Lehle Volume Pedal (Mono)

The Lehle Volume Pedal (Mono), sold as the Lehle Mono Volume, is an active volume pedal made by Lehle. Instead of the potentiometer, string and gear drive found in most volume pedals, it uses a magnet and a Hall sensor: the pedal moves only the magnet, and the sensor measures the changing magnetic field and controls a VCA, a voltage-controlled amplifier, which sets the output level¹. Lehle describes the result as a pedal that operates almost wear-free¹.

The pedal is aimed at players who want foot control of level without the scratchiness, taper drift and eventual repair that come with a mechanical pot. Premier Guitar's news coverage when the pedal arrived noted that it controls the signal from mute to 100 percent and more without altering the sound, with as little hum or noise as possible².

A Hall sensor instead of a potentiometer

Most volume pedals work by wiping a wiper across a resistive track, either directly or through a string or gear. The Mono Volume does none of that. A magnet sits in the moving top part of the pedal, and a Hall sensor in the base measures the strength of its magnetic field; as you rock the pedal the distance changes, and that measurement controls the VCA⁶. JHS Pedals' buying guide puts it simply: when the toe of the pedal is pressed down, it gets closer to the magnet, and that affects the circuit⁷.

In a 2024 interview on Vertex Effects' "Chairmen of the Boards" podcast, Lehle's Joki Schaller explained the sensor choice⁸:

He added that the sensors can be pointed to the top only, so they do not interfere with anything else, and that the pedal has no gear and no string, changing volume without any gear part whatsoever⁶. The Hall sensor is made in Germany and calibrated to the built-in magnet and the pedal's control range⁹. Lehle's Mono Volume S manual sums up the practical benefit: with no mechanical potentiometer, the typical noise, endlessly expensive repairs and complicated adjustment can be avoided¹⁰.

Feel, tone and buffering

Mechanically, the Mono Volume runs on low-friction bearings of a high-performance polymer, and the pedal's mobility is adjustable via an adjusting screw, so you can set how stiff the rocking action feels¹. Schaller's design brief, as he put it in the Vertex interview, is that "a volume pedal needs to change the volume and not the tone"⁶.

Bass Musician Magazine's Jake Wolf, reviewing the pedal in 2016, found it "a virtually wear-free volume pedal with super low signal to noise ratio, and exceptionally wide dynamic range," and noted that it offers a supremely smooth feel and volume taper, adjustable output gain, a built-in buffer, and flexible routing options⁵. The buffer matters here: a passive volume pedal placed early in a long cable run can load the signal and dull the top end, while an active pedal with a buffer keeps the level control from changing the tone.

Power and controls

The Mono Volume is an active pedal, so it needs power. The Mono Volume 90 manual states plainly that an external power supply is required¹¹, and the pedal accepts a 9 to 15 volt signal, which Bass Musician Magazine noted makes it friendly for pedalboard power supplies¹¹.

The Mono Volume 90 adds a MIN Control for the minimum level. With the control at its 7 o'clock position, the output is virtually mute in the heel position; turning it clockwise narrows the control range, for example attenuating only down to -10 dB. The first section of the control changes the pedal's reaction curve, and the second section increases the minimum level¹¹.

The versions: Mono Volume, Mono Volume 90, Mono Volume S and Stereo

Lehle's mono volume pedal line has grown into several versions, and the differences are mostly physical¹²¹.

The Lehle Mono Volume is an active volume pedal and remains in the maker's current range³⁴⁹. Its enclosure is aluminum, while the bigger Lehle volume pedals are made from steel⁶. Lehle designs the pedal so the whole volume sweep happens with as little hum or noise as possible². The Vertex Mono Volume Pedal is a volume pedal built for mono operation¹⁴.

For stereo rigs, Guitar World's buying guide points to the Lehle Stereo Volume, which shares the same features but across stereo channels³.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

Schaller tested early prototypes of the Mono Volume in 2015, according to his own account on Lehle's blog⁸, and Premier Guitar covered the pedal's arrival that January, describing a pedal that "works with a very precise Hall effect sensor instead of a 'normal' potentiometer"². Premier Guitar's later quick-hit review of the Mono Volume 90 described it as "outfitted with a magnetic sensor and a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) rather than a mechanical potentiometer"¹⁵.

The pedal has since drawn strong press. In Guitar World's 2026 review of the Walrus Audio Canvas Volume, reviewer Daryl wrote:

Bass Musician Magazine's Jake Wolf concluded that solid feel, reliability and tonefulness are the hallmarks of a best-of volume pedal, and that Lehle took it one step further by adding their fantastic buffer, variable output gain and flexible routing options⁵.

Lehle also publishes guidance on placement: its support material shows the Mono Volume used between output B and the wet effects in a wet/dry setup, controlling effect level by foot¹⁷. Players comparing alternatives can look at passive options like the Ernie Ball VPJR or Morley M2 Passive Volume, or other active designs such as the Walrus Audio Canvas Volume and Vertex Mono Volume Pedal.

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