Everything turned to 10

[maxdave2010]

I've heard articles here and there about a few people who turn everything on their amplifier up to 10. None that I can quote, but I'm sure it's a known technique

So bass, middle, treble, gain and even master volume are all at 10?

What kind of effect does this acheive? Is it not the same as having everything at 5 (for arguement's sake), but louder?

Can having everything maxed cause any damage?

Curious about this one, does anyone do it?

-Dave

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Eddie Van Halen did it. I think there are one or two people out there who dig his tone. Of course, he had to use a Variac to lower, or "brown out," the voltage.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Hi Dave--

I've been guilty of cranking everything on ten, but only when that's the way the amp sounds best. Running everything wide open over time can possibly cause damage to the amp, or help it wear out faster I guess. I've got a few Univox amps that just sound their best with all the knobs dimed. Then I've got a Bassman where it sounds pretty bad like that.

I think that what others are refering to is the mentality that you gotta crank every knob all the way up for an amp to sound good, and if it doesn't it stinks. I've known a few people like that (my younger Marshall brainwashed self for one).

 

[jeremy]

Re: Everything turned to 10

on a marshall, sure. on a fender usually the bass will be mush at that level.

i run my volumes on 10 sometimes, mids on 10 most of the time and treble on 10 seldom but it does happen but usually not bass. when you crank a tube amp up they tend to push lots of bottom. i dont think it hurts anything per se but amps turned up that high will generate mucho heat and will shorten the life of the tubes.

is it worth it if the amps sound good. some do, some dont.

 

[lpmarshall]

Re: Everything turned to 10

I run everything on 11.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Everything turned to 10

I run everything where it sounds good.. on My Marshall and Mystery pedal that just happens to be full throttle

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Everything turned to 10

I run everything on 11.

That's one loudah, inn't it?

 

[lpmarshall]

Re: Everything turned to 10

That's one loudah, inn't it?

Nigel: No, you've seen enough of that one.
This is a top to a, you know, what we use on stage,
but it's very...very special because if you can see...
Marty: Yeah...
Nigel: ...the numbers all go to eleven. Look...right across the
board.
Marty: Ahh...oh, I see....
Nigel: Eleven...eleven...eleven....
Marty: ..and most of these amps go up to ten....
Nigel: Exactly.
Marty: Does that mean it's...louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see,
most...most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten.
You're on ten here...all the way up...all the way up....
Marty: Yeah....
Nigel: ...all the way up. You're on ten on your guitar...where
can you go from there? Where?
Marty: I don't know....
Nigel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is if we need that extra..
push over the cliff...you know what we do?
Marty: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the
top... number... and make that a little louder?

Nigel: These go to eleven.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Marty: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top... number... and make that a little louder?

Nigel looks completely befuddled for a moment.

Nigel: These go to eleven.

Can't forget that classic expression on Nigel's face.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Also remember some amps use the tone controls as limiters, so "all on 10" effectively takes them out of the circuit, and that's the sound of the amp running wide open. Other amps use the tone controls actively as boosts, so at 12:00 they're supposed to be out, and all the way up creates "humps" in the sound, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

 

[shredaholic]

Re: Everything turned to 10

With my Plexi I like to run everything on 10, then change the tone by changing out components in the amp and the tubes.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Everything turned to 10

most amps work like that. some passive tone circuts drop signal almost 35 db

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Yeah. The vast majority of tube guitar amps do not have tone controls that boost the signal. Instead, the tone controls are purely subtractive. When on 10 you're not throwing away much signal at all and when you turn them down you're sending the treble, middle or bass to ground. But on 10 you're not boosting any frequencies...you're just not turning any frequencies down.

That said, I never have my bass control higher than about 1/2 way with any of my amps. Usually it's set lower to prevent the amp from sounding muddy.

Alot of guys with limited experience playing out live use alot of bass and cut the treble when they play at home in order to sound full. (probably the same guys who are always copmplaining about certain pickups that aren't all that bright being to bright! :laugh2: ) You can't usually do that once you start playing out though or else your tone will be very muddy and have way to much bass...especially for your bassplayer's tastes.

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: Everything turned to 10

I've tried running my amp with everything on 10 but it just didn't sound right to me, either playing alone at home or in a band setting.

My settings are now Bass=8 or 10 (depending on the guitar), Mids=4-6, Treble=4-6, Presence=2. Preamp Volume is on 10, Gain Sensitivity all the way down (second gain stage).

Since my bridge pickups have plenty of mids (CC, Brobucker, Air Zone) I can afford to roll them back on the amp without sounding scooped. I've had no problem with these settings in a band situation.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Yeah. The vast majority of tube guitar amps do not have tone controls that boost the signal. Instead, the tone controls are purely subtractive. When on 10 you're not throwing away much signal at all and when you turn them down you're sending the treble, middle or bass to ground. But on 10 you're not boosting any frequencies...you're just not turning any frequencies down.

That said, I never have my bass control higher than about 1/2 way with any of my amps. Usually it's set lower to prevent the amp from sounding muddy.

Alot of guys with limited experience playing out live use alot of bass and cut the treble when they play at home in order to sound full. (probably the same guys who are always copmplaining about certain pickups that aren't all that bright being to bright! :laugh2: ) You can't usually do that once you start playing out though or else your tone will be very muddy and have way to much bass...especially for your bassplayer's tastes.

Lew

Agreed, the exception being of course projects such as mine that kicked out the bassist and told him to get a real job

 

[esandes]

Re: Everything turned to 10

i ran my jcm 800 on all 10s and i loved the sound. now that i have the fender, i may experiement more with the settings. the fender seems to have more bass where the marshall seemed to have more treble/mids

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Blackface Fenders use a .1 and .047 for the tone caps whereas the plexi Marshalls and Fender tweed Bassman amps use a pair of .02 caps.

That gives the Marshalls and tweed Bassman more mids...but more bass too!

On my tweed Bassman I used to need to turn the bass almost to zero.

But it's all a matter of taste I guess. I don't like to much bass...just "enough".

Might be my hearing...

Curly tells me I use the tone control of my guitar alot more than he does.

I tend to like a fair amount of treble and then turn it down at the guitar when I want a warmer tone or more of Clapton's "Woman Tone" when I'm soloing.

Lew

 

[jeremy]

Re: Everything turned to 10

also the placement of the tone controls on a marshall are further along in the circut than those in a fender so the fenders do more than the marshalls.

older marshalls are amps that i think can sound best with everything on 10.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Everything turned to 10

Yup. The Marshall tone stack is right at the end before the phase inverter. When a MV is in place, it's between the end of the tone stack and the phase inverter. Fender's I think are right after the first gain stage. In fact, I think they split some of the controls up. One or two after the first gain stage and the others after the second gain stage.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Everything turned to 10

the preamp for Fender tweed Bassman and Marshall Plexis, especially the JTM-45, are so similar! They sound similar too, IMO. Not identical of course....but very similar.

Still, it does seem like you can get away with using more bass with the Marshall...

I don't know why.

Lew