Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

[shredaholic]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

Only when I'm using single coils on my strat, and I still then have it on 10 a lot of the time. There's so much high end loss in humbuckers, I don't think there's any need to reduce the tone control level unless you're going for either super smooth Slash type leads or that 'tone on 0 effect'.

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I turn down the volume knob on my V250 when I'm playing rock stuff because my normal setting is too insane...the tone knob...only when I'm like doubling a track.

On my H207 I do it all the time since I don't like the sound from it all that much, I usually have it in "Bluesy" setting and it sounds great for that.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I play everything wide open as I can- it may limit me in 'plays well with others' situations, but you like what you like.

 

[ex-250]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

the only time i use em is occasionally on cleans, which is the minority of the time anyway

 

[skyking]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I play a tele and i can get all kinds of sounds from playing with the tone knob. i crank it to 10 for some snappin tele twang and then roll it off to sweeten up the sound a little. I set the amp to what level i want then roll off volume a little to clean up the dirt some, but i dont like to roll off volume too much cause it just doesnt sound good to my ears.

 

[spuds]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

Only when I'm using single coils on my strat, and I still then have it on 10 a lot of the time. There's so much high end loss in humbuckers, I don't think there's any need to reduce the tone control level unless you're going for either super smooth Slash type leads or that 'tone on 0 effect'.

Yeah thats exactly what I mean.
Oh sorry, I didn't state it initially, but I was kinda talking about Humbuckers... I can see where knob tweaking works great on a strat/tele... can get a lot of different sounds out of them.

But for humbuckers, I just leave them on 10 because they turn to mud the moment the volume is rolled down.

So for all the avid knob users, are you mainly single coil players? Or both?

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I never use the tone on my bridge pickups. I have a treble bleed cap on my neck pickups, so I use a tone to trim the highs from that. Otherwise, they can be disconnected and I'd never know the difference.

But for humbuckers, I just leave them on 10 because they turn to mud the moment the volume is rolled down.

Try better pots, pickups shouldn't mud up too bad when you roll down the vol. Otherwise, check out the concept of the treble bleed cap.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I use the volume a fair amount on allof my guitars, but the only guitar that I use the tone controls on a lot is the '54 Strat RI with the Antiquities because it can get rather bright depending on which amp i am using. The Fralins are rolled off enough that they don't have that problem. Not sure about the Broadcaster until i get the CS set in it with standard wiring. The tone control doesn't really do anything useful as it is wired right now. Same with the R4 Custom. Don't know yet.

 

[Guest]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I've started using them alot more lately, once you get used to adjusting them while playing you'll see all the benefits of it.

But as someone mentioned, might not be as useful when playing heavier/metal stuff.

I've started practising alittle on volume swells with the volume pots lately also. But it will take time before I get that down.

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I use the Volume controls on my LP a LOT, especially when you're trying to get clean-ish distortion. I leave it on 3 or 4. Or when you are playing lead, and you don't want to pick up little vibrations in the other strings.

7-10 on rythym for almost all rock songs.

And when I have the tone switch in the middle, when using both pups, I find that using the volume makes some awesome effects. Try turning your neck onto 10, and your bridge onto 3. It sounds really great!

The tone controls are always on 10. I just haven't ever found a great use for them.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

As for people who say "I never use em so I might as well take em off/disable them"...

That's like a virgin saying "well I never use it... might as well cut it off!" :laugh2:

I use mine. To clean things up. And to get things mellower if they need it. I love to have as many knobs as possible hehe

slade

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

Off-topic: What kind of car is that in your sig there dangly?

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

55 Chevy. 150 2 door sedan specifically

slade

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

Gorgeous car bro! I assume it's yours or someone's you know.

My brother bought a 1962 Cadillac Coupe DeVille today (this isn't the one he bought, but his is identical).

Not the same thing as yours I know, but we're all car folks over here. In a completely different genre, I own a 1985 Corvette, which my dad owned for many years and put many thousands of dollars of work into. Not a 'classic' car by any means, but still very nice.

Nice car bro! And nice guitar too! That matching paint kicks serious ***!

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I so want a C4 Vette... not bad for fuel mileage, just for a cruiser. especially seeing as you got one with TPI :smokin: I always thought they looked good in yellow... or that gray/silver two tone like 50% of them were done in.

I've got a TPI setup that's going on another Chevy that belongs to my dad... Mine is getting an LT1 and a five speed

Thanks for the compliment Nice caddy too.

My dad's the corvette man. he's got 4 :laugh2: (57, 59, 01, and 04 Z06 )

Slade

 

[BigAlTheBird]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

Yeah my bro got lucky with that Caddy. He just saw it on the street a few days back, and looked into it. ANd today, his loan came through, so he paid for it. He's pretty happy!

And yeah my C4 is pretty cool, thanks! I rarely ever drive it for two reasons:
1. The insurance is INSANE.
2. I really don't want to crash it, or put many more miles on it (only has 70k).

My dad, between when he bought it in '86 and when he sold it to me put a 5.4L 350+ bhp (never officially measured) engine in it, a new muffler/exhaust system, and some awesome Pirelli tires! It runs like awesome. I'd rather have one of the new Corvette's, but I grew up riding in this one. I have a weird, inexplicable affinity towards it.

And now, I'll stop hijacking the topic! Sorry guys!

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

With Strats, I use the volume knob, but not the other two. I leave the tones at 10. Under distortion, there seems to be a sweet spot at about 7/8 volume for both my SSS and HSS Strat.

I use all 4 knobs on my Les Paul though. The tone controls seem to change the sound, not necessarily for better or worse, whereas on the Strat, rolling down the tone knobs just seems to worsen the sound.

 

[nuntius]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

With my strat, I find the cleans seem to sound a little nicer when the volume is on 9 instead of 10... it just takes a bit of edge out of it making it sound softer.

Two of my guitars have that thing (forgotten the technical term) where you turn down the volume and the treble stays, and they can be good for going from a clean-ish tone to a distorted one, but sometimes I prefer the effect my strat volume knob has where the treble goes down a little with the volume.


I use my tone controls on all of my guitars depending on what's necessary. With a little gain, my strat's bridge pickup sounds ace with the tone pot on 6/7.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

I use a 2 channel amp, so when I want clean sounds, I just switch channels.
I've never personally liked the sound when the volume or tone is rolled back. Recently I've been removing all of the tone pots in my guitars and using a mini switch that is set for 2 gentle roll offs. It's more accurate than using a tone pot (for me) and keeps things from getting too bright/edgy. The theory is similar to The Golden Boy's treble bleed circuit, except that in one position the switch uses a Fender circuit and in the other it's a Gibson circuit. The differences are subtle but definitely audible.

I generally only use the volume control as a mute. I wouldn't classify myself as a beginner, and my style of playing doesn't leave much room for subtlety.

 

[muttonchopsrule]

Re: Am I the only one who doesn't adjust my volume/tone knobs?

i use the volume quite a bit to achive mid-gain settings by turning it down half way or more. but my tone knobs are maxed out and they pretty much stay that way unless things are sounding unuasually bright.