Using the volume control to get useful tones

[lifewithasong]

Hi Guys,

 

As I mentioned a few days ago, I just got a 2005 H575, and have enjoyed myself this week as I have been experiementing with various capacitors for the bridge and neck pickups. One thing I've discovered, however, is that I've had trouble finding "my" sound with the volume knob left at 10. I've been able to do this with my other guitars, so, in experimenting a little, I've found a whole new range of useful tones (+ "my" sound) by taking the vol. down between 10 and 8--even when combining pickups in the middle position! Anybody else been on this journey? Another nice thing about this discovery is that it has allowed me to bring the tone back up form my usual 3-4 to a more open (but now more musical range) of 4-6.

 

Anybody else?

[smurph1]

Hi Guys,

 

As I mentioned a few days ago, I just got a 2005 H575, and have enjoyed myself this week as I have been experiementing with various capacitors for the bridge and neck pickups. One thing I've discovered, however, is that I've had trouble finding "my" sound with the volume knob left at 10. I've been able to do this with my other guitars, so, in experimenting a little, I've found a whole new range of useful tones (+ "my" sound) by taking the vol. down between 10 and 8--even when combining pickups in the middle position! Anybody else been on this journey? Another nice thing about this discovery is that it has allowed me to bring the tone back up form my usual 3-4 to a more open (but now more musical range) of 4-6.

 

Anybody else?

Hi Life..Welcome to the HOC..Glad you are finding your sound. My experience has been a bit different..I like my volumes all the way up and then I back my tones off as needed..But, I'm from West Virginia..Rock on..

[jrfreed]

Volume on 8 and tone on 8.5-9 for chord work etc, but when I solo I peg the volume to drive the amp a teenie little bit.

[Steiner]

Heavens YES! The interaction of the volume tone plus pre and Master on the amp will make a world of difference. The guitar and amp make a huge difference. With the 575 it may additionally depend on proximity to the speakers. OH it's a good life!

 

Welcome!!!

[H]

Hi,

 

I rarely play with either volume above 7 or so. A little while back I posted a link to a system described by someone far better on guitar than me which helps create broad rhythm and lead settings on a two pickup/four pot setup. I use this pretty much all the time now except on my 170 which has a single tone control. I'll find the link or the old thread and add it in here.

[H]

Here's the link I was talking about a few minutes ago:

 

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks...html#post403340

 

It's the one from Splattle101.

[FredZepp]

Oh yeah... some wonderful tones to be found with some volume knob turning..

 

While I usually just go straight to the amp, I was using a 120watt tube the other day and wanted more gain up front.

So I used a pedal, Blood Drive, to boost it and it was nice how that analog pedal would change character by using the volume knob still... really some fun tones when turned down a couple of notches. (rock music)

[Kuz]

Dime it for solos, then back her down for rhythm parts.

[lifewithasong]

Thanks guys for all of the replies--and thanks H--seems like I've come across that post sometime before but really didn't pay attention until now. That's helpful, and basically my experience, although I'm (jazz) soloing through the neck pickup, but have learned just a couple of years ago about finding another usuable jazz sound in the middle with the neck pickup more expressed using the volume. I may be playing this guitar mostly between 8 and 9.5 on the vol. from now on, with tone around 4.5 to 5.5. Really great sound for what I need.

[FrankV]

I've been finding out the same thing; I can really play around with the tone of the sound, not just the 'loudness' with the volume knobs. With both the pickups volumes maxed, I set the amp up a bit louder than I would play it. Then I roll the guitar's volumes down, and by mixing the volume from the neck and bridge, and mixing the tones, I get loads of different tone. Sometimes I'll have the bridge on 8-9 and the neck on 4, and it sounds 'sharp', then reverse it and it's mellower.

 

I'm really just starting to experiment, but boy, you can coax a lot of variety out of it.

[High Flying Bird]

It only makes sense that you could change tone by rolling off the volume. With some of the "hot" pickups you would almost have to roll it off and let the amp work. I do this all the time with HRWs.

 

Varying the tone and volume of two pickups can be very rewarding. I never have all the controls "dimed out." I can't play fur shit but I can make good tone consistently. This is how I do it.

[koula901]

It only makes sense that you could change tone by rolling off the volume. With some of the "hot" pickups you would almost have to roll it off and let the amp work. I do this all the time with HRWs.

 

Varying the tone and volume of two pickups can be very rewarding. I never have all the controls "dimed out." I can't play fur shit but I can make good tone consistently. This is how I do it.

 

Good Tip, Bird, I've been guilty of diming out and will need to play around w/the tone/volume pots to refine the tone.

[Gitfiddler]

Rolling the volume off slightly is almost a necessity with P90's. Tones of these old fashioned single coiled beauties can often be strident, unless EQ'd properly from the amp.

 

I've found that the guitar-volume-adjusted impact on tone is much greater with P90's than other pickups. With volume backed off to about 8, they sound like really good humbucker p'ups. Any higher, they get more trebly...or angry, depending on amp settings. (Angry P90's are a good thing, tone-wise!)

 

Finding the P90 sweet spot can be truly a rewarding experience...once dialed in.

[tulk1]

Must be the odd man out .. so far. Vol/Tone dimed. Then I vary my picking. Thats on all guitars. On the Prospect Custom the vol doesn't even do anything until you're down around 2 or 3. I might use the vol more if it were more responsive, like on my Millie NFH or the Legacy.

[H]

Rolling the volume off slightly is almost a necessity with P90's. Tones of these old fashioned single coiled beauties can often be strident, unless EQ'd properly from the amp.

 

I've found that the guitar-volume-adjusted impact on tone is much greater with P90's than other pickups. With volume backed off to about 8, they sound like really good humbucker p'ups. Any higher, they get more trebly...or angry, depending on amp settings. (Angry P90's are a good thing, tone-wise!)

 

Finding the P90 sweet spot can be truly a rewarding experience...once dialed in.

+1

 

I love the P90s in my Tele so much I'm thinking of dropping a set of Phat Cats or P-Rails into my new 150.

[H]

Must be the odd man out .. so far. Vol/Tone dimed. Then I vary my picking. Thats on all guitars. On the Prospect Custom the vol doesn't even do anything until you're down around 2 or 3. I might use the vol more if it were more responsive, like on my Millie NFH or the Legacy.

Send me all your guitars and I'll 'test' them until they're working properly

[eljay]

great thread! after 18 months of ownership, i finally found the "classic" es335 tone i've wanted by messing with both tone and volume on my 335--no h535, yet . wrote the settings down! will be interested to see whether same settings will deliver the same tone thru other amps. eljay

[tulk1]

Send me all your guitars and I'll 'test' them until they're working properly

 

Sure. Let me send them all over the pond to you as New Guitars.

[NoNameBand]

My answer depends on whether you are switching guitars on the job. In other words, based on your amp settings, when switching guitars, you may make tone changes in the guitar instead of making amp tone changes. I usually take a couple of guitars and set the amp where I like it best generally speaking for the guitars I take to the gig. Then, set the guitars where they sound best at those amp settings. I don't use outboard effects much, maybe an external reverb is all. That being said, I set my amp volume where it breaks up the way I want it for a solo, than back the guitar volume down between 6-7 for clean rhythm, and 8-9 for a little breakup in the rhythm and 10 for solo. This helps a lot when switching between single coil guitars and humbuckers.

[ingeneri]

Personally, I find the sweet spot for arch tops is around 7-8 on the volume. Diming a hollow body seems like a good recipe for more feedback in my experience (not sure why). I agree that the P-90s on my 575 seem to react especially poorly to the volume on 11.

 

 

On the other hand, I like have my tone either dimed wide open for darker amps (Jazzkat) or backed off ever so slightly to around 7 on a Fender. But I like the RVG Blue Note sound versus the dard Concord Jazz/Polytone vibe.

[111518]

I'm always tailoring volume (level/drive), between pick attack, guitar knobs, volume pedal, and two settings on fulldrive, and, though I rarely actually use the second channel on switching amps, I usually have that option as well. That's one part I really love about playing with a band live --getting the ears out and searching for the fit of level and tone, which is different for every room and every gig. (I'm not talking about the sort of stuff Santana does so beautifully --reshaping a single note-- but constantly adjusting the level and tone to do what the guitar needs to be doing in the overall sound. Sort of a luxury I have from playing in a band with a rhythm guitarist and keys --I don't have to maintain a wall of sound.) It is a conversation that I have to have with sound guys if they haven't worked with us before: don't try to constantly 'normalize' my volume, get a balance in the mix, and let me control the dynamics. (I've had guys pull me up in the mix when I'm intentionally trying to bring the band down headed into a solo, and then I kick it up and everybody gets hurt.)