Amp & Guitar Volume

[Tim]

I am having a hard time figuring out the correct volumes to use on the guitar and amp. Presently I set my guitar volume(s) around 6 or 7 for strumming chords and arpeggios. My amp is set for the venue and room acoustics. There are times that I must lower my overall volume for certain soft songs.

When I lower the guitar volume from 6 to 4 I loose an enormous amount of frequency response (the tone goes flat). If I increase the volume on the amp and when I need to lower the volume for those individual songs, I can not get the over all volume low enough to play the softer song. I thought maybe a volume pedal would help with the problem, but would not the pedal do the same as the volume control on the guitar? Would I not loose the same frequency?

I am thinking about raising the guitar volume to 8 and adjusting the amp to a slightly lower volume. Any Fretter’s have experience in this problem? Thanks.

[SuperSwede]

I play with my guitar volume at 10 most of the time.. the only time that I lower it is when I want to clear up a overdrive sound. A volume pedal is a lot of fun, you can use it for steel guitar like effects and it works/works better imho when lowering the guitar volume.

[Tone2TheBone]

Tim, use your Bad Monkey as a clean boost on your amp so that you will have the frequency response you get at higher volumes...as you play at lower ones. Hitting the preamp of any amp with a boost of some sort really helps it move the sound like it's supposed to when the amp runs louder. You don't have to set any gain on the pedal if you don't want to but if you do you can always roll back your guitar volume to clean things up. All the while keeping your amp volumes at moderate levels....

SS - I play my guitars with the volume knob rolled back almost all the time. Just enough to make things sparkly and when I want bigger sound I roll it up all the way. I used to play guitars full up on 10 on the volume knobs but there are so many nice frequencies and overtones when you roll the pot back just a little. Especially when combining pickups.

[Tim]

Tim, use your Bad Monkey as a clean boost on your amp so that you will have the frequency response you get at higher volumes...as you play at lower ones. Hitting the preamp of any amp with a boost of some sort really helps it move the sound like it's supposed to when the amp runs louder. You don't have to set any gain on the pedal if you don't want to but if you do you can always roll back your guitar volume to clean things up. All the while keeping your amp volumes at moderate levels....

SS - I play my guitars with the volume knob rolled back almost all the time. Just enough to make things sparkly and when I want bigger sound I roll it up all the way. I used to play guitars full up on 10 on the volume knobs but there are so many nice frequencies and overtones when you roll the pot back just a little. Especially when combining pickups.

Tone – Thanks for the great advice. Wisdom and experience is the best teacher. Not only can I use a clean Bad Monkey, but I could use my Graphic EQ pedal. Just boost the volume during normal play and turn off the pedal during those softer playing moments. Where has my brain been sitting?

Sounds like going down to 5 or 6 on the guitar volume maybe too low. From what you’re describing Tone, 8 may be the right place to set the guitar volume at. 2 numbers higher for a solo or even 2 numbers lower for a less harsh tone.

[SuperSwede]

T2TB, sure there is a lot of nice tones to be had when you roll of the volume. I like to select middle with tapped pickups and volume 5-6 for country stuff. But blues and jazz sounds better to me when volume is set to "full engage, report to the bridge Mr Spock" *bzzzz* "Gentlemen, set you humbuckers to STUN" *screaming solo* "Enterprise?.....Come in Enterprise???"

[Tone2TheBone]

Tim - For me the magic volume knob position is 7 don't know why. And turning up for fullness and volume when you want it like you mentioned yes.

SuperDuper - Not on my ship misterrrr! Oh yeah volume up when playing jazzie wazzie and what not...you betcha Mr. Chekov. Ahead full impluse power Mr. Sulu....take us out.

[SuperSwede]

Tim, what do you set your tone knob when rolled back? If you roll back too much you might need to compensate with more treble.

Tone - Muhahaha.. no one can hear your screaming solo in space!!! *crrrkk* "Take us into orbit, Mr Malmsteen".

[Tone2TheBone]

......*crrrkk* "Take us into orbit, Mr Malmsteen".

You got that from Starcraft didn't you you computer nerd you.

[SuperSwede]

You got that from Starcraft didn't you you computer nerd you.

And your not a nerd for recognizing it?

well well... we meet again.

[Tone2TheBone]

And your not a nerd for recognizing it?

well well... we meet again.

LMAO..........Aye aye Admiral DuGalle!

[Tim]

Tim, what do you set your tone knob when rolled back? If you roll back too much you might need to compensate with more treble.

I keep the two tones on my Tele Deluxe Custom on 10 all the time. Very seldom do I go to a lower setting. I like the low bottom from the neck pickup and the trebly tone from the bridge pickup. I only adjust the two volume knobs to change to sound output. As a matter of fact I keep all tone knobs at 10 on all my guitars. I really do not have enough experience to know otherwise.


Computer! Simulate a major jam session with all Fretters wherever they maybe located. Bring them all to the holodeck (better known as a holographic environment simulator) and program each guest with their favorite guitar, amp and looping pedal.

Confirmed Captain!

[SuperSwede]

Tim, I love to play with my tone knob rolled of slighty. Experiment, and thou shalt prosper!

Tone, we might have played a bit TOO much Starcraft

[Tone2TheBone]

Tone, we might have played a bit TOO much Starcraft

Ya think?

Try the pedal thing Tim and let me know if that works good for you.

[Cranium]

Volume on the guitar also works as gain (which you probably noticed by now ) but I suggest you put the volume on the amp high and keep the volume on this guitar 7-8, when you need softer sounds or cleaner roll to 5-6 but lower then 5 you start losing all gain and tone, for solos I suggest 8-9 but not 10, its a personal preference but I find that on 10 the bass stings give you that nasty buzzy sound. Also as was already told, you can use your pedal as a boost for soloing or such.

[Tinky-Winky]

Doesn't a treble bleed tone knob mod keep the same "brightness" for all settings?

[Tone2TheBone]

Doesn't a treble bleed tone knob mod keep the same "brightness" for all settings?

Yes and No. Depends on what pot values you're using. On a typical Strat using just a .001 uF cap allows a big amount of treble frequencies to stay when a 250K volume knob is turned down. In fact it sounds as if your low frequencies have decreased some also when using just the cap in this instance...thats why some people use a 130K or so resistor in either parallel or series with the cap to keep some of the lows present when turning the pot down. I've found that it's not so critical on 500K pots with humbuckers so I leave out the resistors on the mod. Actually I like just the .001 uF cap without the resistor on my Strat cause I like the bell tones the pot gives off when rolled off at around 7 on the volume knob.

[Spudman***]

...thats why some people use a 130K or so resistor in either parallel or series with the cap to keep some of the lows present when turning the pot down. I've found that it's not so critical on 500K pots with humbuckers so I leave out the resistors on the mod. Actually I like just the .001 uF cap without the resistor on my Strat cause I like the bell tones the pot gives off when rolled off at around 7 on the volume knob.

I think that the resistor is supposed to be parallel to the capacitor. Right? Not in series.