Who actually uses their volume control?

Roland · September 2023

… and how? I thought this would be a useful complement to the “Who actually uses their tone control” thread.

For the record, I normally play with my volume on 6. That gives me space to turn up for solos, and turn up/down if I’m too quiet/loud.

My guitars have a Treble pass capacitor so that the sound gets slightly brighter when turning down, maintaining the ability to cut through. Most of my amp settings aren’t overly compressed, so the volume actually does go up rather than fattening.

TTony · September 2023

I thought this was a parody thread!

Who actually uses their pickup switch?

Philly_Q · September 2023

Who actually uses their guitars? Not me. Certainly not to any useful purpose.

steer · September 2023

When using a fuzz it's essential.

slacker · September 2023

Strat no
Les Paul yes
Gretsch no
Ric no I rarely touch the pickup selector
Es125 no I I don't use the nonexistant pickup selector

lincolnblue · September 2023

steer said:

When using a fuzz it's essential.

This. I have my volume on full most of the time and use pedals to get gain but for fuzz I use the volume knob a lot

Supportact · September 2023

I do, but only for balancing the volume with the rest of the band, rather than altering the tone. I've got a treble bleed* in my tele as I just want it to change the volume. I tend to start with the volume on about 6 or 7 and adjust.

*I know, I know, it shouldn't be called that...

maharg101 · September 2023

Yep, definitely good to have some room for maneuver, light and shade / dynamic range.

Also picking dynamics, muting, emphasis on different parts of chords - these can all impact on the perceived volume.

roberty · September 2023

Yep for clean sounds

fastonebaz · September 2023

Mines mainly on 11

axisus · September 2023

Yup, every time I want the thing quieter. I think that's probably one of its main functions

Teacherphil · September 2023

Only before or after the gig before turning the amps on or off.

Rowby1 · September 2023

Yes, all the time. Volume is rarely on 10, similarly tone controls but only on the bridge pickup. Neck pickup tone controls normally wide open and only occasionally dipped a touch.

Danny1969 · September 2023

I use it constantly, not only for different amounts of gain but as a noise gate. If I'm not playing the volume is all the way off, even if it's only for a few seconds. You don't notice the effect much at home or at pub gigs but on big stages with a lot of wedges and big PA the resonance of a guitar turned up but not being played can build up quickly.

So the rule is if you aren't playing, roll the volume off.

I am on my 3rd or 4th volume control in 15 years though

flying_pie · September 2023

I use mine to fine tune crunch tones. It's usually on 10 for heavy tunes but 6 or 7 when it's classic rock. I also use it to mute when not playing

distressed · September 2023

Also all the time, adjusting volume, swells and stuff.

elstoof · September 2023

Mostly play unplugged to avoid the faff of using it

guitars4you · September 2023

100% all the time - 10 is the place to go to when you need a touch more 'turbo boost' - 6-8 is my base camp on most guitars - It will vary a touch from 6-8 depending on each guitar and the taper of the pot and how much gain I need

scrumhalf · September 2023

Strat/Tele, not much. Westbury with 2HBs, a lot.

CaseOfAce · September 2023

Yep - I find it especially useful for a solo boost when using a clean channel. I wish it would respond as markedly for my gain channel - but as you say - it fattens up rather than increases the volume.

maltingsaudio · September 2023

Yes use mine on all my guitars,, mainly for something to do!

ICBM · September 2023

I do - I usually set it on 10, but quite often back it off a bit to give a cleaner sounds - although I don't use it to fully clean up a distortion sound, since I normally use enough gain that doing that kills the volume as well. (If I want actual clean I turn off the distortion!) A volume control with a treble-pass cap is useful for that since it gives a slightly brighter tone as well as less distortion, so it doesn't drop out of the mix as badly. And as Danny says, to mute the guitar between songs - although I don't use it just for brief pauses, I mute the strings with my hand, so I haven't worn out any volume pots yet

.

But there was one band I played in that for no known reason - I've never done it in before or since - I did leave my distortion pedal on all the time and control the whole thing from the guitar volume... it just worked, for that band.

I find the tone control much more useful for controlling fuzz than the volume though.

26.2 · September 2023

Live - on a Tele or a Ric I’m adjusting volume and tone all the time. On a Strat or offsets not so much as they have a sharper roll off on the volume.

guitarmangler · September 2023

Yep. All the time. I’m too lazy to hit pedals with my feet, so I turn down to clean up (ish) and whack it up full for maximum gain. My amp isn’t so compressed so the volume goes up and down, too.

ScreamingDave · September 2023

Personally, I never really use the volume or tone controls. I just have them all on full and dial in the sound I want using the amp and effects. I’d also be quite happy if the pickup selector was superglued in the bridge position. Not saying I’m right, it’s just how I roll

PLOP · September 2023

I use it rarely. I play through a Helix exclusively and I use a preset per song, with the snapshots for sections of it. So if I want to go from a verse to a lead bit with an extra bit of volume, I just program that in to the preset so it boosts when needed when I press the button. I have a volume pedal too which is what I use between songs and stopping feedback.

One gig I played where my pedal stopped working so I had to use the volume knob, and I hated it!

SPECTRUM001 · September 2023

Ironically (as I am so inept) I am using both the volume and tone much more than I used to.

Particularly with the pickups on my Jazzmaster (Pure Vintage 65s) and Mustang (Mojo Vintage). The bridge on the JM goes from bright brilliance, to punchy smooth cut, to P90ish rasp via both the volume and tone.

And the Mustang bridge gives a hefty thwack when the tone is rolled off to around 7 - 8.

And similar on Strat.

But am often maxed out on middle and neck.

BowynMadley · September 2023

I played predominantly gibsons and gibson style guitars. I use the volume and tone more than anything else. More often than not I'll set a lead sound I like then back everything off with the guitar. My Daniels guitars junior the controls are incredibly interactive and for a single pickup guitar make it very flexible

skullfunkerry · September 2023

When I was gigging I used to have everything on maximum, then back off the volume for a semi-clean sound when I needed it (about 26 seconds per gig), and kill the volume completely before songs. Nowadays I use different patches for different sounds, and I tend to keep everything on full 99% of the time.

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Who actually uses their volume control?

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