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Amps: Are all the tone controls needed really?


MartyGrass

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Posted

These are the tone setting controls I've used the most in the last couple of years. There are lots of knobs that affect tone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Surprisingly I don't have that hard of a time getting a good sound out of a KBP810 Reverb Deluxe with simply bass and treble knobs. I found that I twisted the guitar pots more often, but that's what they're there for.

 

 

So my answer to my question is no, all of the tone controls are not needed really. But they can be handy. And they can suck up a lot of your time fiddling with them.

 

Posted

It's an amp with a built in EQ!! What's not to like? Flexibility!!

Posted

In a conversation with Scott at Evans Amps, I asked him if he thought anyone ought to make an amp that just had a great voice, and only a volume control on it. He said it was a stupid idea. (I get that sometimes.)

Posted

In a conversation with Scott at Evans Amps, I asked him if he thought anyone ought to make an amp that just had a great voice, and only a volume control on it. He said it was a stupid idea. (I get that sometimes.)

 

You mean like a vintage Gibson GA5 Skylark?

 

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or Gibson's 2004 reissue of the same 5 watt amp...with one knob.

 

 

 

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or Torres Engineering's hot rodded version of the same amp...

 

 

http://torresengineering.stores.yahoo.net/do5wagigavia.html

Posted

I have too many knobs on all of my amps. Wish they had fewer many times.

Posted

My Mesa DC-5 has both EQ knobs and sliders. it can dial in sounds from Throbaks and Seths to P-90 tones. :icon_joker:

 

If only I could get it to do SS...

 

Well, perhaps only in my mind, anyway. Still a wide palate of tweaks is a fun and even useful thing.

Posted

depends entirely on the amp. most amps have a passive EQ, which means that the tone controls are somewhat interactive, and how you set one affects the others. Some amps however have active controls, which gets rid of a lot of this effect.

Posted

I have such a lousy tin ear, I need someone else to dial in my amps anyway, that is probably why I like very simple amps. I don't deal well with a lot of choices.

Posted

I have such a lousy tin ear, I need someone else to dial in my amps anyway, that is probably why I like very simple amps. I don't deal well with a lot of choices.

 

You know, what I always liked about Boogies was they came with sample settings and I always found one I really liked and just used it all of the time. What I liked about my Fenders was you just turn them on and they always sound about the same in any case.

Posted

Depending in the voice, I could like a simple volume only or minimal tone control.

 

Here's the issue for me: tastes and rooms change. One day I might want a tone that's a bit boomy then decide I want more honk. Or, I move from a room in the house on a slab to an upstairs room with a wood subfloor. Time to adjust. The Henriksen has had my interest for years now and is HIGHLY likely to be the next amp purchase I make simply due to the control.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Posted

For me I like something I can dial in quickly. Fenders with v/t/b plus a tweak on the guitar's tone control are great for this.

Posted

 

Yes! Like that.

Amps like that are one trick ponies, but they do that one trick very well. Just dime it and play and they are super sweet.

Posted

I have a Marshall Class 5, which only has Volume, and your Bass, Mid, Treb.

The bass doesn't really do much, it's a real bassy amp anyways,

it's easy to coax good tones out of it, and being single channel I use the guitar volume a lot.

I wouldn't mind some more knobs though. Maybe a gain/master volume.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

These are the tone setting controls I've used the most in the last couple of years. There are lots of knobs that affect tone.

 

Speaking of KBP810, prior to October, I had been out of circulation for awhile. Whatever happened to KBP810? I haven't seen any posts by him since I've been back online. What am I missing?

 

 

 

 

Q-JAZ12.JPG

 

 

 

Surprisingly I don't have that hard of a time getting a good sound out of a KBP810 Reverb Deluxe with simply bass and treble knobs. I found that I twisted the guitar pots more often, but that's what they're there for.

 

 

So my answer to my question is no, all of the tone controls are not needed really. But they can be handy. And they can suck up a lot of your time fiddling with them.

Posted

I find that as long as I have T-M-B tone controls on an amp, it generally gives me all the EQ control I really need. Either a "bright" boost or a NFB-based "presence" control is a nice addition, but you can generally get to pretty much the same place using the treble & mids control on the amp and the guitar's tone controls.

Posted

 

These are the tone setting controls I've used the most in the last couple of years. There are lots of knobs that affect tone.

 

Speaking of KBP810, prior to October, I had been out of circulation for awhile. Whatever happened to KBP810? I haven't seen any posts by him since I've been back online. What am I missing?

 

 

 

 

Q-JAZ12.JPG

 

 

 

Surprisingly I don't have that hard of a time getting a good sound out of a KBP810 Reverb Deluxe with simply bass and treble knobs. I found that I twisted the guitar pots more often, but that's what they're there for.

 

 

So my answer to my question is no, all of the tone controls are not needed really. But they can be handy. And they can suck up a lot of your time fiddling with them.

 

Posted

K well. Tech difficulties...

 

Back to my original question...where is KBP810?

Posted

I prefer the Fender T & B tone controls, both the active and passive tone stacks. But unlike most, I feel I can dial in my tone easier with the passive interactive T&B controls (like on my brownface amps).

Posted

I prefer the Fender T & B tone controls, both the active and passive tone stacks. But unlike most, I feel I can dial in my tone easier with the passive interactive T&B controls (like on my brownface amps).

You don't miss the Mid's control? I've often thought having a Mids on my '57 Super clone would be a great addition. I know the T/B crosses over those frequencies. And it can sort of control the mids. But not as much as I'd like. The T/B on the Mesa Transatlantic, on the other hand, handles the crossover T/B just fine. Hmmm, maybe it's just me. :dontknow:

Posted

K well. Tech difficulties...

 

Back to my original question...where is KBP810?

He's still here and posts occasionally. A recent addition to his family is taking up his previous wealth of spare time :)

Posted

He's still here and posts occasionally. A recent addition to his family is taking up his previous wealth of spare time :)

Good to know. Thanks.

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