Volume Pedals

[Domenick Swentosky <domenick@greytime.com>]

Hello all:

I have a problem that would seem to have a simple solution, but I just 
can't quite find the answer in the archives, though there is much 
discussion about volume and expression pedals.

I formerly used the Boomerang, which has now been replaced on my board 
with a Boss RC-50.  With both setups, I have run the output of the 
looper into a volume pedal, sometimes into a DI box, and then into the 
PA.  I run my guitar signal straight into a different channel on the PA 
because I like to have that volume pedal control on the loop while 
maintaining the guitar level.  Fair enough, right?

But the problem I've always had:  I cannot find a volume pedal that 
actually operates smoothly throughout the range of the pedal.  Meaning, 
there is always a quick dropoff from the top of the sweep to just below 
it.  I'd simply like to find a pedal that decreases the volume by, say, 
10 percent if I physically back off the pedal by 10 percent.  Instead, i 
get this dramatic droppoff somewhere near the top of the sweep, and I'm 
constantly struggling to get the level exactly where I want it.  It 
would be really, really great to be able to back off the pedal by 10 
percent and know for certain that when I play the loop that I created, 
it will be playing at 90 percent volume.  Seems like such a simple 
thing, and since I don't hear many of you complaining about this, I'm 
figuring that you must have it pretty well worked out for yourselves.

As I understand it, with my setup, I should be using a passive volume 
pedal.  I'm using a Boss FV-50L with the RC-50 right now, and it is 
marginally better than the Morley that I used to use with the 
Boomerang.  I've tried both versions of the Ernie Ball Vp Junior's, and 
both swell rates on the passive one.  I found them to be the worst 
actually, but I love the way they're built.

Any advice you might have would be much appreciated.  I'm pretty stuck 
on this one.

Enjoy the day.
Domenick