The main problem that I have with most volume pedals is the lack of control. I know I'm probably being a huge stickler for quality. I only really bought volume pedals because I thought that they would allow me to lower my volumes during live shows when necessary, but also not rob me of brightness or tone. A second, more active use I have for them is for volume swells. I was used to performing this technique on my guitar's volume knob, but the impracticality of that was severely limiting. I have often been frustrated with some of the volume pedals that I have purchased over the years, but have recently found a few good ones. This pedal is definitely one of those. It's a little more pricey than what I would really want to pay for it, but it's a good value and Ernie Ball will fix it anytime for a reasonable price (so they say). The pedal is only suitable for guitars and basses with passive pickups because of the resistance that it can handle, but I don't own any instruments with active pickups anyway, so it's not a problem for me at all. Another neat feature is the fact that it provides a switch that switches between two rates at which the volume will swell. For the most part I stick with one setting for my main sound, leaving it at about 80-85% of total volume, and cranking to 100% when it's time for a solo. I find the other setting to be better when I actually want to throw some volume swells in there. I find this technique with a good delay can make some really cool sounds! Another neat feature is a tuner bypass switch, which will allow the guitar to tune while the pedal is completely depressed for silent tuning. However, since I already have a tuner that bypasses for silent tuning, I don't really need this at all, though I'm sure many others will appreciate it. I feel like this is one of the better volume pedals I've tried. I have mixed feeling about the Ernie Ball brand in general, but lately I've really been coming around to them. This pedal has certainly helped in that situation. It's versatile enough for anyone trying to stick with one channel.