Just discovered something

[Madad1]

I'm relatively new to bass playing and just discovered something. If you crank the amp right up and just have the levels at 15% on the guitar the sound is fantastically warm, smooth etc etc. I've always had the vol on the guitar on full. Was it just me that didn't know this? 😳

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Turning the volume control down loads the pickups, causing a loss of high frequencies, which to some might sound better.

[HowieBass]

Also, depending on the amp, if you're pushing it into overdrive that can add warmth.

[Guest monsterthompson]

the tone of an amp is rarely linear with regards to the volume knob. in fact, the good folks at Mesa point that out on several of their amps and advise you to try adjusting the preamp gain and the master for a variety of sounds at the same output level (boost gain and cut master, or vice versa). rolling back the guitar volume will send a weaker signal to effects, so if you use a gain-based device (like a fuzz pedal) you will get different tone results. i'm no expert on the how and why of bass electronics, but my experiences line up with Bill's statement. the big picture take-away from your observation should be that there are many variables influencing the sound you get in your ears. if there is a knob to turn, then try the knob and listen to what happens. tweak the variables one at a time and pay attention to the end result you hear. you may find some characteristics pleasing at first, only to find they may not be great for other reasons down the road.

[Lozz196]

This is a good point and one I noticed the other day. My set-up didn`t sound quite right, volume needed higher than usual. I then realised that the level on my Tech21 VT DI was lower than usual. Turning it up, and then the volume on my amp down, well the sound really was a fair bit different. For what it`s worth even though the VT DI is always on, I try to keep it to the same level in volume as the amp itself - thinking if it goes kaput mid-gig my level won`t drop.