Volume on my pedal is not "zero" at minimum . . .

[msb69]

I have a distortion pedal that, even when the volume knob is at minimum, there is sound.  Moreover, unity gain is at like 8 o'clock on the knob.  The volume pot is 10k.  Is that the cause? 

Would a 100k pot be better?

m

PS -- the gain pot is also only 10k, so the range of gain is limited.  Perhaps a 100k there would be better too?

[jlullo]

what pedal is it?

[petemoore]

  I only had like one pot [in hundreds] that didn't go to 0.0ohms between wiper and an outside lug when...fully toward it.
  I've been known to put a smallish resistor [in comparison to the pot value] 'under' the pot, this way I don't pull a box from the pedalboard, debug for an hour, then find a pot turned all the way down...if it's a pot wired like volume or gain controls often are or a varialbe resistor to ground from signal path, that way when it's connected and on, I get something through it for sure.

[Processaurus]

Good thinking Pete, when has anyone ever needed to kick their distortion pedal on and get zero volume?  Giving a minimum volume would give the pot a more useful range, less touchy/hard to set consistently.