Johnny the Kid
Shaunofthedeadologist
And here's why...
Work Your Knobs
- Thread starter Johnny the Kid
- Start date
EDX
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
yep, is the best way, you can really enjoy messing with your tone from the guitar itself, since the first time i saw that vid i set my rig to use the knobs, and i've been doing since then
really the best guitar related advice in youtube, unless you have a no tone pot sherdstick, then you shall shred the hell outta dat and lower the vol a little for the rythms
yep, is the best way, you can really enjoy messing with your tone from the guitar itself, since the first time i saw that vid i set my rig to use the knobs, and i've been doing since then
really the best guitar related advice in youtube, unless you have a no tone pot sherdstick, then you shall shred the hell outta dat and lower the vol a little for the rythms
Johnny the Kid
Shaunofthedeadologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
I should state that I have zero stage presence and prefer to stick by my POD. Mastodon and Tool are big influences in how I carry myself while playing live. Maybe I'll turn towards the drums or something, but I just kinda stick in my area. I also rarely play a solo, so I don't need to do anything like boosting the volume for things like solos, but I do think that the knobs are there for a reason and setting the tone and volume around 5 and then EQ'ing everything from there allows me to adjust the volume and tone for different sounds. Maybe I need a super jazzy tone for a clean passage, or maybe I need to bring the volume up for a really explosive part, but I work my knobs like a master.
I should state that I have zero stage presence and prefer to stick by my POD. Mastodon and Tool are big influences in how I carry myself while playing live. Maybe I'll turn towards the drums or something, but I just kinda stick in my area. I also rarely play a solo, so I don't need to do anything like boosting the volume for things like solos, but I do think that the knobs are there for a reason and setting the tone and volume around 5 and then EQ'ing everything from there allows me to adjust the volume and tone for different sounds. Maybe I need a super jazzy tone for a clean passage, or maybe I need to bring the volume up for a really explosive part, but I work my knobs like a master.
BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Cool vid... very informative. I have to admit that I find my tone controls useless and I use my volumes as on/off switches, but I may just have to experiment around with my rig to give this a try. Thanks Johnny the Kid! :fing2:
Cool vid... very informative. I have to admit that I find my tone controls useless and I use my volumes as on/off switches, but I may just have to experiment around with my rig to give this a try. Thanks Johnny the Kid! :fing2:
Edgecrusher
Well-known member
Re: Work Your Knobs
The dude being a yob aside, Its not so cut and dried, A tone knob turned to 6 is "more natural and organic" How does turning a knob down suddenly make it organic? A tone control on 10 sounds fake? Bovine Excrement.
Theres also a down side to setting up your tone his way. Most tone knobs and amp eq's are passive, meaning they can only cut. If you roll the highs off at the guitar the amp has nothing to work with and turning up the treble is less effective cause it has less to work with. And much more importantly by cutting the frequencies off at the guitar they never hit your amps gain stages. This depending on your amp and your desired tone can be either good or bad. For some amps its a big negative, For example my MKIV when you roll back the tone knob loses gain really fast but by contrast rolling back the tone control knob on my JCM900 at first just removes some fizz. Its hardly a set in stone rule
He has a minor point about doing his way you are free to walk away from your pedal board. I guess I just dont see how its difficult to step on your pedal THEN jump into the pit.
The dude being a yob aside, Its not so cut and dried, A tone knob turned to 6 is "more natural and organic" How does turning a knob down suddenly make it organic? A tone control on 10 sounds fake? Bovine Excrement.
Theres also a down side to setting up your tone his way. Most tone knobs and amp eq's are passive, meaning they can only cut. If you roll the highs off at the guitar the amp has nothing to work with and turning up the treble is less effective cause it has less to work with. And much more importantly by cutting the frequencies off at the guitar they never hit your amps gain stages. This depending on your amp and your desired tone can be either good or bad. For some amps its a big negative, For example my MKIV when you roll back the tone knob loses gain really fast but by contrast rolling back the tone control knob on my JCM900 at first just removes some fizz. Its hardly a set in stone rule
He has a minor point about doing his way you are free to walk away from your pedal board. I guess I just dont see how its difficult to step on your pedal THEN jump into the pit.
BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Good points as well, Edgecrusher. I guess I'm kind of at that place where I'm trying to decide whether to try to learn to use my tone controls or whether to just give up and go with what I know (which is to EQ with my amp/effects and let the guitar run with the tone at 10). I can surely see the logic of both sides. I feel like the tone controls are there for a reason, but I just don't like what turning them down does to my sound. I have, however, found that I don't mind it on one of my guitars where I've got a .005uF cap. It just kind of takes the edge off without getting muddy. :dunno:
Good points as well, Edgecrusher. I guess I'm kind of at that place where I'm trying to decide whether to try to learn to use my tone controls or whether to just give up and go with what I know (which is to EQ with my amp/effects and let the guitar run with the tone at 10). I can surely see the logic of both sides. I feel like the tone controls are there for a reason, but I just don't like what turning them down does to my sound. I have, however, found that I don't mind it on one of my guitars where I've got a .005uF cap. It just kind of takes the edge off without getting muddy. :dunno:
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
Re: Work Your Knobs
I like the post because it provides an alternative to the standard of setting the amp tone with the knobs on full and then just using them to cut. Sure it might not be for everyone, and I might try it out and not even like it and then go back to the old standby. But I do intend to at least give it a try and see how it sounds.
I like the post because it provides an alternative to the standard of setting the amp tone with the knobs on full and then just using them to cut. Sure it might not be for everyone, and I might try it out and not even like it and then go back to the old standby. But I do intend to at least give it a try and see how it sounds.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Work Your Knobs
It's just a different method, no right or wrong. Are Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, and Jerry Cantrell wrong for not using their tone controls? I like the idea of setting the guitar volume and tone at 5 and adjusting the amp, but in my practice, some amps just don't have very responsive EQ, and you'd really have to set the knob at a precise spot quickly. I'll turn a volume knob down to clean up, but use a pedal for a boost because it's quicker to go into "boost mode" and quicker to go back to the sound before that. Whatever you need to get the job done.
Also, I think with the right setup and band, you won't really need too much of a boost for leads. Just a slight push if anything.
It's just a different method, no right or wrong. Are Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, and Jerry Cantrell wrong for not using their tone controls? I like the idea of setting the guitar volume and tone at 5 and adjusting the amp, but in my practice, some amps just don't have very responsive EQ, and you'd really have to set the knob at a precise spot quickly. I'll turn a volume knob down to clean up, but use a pedal for a boost because it's quicker to go into "boost mode" and quicker to go back to the sound before that. Whatever you need to get the job done.
Also, I think with the right setup and band, you won't really need too much of a boost for leads. Just a slight push if anything.
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BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
I kind of feel like, since the controls take away from the raw sound of the guitar, that I have my best signal by EQing the full signal at the amp. That being said, I think even a bigger part of my problem with tone controls (and to some extent volume controls) is that I like to have a "stop." I mentioned in my previous post that I like one of my tone controls because I've got a .005uF cap in it. When I use it, I can turn it all the way down against the stop and not have to worry about where I am in the middle (ie: between 0 and 10). I guess I'm saying that I like using my knobs as on/off switches instead of as the blends that they are designed to be. Maybe I'm too manic about wanting to get to exactly the same place again, or maybe I just don't trust my own ear!
Of course, I could probably fix that by putting some kind of a mark next to each knob to act as a point of reference, but I kind of hate the idea of doing that to my finishes!
Am I the only guitarist who feels this way?
I kind of feel like, since the controls take away from the raw sound of the guitar, that I have my best signal by EQing the full signal at the amp. That being said, I think even a bigger part of my problem with tone controls (and to some extent volume controls) is that I like to have a "stop." I mentioned in my previous post that I like one of my tone controls because I've got a .005uF cap in it. When I use it, I can turn it all the way down against the stop and not have to worry about where I am in the middle (ie: between 0 and 10). I guess I'm saying that I like using my knobs as on/off switches instead of as the blends that they are designed to be. Maybe I'm too manic about wanting to get to exactly the same place again, or maybe I just don't trust my own ear!
Of course, I could probably fix that by putting some kind of a mark next to each knob to act as a point of reference, but I kind of hate the idea of doing that to my finishes!
Am I the only guitarist who feels this way?
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
After awhile it becomes instinctive. You probably don't have to stare at the neck to know where your fingers are, and you probably don't need to stare at the pickup selector in order to switch pickups, nor do you need to stare at the wang bar in order to vibrato... so to becomes the tone/volume knobs with a little bit of practice.
After awhile it becomes instinctive. You probably don't have to stare at the neck to know where your fingers are, and you probably don't need to stare at the pickup selector in order to switch pickups, nor do you need to stare at the wang bar in order to vibrato... so to becomes the tone/volume knobs with a little bit of practice.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Work Your Knobs
^^Except those volume/tone control sweet spots would change from amp to amp, from venue to venue, from settings to settings, from volume levels to volume levels, etc.
^^Except those volume/tone control sweet spots would change from amp to amp, from venue to venue, from settings to settings, from volume levels to volume levels, etc.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
If you can hear the difference between perfect and almost perfect while standing next to a drummer and with a monitor in your face then colour me impressed.
If you can hear the difference between perfect and almost perfect while standing next to a drummer and with a monitor in your face then colour me impressed.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Work Your Knobs
Well, what's the taper of the potentiometer? 7 vs 7.5 may or may not be a big difference depending on the taper.
Well, what's the taper of the potentiometer? 7 vs 7.5 may or may not be a big difference depending on the taper.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
I edited my comment... couldn't figure out how to get across what I was trying to say the first time around.
I edited my comment... couldn't figure out how to get across what I was trying to say the first time around.
