The Morley Mini Volume Plus is a compact volume pedal with a twist: a footswitchable Minimum Volume control that lets it double as a rhythm and lead pedal. Rock the pedal back and instead of fading to silence it drops to a preset rhythm level, then switch back up to full for leads. Guitar.com described it as a way "to immediately jump between rhythm and searing lead volumes with the help of a footswitchable Minimum Volume Control"1. It sits in Morley's volume range alongside the Morley Mini Volume, Morley Little Alligator Volume and Morley Volume Plus.
What it does
At its core this is an optical volume pedal, meaning the pedal's travel controls volume without a pot sliding in the path, the approach Morley uses across its volume designs. Morley's Scott Fietsam described the concept when the 20/20 Volume Plus was announced: "the Volume Plus is an optical volume with added Minimum Volume feature so you can also use it as a Rhythm / Lead Pedal"2.
The pedal can be used in two ways. Guitar.com summed it up: "You can use the Mini Volume Plus in two ways: as a regular volume pedal" and, with the Minimum Volume control engaged, as a two-level rhythm and lead switch1.
Two modes
The Volume Plus design runs in two modes, as demonstrated by Sweetwater's Don Carr with Morley's Pete Fennec: "it's got two modes to it first is a nice smooth audio taper and the second mode allows you to adjust the minimum volume"4.
- Standard mode: a smooth audio taper, behaving like a conventional volume pedal from full level down to silence4.
- Minimum Volume mode: you dial in a minimum level, and the pedal's heel position returns to that level instead of zero, giving you a rhythm volume you can switch away from and back to42.
The 20/20 Volume Plus
Morley also offers a compact take on the idea, the Morley Mini Volume Plus, a volume pedal that can be used in two ways, including as a regular volume pedal1. It lists at $129 and adds foot-selectable Minimum Volume3. The related Morley Power Volume Wah (20/20) and Morley Volume Commander carry similar volume-plus ideas in the same family.
The Mini Volume Plus and the 20/20 Volume Plus are separate products in Morley's range. The $129 list price above was reported for the Mini Volume Plus in February 20183; the 20/20 version followed in November 20193.
For other takes on the same job, see the Ernie Ball MVP, which also adds a boost function to a volume pedal, or browse the full range of Volume Pedals.
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Questions
What is the Morley Mini Volume Plus used for?
It is a volume pedal built around Morley's optical circuit, with an added Minimum Volume feature. In its basic mode it works as a regular volume pedal with what Sweetwater's demo described as a smooth audio taper. In the second mode you set a minimum volume level, so rocking the pedal back does not go to silence but to a preset rhythm level, letting you jump between rhythm and lead volumes with your foot.
How does the Minimum Volume feature work?
The Minimum Volume control sets a floor for the pedal's travel. Instead of fading all the way to zero at the heel position, the pedal drops only to the level you have dialed in. Morley describes the pedal as an optical volume with an added Minimum Volume feature so it can also be used as a rhythm and lead pedal, switching between the two levels with a footswitch.
Sources (4)
- Morley introduces three new Mini pedals, Guitar.com, 2018-02-22
- Next 20/20 Pedals Press Release, Morley, 2019-11
- Morley Debuts Three New Mini Pedals, Guitar World, 2018-02-20
- Morley 20/20 Volume Plus Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2019-11-21
