Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal 

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

I am a keyboard player. During live performances I use an in-line volume pedal to control a rack mounted midi driven sound module. A common example is to have the sound module set on a nice string patch and be able to fade it in when needed via the volume pedal. I have always used Roland volume pedals for the same reason I play Roland keyboards; excellent quality. The "L" in the model FV-500L stands for "Low-Z". This is what you want for keyboards, not guitars. You will need a "Hi-Z" pedal for guitars. But, the bottom line is this is an excellent quality in-line volume pedal for keyboards that even includes a jack for an "expression control".

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

My last Roland pedal survived many years of live shows. I was sad when I had to retire it as I use the volume pedal a lot as part of my playing style. The new FV500 does the job and then some!

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

While refurbishing my keyboard rig (4 Roland synths/controllers,2 Roland amps, 4 Roland sound modules,etc), I decided to buy two of these Roland/Boss volume pedals to use as voltage pedals. Within one month of purchase, the tension device ON BOTH OF THEM was broken. These pedals were probably made by some sub-contractor, because they are DEFINITELY not up to Roland's (usually) very high standards. They are a COMPLETE waste of money!

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

I first had the FV-300L. It began to slip after about a year of moderate to light use ( 2 gigs a month ). The warranty had just expired. I purchased the FV-500L because it was updated and the promise was that the slip problem had been addressed. Worked great for 2 years of the same usage and then did the same thing. I really like the pedal. It has a smooth gain and other features set it apart. Unfortunately it is a disposable product. It is not built to last and it always makes more sense to buy a new one than to pay to have it repaired. The quest continues. Also, their service department is staffed by a snotty bunch.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

I love this pedal, nice and smooth, and I would like to make a note about the impedance factor. Guitars output a high impedance, and you always want to match the output and next input impedances, HOWEVER, if you run your guitar to another pedal first, THAT pedal (and all other pedals) output LOW IMPEDANCE. So if you want to go into any pedal first (like an overdrive pedal), than this is the right pedal for you. If you want to go straight to the volume pedal, you need high impedance, unless you have active pickups.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

Reading the other reviews about this pedal "eating up the tone" and "too big for my pedal-board" it became apparent that people are using this for their guitars. Uhhh, the FV-500L is the LOW IMPEDANCE version - especially designed for use with keyboards and specificaly NOT for guitars. And yes, low impedance WILL kill your tone. That's why guitar inputs on porta-studios (and the like) are labeled "HI-Z". With "Z" being the symbol for impedance. If you would like to use this pedal for guitar, do yourself favor and buy the one that is made for guitars - that would be the FV-500H (the H is for HIGH impedance). It's a great pedal. Works super with keyboards - which is what it is made for...but this is not the correct model to use on guitar.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

I bought the Boss FV-500L as an expression pedal to work with my Boss PS-5 Super Shifter, as the aluminum casing appeared to be much more durable than the Roland EV-5. The addition of the volume control feature, which can be used either in mono or stereo, also prompted me to chose this product. On the negative side, this pedal is quite large and bulky (11" x 4"), making it unwelcome in certain pedal boards. Additionally, the moving parts of this unit are largely constructed of plastic, making it more prone to damage than its appearance would suggest. Having a cast-aluminum housing means nothing if the most important parts of the unit are plastic! I did have to return the first FV-500L that I purchased, as jolts during shipment were enough to render the unit inoperable. The replacement seems to function quite well, though; and I'm fairly happy with it. If I were to redo my order, I would choose the Alesis F2 volume/expression pedal over this Boss product, however.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

Rugged but light. You can adjust the tension for smooth action. Little if any tone coloration. No noise. Minimum volume knob a nice feature. Looks sharp. Passive dual mono I/Os. Mono to stereo operation would require a splitter and buffer amp before the volume pedal. Good pedal.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

ok I love this pedal and I use it all the time but it's nothing amazing it's a volume pedal and it really can't go from silent to a low volume if you get this pedal it's really only good for on and off when the pedal is depressed and you raise it a little all it does is eat up your tone no real volume control but it is great for turning of easy with out having to turn your guitars volume all the way down and is great for that fake violin sound. I own it and use it a LOT and I definitly recommend it.

Comments about Boss FV-500L Stereo Volume Pedal:

This pedal is very, very good! I own a Korg EVP-10 expression/volume pedal which is my benchmark for bullet-proof pedals for volume control or expression (the Korg is built like a tank!). The Boss pedal is built almost as tough as the Korg (maybe a tad lighter), but it is "road-worthy". I do tons of sound/tone/effects programming, and I use this pedal with my Boss GT-8. It works flawlessly! The pedal has been a real "back-saver", as I assign variable parameters to the FV-500L (FV-500L on floor and GT-8 on stand so I can tweak and program) for a/b comparing when making my sounds for live use. Playing live the FV-500 is used to fade in effects levels and parameter changes with the GT-8 - totally awesome! Now I have a low-impedence volume pedal I can chain after effects (Korg is high-impedence for volume). Only downside of the FV-500 is when going full-on heel or toe the pedal makes a clunk sound that the one piece metal bottom resonates like a drum. I don't play quiet so this has not been a problem. A thin piece of felt glued at pedal to chasis contact points should fix (and maybe felt pad on bottom to deaden the resonance if annoying). Thanks Boss for raising the bar for durable, quality pedals - the FV-500 is a winner!