After all this time...

  • Thread starter Thread starter tkingen
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tkingen

tkingen

Djembes Rock
... and swapping out many pickups, pedals, cables, amps, guitars, speakers, etc., I finally figured out how to get cool tone... crank a good tube amp up and turn the guitar volume knob down to the desired level. It's amazing how many different tones you can get by just turning the guitar knobs a bit. Lively pick response, touch sensitive, robust clean, dynamic overdrive... everything you could ask for in a guitar tone - or a date :D
 
I don't use the knobs on my guitar at all... the only thing i use the volume knob for is killing the volume between songs - :p
 
tkingen said:
... and swapping out many pickups, pedals, cables, amps, guitars, speakers, etc., I finally figured out how to get cool tone... crank a good tube amp up and turn the guitar volume knob down to the desired level. It's amazing how many different tones you can get by just turning the guitar knobs a bit. Lively pick response, touch sensitive, robust clean, dynamic overdrive... everything you could ask for in a guitar tone - or a date :D
Click to expand...

I agree with you on that, learn the natural tone and possibilities of your guitar before you go with the ultra gain pickups and effects. That way you are using the natural voice of your instrument and controllng the dynamics. Even when I'm plugged into my pedalboard, I rarely use them 25% of the time.
 
I used to use the volume knob only to kill the noise between songs when using medium output pickups. Now I've been using the Dimarzio Evolution in the bridge slot of my Ibanez and I pretty much have to turn down the volume to tame the aggressiveness of that pickup. It's not huge output but its more than I need for a high gain amp when I'm not playing metal all the time. The good thing about the volume knob is also that turning it down allows more of the highs to bleed off, sort of as a more subtle tone knob. It'll smooth out the sound without making it nasally. It's also handy for when I'm recording and don't want to change the settings on the amp all the time. The Evolution is actually a really versatile pickup when you learn to use the volume knob because it really warms it up and no matter how low you put the volume that pickup will still be clear and articulate.

My SG with the Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in it doesn't get the same kind of attention anymore sadly, the Ibanez just smokes it soundwise now. I'm going to have to look at replacing the magnet in the CC or even replacing that all together. I used to really hate bright high output pickups as I never found the tone knob on a guitar to do anything but make a really harsh clipping on the upper mids, but now that I found that function is better suited to the volume knobs natural high frequency loss I want to put one in every guitar.
 
AMEN my Brutha! You have found the light! That's why EVH's geets just have one knob!

You HAVE arrived! :D
 
Docaroo said:
I don't use the knobs on my guitar at all... the only thing i use the volume knob for is killing the volume between songs - :p
Click to expand...
Damn Right !!!
 
I have always played rythem at half volume and lead and full volume....only pedal I use is a wha wha.

It's funny to watch guys on the tone quest...
for example....
Alot of guitarists have searched the world over for the Hendrix clean tone, that glassy fluid tone of songs like "Little wing" and "the wind cries mary"....they go through guitars, pickups, various amps, trillions of pedals, and so on.....but can never seem to quite nail it. :(

All they had to do is crank the volume on a powerful tube amp (marshall preferably) all the way up...and barely crack the guitar volume knob ....on 1 or maybe only 1/2.

The tone is there...and so easy to get.

Some "hard" things can be so simple.
 
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