GCB-80 High Gain Review

The Dunlop GCB-80 High Gain Volume effects pedal has a heavy die-cast housing and is built to be trod upon for as many years as you have in you. One-million cycle potentiometer is quiet, smooth, and designed for extended use. Passive design requires no power input.

Ease of Use:	10
Sound:	10
Reliability:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	10
Users rating:	8.3
Comments:	11

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Mr E, on november 16, 2007

Price paid: $ 113.46

Purchased from: internet

Ease of Use: This is a volume pedal and it's passive, so no batteries. Couldn't be easier to use. If you push your toes down it gets louder, your heel down it gets quieter! Nothing can go wrong with it. I've never looked in the manual, so I can't say what it's like. If you didn't know how to use this pedal, there would be no way you'd know how to play a guitar, so it would be a waste of money. // 10

Sound: I use it with an Epiphone LP Custom, and a Fender Strat into a Fender Princeton (65W) amp. When using other pedals, I always have this last in the chain. With the heel fully down, a small bit of sound still comes through, but I'm sure that's how it was designed. This pedal only changes volume, so I'd imagine it would be just as good(or bad) as the equipment it was being used with. I like using it for sudden volume swells in songs. It's also handy for adjusting the volume from your amp quickly. You can also make a guitar sound a bit like a violin with it! // 10

Reliability & Durability: Made by Jim Dunlop, need I say anymore. Well apparently I must, as it won't let me submit this, as it claims I haven't written in the reliability and durability section. So I'll just make up some stuff to fill up some space. It's built to withstand anything and everything, so I would definitely use it at a gig withouta back up. Hopefully this is enough bull, to let med submit it. // 10

Impression: This pedal suits any style of music (surprise, surprise). I bought this pedal to play Animal Bar by the Red Hot Chili Peppers off Stadium Arcadium! This pedal scores highly just because it does exactly what I bought it for, and it's unlikely to break. Having said that, I didn't compare it to any other volume pedals, so there might be better ones out there, but I'm not bothered. Only complaint is I Live in the UK, and it was cheaper for me to import from USA, with import taxes, and I couldn't find it in any local shops. // 10

Comments

[Donkey Fly]

You bought a pedal just for one song...

Anyway...sounds like a cool pedal. Might check it out.

[bucketbots]

interesting, i should to find it

[Xeus]

there must be some cheaper alternatives

[Weybl Himself]

There are cheaper ones, but the cheaper you go with volume pedals, the more unwanted noise and colouration of your tone you get. Much better off paying the bucks to get something nice and transparent that just changes volume with no nasty little surprises.

[the_random_hero]

Weybl Himself wrote:

There are cheaper ones, but the cheaper you go with volume pedals, the more unwanted noise and colouration of your tone you get. Much better off paying the bucks to get something nice and transparent that just changes volume with no nasty little surprises.

It's passive, therefore the only components in this pedal are most probably one potentiometer, a switch and maybe treble-bleed cap if you're lucky. I don't see any way in HELL that this could cause colouration of your tone

[SpooneyMallard]

the_random_hero wrote:

Weybl Himself wrote:

There are cheaper ones, but the cheaper you go with volume pedals, the more unwanted noise and colouration of your tone you get. Much better off paying the bucks to get something nice and transparent that just changes volume with no nasty little surprises.

It's passive, therefore the only components in this pedal are most probably one potentiometer, a switch and maybe treble-bleed cap if you're lucky. I don't see any way in HELL that this could cause colouration of your tone

...Which is the point he's trying to make. He was talking about why it is worth it to pay extra for something like this.

[teknotard]

At the very least I think this would be very good infront of the delay to provide cool swell effects. Putting it at the very beggining of the chaing could give cool Gain swells through Dist.

[the_random_hero]

Weybl Himself wrote:

...Which is the point he's trying to make. He was talking about why it is worth it to pay extra for something like this.

That's not the point I was trying to make though. All components, regardless of brand, are going to be exactly the same and will cause the same amount (if any) of colouration of your tone.

[Mr E]

There is no coulouration to the tone, and the reason I went for a Dunlop, is so it's a once in a life time purchase. It should out live me.I would imagine there wouldn't be that much difference in sound quality between all volume pedals, but build quality....

The same pedal could probably bought a lot cheaper, but I imported it from USA, as I live in the middle of nowhere, so have no decent music shops!

[Mr E]

Should be ''colouration''!!

[richard-g3]

Mr E wrote:

Should be ''colouration''!!

agreed