Homepage Forums Guitar Discussion Guitar Tone controls

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  • #22922
    glw
    Participant

    Just curious: tone controls on guitars – who uses them?

    Not me.

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    Replies
    • #67940
      lee_UK
      Participant

      I only use it on a telecaster, to take some of the top off the bridge pickup.

    • #67912
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Really good thread idea, glw – I’d be interested in everybody putting an op in. On bass, I make no use of treble cut at all with passive instruments. I set the T+B on the amp how I want it, then use the fingering style to adjust the tone. If it’s a Jazz-type, pup selection is good for me. My active bass has twin soaps which, like many, are so badly sited as to make pup selection a waste of time. There is a monster bass boost but I don’t really use it. I prefer active just for the better output and lower impedance rather than fancying around with the eq. HST, I’ve always complained of OD taking the bottom end out of the bass and never thought to try the bass boost to see if that would get it back. Must try that.

      On my limited guitar playing, I prefer to use the 5-way rather than fiddle with the tone knob. If I ever get around to fitting the piezo saddles on my bass, I’ll happily sacrifice the tone knob for the acoustic vol control.

    • #67942
      Tim
      Participant

      I use either end of my tone-knobs range (on guitar and bass), but its not really practical to mess about in the middle, I wouldn’t write a song thinking ‘oh, I’ll turn my tone to 3 for this section…’

      Cutting out some treble can beefy up your overdrive/distorted sounds, I think anyway. Tho thats more of an issue on bass.

    • #76479
      glw
      Participant

      All most tones controls (i.e. passive tone) see to do is to roll off the treble, so I figure, what’s the point in having a control that makes your guitar sound duller?

    • #76454
      vitaminE
      Participant

      Great post – good question! It’s been my experience while playing live and loud that the best a guitarist can hope for is to cut through the mix. I can’t imagine thinking, “OK, I’ll play through this song with my tone on 7 and turn up to 9 for the solo!” IMO, those knobs should be controlling the circuits of an onboard Fuzz Face or Mutron. Perhaps more knobs translates into better sales.

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