Difference between High and Low Impendance Volume Pedals

bouncy

New member
Can anyone enlighten me on this issue, explaining what is the difference between the two.

As well, please suggest which of the 2 should I get, and the effects of buying the "wrong one".

I intend to place the volume pedal: Guitar > Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster > Volume pedal > rest of chain
 
My 2 cents',

Take two pairs of headphones for example. One with high-impedance, and another with a significantly lower impedance.

The headphone with a higher impedance would sound softer in comparison with the headphone with the lower impedance, on a similar output of say, 50decibels, from the source. Ceteris paribus.
 
Match the impedance of the volume pedal to the output before it.

If before the volume pedal is your guitar with passive pickups, that's a high impedance output (your volume pots in the guitar are typically 250k - 500k). You'll want a high impedance volume pedal.

If before the volume pedal is a guitar with active pickups (25k pots for EMG if i'm not wrong) or a pedal with a buffer on the output, then you'll want the low impedance volume pedal.

In your case, if the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster is ON all the time, i'd recommend the low impedance volume pedal.

That said, you can also use the high impedance volume pedal with not much tone loss. Although the other way around (low impedance volume pedal straight from passive guitar) will generally result in loss of highs.
The feel of the swell might be slightly different though, I prefer low impedance vol pedals after buffers.
 
hey bouncy

a high impedance vol pedal is for usage straight after the guitar.

for example: guitar --> high-imp. vol pedal --> effects --> amp

a low impedance vol pedal is for usage after or in-between effects.

for example: guitar --> distortion --> chorus --> low-imp. vol pedal --> delay --> amp


using a low impedance vol pedal straight after the guitar WILL damage the pedal. however, im not sure if using a high imp vol pedal after effects would damage anything.

you should get a low impedance volume pedal. :D hope i have been of help
 
wth! i m quite confuse over what is discussed here. but anything that u dun know, means that there is something to be learned. so wht is high or low impedence vol pedal? wth is impedence anyway, is it like resistance?
 
using a low impedance vol pedal straight after the guitar WILL damage the pedal.

Interesting, I learn something new everyday. What happens to the pedal?

so wht is high or low impedence vol pedal? wth is impedence anyway, is it like resistance?

For Ernie ball volume pedals for example, the low impedance one has a 25k pot. The high impedance one has a 250k pot.

Impedance is like resistance, but for AC, alternating current.
 
hey theblueark

i cant remember what exactly happens but i've read from multiple sources about this. i'll try to find those websites again.. :D
 
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