Purpose of volume control on Precision bass?

[iiipopes]

On my pbass special, I leave the P wide open and use the J kinda like a tone control. Turning it up seems to trim some of the "fat" if I need it. Tone is always wide open too.

This is because adding the J pickup in parallel lowers the overall inductance of everything, which to our ears has the effect of lowering the mids, or "fat." This is also why I don't see the necessity of adding a Bill Lawrence bass Q-filter to a bass instrument. This does the same thing.

 

[iiipopes]

On a P Bass, all the way up. On two-pickup basses, I'll blend to taste.

On a single pickup bass like a Precision, I have always been concerned that if I backed off the volume on the bass I wouldn't be sending the best, fullest signal the pickup has to offer to the amp. I wonder if there is any truth to that.

No.

 

[hopsbb]

Never touch my volume knob on my p bass now that I think about it.Its always wide open.I don't use mute switches either.Unless you consider my tuner as a mute switch.I control the volume with the amp.

 

[yodedude2]

Am I alone thinking more P-basses should have a push/pull knob?
My modded P-5 is getting one. One pup, one knob. Set it and forget it!

my most recent parts bass build has three pickups. it has two outputs. each volume pot is also a switch that toggles between the outputs. i use it for quick changes. i've yet to play it in stereo, but i could.

 

[jamro217]

My P basses all have barrel knobs. This makes it hard to tell where 7 is compared to 8. The only important setting is 11 anyway.

 

[basslayer]

I turn up to about 50% on the bass and ride the bass volume control to get a little more depending on the tone I'm using. I tend to play with more volume (75%) if I have to use a fat reggae tone or if I that a solo.

 

[Pandastylebass]

I too am in the 75% volume knob camp, it is way easier to turn up the knob on may bass than on my amp or preamp pedal mid song

 

[ExaltBass]

I typically dime it, but if I need to get an aggressive sound, without getting louder, I will back it off a bit and go for it. I also occasionally will roll off the tone to lessen bite, although I much prefer the sound of a P wide open. I can typically control the volume with my fingers, but sometimes I need a bit of help.

 

[katalyzt13]

+1 on this. I do the same.

Wouldn't a good overdrive pedal or a clean boost do this better?

 

[negativefx]

Almost always dimed. I run a gain structure that allows me to get some really nice dirt if I play moderately with a pick, or very hard with fingers. My band plays a few songs where I have a tendency to get a little more excited than I should so I pull back on the volume to about 7 to keep it clean even if I play like a sack of bricks. If I could contain myself, I'd probably play dimed all the time... but that would mean less beer during the show... and that's no fun.

 

[TheCrimsonKing]

I set my volume around 60-70% and bring it up when I need to distort my amp sim.

 

[brianrost]

Do you actually use the V control to reduce volume or do you use it as a rotary on/off control only?

I paid for it, so I use it

The only time I run the volume all the way up is when recording.

 

[groooooove]

on jazz basses i tend to use them. on my archtop guitars i use them a lot, thats really when i find them most useful. on a p-bass... not so much.

 

[bonespatrol]

yes, i actually do!

 

[MVE]

I usually have it switched out of circuit when using the P pickup.
Pickup-to-cable-to-amp

 

[troy mcclure]

On my passive P it and the tone are full on but on my active P's I use them .

 

[spaz21387]

That's why when I used p basses I usually just wired them straight to the jack. It was either all on or off for me thats it... I haven't used a p bass in years I prefer my stingray...

 

[johndough247]

After reading all the replies until yours, I was surprised to have to wait so long for the "correct" answer.

To be clear, I'm talking about a traditional Fender Precision Bass. P basses with onboard preamps, newer pickup designs... these may behave otherwise.

For many years I have had the habit of rolling back the volume knob of a Precision Bass just a tiny bit; maybe an 1/8" or 3/16" back. The sound of a proper Precision pickup at full volume is distinctive in its increased midrange and treble output. Rolling back the bass's volume control attenuates that part of the spectrum enough to matter.

Once, hanging out in the old Nordstrand shop, I was playing my vintage Precision after Carey and Maurilio restored it. Carey noticed my setting it's volume this way and asked about it. When I said why I did it, he said that he had another middle aged customer who did the same (I was pushing 50 at the time).

The player's age may inform the likelihood of their intentionally using this technique. I believe that in the current era of "cutting through the mix", bass pedalboards, and multiple preamps, some such nuances of traditional equipment are vanishing from knowledge.

I'm definitely not in that older camp of bassists (about to turn 30 in a few weeks), but I'm also surprised so many people do the "set to 75%" thing with the reason being volume control, as opposed to tone control. Coming from using active basses for the first 5 or so years, when I bought my first passive bass (Fender Geddy Lee), I noticed the tone difference immediately at the first gig...the Geddy was too aggressive for the old school Gospel I was playing at the time and backing it off a bit smoothed it out nicely.

If volume control is what you seek, controlling master volume from the amp yields 2 benefits (in most cases) over volume control on bass in a live setting:
1) Reduce gain without (unintentionally) losing the full tone of your pickup
2) If gig has FOH support: Reducing volume just for stage volume purposes should always be done on the amp IF sending signal with DI, doing it on the bass messes with the mix out front.

 

[Hertz]

Op here. I was thinking I could replace the vol control with a switch then I remembered I will often turn it down during practice when we are btwn songs and I need to play thru a part without disturbing others

Why not a 3 position switch? Full on, 50%, Off.

 

[Hertz]

on jazz basses i tend to use them. on my archtop guitars i use them a lot, thats really when i find them most useful. on a p-bass... not so much.

I have been considering wiring both pickups on my jazz to one volume pot. I rarely turn just one pickup down without the other. Maybe make the second volume pot a capacitor switch for mid range. Hmm.