Your P Bass Tone Knob

[garagebassman]

with either of mine, I try to keep it 75%-100% up.
sometimes I feel/hear that at any less and it actually limits the volume a tad on the us reissue (90's with added fralin j bridge p/u), but less so with my 01 hot rodded US.

fingers, pick, slap , or even just overall volume level all dictate some adjustments...mostly with hands, but also with knobs

btw, what limited recording experience i've had, I thought they always sounded best @ full (vol and tone) , (bridge pu vol rolled back a bit of course)

 

[MrTrashcanBass]

Mine no longer exists.

'Straight wired' from pups, no tone or volume pots.

So basically 100% all the time.

 

[SteveL54]

Maybe 50% or so.
When I'm playing, I keep it so the set screw hole is facing directly towards the base of the neck where it meets the body. I never move it from there.

 

[sanderic]

with new strings I roll the tone knob all the way back. As the strings get older I roll the knob a little less. When I have the tone knob all the way open, its time to get new strings.

 

[Kaa]

Usually wide open, all basses loaded with flats.

All basses are P/J's for what that's worth.

 

[Duke21]

Usually 80-90% full, the almost goes for the volume knob.

 

[Duke21]

Depends on the bass for me. I'm "down" to 3 P's right now, and all 3 are set differently. My '75 P is dimed. My E-Series MIJ P is about 50%, and my Classic '50s is about 75%. At one time I had an AV '57 Reissue that was so bright I usually kept the tone knob around 20%. I didn't keep that one very long.

One thing I thought was interesting. Earlier in this thread, one of you guys (Mojo Man?) said that if he's playing finger-style, he keeps it at no more than 20% on. With a pick, he plays with the knob no more than 50%. I rarely play with a pick, but when I do, I'm just the opposite. I set the tone knob much lower when playing with a pick.

Well, actually the times I play with fingers the tone is under 50%, otherwise I play with a pick, and usually 80-90% open. It is due to the sound I choose for the songs, fingers with cut on tone for the soft and deep sound, otherwise more highs and definition.

 

[dhsierra1]

bypassed tone pot, chrome flats on a fretless maple neck, 1975. Tone control by hand position, palming, etc. The volume knob is there to shut the bass off between sets unless I know I'm going to get into a volume war, then I back that off a bit for reserve. Simplicity is good, and a P bass is simply good

 

[AHDBassist]

All the way on, all the time. On every guitar and bass I own lol

 

[benji1138]

On my MIM its cranked. On my Hondo p copy i had it removed when i got the custom pickguard.

 

[darkstorm]

Bass control anywhere from up about 30% to cut about 30% depending on position simulation wanted neck to bridge position. Treble flat to just a little bit boosted or cut. O passive P bass? Nope never had one more then two days. On those passive tone was full on to maybe just 85% on for the brief period they was passive.

 

[UnfortunateTony]

I bypass it and the volume completely because I already know the P bass sound I like

 

[JTE]

Mostly wide open, using my attack and my location to color the sound (just like I do on the active basses). But having said that, the tone control gets used a lot on my Precisions (one split-coil, one single-coil) because it's a very useful voice-shaping tool.

John

 

[ChronicPyromaniac]

I don't have one. So, full on +

+1