Control Layout

[Robert Irizarry]

I was wondering if there were any particular control layouts (volume, tone, switch etc) that people preferred, found most convenient etc? I looked a bit through the forum but couldn't find anything...

Thanks!

EDIT: This should have been a two part question - sorry I wasn't clearer. The other part of this is physical location Is there a pattern and position that you prefer (for example, the Strat control layout vs. Gibson LP) that you find most comfortable?

[Primal]

I play bass, and I prefer a Master Volume, Pickup Pan, Bass, Mid, Treble. I've never tried it, but I'd like to play around with a bass that has a knob the changes the Mid frequency range.

[MP63]

I go with what's used the most.

Volume-Switch-Tone

The last electric I built had no tone control as I always have it on 10.

It goes straight from pickup to Volume.

The tone just muffles everything.

The pickup is louder too.

When I switch pickups, I have to adjust the volume anyways.

I'm staying away from two sets of pots. for each pickup.

It's not like I'm recording Dark Side Of The Moon or something.

[GregP]

And if you ARE recording Dark Side of the Moon, you can change all the EQ and volume in post-production anyhow. Might as well keep the signal intact and then "muffle" it by rolling off the highs LATER, in my opinion.

I prefer either 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 switch, or 1 volume, 1 switch.

Greg

[mammoth guitars]

Minimum: Volume, Tone and Pickup switch. Many commercial guitars have a useless tone control. The tone control can be usefull if tuned with the correct cap value that works with the pickups.

For position, the volume should be inline with the bridge to make volume swells easy, but far enough that you do not strike it when strumming. The switch should be near the volume and at an angle in line with the strum so it can be changed quickly. Tone should be somewhere so it does not interfere with the other two. That is just our preference.

[Inisheer]

I agree with the rest of you guys. I like 1 volume, 1 tone, and one switch. But I rarely use the tone switches anyway, I just leave them all the way up. I guess I like simplicity, the less controls the better. And although I love Les Pauls, I don't like the controls they have....four knobs is too tricky for me.

[coolio49085]

Well, This may sound kinda like too much but my father has a 1967 Harmony rocket with 3 single coils and it has a volume and tone for each PU. That means that I can set eat PU to Low, Mid, or High and the adjust the volumes to what I want and I like it a lot.

[j. pierce]

I'm set with volume and pickup blend. Tone is nice sometimes, I usually roll it back a notch or two and crank it back up for solos, but generally I used the p'up blend for "tone".

[Primal]

but generally I used the p'up blend for "tone".

Ditto. On my bass, I only use the bass and treble to cut boominess and increase clarity, rather than adjusting to get a warm tone, or what have you.

[Mickguard]

For a single pickup, I'm thinking just a kill switch...I could use a volume pedal instead. And I never touch the tone, so it's just useless. For a double, I like the idea of having the switch near the upper horn like an LP.

But knobs and switches can be part of the design element (like the telecaster or the Harmony Rocket). So even if you never touch them, they serve a function. I really like the look of mini-switches, for example.

And no one says you have to stick with the traditional knob shapes -- there are all kinds of possibilities, once you start thinking about it.... hmm...

[Mattia]

Volume control, sometimes 2 (wholly independent), never any tone controls, often a push/push on the volume for series switching, mini-switches for tapping/parallel bucker operation.

As for location...matter of taste, playing style, where the hand falls, etc. I like 'em more or less where PRS has them. Ish.

[Guitarfrenzy]

For me, I prefer to have just 1 or 2 volumes, 1 tone control, and 1 rotary switch. I like the rotary type switches better and tend to use them when I can. Really it's a matter of what wiring you have going on, as to what the ultimate controls I use. There's a fine line between having enough control over the sound, or having too much control over the sound. Too many adjustments can overcomplicate things, but you do want enough so you can get a wide range of sounds out of your guitar.

[Marzocchi705]

2vol, 2 tone LP style config on the body, plus a 3 way toggle to swap Pu's (if its a 2 bucker guitar) with a mini to coil tap the neck. On a 3 single i just have Vol, 2tone strat style. I generaly change my mind where i want toggles every once in a while.