Do you use your guitar's tone knob?

[Selkies]

Recording, absolutely. In a live situation it depends, I try to roll it back a fair amount in my cleans cause i don't want them too bitey, but I only manage to if I do before I switch channels or else there isn't enough time. I would more prefer a mini toggle that would just cut it to how it'd sound with my time about 5/8's The way down. Hopefully that came out understandable/readable, typing from my phone

 

[loktide]

yes. especially when using split coils

 

[sonofabias]

SoB, I agree completely. I always think it's interesting to find so many threads where people discuss the tone of different pickups endlessly, but no discussion of onboard electronics which can give even more control and variation in tone....

I've never seen this discussed in my brief time on SSF. I have the impression , which may or may not be correct , that most of the people prefer not to use onboard electronics. I've been fascinated by active circuits since I was a kid and I do utilize it live' as well.:agreed It's SOA , by the way . LOL

 

[SirMyghin]

You aren't fully utilizing of all the tones available if you don't . It can be as simple as a one tone knob on a guitar ( my horizon) or complex like my Ken Smith which has a pup pan pot instead of a switch , hi and low pass band filter, pre amp (+ 10 or 20 db ) switch, phase switch, coil tap switch . It also walks and chews gum LOL. I love playing both guitars but the ken has so many sounds available , I'm still finding new ones and it was made for me 25 years ago. They're both my main guitars and I couldn't do without them.

My bass has a pan pot and 3 band eq w/ mid sweep. I love stuff like that, but have never had a guitar with it to date.

 

[Sludgehammer]

On my LP I use the tone and volume a lot, very expressive tone shaping tool.

On my 7, I took it off. Never touched it.

 

[Konfyouzd]

Once... I turn it all the way up and leave it there... Or I take it off. So... Sometimes...? Kinda...?

No...

 

[troyguitar]

Clean, yes. Distorted, no.

Except on my new guitar which only has one bridge pickup, on that one I turn the tone down clean or distorted to simulate a neck pickup tone. TBH it's close enough for me at least for live playing - I'm thinking about just having a 2-position switch to have the tone knob be either full on or nearly off.

Realistically for live playing I'd be happy with a 1-Humbucker guitar with 2 2-position switches, one for volume full-on or full-off and one for tone full-on or nearly-off, with no knobs at all. Turning knobs takes too much time and precision to do in a 16th note while singing

 

[Trendkill]

I use mine once in a blue moon for clean stuff to mellow out the edge a little bit. But 99% of the time it stays on 10. lml

 

[Dead Undead]

I use mine all the time for every style, metal or otherwise. Especially on guitar with 3 single coils. I'll select all three at once and roll back the tone on the middle pickup. Gives it a really interesting sound.

I recently played an HMS with Fender TBX controls and FELL IN LOVE. One of these days I'm gonna go to town on my guitars and replace all my tone controls with TBX's.

 

[Marag]

Everyone who finds out I am a musician think METAL, truth is i grew up with prog and clasical as well as metal. as such tone knob was alway something i used from early on, and 15 years of guitars playing later and i still do. my Lag has 2 volume and main tone and coil taps and is my main guitar for my prog metal project Marag and every option that guitar gives - I use. Great beliver in tone comes from the hands and guitar and the amp enhances that.

 

[rawrkunjrawr]

Nope, I don't use mine. Hell I broke it

 

[MaKo´s Tethan]

It depends of which guitar I`m playing.
Never in a telecaster.
Just with the neck pick up in the strat (for shredding)
For practice in the schecter demon (actives pop up all the mistakes when you are playing a new song)
For Korn riffs in my self made seven (the new 7 pickups are a lil too treble)

 

[Jzbass25]

Yeah I definitely do, except on my jem... I only have one knob lol

 

[Harry]

On my main axe, there is no tone knob. Me and a friend had to fix up the wiring one day when both the pickups just died because wires came loose, and I couldn't figure out how to arrange it all to make both pickups work, so I ripped out both the tone knob, and the wires for the neck pickup (although later on, did finally get a Blackout set so I could have a neck pickup).
On my other two guitars, I've got tone knobs, and I'll use the knobs occasionally, but not on a regular basis.

 

[Phlegethon]

for jazz playing I roll off to taste, and for everything else I leave it up all the way. with my six with emg's .. I never use them at all so might consider putting in something that might be of more use than a regular tone control when I get some spare cash

 

[TomParenteau]

I have posted this before, but: On my favorite Boogie Bodies-era Warmoth 6 that I have had for decades, I have only one knob/one pickup. I didn't put a cap on it. The highs roll off a bit when I back the volume knob down for cleans that way. So the one knob is kind of a tone control AND volume control.

Really cool, but I'm sure it doesn't work on every guitar for every player.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

For clean parts/jazz --> you betcha. It really mellows it out, takes the bite outa smooth sounding passages

For metal --> Nope, you need all the attack you can get IMO.

I somewhat agree with this except I don't always roll it down for cleans-sometimes I want them bright and sparkly, other times I want them warm.

For fast metal riffing on the bridge pup I (usually) don't roll it down-but it can make some rather weird/odd/unique tones being rolled down and can smooth out solos/leads a bit, if you like that, and neck/middle/middle+neck/neck+bridge + rolled down tone knob makes for some awesome thick and fuzzy doom.