Stating the bleeding obvious: Tone Pots... misnamed?
- Thread starter Re-Pete
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Verne Bunsen
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I dunno, it you're playing the neck pickup into a hot amp or a fuzz and roll the tone back, it can actually increase clarity by eliminating the higher frequencies. It will turn an Octavia from a hot mess into a focused, singing octave fuzz. I find the name fitting as, to my thinking, it controls the overall tone of the guitar: brighter or darker. If I could get Leo to go back and re-name anything, it would be the "tremolo" on the guitar and the "vibrato" on the amp. :doh:
stratamania
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It's a passive circuit that alters the tone. Seems aptly named to me per the general way tone is used not strictly correctly.
As you say you can also have active circuits that boost frequencies that also alter tone.
You'll find lots of examples of passive versus active tone stacks if you seek them out.
But what all of these things are doing is altering the timbre not what tone means literally which has more to do with pitch.
As you say you can also have active circuits that boost frequencies that also alter tone.
You'll find lots of examples of passive versus active tone stacks if you seek them out.
But what all of these things are doing is altering the timbre not what tone means literally which has more to do with pitch.
stratamania
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That's the problem with language, it has colloquial or slang usage in addition to its correct definitions. Mostly we can interpret the meaning but it doesn't help with engineering or such things where specifics are better.
One of my pet peeves is strings that are highest in pitch being called the bottom strings by some because they are closer to the floor whereas higher pitches relate to the top of a music stave or tab. I mean even Spinal Tap knew in the song Big Bottom, that bottom was related to lower pitches.
One of my pet peeves is strings that are highest in pitch being called the bottom strings by some because they are closer to the floor whereas higher pitches relate to the top of a music stave or tab. I mean even Spinal Tap knew in the song Big Bottom, that bottom was related to lower pitches.
line6man
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Re-Pete said:
Sorry, this is dead wrong. Simply varying the capacitance will not change the physics of what the capacitor does to the signal, it will only change the frequency and response of the filter. If you want a high-pass filter, you need to reconfigure the wiring so that the capacitor goes in series with the signal, with the pot placing resistance parallel to the capacitor. (Incidentally, this is popular on G&L basses.)
TonyFlyingSquirrel
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For simplicity sake, let's start with this.
Passive tone controls on a guitar/bass are subtractive. They bleed treble off to ground. (subtracting treble) They do not actively increase anything.
Active tone controls on a guitar/bass can be subtractive, but more significantly, they have additive qualities, i.e.; they can increase amplitude of the "Q" at a predetermined decible level via the appropriate control (low/mid/hi) via the battery powered pre-amp.
Now that there's a basic definition, this knowledge can further feed our discussion.
Passive tone controls on a guitar/bass are subtractive. They bleed treble off to ground. (subtracting treble) They do not actively increase anything.
Active tone controls on a guitar/bass can be subtractive, but more significantly, they have additive qualities, i.e.; they can increase amplitude of the "Q" at a predetermined decible level via the appropriate control (low/mid/hi) via the battery powered pre-amp.
Now that there's a basic definition, this knowledge can further feed our discussion.
stratamania
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Is there anything left to discuss on this ?
