Trueno Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 The volume knob on my bass... and every bass I have ever owned/gigged... is always set on max. I have a mute pedal on my ore-amp for muting between sets or tuning. If I want to plug or unplug cables I turn down the volume at the amp. Is there actually any use for a volume control on a bass? Am I missing something? I know guitarists can do fancy things with volume controls, but I tend to think the bass might even sound minutely better with a less cluttered signal path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I regularly use the volume knob, it doesn't just do the obvious controlling of volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayn Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Small volime adjustments on your bass can give the pickups, slightly different characteristics. Much depends on the input into your amp's pre-amp. I always have the volume(s) at full and am more likely to adjust the pan knob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 [quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1476701961' post='3156360'] I regularly use the volume knob, it doesn't just do the obvious controlling of volume. [/quote] I did wonder "am I missing something". Does it actually affect the tone or anything? Another thing I didn't think about was a volume for each pick up, but that's a new thing for me since I bought a Jazz. Before that everything was one pickup or volume/balance controls. I'd still prefer a balance on my passive Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I use the volume knob all the time. I prefer the sound of the bass just pulled back a touch onto about 8 for the verses then click it up to max for a chorus. If you match that with a softer and more aggressive playing style then I find I get much better dynamics throughout the song. And one bass in particular is a little hot on output, so pulling it back a touch keeps it cleaner for appropriate songs or I can put it up to the top for a slight overdrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 On my precision it's on full except the rare occasion I play a song or section with a pick, then it gets turned down a touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaRik Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I've used it as a swell from time to time - works quite nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 There's a volume control? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 My bass has 2 pickups, each with their own volume control (ie Fender Jazz style). This means that its possible to infinitely mix the two pickups for a variety of sounds, but also means that its not easily possible to "mute" the bass by turning the volume right down. I also have 2 guitars, one of them the tone and volume controls are very useable to alter the tone produced (it has humbuckers), while the other has single coils and there's very little scope for usefully altering the tone using the knobs, although its semi-useful in the 8-10 range of the volume control, below that its not much use. However because they have a single volume control, I'm able to turn them down to 0 as a "mute" control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 My bass (P-Lyte) has one volume control for both pickups, and a blend control to balance them. Works a treat. I mainly use it for muting the bass between songs, but also to turn it down for quieter passages in some material, so it gets a lot of hammer. Bass still sounds best full on though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo-London Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I play a lot in church and so there is a lot of up and down with the band, i.e. we sit down with the congregation between sets. Thus, I turn the volume off at the bass and place the bass on a stand. Then when I come back I just turn the volume on again. Also, I often don't go full on with the bass volume so I have some room to manoeuvre If the drummer starts to get a bit excited. Davo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 [quote name='Cato' timestamp='1476707572' post='3156448'] There's a volume control? [/quote] Pretty much sums it up for me. I like the Nikki Sixx approach, on his old T-Birds he just used to have an on/off switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I use my tuner to mute, and my volume knob(s) to control the output from my bass. I use a lot of dirt and compression so varying the input on my signal chain can have significant effects on tone, without necessarily changing the volume that the audience perceives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I always roll my volume back a bit so I have some in reserve for when the guitarist/s start upping his/their volume, I can quickly turn it up until the song has finished, and then I can up the volume on my amp and roll my bass volume back a bit for the next time its needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 The change in tone you can get with varying where you set your volume, is more apparent when recording than playing live,I feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I fiddle with my volume depending on the style of music I'm playing, or what job the bass is doing in the song. For instance, some parts suit everything fully open, but I've come to love the sound of a Jazz bass with the neck pickup rolled back to 6 or 7 and the bridge pickup maxed. I went to a Stu Hamm clinic a couple of years ago, and noticed he was constantly adjusting his volume and tone knobs. Prior to that I had been very much been an "everything set to 10" kind of guy, but Stu got me experimenting and I've found some lovely, usable tones I would never have known about otherwise. A little experimenting/judicious tweaking can yield smashing results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 [quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1476701744' post='3156352'] The volume knob on my bass... and every bass I have ever owned/gigged... is always set on max. I have a mute pedal on my ore-amp for muting between sets or tuning. If I want to plug or unplug cables I turn down the volume at the amp. Is there actually any use for a volume control on a bass? Am I missing something? I know guitarists can do fancy things with volume controls, but I tend to think the bass might even sound minutely better with a less cluttered signal path. [/quote] I generally turn down between songs. In a song or two I do swells with it. When using a Jazz bass, I like both volume knobs down a fraction: it sounds different from both on full. I want my volume control on the bass too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1476723764' post='3156670'] The change in tone you can get with varying where you set your volume, is more apparent when recording than playing live,I feel. [/quote] Not if you also use overdrive. The volume and also the tone control can affect the overdrive sound a lot. On my Stingray, when playing in the RATM covers band, I often control the 'apparent drive' simply using the mids control: I turn mids up for more drive, turn them down a bit for a less aggressively driven tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeystrange Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I realised a long time ago that I never used volume or tone controls on my basses so I took out the tone controls and replaced the volume knobs with an on/off switch. I've never regretted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I never touch the volume on the Bass - wide open all the time. I had one of those Nikki Sixx Blackbird basses with the toggle switch for on/off and nothing else. I thought that was ace. I use the tone a little more than I used to - touch more twang for songs that I play with a pick and then back down for fingerstyle. My Zoom B3 mutes the Bass when necessary and the EQ patch on it sorts out my general tone. So no...the volume pot remains lonely and unloved, generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 This has got me thinking - I always thought that, if you use it correctly and tastefully, the volume manipulation technique known as violining (on guitar, a la Yngwie Malmsteen) can be quite cool. I wonder if there's a way to make it sound good on bass? Kinda doubt it, but it's got to be worth experimenting with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 lots of ways to make it sound great on bass. I do it a lot with delay and other effects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I use mine live all the time for the utterly preposterous reason of adjusting the volume... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1476781399' post='3157100'] I use mine live all the time for the utterly preposterous reason of adjusting the volume... [/quote] Weirdo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1476781399' post='3157100'] I use mine live all the time for the utterly preposterous reason of adjusting the volume... [/quote] Lol I always roll back my volume control at least a bit. As others have said, you can then turn up if needs be. I play mostly finger style, but I sometimes use a pick, depending on the band and the individual song (some songs just require a pick and it doesn't sound right otherwise) When using a pick, I usually roll back the neck pickup a touch. Using the volume control(s) and tone control, and varying the heaviness and style of playing just allows you to change the dynamics of the bassline. But I've met plenty of players who just play everything on max the whole time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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