Who uses the tone control on their bass?

[Guest MoJo]

Since I started playing over 25 years ago, I've never backed off the tone control on my basses, always full on, in fact I may as well do what I saw the bassist of a local band do a few years back, remove the controls and fill in the holes. Whenever I've tried rolling the tone back to say, play a blues number, it always sounds muddy, lacking definition. It's not the same rounded tone you'd get as playing a bass with flats on. I was just wondering if any basschatters ever roll their tone off, why and when.

[MuseMatt]

I usually just decide what sound i like best, and i mark my bass so I can always check if it's in the right position
but most of the times it's full open, except with my ibanez which gets WAY too loud if I turn the bassboost all the +12db up.

[markytbass]

I used to back the tone right off on a few numbers I recorded on a Jazz I had years back. When I had the Cort and the Stingray Everything was full on, they were the first active basses I owned so went ott a bit. Now I have a Warwick and play Blues so have the Eq set flat and only use the neck PU. I find you get a nice warm sound without being too muddy, I like the tone that Jack Bruce gets out of that fretless Thumb bass.

[silverfoxnik]

I always use the tone control on my bass in order to vary how bright the bass is from song to song.

In my band we have to play songs by bands as diverse as The Killers to The Temptations, so the bass sounds required can be very different across a two hour set!

Luckily, the tone control on my Roscoe Beck 5 string is excellent and offers a lot of variety for a passive bass, so I can get some great results without too much effort.

[ashevans09]

Hmm...only very rarely.

Then again I predominantly play only in one trick bands...

[SteveK]

[quote]Who uses the tone control on their bass?[/quote]
I don't even use the volume control...I should just have an on/off switch.

Steve

[ahpook]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='276621' date='Sep 3 2008, 11:47 PM']I always use the tone control on my bass in order to vary how bright the bass is from song to song.[/quote]

me too...some songs need a more cutting tone than others. i only ever back it off by about a third of a turn though.

[BoomPing]

[quote]I usually just decide what sound i like best[/quote]
Same for me, I just fiddle with the tone nob till I get a sound I think will suit the song I'll be playing next

[bass_ferret]

As many of us have active basses the question is irrelevant. Yes I do use the tone controls on my active basses. Sometime I use them alot, sometime I dont use them at all. Depends on the gig, songs, venue, what mood I am in, time of the month etc.....

[marcus bell]

i do quite a bit on my jazz...

spesh whn recreating a fretless sound, in which case i back the tone right off

[budget bassist]

I back some of the tone knobs off, but i play all actives and i don't need them all on full

[joegarcia]

Yea, I use mine loads, particularly on my Sabre. We have songs where I go between bitey Musicman grunt to fat dub like thunder with no high end at all. Use combinations of both pickups lots too.

[Machines]

I use mine quite a lot. Like people have already said - you change it between songs when some need the presence and some just want to be some solid fundamental.

[thepurpleblob]

I don't use tone controls on the bass or the amp. I just set it flat. Even on basses with loads of active controls it doesn't seem to make all that much difference. It's a bass for heaven's sake The only exception to that would be if the room has some odd resonances which I would try to dial out. If it goes through a PA then it's somebody else's problem.

[NancyJohnson]

I roll the tone off for one song we do that has cod-reggae intro, otherwise it's just full on. A while back (and after installation of a new SD Basslines), I rewired my Precision for volume only (from the Mark Hoppus model schematic) and it sounded just like it does with the tone full on.
P

[johnnylager]

The what?

[BassMunkee]

I occasionally twiddle with it just to remind myself what's it's actually for, but other than that it's always full on.
TBH I run through so many effects anyway that it needs to be full on, so I can get enough initial definition.

[alexclaber]

I stopped using active EQ years ago but now I have a passive tone pot I'm finding it really useful. I particularly like switching to the bridge pickup and then rolling the tone off for a super growly rock sound without having to resort to overdrive pedals.

Alex

[ARGH]

OH ....So THATS what that other knob does.....

[Merton]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='276649' date='Sep 4 2008, 12:38 AM']As many of us have active basses the question is irrelevant. Yes I do use the tone controls on my active basses. Sometime I use them alot, sometime I dont use them at all. Depends on the gig, songs, venue, what mood I am in, time of the month etc.....[/quote]
+ the 1

[Adrenochrome]

Never. Passive basses all on full, active bass flat. I vary tone using fingers/pick/right hand position, palm muting etc.

[Ou7shined]

I usually keep my bass control full on for live stuff but I'm up and down on the treble and volume all the time dependent on the song.

[phil_the_bassist]

on the basses I have that HAVE a tone, nope never nada nient nein non. Don't touch em, or the volume! (i like the idea of taking the pots off and filling the holes! )

On my 3band ray I have everything flay, except I boost the bass by about a 16th of a turn to get a bit of balls to the sound!

[waynepunkdude]

It is the second most useless knob on my Jazz (the first being me obviously)

Edited September 4, 2008 by waynepunkdude

[Bilbo]

I have a basic setting that I use as a starting point but I often tweak it to compensate for odd sounding rooms. The Wal Custom has a lift facility on the tone controls that improves the presence and enhances the frequencies that each control covers. I find I use that quite frequently during gigs. Its also sometimes easier to use the bass pots to control tone rather than the amp when you are playing in small, dark venues etc and you need to make adjustments in real time.

So, the straight answer to our question is, yes.