• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Blend pot vs tone pot for tone control

non

non

Aug 4, 2015
739
975
59
#1
i have a preamp that has a volume push/pull, active/passive pot. i love the sound of the pups in passive mode so much i never use the preamp so i took the battery out long ago. the blend pot becomes the tone control in passive mode.
i love the blend as tone control so i am thinking about converting my p/j bass to this setup. lose the tone knob and use the blend as the tone. the sounds you get from the blend as tone control seem so much more useful than using a tone pot.
why is this set up not more common on basses with two pickups?
 
  • Like
Reactions: EatS1stBassist
#2
Why not have both a blend AND a tone control? All my active basses do...

non said:
i have a preamp that has a volume push/pull, active/passive pot. i love the sound of the pups in passive mode so much i never use the preamp so i took the battery out long ago. the blend pot becomes the tone control in passive mode.
i love the blend as tone control so i am thinking about converting my p/j bass to this setup. lose the tone knob and use the blend as the tone. the sounds you get from the blend as tone control seem so much more useful than using a tone pot.
why is this set up not more common on basses with two pickups?
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: zontar, TrevorR, Plain Old Barry and 6 others
#3
non said:
i have a preamp that has a volume push/pull, active/passive pot. i love the sound of the pups in passive mode so much i never use the preamp so i took the battery out long ago. the blend pot becomes the tone control in passive mode.
i love the blend as tone control so i am thinking about converting my p/j bass to this setup. lose the tone knob and use the blend as the tone. the sounds you get from the blend as tone control seem so much more useful than using a tone pot.
why is this set up not more common on basses with two pickups?
Click to expand...
Because blending between pickups does not activate a capacitor in the circuit, therefore applying a "tone" pot to your guitar. Most instruments with two pickups, have a way of selecting pickups, volume, and tone. All set up in different ways, but this set up is how you gain full control of your tone. Without a tone pot, you simply have your pickups running without the ability to alter them in any way besides the high roll off you get by turning down the volume.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcnach
#4
this is for a passive harness.
for the sake of argument lets say you wanted to do minimal electronics.
a tone control for a single pickup makes sense. for two pickups you could have a volume and blend. blend as tone control. if you have a passive harness with volume/blend/tone turn the tone all the up. now use the blend for tone control. with p/j pickups it sounds like you have a high mid boost when blending in the bridge pickup which is cool because the tone pot is just a cut.
 
#6
non said:
blend alters the tone a lot.
a lot of active harnesses have a passive mode and when in passive the blend becomes the tone and it sounds great so why doesn't more passive harnesses do this?
Click to expand...

Sure, why not? I have 2 which offer a passive bypass but neither has a tone control (Ibanez 1405 and Carvin Bunny). The newer Soundgears do have a passive tone control. The blend (...or volume / volume) does provide some useful tone-shaping.

Riis
 
#7
Plenty of passive basses have volume, blend, and tone controls

If you want minimal electronics, you get to choose which controls you want. You can choose to leave off the tone control, or even the volume control...

It sounds like what you're trying to say is "Changing the blend control has an effect on the tone"?

non said:
this is for a passive harness.
for the sake of argument lets say you wanted to do minimal electronics.
a tone control for a single pickup makes sense. for two pickups you could have a volume and blend. blend as tone control. if you have a passive harness with volume/blend/tone turn the tone all the up. now use the blend for tone control. with p/j pickups it sounds like you have a high mid boost when blending in the bridge pickup which is cool because the tone pot is just a cut.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrevorR and mcnach
#8
non said:
blend alters the tone a lot.
a lot of active harnesses have a passive mode and when in passive the blend becomes the tone and it sounds great so why doesn't more passive harnesses do this?
Click to expand...
Blend doesn't alter tone in any way other than a volume does. Its not a tone pot. Tone pots are volume pots. Except, the "pickup" attached to it is a capacitor. You wire it backwards so that when you turn it up, you actually turn the capacitor off. "Tone off" is actually "capacitor on." Passives don't have blends, because they usually have two volumes. It gives far more freedom, and control then a simple blend that brings one down and one up at the same time. You can actually control your blend with two volumes.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster and Bassamatic
#9
mikezimmerman said:
Plenty of passive basses have volume, blend, and tone controls

If you want minimal electronics, you get to choose which controls you want. You can choose to leave off the tone control, or even the volume control...

It sounds like what you're trying to say is "Changing the blend control has an effect on the tone"?
Click to expand...
It changes the volume between pickups. Lowers one, raises the other in an equal fashion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster
#11
Well, the tone of the neck pickup is different than the tone of the bridge pickup, so panning from one pickup to another "changes the tone". "Tone" covers a lot more than just what a passive treble roll-off control does.

Plenty of passive basses have blend pots. Whether you prefer a volume and a blend or two volumes is purely a personal choice. There are pros and cons to both.

JeezyMcNuggles said:
Blend doesn't alter tone in any way other than a volume does. Its not a tone pot. Tone pots are volume pots. Except, the "pickup" attached to it is a capacitor. You wire it backwards so that when you turn it up, you actually turn the capacitor off. "Tone off" is actually "capacitor on." Passives don't have blends, because they usually have two volumes. It gives far more freedom, and control then a simple blend that brings one down and one up at the same time. You can actually control your blend with two volumes.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrevorR, ctmullins and mcnach
#12
mikezimmerman said:
Well, the tone of the neck pickup is different than the tone of the bridge pickup, so panning from one pickup to another "changes the tone". "Tone" covers a lot more than just what a passive treble roll-off control does.

Plenty of passive basses have blend pots. Whether you prefer a volume and a blend or two volumes is purely a personal choice. There are pros and cons to both.
Click to expand...
Well, the only "passive treble roll-off control" I've ever heard of is the "grease bucket circuit" but, thats an entirely different animal in itself.
 
#14
The standard passive tone control is a low-pass filter/treble roll-off. The capacitor determines a cut-off frequency, and as you turn the control down, frequencies above that cut-off are sent to ground.

JeezyMcNuggles said:
Well, the only "passive treble roll-off control" I've ever heard of is the "grease bucket circuit" but, thats an entirely different animal in itself.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcnach
#16
mikezimmerman said:
The standard passive tone control is a low-pass filter/treble roll-off. The capacitor determines a cut-off frequency, and as you turn the control down, frequencies above that cut-off are sent to ground.
Click to expand...
No it doesn't, well not entirely. As it enters the circuit, it alters the frequency spike. Yes, lowering the high end, but its far more than that. As you near the open position, the frequency hump moves lower the the 200-300 range. And at that point, it jumps up again. Giving you a dramatic boost in low end burp and growl. Cutting treble will not do that. Raising and lowering volumes will not do that. Thats what the capacitor does. Changing the value of the capacitor, changes the spike when placed in the circuit. Without a capacitor in the circuit, you have no "tone" knob.

You realize that there is a reason why its never been labeled as a "treble" knob, right? It's because its not a treble knob. It doesn't just lower treble. It alters your tone. It also alters the effects of the phasing you get with both pickups on. Gives you a nice subtle wah wah effect with a slowed attack. Try getting that effect by turning your treble off. You can't.
 
Last edited:
#19
Yes, there is a bump around the cutoff frequency, but the dominant effect is to cut treble frequencies, which is why it's frequently refered to as a passive treble roll-off even though there's actually more to it than that:

StreamImage.jpg


JeezyMcNuggles said:
No it doesn't, well not entirely. As it enters the circuit, it alters the frequency spike. Yes, lowering the high end, but its far more than that. As you near the open position, the frequency hump moves lower the the 200-300 range. And at that point, it jumps up again. Giving you a dramatic boost in low end burp and growl. Cutting treble will not do that. Raising and lowering volumes will not do that. Thats what the capacitor does. Changing the value of the capacitor, changes the spike when placed in the circuit. Without a capacitor in the circuit, you have no "tone" knob.

You realize that there is a reason why its never been labeled as a "treble" knob, right? It's because its not a treble knob. It doesn't just lower treble. It alters your tone. It also alters the effects of the phasing you get with both pickups on. Gives you a nice subtle wah wah effect with a slowed attack. Try getting that effect by turning your treble off. You can't.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcnach and BassikBrad
#20
mikezimmerman said:
Yes, there is a bump around the cutoff frequency, but the dominant effect is to cut treble frequencies, which is why it's frequently refered to as a passive treble roll-off even though there's actually more to it than that:

View attachment 3971515
Click to expand...
I've never heard of it as a passive treble roll off. That's what happens when you hook a pickup up to a pot in general. Its usually referred to as, "passive tone control on treble pot when in passive mode" but, whatever man. You get the point. The "tone" doesn't just sap the high end through a capacitor, it alters the frequency spike as well.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back