VPM-1 Volume Pedal Mod for Ernie Ball Volume Pedals

(9 customer reviews)

Select Options Below for Price

Upgrade your Ernie Ball volume pedal with the “mother of all volume pedal mods!”

  • No strings to break or potentiometers to get dirty
  • A powerful magnet and a Hall effect sensor detect treadle movement
  • Pure analog signal path
  • Choose from 5 different volume taper curves, or customize your own
  • Add up to 14dB gain
  • Stereo Upgrade adds traditional and panning stereo modes
  • Expression Upgrade allows you to control almost any pedal with an expression input

Choose from these build options:

  • DIY KIT Build your own mod from scratch. Soldering required — not recommended for beginners!
  • READY TO INSTALL: Mod is fully assembled and ready for you to install in your Ernie Ball volume pedal with just a few basic tools. No soldering required.
  • FULL SERVICE: Ship us your pedal — we will mod it for you and return it ready-to-play.
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Description

https://youtu.be/u9I51xbL5dE
Features
  • No strings or pots; instead a magnet and Hall effect sensor detect pedal movement
  • Pure analog signal path
  • Five response curves (volume tapers)  to choose from: Linear, two Reverse Logarithmic, and two Logarithmic curves
  • Use the calibration procedure to set the maximum and minimum volume points to any position along the treadle movement
  • Reversible treadle action
  • Internal voltage doubled to 18V for plenty of headroom
  • Add up to 14dB gain
  • Buffered tuner out jack can be used as a signal splitter capable of driving a different effects chain.
Upgrades
  • Stereo Upgrade can be configured for either traditional stereo  (the volume of both channels rises and falls together) or pan action (as the volume of one channel rises, the other falls).
  • Expression Upgrade can be configured to control a huge variety of expression controllable pedals
Build Options
  • DIY Kit: Everything you need to mod your own Ernie Ball volume pedal. Soldering required. Small circuit board soldering experience highly recommend. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS. See “What You Will Need” tab.
  • Ready-to-Install: We send you the fully assembled boards and chassis, ready for you to install in your Ernie Ball volume pedal with little more than a screw driver and a drop of super glue. No soldering required.
  • Full Service: Send us your pedal and we will install the mod, test and calibrate it, and ship it back to you ready to play.
Large Format Adapter The VPM-1 fits all VP Jr pedals and the MVP (6180, 6181, 6182). The Large Format Adapter will allow the VPM-1 to fit it into most full-size EB pedals. See “Documentation” tab for more information.

9 reviews for VPM-1 Volume Pedal Mod for Ernie Ball Volume Pedals

  1. Robert Cooper –

    I love it! I did the mod kit installation yesterday. This was my first attempt at doing any through-hole soldering project and it went really well considering my lack of experience. I plugged it in and it works flawlessly. I run the pedal after my drives and before my modulation and delay. My tone stays exactly the same ant any volume level and the boost gives my signal a little kick in the pants before heading down the road. Great kit!

  2. Glenn (verified owner) –

    I’ve been searching for the perfect volume pedal and it’s been a struggle. BUT NOW my search is over. Enter the VPM-1 mod. All I have to say is that the implementation behind this design is nothing short of genius. There is no shortage of attention to detail. I love the fact there is no string and 5 sweep options with saving your favorite??? Yes please! The pedal goes in front of my signal chain immediately into a Truetone Route 66 and there is ZERO tone suck/loss throughout the rest of my chain (Flyrig v2 as the core). Oh and I forgot to mention the extra 14db gain knob (crazy). The manual says to use caution (’cause you’ll probably overload your board or amp, ha!). The whole team at Zeppelin should be applauded, especially during this COVID-19 situation. Thank you to Glen, and Brock and anyone else that delivered such an amazing product! Stay well!

  3. Dave Reinisch (verified owner) –

    For anyone on the fence about getting this don’t hesitate! I did the self install. Outstanding customer service. Awesome product. No more strings. Custom calibrate the sweep. Don’t toss your busted VP Jr. and bring it back to life. It’s a no brainer . Thanks guys. A+++++

  4. dlsmusic –

    I love my new VPM-1! I purchased the kit. The build instructions are extremely clear. The circuit worked flawlessly upon powering up. The calibration is a breeze. The pedal mod has significantly improved my tone as compared to the original pedal. I didn’t realize how much it was sucking the life out of my tone. The VPM-1 dramatically improved my sound. I couldn’t recommend this pedal mod enough! Count me in as a ZPL fan!

  5. Richie B (verified owner) –

    Beautiful! I used my Morley for quite, but never liked or got used to the taper, used my VP Jr for live and lived with the less than stellar performance. After an hour and a half with the VPM-1 I am floored, great sound, the build was a gas and the instructions were perfect. Fan for life, nice work!

  6. Travis (verified owner) –

    5-star level awesome product. Hands down the most versatile volume pedal out there, and also the smoothest operator! When you take the built-like-a-tank aluminum chassis of the VP Jr and put these seriously engineered electronics in there, you get the best volume pedal out there in my humble opinion.

    I bought the DIY kit with all the options and put it all together in Jan 2021. I get by with a soldering iron but I’m no expert. While I guess it was not a “beginner” level project, it was certainly within reach of most people who have basic soldering skills. The instructions are very thorough and leave nothing to the imagination. I had a blast putting it together.

    Even if you don’t have an Ernie Ball VP Jr laying around – go and find a used one just to do this project! Other volume pedals with similar functionality are 3 times the price,

  7. Albert Lekstutis (verified owner) –

    I completed this project with the stereo upgrade. Fantastic upgrade from my Ernie Ball 6165 which was an all metal stereo volume/pan pedal I wore out into an irreparable mass of crackles and pops. In contrast the VPM-1 It is smooth and transparent. It seamlessly moves my guitars signal between two different effects loops. The instructions are very thorough and complete. The customer service is excellent. Wait no longer to buy it. The VPM-1 is the volume pedal you are looking for! Get it full service if you want to save the time building for making music, but don’t hesitate to buy one.
     I look forward to handing this pedal down through the generations.

  8. Dylan Saliba (verified owner) –

    Wow! What an amazing engineering job! The tolerances on the DIY kit are tight but on point. Everything is tiny and crammed in there but it all fits and works like a dream! I had missing parts but John got replacements to me in a timely manner. I love when things just work like they’re supposed to the first time. The instructions were rock solid with good pictures for us cave men. 😀

  9. Steve Janosko (verified owner) –

    Fantastic fix and upgrade for my vp jr. Have replaced the string and adjusted the original potentiometer numerous times and am thrilled to never worry about that again. Install of pre-fabricated unit was quick and easy, instructions are very good. Am very happy with the operation and output, and quality of the signal; cleaned up my signal and gives me multiple choices of pedal sweep. Excellent design and quality. If you like the sturdy construction of your Ernie Ball but are looking for an upgrade, this is the best out there!

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What You WIll Need

If you order your VPM-1 Ready-to-Install, you will need little more than a #2 Philips screw driver and a drop of super glue -- and an Ernie Ball volume pedal, of course. The DIY KIT requires the following tools and supplies. Tools marked (*) are available from Zeppelin Design Labs; follow the links! See also the online VPM-1 Assembly Manual, available on the Documentation tab. TOOLS
  • *Digital multimeter
  • #2 Philips screw driver
  • Small flat-head screwdriver
  • Needle nose pliers
  • *Wire strippers
  • *Small diagonal-cutting or flush-cutting pliers
  • X-acto knife or hobby knife
  • 1/2" (12mm) and 9/16" (15mm) sockets and driver; in a pinch, pliers may work as well.
  • *Soldering iron (not a soldering gun, or a “cold heat” iron), good quality, 15-50 watt. An iron with a temperature control and a stand is best. Use a small size tip, with conical or chisel shape.
  • Solder sucker or solder braid (optional, but very handy if you have to remove or repair any components!)
  • Damp sponge for cleaning the soldering iron tip
  • Clamp or vise to hold the printed circuit board while soldering (optional, but handy)
SUPPLIES POWER

Documentation

  • The VPM-1 fits Ernie Ball VP Jr models 6180, 6181, 6182 (MVP), which feature the smaller chassis size. The VPM-1 can also work with the full size Ernie Ball volume pedals (models 6165, 6166, 6167, 6168) by using our Large Format adapter, which allows our VPM-1 chassis to mechanically fit and attach to the larger format pedal chassis.
  • Download the Manuals:
      • VPM-1 Owner's Guide - 4 MB pdf - All of the VPM-1's many unique features thoroughly explained. Includes installation instructions for the Ready-to-Install version.
      • VPM-1 Assembly Manual  - 8 MB pdf - Detailed, step-by-step instructions for building the standard DIY kit and the Stereo and Expression Upgrades.
      • VPM-1 Troubleshooting Guide - 1MB - Use this guide to help troubleshoot issues with VPM-1 kit builds that aren't working properly.
  • Watch the Videos:  

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