Work Your Knobs
- Thread starter Johnny the Kid
- Start date
80's_Metal
Underglazed Hair Metalologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
Nostalgic Distortion
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
No, You work your knobs!!! Lol, I hate tone knobs, but I have a few fiddles that still have them, 2 because they are tap knobs and I can't get new guards or hide it any other way & one I actually do use sometimes? They're good if you're going for a cool jazzy sound & then you want to bring the tone back up for another part of the song?
Seriously, if someone broke into my house and disconnected all of the tone bones I've got left one night, I probably wouldn't even notice for a month? I typically don't touch them, they get set to 10 & stay like that until I just remove them completely?
No, You work your knobs!!! Lol, I hate tone knobs, but I have a few fiddles that still have them, 2 because they are tap knobs and I can't get new guards or hide it any other way & one I actually do use sometimes? They're good if you're going for a cool jazzy sound & then you want to bring the tone back up for another part of the song?
Seriously, if someone broke into my house and disconnected all of the tone bones I've got left one night, I probably wouldn't even notice for a month? I typically don't touch them, they get set to 10 & stay like that until I just remove them completely?
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Work Your Knobs
I have guitars with single Humbuckers/Volume control, and Strats with 3 pickups, volume and two tones. With a lot of gain, the single pickup guitars can vary their tone based on picking dynamics/style and volume knob. With lower gain (barely breaking up amp & a clean boost or light OD) standard Strat arrangement can pull a wide variety of tones using the selector, volume and tones.
For hard rock and metal, I'm just leaving the single pickup guitar pegged, maybe lowering the volume for clean. Playing blues and lighter Rock, I'm using the Strat with all controls. I wouldn't expect to being going from 7 - 7.5 at higher gain, but riding the edge of breakup, it's super effective.
I have guitars with single Humbuckers/Volume control, and Strats with 3 pickups, volume and two tones. With a lot of gain, the single pickup guitars can vary their tone based on picking dynamics/style and volume knob. With lower gain (barely breaking up amp & a clean boost or light OD) standard Strat arrangement can pull a wide variety of tones using the selector, volume and tones.
For hard rock and metal, I'm just leaving the single pickup guitar pegged, maybe lowering the volume for clean. Playing blues and lighter Rock, I'm using the Strat with all controls. I wouldn't expect to being going from 7 - 7.5 at higher gain, but riding the edge of breakup, it's super effective.
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
Re: Work Your Knobs
After trying it out, I'm still undecided. I think that if the tone and volume have some sort of center detent, then maybe it would be more effective. But in the heat of a performance, I think that trying to fiddle with the knobs is far more of a distraction than just stepping on a pedal. Maybe if you are playing slow blues or jazz it could be useful. For speed/thrash metal, not so much.
After trying it out, I'm still undecided. I think that if the tone and volume have some sort of center detent, then maybe it would be more effective. But in the heat of a performance, I think that trying to fiddle with the knobs is far more of a distraction than just stepping on a pedal. Maybe if you are playing slow blues or jazz it could be useful. For speed/thrash metal, not so much.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
For thrash, pulling back on the tone control drops treble, brings out the mids and takes the sizzle/fizz off the pick attack so notes separate. The faster the riff the more I drop the tone and the more percussive my attack becomes. If I'm doing slower stuff or something that requires less clarity I'll roll it back up and let the sizzle fill more space.
I'm not talking a whole lot here (I typically run my bridge tone between 7 and 10), and like I said before working the control becomes instinctive after awhile.
In the end there's more than one way to skin a cat and there's certainly no requirement to use your tone or volume control... but it does give you options that a stomp box that's anchored to one location on the stage doesn't.
For thrash, pulling back on the tone control drops treble, brings out the mids and takes the sizzle/fizz off the pick attack so notes separate. The faster the riff the more I drop the tone and the more percussive my attack becomes. If I'm doing slower stuff or something that requires less clarity I'll roll it back up and let the sizzle fill more space.
I'm not talking a whole lot here (I typically run my bridge tone between 7 and 10), and like I said before working the control becomes instinctive after awhile.
In the end there's more than one way to skin a cat and there's certainly no requirement to use your tone or volume control... but it does give you options that a stomp box that's anchored to one location on the stage doesn't.
Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Oh $h!t!!! Where do I begin!?!?!
First off, the idea that there's a best way to do ANYTHING artistic is completely silly...for lack of a better word. I don't even have anything vulgar or funny to say about that...it's just silly.
This guy is pure internet magic though. He has all the elements: A strong opinion, a straight face, AN ACCENT and 10's of thousands of views. So some people take him seriously.
Has anyone seen his band play? There aren't any clips on his page. He talks more like a tech than a guitar player and 98% of the gigging guitar players I know don't have time to make youtube videos.
I've seen his videos before and I think they are entertaining. People like this guy are dangerous to new guitar players, because they speak in absolutes.
I would urge anyone who hasn't found their sound yet to DEFINITELY try out what he suggests and see if it works for you but please don't take this as solid tone law because it just isn't.
Jimi didn't work like this, Dime and Randy didn't shape their tone like this and I know FLAT OUT that Steve Vai doesn't do it. That's pretty much all I can say.
Personally, it's too much to think about for me live and if you are so concerned about jumping in the pit "back to back" with your other guitarist, all you are gonna hear is the mix through the PA anyway...so...there's that.
It's an amusing idiosyncrasy and I wouldn't suggest changing your style over it.
Enjoy your tone quest. Find your own way.
~LD
Oh $h!t!!! Where do I begin!?!?!
First off, the idea that there's a best way to do ANYTHING artistic is completely silly...for lack of a better word. I don't even have anything vulgar or funny to say about that...it's just silly.
This guy is pure internet magic though. He has all the elements: A strong opinion, a straight face, AN ACCENT and 10's of thousands of views. So some people take him seriously.
Has anyone seen his band play? There aren't any clips on his page. He talks more like a tech than a guitar player and 98% of the gigging guitar players I know don't have time to make youtube videos.
I've seen his videos before and I think they are entertaining. People like this guy are dangerous to new guitar players, because they speak in absolutes.
I would urge anyone who hasn't found their sound yet to DEFINITELY try out what he suggests and see if it works for you but please don't take this as solid tone law because it just isn't.
Jimi didn't work like this, Dime and Randy didn't shape their tone like this and I know FLAT OUT that Steve Vai doesn't do it. That's pretty much all I can say.
Personally, it's too much to think about for me live and if you are so concerned about jumping in the pit "back to back" with your other guitarist, all you are gonna hear is the mix through the PA anyway...so...there's that.
It's an amusing idiosyncrasy and I wouldn't suggest changing your style over it.
Enjoy your tone quest. Find your own way.
~LD
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
Re: Work Your Knobs
As a blues player, no, I don't like to play with knobs throughout songs. It's a distraction from what I'm trying to accomplish. When I see a player constantly adjusting his knobs, it's also a distraction for me in the audience.
As a blues player, no, I don't like to play with knobs throughout songs. It's a distraction from what I'm trying to accomplish. When I see a player constantly adjusting his knobs, it's also a distraction for me in the audience.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Work Your Knobs
ears --> brain--> fingers--> knobs
ears --> brain--> fingers--> knobs
Johnny the Kid
Shaunofthedeadologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
Well I can see this is a subject that a lot of players feel strongly about. I was just trying to show one guy's opinion of the subject, and an opinion that I share. He also puts it much more fluently than I could.
But anyone who doesn't touch the knobs, that's fine. It's your guitar and your sound. He's not right, but he's also not necessarily wrong either. As someone else said, there's many different ways to kill a cat and this is just one. I always thought more switching options are better, and I still think so, but I often overlooked the multitude of options available through the tone knob. For my style of playing, adjusting knobs works out well, and for others, it doesn't, but neither way is the "correct" or "wrong" way.
It is interesting to see the many different opinions of players who play many different styles.
Well I can see this is a subject that a lot of players feel strongly about. I was just trying to show one guy's opinion of the subject, and an opinion that I share. He also puts it much more fluently than I could.
But anyone who doesn't touch the knobs, that's fine. It's your guitar and your sound. He's not right, but he's also not necessarily wrong either. As someone else said, there's many different ways to kill a cat and this is just one. I always thought more switching options are better, and I still think so, but I often overlooked the multitude of options available through the tone knob. For my style of playing, adjusting knobs works out well, and for others, it doesn't, but neither way is the "correct" or "wrong" way.
It is interesting to see the many different opinions of players who play many different styles.
allbutromeo
Well-known member
Re: Work Your Knobs
For some people it works, I prefer not to use my tone controls, volume sometimes. That guy cracks me up, even though I don't always agree with him. I love his How Not to Get a Heavy Metal Tone video
For some people it works, I prefer not to use my tone controls, volume sometimes. That guy cracks me up, even though I don't always agree with him. I love his How Not to Get a Heavy Metal Tone video
EDX
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
well, having a Dimebucker on the bridge, doesn't even matters if the guitar isn't bright by itself, you just need something to help you and get control over the high end of that sucker, be it a pedal or a knob, and, while dime's main sound was all at 10, by hearing you can pretty much tell he worked his knobs (if not he would surely had sweat proof switches instead of sweat proof knobs and his guitars would totally lack a tone knob), maybe not the way the guy on the vid suggests, but pretty much dime did (remeber he also played the ol' blues and some country on rebel meets rebel), away from who did what, giving it a try, as is really useful, even mincer (orpheo) wrote on the SD blog about it some time ago explaining how your playing and tone can benefit of actually using that knob, and for me the tone knob is what lets my go from pantera to some zz top and black sabbath with a similar tone (yeah, you can dial in a tone but unless you nail the playing you will not sound alike)
well, having a Dimebucker on the bridge, doesn't even matters if the guitar isn't bright by itself, you just need something to help you and get control over the high end of that sucker, be it a pedal or a knob, and, while dime's main sound was all at 10, by hearing you can pretty much tell he worked his knobs (if not he would surely had sweat proof switches instead of sweat proof knobs and his guitars would totally lack a tone knob), maybe not the way the guy on the vid suggests, but pretty much dime did (remeber he also played the ol' blues and some country on rebel meets rebel), away from who did what, giving it a try, as is really useful, even mincer (orpheo) wrote on the SD blog about it some time ago explaining how your playing and tone can benefit of actually using that knob, and for me the tone knob is what lets my go from pantera to some zz top and black sabbath with a similar tone (yeah, you can dial in a tone but unless you nail the playing you will not sound alike)
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Johnny, the reason I thought it was a great post was because it got me to look at something in a way that I hadn't thought of previously. Not because I thought that the guy is an expert or anything of the such. Like I said, after trying it out, I'm not sure that it will work for me. But like I said, it is a different viewpoint. I do like to use my volume and tone knobs, I just had never thought of the obvious use of them to effectively boost as well as cut.
Johnny, the reason I thought it was a great post was because it got me to look at something in a way that I hadn't thought of previously. Not because I thought that the guy is an expert or anything of the such. Like I said, after trying it out, I'm not sure that it will work for me. But like I said, it is a different viewpoint. I do like to use my volume and tone knobs, I just had never thought of the obvious use of them to effectively boost as well as cut.
Johnny the Kid
Shaunofthedeadologist
Re: Work Your Knobs
Oh I wasn't trying to say he's an expert or anything. I was just showing an idea that I agreed with and thought it worthy to share with the forum. Given the opinions that have come out with this, it was a good idea, but it's also thought provoking and gives another idea of how something can work.
Oh I wasn't trying to say he's an expert or anything. I was just showing an idea that I agreed with and thought it worthy to share with the forum. Given the opinions that have come out with this, it was a good idea, but it's also thought provoking and gives another idea of how something can work.
Edgecrusher
Well-known member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Everytime i hear him talk i want to tackle him and make him take me to his pot of gold... or at least his lucky charms.
Everytime i hear him talk i want to tackle him and make him take me to his pot of gold... or at least his lucky charms.
Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: Work Your Knobs
I would definitely have a few beers with this kat.
I'd be all "Bro...tell me the ship con't tek eny morrrrrrrrrre."
I would definitely have a few beers with this kat.
I'd be all "Bro...tell me the ship con't tek eny morrrrrrrrrre."
Mr Wolf
New member
Re: Work Your Knobs
Food for thought for sure. Admittedly I have only started using a tone knob regularly since I assembled a guitar with a single bridge pickup only, whereas before I always switched to the neck for warmer tones and ignored the tone control all together. Volume gets used a fair bit, but I will give his method a go.
Food for thought for sure. Admittedly I have only started using a tone knob regularly since I assembled a guitar with a single bridge pickup only, whereas before I always switched to the neck for warmer tones and ignored the tone control all together. Volume gets used a fair bit, but I will give his method a go.
