# Tone control: up then down or down then up?



## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

In my formative days I would start with the guitar's tone control wide open then turn it down until it didn't hurt my fillings. Now I start with it completely closed and turn it up until I start hearing phonemes emerging.

And you?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Doug Gifford said:


> In my formative days I would start with the guitar's tone control wide open then turn it down until it didn't hurt my fillings. Now I start with it completely closed and turn it up until I start hearing phonemes emerging.
> 
> And you?


Wait.... it goes down?


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Mark Brown said:


> Wait.... it goes down?


FIFY


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

My tone pots are modded to no-load, so its kinda like turning to 11!!! Really useful for soloing, so I keep it around 2/3-closed to really wide open!


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

On a strat, I keep the bridge tone pot down to where it matches the neck. On other guitars, I typically leave it wide open.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Really depends on the guitar.
On the tele bridge and neck I’m around 7-8 at all time.
Collings I sometime go as low as 3 on the bridge, and it still sound amazing. I don’t know what kind of circuit they use but most guitar sounds like a fart in a bath tub on 3 but that one is still very clear and articulate.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Derek_T said:


> I don’t know what kind of circuit they use but most guitar sounds like a fart in a bath tub on 3 but that one is still very clear and articulate.


I wonder this myself. Turn the neck tone all the way down on a strat and ask yourself what kind of mothers child would enjoy that sound. I figure it must be a product of the roll off and the higher end of the pot but I dont really know enough about those curves to have sused out the merit behind it all.


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## mnfrancis (May 24, 2010)

The first 10 years I played guitar I had the tone knobs dimed to 10 the entire time. Only in my formative years did I realize that there was some nuance to those knobs


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)




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## Speck_WFTR (2 mo ago)

Tried a few things and ended up taking all the tone pots etc out!
So there's just pups, switch, volumes, and output jack.
(my jaw dropped when trying this on a whim)

... so my _amp_ is my tone knob then ...


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## paraedolia (Nov 26, 2008)

jbealsmusic said:


> View attachment 455619


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I use the tone controls, more on the neck pickup--and on bass
Although on guitar normally they're turned on all the way.


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## Roots-Picker (Dec 29, 2017)

After playing electric guitar for ‘only‘ 50+ years, I have finally grown to understand the tonal nuances available by subtle and intetactive adjustments to both the volume and tone pots (on all PU position). 😬 Never too old to grow, I guess!…
(perhaps I should change my GC handle to “SlowLearner”, eh?!…geez!)


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## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

Usually wide open. I actually disconnected the tone controls on my BC Rich.


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