Gain control on amps

[PaulWarning]

I always have mine full on using a passive P bass (never used an amp where it caused distortion, no red lights on my Trace Elliot SMX head), figuring that I send the fullest signal from my bass to the amp, but I've never seen or heard of anyone else doing this, just wondering what the thinking is behind not doing it, the only thing I can think of is comes from guitar amp gain controls which is designed to cause distortion, not so with bass amps as far as I know

[PaulWarning]

there's a duplicate post, can we stick with this one?

Edited November 14, 2017 by PaulWarning

[Lozz196]

On some it generates distortion, Aguilar Tonehammer being one that boosted Gain sounds really nice on. These seem to be more about clipping than distortion though, and I`ve found that in general with my playing style, using no pedals, that around 2 o`clock gets an amp into the clipping area, whereas with my Para Driver it`s a fair bit earlier than that.

[PaulWarning]

7 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

On some it generates distortion, Aguilar Tonehammer being one that boosted Gain sounds really nice on. These seem to be more about clipping than distortion though, and I`ve found that in general with my playing style, using no pedals, that around 2 o`clock gets an amp into the clipping area, whereas with my Para Driver it`s a fair bit earlier than that.

Don't you have your paradriver set to the same volume as  the clean signal? I do that with my Zoom B1on so it doesn't make a difference, volume wise, whether it's on or off

[Dazed]

The site seems to have been up n down a bit this morning. Think we're still in the ironing out the bugs phase ('scuse my overly technical jargon   )

[Dazed]

To answer your question, same as Lozz posted, in my experience getting into the 2/3 o'clock position caused clipping or the limiter to start doing its thing. 

[MartinB]

Depends on the "features" of your amp. Fender Rumble (v3) starts to add compression once the gain is over 12 o'clock. IIRC the new Trace Elliot Elf has the first third of the dial as input gain, the second third adding compression, and the final third to add overdrive.

[PaulWarning]

must say I've never experienced this, with several Trace Elliot's and a Fender Rumble or any of the supplied back line amps at multiband gigs, or of course my hearing is so knackered that I can't hear clipping, but on amps I've used with a clipping warning on them (Trace and Ashdowns) it's never shown up

Edited November 14, 2017 by PaulWarning

[PaulWarning]

5 hours ago, MartinB said:

Depends on the "features" of your amp. Fender Rumble (v3) starts to add compression once the gain is over 12 o'clock. IIRC the new Trace Elliot Elf has the first third of the dial as input gain, the second third adding compression, and the final third to add overdrive.

really? I didn't know that, edit, (about the Rumble)

Edited November 14, 2017 by PaulWarning

[Oopsdabassist]

With my TH500 the gain is about 11 o'clock before the clipping light starts twitching, this with a passive P bass, mind you I'm a bit heavy handed.  

I've always been told to avoid excessive clipping so I have never pushed the TH any harder to see how the sound changes.

[Oopsdabassist]

With my TH500 the gain is about 11 o'clock before the clipping light starts twitching, this with a passive P bass, mind you I'm a bit heavy handed.  

I've always been told to avoid excessive clipping so I have never pushed the TH any harder to see how the sound changes.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, PaulWarning said:

Don't you have your paradriver set to the same volume as  the clean signal? I do that with my Zoom B1on so it doesn't make a difference, volume wise, whether it's on or off

Yes it`s at the same volume, but I have a fair bit of gain on it, plus really push the hi-mids & highs, in addition to the extra bulk of the Sansamp sound, so this clips earlier.

[skidder652003]

Dont Ampeg recommend the gain on full with their svt Tube amps to get the full 300 watts? Or did I imagine that?

Edit, its actually the other way round, master volume on full, adjust gain to taste!

 

Edited November 14, 2017 by skidder652003

[ZilchWoolham]

As it happens, my old Randall does have a distortion circuit (and actually a very nice one at that), so with the gain on full whack it's all a bit too face-melting for ordinary purposes. 

[PaulWarning]

2 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

Dont Ampeg recommend the gain on full with their svt Tube amps to get the full 300 watts? Or did I imagine that?

Edit, its actually the other way round, master volume on full, adjust gain to taste!

 

I suppose this is whether the gain control is to adjust for different levels of bass out put or to overdrive the amp, when he was explaining the overdrive light he showed EQ would effect it, the gain control as I understand it (on Trace Elliot amps anyway) is the first thing in the amp chain so EQ wouldn't affect it, as I said before, I have gain on full and the red overdrive light doesn't come on, any other amp adjustment has no affect on the overdrive warning light

[TrevorR]

With my old passive Aria and Squier Jazz the clip light on my Series Six TE1215 would flash at about 1-2 o'clock, 10-11 o'clock with my Wal. Does your P have a particularly low output or do you play particularly gently? I've always set the amp up to give the highest input gain level without any clipping and then adjusted the volume control for... erm... volume. Never had an amp that one of my basses wouldn't overdrive if the gain was up high, though.

Or maybe you've had a bad run of luck buying amps where the clip LED had failed...

[PaulWarning]

1 minute ago, TrevorR said:

With my old passive Aria and Squier Jazz the clip light on my Series Six TE1215 would flash at about 1-2 o'clock, 10-11 o'clock with my Wal. Does your P have a particularly low output or do you play particularly gently? I've always set the amp up to give the highest input gain level without any clipping and then adjusted the volume control for... erm... volume. Never had an amp that one of my basses wouldn't overdrive if the gain was up high, though.

Or maybe you've had a bad run of luck buying amps where the clip LED had failed...

I have a MIA P bass and a Squire VM Jazz, I play punk with a pick so gentle I'm not , I've got 2 TE's one an SMX the other one a series 6 and use another at the rehearsal rooms, the gain is on full for them all, I can make the red clipping light come on by boosting the output volume from my Zoom pedal but keep it so the output level is the same if it's bypassed, I thought I was in a minority that's why I  asked the question, just wondered if other people set the gain at half way because that seems the sensible thing to do, I used too.