Anybody try this cheap and compact volume pedal?

[James Mayer]

It's only 6" long, 2.25" tall and, in theory, has great features. "In theory" is taking price into account as it might be too good to be true and noisy. I see other pedals by this brand on Amazon but not this particular volume pedal.

Caline volume pedal

The brand gets pretty good reviews. For example.

[Joe Bill Moad]

Afraid to stray from my Hilton. No Petientiometer and basically Pure Gassss on the pedal!
Just my 2 cents.
Jbm

[Brad Sarno]

For pedal steel use, we really do need "long-life" pots. I wouldn't expect this Caline pot to last very long with the heavy constant use that pedal steel calls for.

Typically we see simple pots rated for a 10,000 rotation lifespan vs the millions expected from long-life type pots.

B

[James Mayer]

For pedal steel use, we really do need "long-life" pots. I wouldn't expect this Caline pot to last very long with the heavy constant use that pedal steel calls for.

Typically we see simple pots rated for a 10,000 rotation lifespan vs the millions expected from long-life type pots.

B

Good point. I was thinking it was an active pedal so would last longer than a passive, but it's still a pot. I guess the Moyo is the best in terms of compact VPs, these days?

[Per Berner]

As a backup in case your regular VP fails on a gig, it could make sense...Would take years to wear out for that kind of application.

[Bobby D. Jones]

For steel Guitar you need a 500K pot. If you had to replace the pot with a good standard steel guitar pot, The pot would cost more than the pedal, At that sale price.

With a proper pot would make a nice stash VP in your vehicle.

[ajm]

So what do we actually know about this pedal?

It appears to have a pot.
However, that doesn't mean that the audio goes through the pot.
The pot could be controlling an amplifier/circuit that the audio passes through.
Therefore you wouldn't need to worry as much about the pot wearing out.

The pedal has a 9vdc input.
It says that it can boost the signal, which means that there is some form of amplifier and active circuitry in the pedal.

If the pedal is passive, and the pedal is connected directly to the guitar, then you may prefer a 500K (minimum) pot. On the other hand, you might find that a 250K (or other) is sufficient.

If you have a buffer of some sort between the guitar and the pedal, then chances are good that you don't need a 500K pot. Assuming that the pedal is a passive type.

Does anyone have a schematic for the pedal?
For the record, the part number appears to be: Caline CP-31P.

Note that the pedal is $20, INCLUDING shipping.

Caline is just one of many foreign based companies making pedals.
Caline
Donner
Azor
Mooer
Moen
Nux
Joyo
Behringer
and many more.

Some of them are clones of other pedals.
Some are original designs.
I have used several and would recommend the ones I've used.

The main drawback (if it could be called that) is that many of them are "mini" pedals, and hence do not have room for an internal battery.

[Joe Bill Moad]

Nothing but Hilton in my Forecast. Sound is important.

Jbm

[Ian Rae]

At that price, it counts as disposable. If the pot fails, junk it and buy another pedal.

But I already have a Hillton

[Graham Bland]

And Keith takes good care of his people also!

[Tommy Mc]

So what do we actually know about this pedal?

* The inputs are on the right side, outputs on the left which isn't ideal for pedal steel.
* Without trying it, we have no idea if the ergonomics work for a seated player

The reviews supply some additional info.
* It's a plastic body.
* One review mentions that it buzzes when hooked up to a power supply and needs power to operate.

That's enough to turn me off. I don't see anything about it that would make me want it, even as an emergency "backup", but maybe that's because using a pot pedal, I've never needed one.

[John Haspert]

I have a numbers of VP’s in my collection. The Hilton is by far the best. Also have several Roland / Boss VP,s and love them, although they do not use rotary pots. Use the Roland’s the most and have for 30 plus years. Pedal Travel for these mentioned are very similar, so for the most post part interchangeable. For gigs, I carry a compact pedal especially for travel. The main problem with the compact pedals is that the travel is less than my others, so it takes a bit to recalibrate my foot so to speak. So it’s a trade off. Most of the time, the larger pedals for me are
The “go-to’s