it as an A/B switch, then the LED lights up red for one guitar and blue for the other.
