Less electronic knobs
- Thread starter Wayne27
- Start date
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Re: Less electronic knobs
What? If you mean less potentiometers (like the volume and tone knob) they do make a small difference. All other things being equal, if you have a guitar with a volume knob and a tone knob and another with only a volume knob, the one with only one knob will be slightly brighter as there will be less electrical resistance on the signal. This can be interpreted as more sustain.
What? If you mean less potentiometers (like the volume and tone knob) they do make a small difference. All other things being equal, if you have a guitar with a volume knob and a tone knob and another with only a volume knob, the one with only one knob will be slightly brighter as there will be less electrical resistance on the signal. This can be interpreted as more sustain.
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
Re: Less electronic knobs
For strongest, brightest signal all the time, go without knobs altogether! I saw a guy once whose bass only had an on/off switch. I actually thought that was kinda cool.
Personally I like having a little more control. It is true that pots can sap some of your tone & volume, and for a while it wasn't unheard-of for some players to wire a "blower' switch that connected their bridge pickup directly to the output jack.
But these small effects can be a positive factor, too. Many have fine-tuned the tone of their instruments by choosing different volume pots, for instance- it affects the sound even when the controls are wide open.
For strongest, brightest signal all the time, go without knobs altogether! I saw a guy once whose bass only had an on/off switch. I actually thought that was kinda cool.
Personally I like having a little more control. It is true that pots can sap some of your tone & volume, and for a while it wasn't unheard-of for some players to wire a "blower' switch that connected their bridge pickup directly to the output jack.
But these small effects can be a positive factor, too. Many have fine-tuned the tone of their instruments by choosing different volume pots, for instance- it affects the sound even when the controls are wide open.
BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Less electronic knobs
+1.
If you listen REALLY, REALLY close you MIGHT be able to hear a slight difference, but I would think it would have more to do with tone than sustain, and it wouldn’t be enough to make a practical difference... nothing that an adjustment to an EQ knob or two along the chain couldn’t account for IF you’re even able to hear it.
Real sustain (not from a compressor or high gain) is really more a function of keeping the string vibrating for a longer time. Pots and switches have pretty much nothing to do with that... bridges, nuts, woods (types and shapes), and your fingers drive sustain.
+1.
If you listen REALLY, REALLY close you MIGHT be able to hear a slight difference, but I would think it would have more to do with tone than sustain, and it wouldn’t be enough to make a practical difference... nothing that an adjustment to an EQ knob or two along the chain couldn’t account for IF you’re even able to hear it.
Real sustain (not from a compressor or high gain) is really more a function of keeping the string vibrating for a longer time. Pots and switches have pretty much nothing to do with that... bridges, nuts, woods (types and shapes), and your fingers drive sustain.
