Mark7
Well-known member
An electric guitar with no controls?
Think of all the wood that'd have
Think of all the wood that'd have
Zaphod B
Raccoons-Be-Gone, Inc.
Wow.
Mark7
Well-known member
With the right construction and woods I bet you could easily pass it off as a boutique item. Dunno what woods you'd choose but construction wise I'm thinking through neck and a single pup (to eliminate the need for a selector switch) with through body stringing.
T
timthetortoise
MADE OF SANDALWOOD
You'd at least want a volume control. What about creating a flush inlay and routing it for controls? So basically create a front-route cavity, make an inlay however thick for it, route it, install controls, and screw it in? It's having the best of both worlds really.
But I guess that'd be taking away the point of having more wood to look at, as I now realize is what you meant. In that case, what about a roller control on the side (like on the top side of the Jag pickguard, but on the side of the guitar), or maybe an acoustic-type control? This is an interesting idea for sure.
But I guess that'd be taking away the point of having more wood to look at, as I now realize is what you meant. In that case, what about a roller control on the side (like on the top side of the Jag pickguard, but on the side of the guitar), or maybe an acoustic-type control? This is an interesting idea for sure.
Mark7
Well-known member
I was thinking you'd set the volume at the amp.
And if you really needed to change it during a song, well... There is such a thing as a volume pedal.
And if you really needed to change it during a song, well... There is such a thing as a volume pedal.
metalhead28
Hates Raymond
When I start thinking about a guitar that even just omits the tone knob, I remember how much I use the tone knob and I think better of it.
I think my guitar looks perfectly fine with a couple knobs on it.
I think my guitar looks perfectly fine with a couple knobs on it.
Mark7
Well-known member
metalhead28
Hates Raymond
Mark7 said:
I know. I've had guitars with no tone knobs. That's why I don't like the idea anymore.
Rokket
Trailing Behind Again
I tried that Joe Satriani signature Ibanez once. It only had a volume knob because Joe was big into his massive stage rack to achieve his tone. I hated the sound of it, but it played OK for not having the action adjusted to suit me. I can't remember which pickups were in it, but I don't think they were DiMarzzio. Semour Duncan maybe????metalhead28 said:
Mark7
Well-known member
Yeah, me neither. In fact, I'm firmly in the more controls the better camp (within reason of course).
But, you know, there are more than likely people out there who think even having one knob/switch on a guitar compromises its tone. We must find these people and sell them this imaginary guitar for $5,000 a pop
But, you know, there are more than likely people out there who think even having one knob/switch on a guitar compromises its tone. We must find these people and sell them this imaginary guitar for $5,000 a pop
J
JB1979
New member
I think I read a few months ago the guys from Iron Maiden (or it might have been Judas Priest) have certain "live performance only" guitars in their collections where the pickup is wired directly to the output jack, and all the pots and switches are bypassed. The logic is that there's way less that could break or go wrong (and if it does you know what to fix immediately), and that dialing in the perfect tone is a lot more important when you're recording in the studio than when you're blasting an arena full of people so loud that their ears ring for a week afterwards.
T
timthetortoise
MADE OF SANDALWOOD
Honestly, I don't see why someone would want to pay more for an electric guitar stripped of some of its most basic functionality.
muttley600
Banned
I've made quite a few bare bones instruments a lot of session guys like em. They'd rather have two guitars with individual sound than one with a compromise of two or three sounds. I've come to understand their way of thinking over the years. I have a tele style guitar I made as a tester about 25 years ago and I gig it quite a bit. Its an Ash body and has one pickup on the bridge wired to the jack. I'm not a great one for fiddling with sound on stage just use a vol pedal and fender princeton with foot pedal for variation. There's a lot to be said for the K.I.S.S approach. Not that I don't like and build other more fancy gear.
Light
New member
Well, there is not much question that a volume control has an effect on the tone of a guitar, even if it is not all that great. Even full up, it will blead a bit of highs off. Granted that they have a high resistance, but it is still a path to ground, and the wire from the pickup to the controls has some degree of capacitance.
The one person I know of who didn't have a volume control on her guitar was Barbara K. MacDonald from Timbuk 3 (the "My Future's so Bright, I've Gotta Wear Shades" folks).
Personally, I could probably live without a tone control, but I switch pickups a fair bit, and I need a volume control. Certainly, when you have the volume control full up, it is a bit of a tone suck. Of course, it is also changing the sound when you turn it down. I try to avoid pedals if at all possible (though I have a Wah pedal that I made which I use, but it has a true bypass so that when I'm not using it it has no practical effect), and so the only thing I have to change my sound is my volume control. But as I use a very simple tube amp (a simplified version of an AC-30), that volume control in effect gives me dozens of sounds. I'd be at a real loss without the volume control. I'd be stuck with just one sound, and that would suck. I have a volume pedal, but I haven't been using it much lately. Actually, I think I'm gonna turn it into a speed control for my Leslie, when I make it. (With a DC motor for completely variable speed, controled by the pot in the "volume" pedal.)
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
The one person I know of who didn't have a volume control on her guitar was Barbara K. MacDonald from Timbuk 3 (the "My Future's so Bright, I've Gotta Wear Shades" folks).
Personally, I could probably live without a tone control, but I switch pickups a fair bit, and I need a volume control. Certainly, when you have the volume control full up, it is a bit of a tone suck. Of course, it is also changing the sound when you turn it down. I try to avoid pedals if at all possible (though I have a Wah pedal that I made which I use, but it has a true bypass so that when I'm not using it it has no practical effect), and so the only thing I have to change my sound is my volume control. But as I use a very simple tube amp (a simplified version of an AC-30), that volume control in effect gives me dozens of sounds. I'd be at a real loss without the volume control. I'd be stuck with just one sound, and that would suck. I have a volume pedal, but I haven't been using it much lately. Actually, I think I'm gonna turn it into a speed control for my Leslie, when I make it. (With a DC motor for completely variable speed, controled by the pot in the "volume" pedal.)
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
T
timthetortoise
MADE OF SANDALWOOD
So why not just install a bypass switch so when you want full-on volume without the tone suck, switch it to bypass. There's still a tiny bit of resistance but I doubt it'd make an audible difference.
Light
New member
timthetortoise said:
Well, two things. First of all, I would be that VERY few people can actually hear the difference in the first place (and if you think your one of them, trust me your probably NOT), and second; if I did that, I'd have to THINK about it. Personally, I try very hard not to have to think about the gear while I'm playing.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Mark7
Well-known member
I don't think I could cope with a guitar that didn't have at least a volume and a tone. And in the case of my Strat copy maybe another tone on top of the two it already has.
Guitar amps have come along way since Leo built the first Strat.
Guitar amps have come along way since Leo built the first Strat.
rayc
retroreprobate
A knob surrogate with no knobs on? Hm, sounds like cloning.
It's a nice idea though - esp with all the sims around these days. Create THE tone hardwired into the PU & PLAY.
But then have you seen the mobs JJ Cale does? His guitar has a squillion knobs & switches & sounds goooood.
It's a nice idea though - esp with all the sims around these days. Create THE tone hardwired into the PU & PLAY.
But then have you seen the mobs JJ Cale does? His guitar has a squillion knobs & switches & sounds goooood.
Mark7
Well-known member
JJ Cale is in the Mob!?
Seriously though, that sounds like exactly the kind of thing that used to happen on pre Clone era European and Japanese guitars (think Eko, Hofner, Teisco, et al).
You might well think the aforementioned guitars were cheap rubbish, I couldn't possibly comment
Seriously though, that sounds like exactly the kind of thing that used to happen on pre Clone era European and Japanese guitars (think Eko, Hofner, Teisco, et al).
You might well think the aforementioned guitars were cheap rubbish, I couldn't possibly comment
zacanger
musician and audodidact
I've never had much use for tone knobs. For the volume issue with the tone bleed type of thing stuff (shhh, I'm tired), you could always get yourself a Mr. Clean kind of pedal. Basically a volume cut pedal minus the high-end rolloff.