Controls preffered?

[Yellow Bang66]

As simple as possible. I have two basses that are wired direct from pickup to output jack. I hate the urge to fiddle with knobs. Now I just scratch my butt instead.

Just in from left field, I have a P/J; 2 vol, 1 tone+ switch. That I have Modded, its gonna sound complex but it really simple! I've added a tone styler in place of the tone, & 2 concentric stacked Vol/Tone pots. So the Vol. pots control each Pickup,the P & J get their own tone Pot underneath! the tone styler lets me choose which setting sounds best for the room/Mix, then I can dial in each pickup individually! so I get the most versatility out of my controls! once set I hardly ever touch 'em again. the trick is finding the right setting on the Tonestyler. Once found its about 90% of the work, then I can fine tune if needed. I love it!I modded it this way because I really liked the Tonestyler, and then found a mod online to give it more control.

 

[chris_b]

IMO the controls on my basses are a necessary evil. I'm happy to work with what I got.

I can get a sound I like from a volume and tone (P bass) all the way to 3 band EQ with all kinds of switching (Lakland, John East etc).

 

[39-Bassist]

I have used many control configurations over the years. I keep going back to simplistic layouts when I have two pickups...1 Vol/ 1 Tone/ 3way switch...LOVE it!
But that is me because I had opportunity to find the right combo pickups that I like.

 

[Liko]

Hey everyone! Hope you all are good! i just wanna know whta do you preffer in a bass:
simple design like just a volumen Knob and you master your sound in another hardware?
or a eq, phase inverter, and tone control knobs in the bass? Thanks

My Sire has the perfect setup for me; that is to say, basically all the controls. Volume, master tone and blend, 3-band semi-parametric EQ and a passive switch to turn off the EQ. I have the EQ preset for a slight scoop, and I flip the switch to go between "vintage" and "modern" tones.

 

[Lackey]

I like a passive tone knob. My TRB doesn't even have that, nor the stock active EQ. I'm getting a series / parallel switch as well on my pending single pickup build.

 

[Herrick]

On passive basses with two pickups, I like master volume, pickup blend, & a tone knob.

On active basses with two pickups, I like master volume, pickup blend, 3 & band EQ with mid sweep, and an active/passive switch with one of the other knobs controlling the tone.

 

[lomo]

The simpler and fewer knobs the better. Batteries are evil unless absolutely required.

 

[2112]

I don't have a strong preference for knob configuration... I'm a "set it and forget it" kind of guy. What I do wish for is that after I find the settings I like, that I have some way to protect those settings against errant knob turns resulting from accidental bumps and unwelcome fiddlers.

This could be implemented using push-pull knobs that only change settings when pulled, and then when pushed they have no effect. Or maybe using flat, flush-mount knobs with a slot that you could turn with your thumbnail.

I would like very much to see this sort of thing implemented on pedals as well.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I use tapped PU’s in these 2 basses. Wired stereo. On/off/on.
Full volume/off/half volume for each PU.

 

[A9X]

Batteries are evil unless absolutely required.

That's why my next build is going to have an external power supply.

 

[logdrum]

It doesn't matter to me. Whatever the bass came with.

For example, I entertained the idea of modifying my Jazz-Bass special, It has 2 volumes, a pickup selector and the TBX tone pot which is like half traditional from .5 to 5, 0 - .5 actually brightens it up again and has a weird Q-or phase change. And then 5 - 10 is like a like a treble/hi-mid boost / partial bass but not like an active pickup. After playing it again for 2 weeks, I found out that I can get so much tones out of this thing. And depending on the input impedance of your preamp, the sounds can also vary - yes it does for other basses but with this it is more dramatic. And the P pickup cannot be totally off or the J pickup will be off too, so series wiring as well. I need to use the active pad on one of my amps because the signal is hot

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hey everyone! Hope you all are good! i just wanna know whta do you preffer in a bass:
simple design like just a volumen Knob and you master your sound in another hardware?
or a EQ, phase inverter, and tone control knobs in the bass? Thanks

Simple controls on the bass, preferably volume, volume, and one tone control (for bass with two pickups). And yes, I've been playing a Jazz bass since I bought my 1965 Jazz in 1966. I dial in everything else at the amp. I do have one pedal that I got for Christmas and haven't used yet, but normally I play with a very clear, clean and warm signal.

I have a active/passive 5-string that has bass, treble, volume, and pickup blend (2-pickups) in active, but I tend to prefer its passive sound even though that eliminates the bass and treble on-board EQ. I'm able to get the tone that I want by using the pickup blend control in passive mode. So I'm pretty much a minimalist as far as onboard bass controls go.

 

[Killing Floor]

Depends on the bass. On a P, that's all I need. On a J I immediately change the VVT to Volume Blend Tone and on most Fender style basses I replace the tone with a treble bleed circuit, I do that on my Strats and Teles too.

On my EBMM basses I like the 3 band EQ because they are more heavy in treble so the ability to boost bass and mix the mids to the room is helpful.

 

[groooooove]

there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. generally i think vol/vol/tone, with or without an additional 3 band, is "best"

but having a master volume is great. especially on my 6 strings when i play chords and such, volume swells are not out of the question.

 

[mikewalker]

I like passive basses ...
with V, T - if they have one pup.
2 pups: V,V,T
3 pups: V,V,V,T

 

[Tom Kinter]

Have to say: I love the simplicity of my SB-2: Vol / Vol and no batteries. One of Leo Fender's last great innovations.

 

[Bonecat]

I’ve always wanted:

Volume - Yes
Switch - Talent (always on)
Tone 1 - Marcus
Tone 2 - Hadrien Feraud
Tone 3 - Jaco

Since I can’t get that, I’ll use whatever they give me…

 

[MikePlaysBass]

Here’s a variation I’ve never seen before. There’s a custom made bass on Reverb that has zero volume or tone controls on the front. Yes, I’ve seen basses with no controls before. But, here’s the weird part. Whoever had this bass custom made had them put on the back instead. W.T.F? There are all kinds of people in this world. I guess you have to twiddle the knobs with your Johnson or whatever.
Custom built fretless, carved 5 string bass guitar Fretless 5 string 2020 Natural pure non toxic Tung oil, 8 applications | Barefoot Musician | Reverb

If someone was to gift me that bass, the first thing I’d do is move the knobs to the front and put a plate across the back. That’s regardless of whether I decided to keep it or sell it. Talk about a white elephant…

 

[AudioTaper]

I like to keep things simple. Heres the control panel for my project bass. The coil taps are rotary 4-way for North/both series/both parallel/South. With the active/passive switch and Freeway 5B5-01, there are 136 unique pickup/preamp configurations.

Yeah, it's missing knobs... I know...
Pickups are simple as well, a fine selection from Nordstrand

 

[red_rhino]

I want all-the-con-trols! But mostly I'd like to have a remote control... so the bass will play itself while I go get a beer mid-set. Oh and an automatic self-destruct control (with an audible 10-second countdown), voice-activated, in case I'm captured with no hope of escape.