Slartibartfast
New member
Do you play with your guitar volume and tone controls wide open?
What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?
Volume and Tone Wide Open?
- Thread starter Slartibartfast
- Start date
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
Sometimes.
Setting up your rig (amp plus pedal) with more gain, volume and brightness than you need, allowing you to control it all from your guitar can be really fun. I started doing this with my Strat and King of Tone (EQing for the middle position instead of neck) and it really opened up how many tones I had available.
Sometimes.
Setting up your rig (amp plus pedal) with more gain, volume and brightness than you need, allowing you to control it all from your guitar can be really fun. I started doing this with my Strat and King of Tone (EQing for the middle position instead of neck) and it really opened up how many tones I had available.
VinceT
New member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
I always did until mid last-year (that’s 40 years of playing that way) I now tend to experiment more, pretty much as PFDarkside’s describes amp settings above.
Great for recording, though I still tend to go wide open for gigs.
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I always did until mid last-year (that’s 40 years of playing that way) I now tend to experiment more, pretty much as PFDarkside’s describes amp settings above.
Great for recording, though I still tend to go wide open for gigs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
BriGuy1968
New member
Volume and Tone Wide Open?
I have a similar story to VinceT’s... only recently started using my volume control as anything more than an on/off switch after playing since ‘84. I’m enjoying getting the different flavors of gain out of it, but I also now realize that I need to add treble bleeds to nine guitars. [emoji20]
I still have no use whatsoever for tone controls... to me all they do is suck the life out of the sound. That being said, I’m trying to keep my mind open to changing at some future time, much like my recently changed opinion of volume controls.
I have a similar story to VinceT’s... only recently started using my volume control as anything more than an on/off switch after playing since ‘84. I’m enjoying getting the different flavors of gain out of it, but I also now realize that I need to add treble bleeds to nine guitars. [emoji20]
I still have no use whatsoever for tone controls... to me all they do is suck the life out of the sound. That being said, I’m trying to keep my mind open to changing at some future time, much like my recently changed opinion of volume controls.
skyydogg01
New member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
I use my volume control but not my tone. I'm tempted to just create a circuit to emulate the tone knob on 10 so I don't have to worry about a knob doing nothing on my guitar.
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I use my volume control but not my tone. I'm tempted to just create a circuit to emulate the tone knob on 10 so I don't have to worry about a knob doing nothing on my guitar.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Sirion
New member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
If I have a single coil bridge I like to control the brightness; for a humbucker-equipped guitar I usually prefer having no tone control, unless I am going for a very warm sound.
The volume I like to use. One thing I would like to look into is how the volume could also be used to roll off some treble, as I usually want a weaker tone to be less trebly. Some of my guitars do this admirably already, others might need a little assistance.
If I have a single coil bridge I like to control the brightness; for a humbucker-equipped guitar I usually prefer having no tone control, unless I am going for a very warm sound.
The volume I like to use. One thing I would like to look into is how the volume could also be used to roll off some treble, as I usually want a weaker tone to be less trebly. Some of my guitars do this admirably already, others might need a little assistance.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
My Strat knobs are all over the place and rarely stay in one setting very long. I heard Warren Haynes say vintage Gibson pots sound better backed off a little, so keep them rolled back a little on my ‘62 LP. I also like doing the middle position, bridge on 10, neck on 7 or so thing. I roll back the bridge tone but rarely the neck on that guitar.
My Strat knobs are all over the place and rarely stay in one setting very long. I heard Warren Haynes say vintage Gibson pots sound better backed off a little, so keep them rolled back a little on my ‘62 LP. I also like doing the middle position, bridge on 10, neck on 7 or so thing. I roll back the bridge tone but rarely the neck on that guitar.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
I spend a good bit of time playing with tone and volume wide open, but I’m just as likely to turn one or both to taste.
I spend a good bit of time playing with tone and volume wide open, but I’m just as likely to turn one or both to taste.
ICTGoober
New member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
I used to be one of those guys who was fiddling with the knobs all the time.... Now I just strum in a different place with a different touch and get close enough. Everything on 10, use the pickup selector and any tapping/series/parallel switching I have for major fluctuations in sound.
I used to be one of those guys who was fiddling with the knobs all the time.... Now I just strum in a different place with a different touch and get close enough. Everything on 10, use the pickup selector and any tapping/series/parallel switching I have for major fluctuations in sound.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
For me, the better the pickups, the better the wiring, the better the amp, the more I can make use of the volume and tone controls.
The crappier the guitar, wiring, pickups and amp, the more I need it slammed wide open to get any worthwhile sound out of it.
For me, the better the pickups, the better the wiring, the better the amp, the more I can make use of the volume and tone controls.
The crappier the guitar, wiring, pickups and amp, the more I need it slammed wide open to get any worthwhile sound out of it.
Condemned soul
New member
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
Tone control - depends on the guitar.
Volume controls - Set them to about 3/4 open and amp set to just below breakup to set my base clean sound.
Tone control - depends on the guitar.
Volume controls - Set them to about 3/4 open and amp set to just below breakup to set my base clean sound.
Also, except for one lone PRS SE Santana, I have all Gibson guitars and at times use the middle position, sometimes with bridge rolled down a bit or neck pickup with tone rolled down a bit.
Jeff_H
Dean Hardtail Fanologist
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
50's wiring, rolling back tone and volume pots can yield some surprising results, ESPECIALLY in the middle position. For those of us who either grew up with our idols playing or our favorite songs being recorded with vintage LP/PAF sounds, the key to achieving those tones is not only replicating the guitar and amps used, but replicating their technique. All of the guys who played vintage or even Norlin era LP's were MASTERS of achieving different tones via the volume and tone controls. Very few of them played wide open on 10 tone/volume all the time. It's the subtleties of tone and volume adjustments that achieved those classic rock tones.
50's wiring, rolling back tone and volume pots can yield some surprising results, ESPECIALLY in the middle position. For those of us who either grew up with our idols playing or our favorite songs being recorded with vintage LP/PAF sounds, the key to achieving those tones is not only replicating the guitar and amps used, but replicating their technique. All of the guys who played vintage or even Norlin era LP's were MASTERS of achieving different tones via the volume and tone controls. Very few of them played wide open on 10 tone/volume all the time. It's the subtleties of tone and volume adjustments that achieved those classic rock tones.
Re: Volume and Tone Wide Open?
My thing is that I started on a Strat with a master tone control, and an amp that only had a clean sound...and no pedals at all. For years. So any tonal change had to be done from the guitar. So I got pretty used to the differences in tone & volume settings.
My thing is that I started on a Strat with a master tone control, and an amp that only had a clean sound...and no pedals at all. For years. So any tonal change had to be done from the guitar. So I got pretty used to the differences in tone & volume settings.