Instrument tone controls: yay or nay?

[thegame]

They actually gain 3dB more output. I've measured it. So tone controls suck a lot of tone on EMG's.

On EMGs, yes. The pickup - tone control relationship is a different animal with actives. It's a much more complex interaction with passives involving the RLC circuit being formed between the tone cap, tone pot, pickup coil, and volume pot.

 

[Nigel]

I think you meant "LOWER the value of the tone cap, the lighter the effect of the roll off". Eg. .022 rolls off LESS highs than .047, right? But yes .015 provides very sweet midrange colors while sweeping the tone control. I used to have a Tom Anderson with a .010 (very close to .015) and it was the most useful tone control I'd ever used.

Precisely.

I use his "vintage voicing" 333K resistor mod on JB's and Screamin' Demons when in the bridge of a guitar to get them down to 142K total load. Love that trick!

 

[thegame]

Being primarily a Lester player, I'd be fuct if it weren't for the tone and volume controls. Christ, 90% of the sweetspots rest between 4-7 on the vols, and 1-7 on the tones. I control a LOT of my playing/tone from the guitar; in short - hella important to me, YMMV.

I think that the LP's biggest sweet spot is the middle position, both pickups on. Then like you say, adjust vol & tone to achieve endless, cool variations.

 

[thegame]

Precisely.

I use his "vintage voicing" 333K resistor mod on JB's and Screamin' Demons when in the bridge of a guitar to get them down to 142K total load. Love that trick!

Just the other day I disconnected the tone control on a JB equipped guitar because I assumed it would be better. Wrong! I lost richness in the highs, character in the mids, and warmth in the lows. The values were 500K vol, 250K tone & .022 cap. It just sounds 'too naked' without it.

 

[Mark Skid]

 

[Nigel]

Just the other day I disconnected the tone control on a JB equipped guitar because I assumed it would be better. Wrong! I lost richness in the highs, character in the mids, and warmth in the lows. The values were 500K vol, 250K tone & .022 cap. It just sounds 'too naked' without it.

Indeed, JB's really like 125-150K total load, like two 250K pots for volume/tone in a Tele. Same for the SD.

It's no wonder many hate the JB for being piercing, much the same as those that hate the Celestion Vintage 30 who've never heard an original spec Mesa T4335/T4416.

 

[* velcro-fly *]

100% I need tone knobs on all my guitars....it’s rare that I’m running it wide open

 

[midnightlaundry]

50s wiring for life..

 

[Monomyth]

For me it just depends on the guitar, the pickups, etc.. Not only whether or not I want a tone control but the value of the cap and the pot(s). Some of my guitars have no-load in certain switch positions and a tone cap/pot loading others. However, once I've found that ideal load I don't mess with the tone control much at all.

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