Precision bass tone setting

[badboy1984]

Was wondering who turn their tone knob all the way down and use it for gigs? I always leave it full on and adjust EQ to cut through the mix.

I was messing with the tone knob at home practice and decide to turn the tone knob all the way down and indeed it give me tons of bass power and low end but it sound very dull, muddy and lifeless.

[fretmeister]

I use tone control a lot. Depends on the room, the strings, the amp etc.

If I'm playing with my daughter (clarinet) then I use flats and turn the tone all the way down.

If I'm playing some Skid Row stuff it's up full.

Horses / courses etc.

[chris_b]

Mine is somewhere in the middle 50% of its range , depending on how much zing is left in the strings and the room we're playing in.

It's usually the only control I alter from one gig to the next.

[BobVbass]

full on - all day everyday - depends on the bass tho - my lakland sings on full tone, my fender sounds like a it's being played underwater so I tend to back it off

[Lozz196]

Everything on full, eq from the amp. It`s too hit n miss to get it with the tone control on the bass - for me - and as I only use the one sound, this approach suits me best.

[LiamPodmore]

Mines either on or off, never inbetween, same with the volume control.

Liam

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1350383405' post='1837993']
...... but it sound very dull, muddy and lifeless.
[/quote]

i like that sound....

[SoVeryTired]

Mine's either on or... on. Likewise with the volumes (it's a VVT Squier P Special), as they don't seem to blend gradually - I've read that this is a 'feature' of two volume controls on a PJ bass.

I guess I use the pickup mix and my right hand position as my tone control.

[badboy1984]

maybe i need to disconnect the tone control on my bass lol. When i use my precision bass my main goal was to stop messing around with settings on the bass and now i still flaffing around on the tone control lol.

I do like to use the tone full or half, complete off the tone sound abit too muddy for my taste.

[SoVeryTired]

THE G&L SB2 just has volume controls for each pickup, no tone control - I think I could survive quite happily with that setup (but again, it's a PJ rather than a straightforward P).

[SoVeryTired]

And the new Squier Chris Aiken P just has a single volume control.

[badboy1984]

don't get me wrong i'm not complaining about the tone knob lol.

[thodrik]

Mine barely works, its more of an on/off switch. Usually its 'on'.

[sixdegrees]

As some have alluded to on here, the tone knob is a superfluous ornament to me.
I always have it fully open. But then I play with a loud rock band where I need a bit of the zing and clank to cut through.

[spongebob]

50% for me - like the clarity/boom mix!

[Fat Rich]

Depends what I'm playing, mostly wide open but sometimes wound back to cut the zing a bit.

Although I run a fairly fat sound on the amp with quite a lot of the bite taken off.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1350386345' post='1838035']
Mines either on or off, never inbetween, same with the volume control.

Liam
[/quote]

Do you often play with the volume control off then?

[bh2]

Halfway... I'll eq on the amp... usually.

[LiamPodmore]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1350406210' post='1838406']
Do you often play with the volume control off then?
[/quote]

I have done once or twice. I do change basses frequently at home, and some gigs, so that's when it's off. I've been debating just swapping both for switches to be honest.

Liam

[Doddy]

I keep the tone control wide open on all my passive basses.

[stefBclef]

All the way off when im playing reggae. It gives me the dull thud that I like.

On (full or partway) when I want that bite sound. It still amazes me how different the "tone knob on" sounds from amp to amp (or cab to cab I guess).