Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

chris30000

New member
Is it true that if you completely remove the tone knob, that the tone will be its brightest?

Also, pull from a neck pickup can reduce high frequencies.

Anyone remember those old charvels with just a bridge humbucker and a volume knob? I think they were onto something.
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

Having no pot will only allow the pup to play unbridled. It may not necessarily make the pup any brighter, as the pup may not be built to play bright. I tried this with my Hotrails, but found that I had to control the tone somewhat, so I put a 500k pot in T2. I would imagine that some other pup sound remarkable without a pot.

I can definitely see where a guitar, with the right pup combination, would sound great without restrictions. On the other hand, I love the versatility my Strat has with 3 pups, 1 Vol, 2 Tones, and a 5-way switch!!
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

Having more highs is not always a "good thing". The 59 in my Patriot was so shrill, I had to roll the tone knob back to "5" to make it listenable. Moving the 59 to the Predator, which has a Kahler tremolo and locking nut, sapped some of the highs, making it a perfect match.

A tone control, even on "10", still shunts some amount of highs to ground. So, it just becomes a question of how the pup/guitar match each other, as to whether or not this would be an improvement. Let your ears guide you. ;)
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

Before I was fully done building my tele I only had one pup- a Hot rails in the bridge and I had it hooked up to one Volume pot (500k) with no tone at all.

Later when I got a nother hot rails for the neck I set the guitar up to a 3 way switch, 1 tone and 1 volume.

I didn't notice any difference in tone to the bridge pup.

both pots are 500k
 
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Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

1 bridge bucker and 1 volume knob is my absolute favorite setup. It might be purely psychological, but I get more sustain that way, and for whatever reason it just feels best. Maybe because I don't screw around deciding how it sounds best, and just play! :D
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

no neck pup and no tone pot is a waste of guitar for me
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

I NEVER use my tone pots, and in both of my Lynchs have none, and I love it!!
To quote Tim Allen, 'MORE POWER!!!! AR AR ARRRRRRR!!!!'
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

I never used to use tone pots either, but after hearing Lew and them talking about Clapton's "woman tone" thang, I've been using them more and more.

It just another flavor in the tone palette. ;)
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

AHAHAHAHAH that´s Insane
i still don´t understand one KG of what are you talking about.
or at least, you didn´t answer it properly. or i am a retard. ahahahahaha
my charvel is 1 neck pup, 1 bridhe pup and one VOLUME pot only, and one 3 way switch.
an i use the CC bridge and it RIPPS Everyone´s ASS
HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

WITH FULL DISTORTION said:
AHAHAHAHAH that´s Insane
i still don´t understand one KG of what are you talking about.
or at least, you didn´t answer it properly. or i am a retard. ahahahahaha
my charvel is 1 neck pup, 1 bridhe pup and one VOLUME pot only, and one 3 way switch.
an i use the CC bridge and it RIPPS Everyone´s ASS
HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :lame:
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

If you throw away the cheap ceramic caps in your guitar and install something good like orange drops, mallory's or hovlands you will find you use your tone controls a lot more.

I third the nail polish mod :cool3:
 
Re: Remove Tone Pot for most Brighness?

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Use a No Load pot....

+1 on the No Load tone pot.
It's like the pot isn't even there with the tone turned up to 10.

Although I can't remember seeing a 500k No Load.
 
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