How To Choose The Best Guitar Volume Pedal For You (Part 5)

Here is the final part article of this exciting Guitar Volume Pedal mini series.

If you haven't read the previous parts, you can check them out here:

• Part 1 (Types of Pedals: Pots/Electro-Optics and Stereo/Mono Pedals)
• Part 2 (Continued: Minimum Volume Switches/Powered Pedals)
• Part 3 (Dunlop Pedal Comparison)
• Part 4 (Morley Pedal Comparison)

Part 5 is the Ernie Ball 6165 Comparison, and the conclusion which will help you decide which of these pedals suits your style best!

Choosing A Guitar Volume Pedal: The Ernie Ball 6165 Stereo Volume/Pan Pedal

The 6165 is the high-class Ernie Ball Guitar volume/pan pedal.

At $165, it had better live up to such a high price on something as simple as a guitar volume pedal.

The main advantage to this pedal is the Stereo input/output. You can put up to 2 instruments in, and can output to 2 different amps.

Of course, that comes with the higher price.

There is a lesser model (The 6166) that is about $40 cheaper, but doesn’t have the Stereo option. I wouldn’t recommend going with that one though.

With the 6165 you can Pan between two different amps. All you do is hit the pan switch and use the pedal to decide which amp you want to go through. This allows for a lot creativity, especially when using effects such as delay, or having one amp set to distortion while the other is set to clean.

PAN!

As with the Dunlop, the Ernie Ball 6165 has Pots to regulate the volume, so it can get worn out and you will have to replace the Pots as usual.

You should also be aware that this thing has the capability to suck some of the tone out of your guitar. It’s a pretty big point to notice because it’s the thing most guitarists look for when buying a guitar volume pedal (and one of the only things that matters).

Some of the main issues that surround this pedal are:

• Pots can get scratchy
• Sucks tone from your guitar
• When panning all the way left (or right), you could potentially still hear some of your signal coming out of the opposite side (It won’t pan 100% in one way. More like 97% left or right).
• Customer service for broken units is not very good.
• The treadle can sometimes slip out of the Unit

So overall this unit is a little bit of a disappointment to me.

A lot of guys in the business use it too. I know many guitarists who swear upon this rig, but my experience just hasn’t been as pleasant. And for such a high price…I just can’t say that it is a good deal.

Now keep in mind that some of the things on the above list will most likely not happen to you. In fact, it’s possible that you could have a very good experience with it. But in the end…

Choosing A Guitar Volume Pedal: It’s A Matter Of Preference

Which pedal you get is really up to you. It has to do with what your needs are, how much you can afford, and how big an audiophile you are.

For Example, some people PREFER to have sex with this creepy thing...

Personally, I chose to go with the Morley Volume Plus Pedal. I like the aspect of the Electro-Optical Circuit in place of the Pots to prevent wears outs, and I like the feature of the minimum volume as well (suited for when I want to do rapid fade-ins).

But don’t let my preference change your opinion. Just look at the facts above and make a decision based on that.

If you need a bit of extra help choosing, here are a few situations you might see yourself in:

• If you are trying to save money, go for the Dunlop or the Morley
• If you want the Stereo input/output, use the Ernie Ball 6165
• If you are worried about your Pots wearing out, use the Morley
• If you want to make sure you have a perfectly clear signal (and not have the pedal suck your guitar tone), go with the Morley

Hopefully this article has helped you make an informed decision that will keep you volume swelling for years to come! Thanks for reading.

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