Tele volume and tone on 10?

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Grandfunkfan

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I'm a 30 year strat player that finally got a tele. I'm still dialing in my tone so I've been poking around the web for tone tips. Almost with out exception, everyone says tone and volume cranked and set your amp up accordingly. So far I'm finding great tones on the neck pickup with the volume around 7 to 10, and the tone about 3 quarters. The middle and bridge I have my volume the same and back my tone off to half to 3 quarters. Im wondering if Im missing something by not playing with the volume and tone cranked. As I said I'm finding good stuff with my approach, but I wonder if I just need to get accustomed to the cranked method until I'm accustomed to it and end up better off in the long run. Don't laugh it took me a couple years to get my strat dialed in.Big difference between a strat and a tele. It's even changed my right hand technique. I play blues hard , classic rock, and old school r and b. BTW I'm running the tele through a compressor, into a deluxe reverb and sometimes a Timmy.
 

Grandfunkfan

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Forget about "what everybody says". There's nothing more important than what sound you like. Your ears are king, unless a producer tells you otherwise :)
Thanks for the reply. I'm inclined to trust my ears, but it's just such a different animal I wasn't sure. To be honest it took me a week to decide I was going to keep it. But I definitely finding some rock tones with that my strat can only dream of.
 

String Tree

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I'm a 30 year strat player that finally got a tele. I'm still dialing in my tone so I've been poking around the web for tone tips. Almost with out exception, everyone says tone and volume cranked and set your amp up accordingly. So far I'm finding great tones on the neck pickup with the volume around 7 to 10, and the tone about 3 quarters. The middle and bridge I have my volume the same and back my tone off to half to 3 quarters. Im wondering if Im missing something by not playing with the volume and tone cranked. As I said I'm finding good stuff with my approach, but I wonder if I just need to get accustomed to the cranked method until I'm accustomed to it and end up better off in the long run. Don't laugh it took me a couple years to get my strat dialed in.Big difference between a strat and a tele. It's even changed my right hand technique. I play blues hard , classic rock, and old school r and b. BTW I'm running the tele through a compressor, into a deluxe reverb and sometimes a Timmy.
@TeleTucson nailed it!
Just find a setting that works for you.

I have been playing in bands for a LONG Time.
My Guitar starts out Loud and Proud.
When the singing starts, I go from 10 down to 7, sometimes even less.
Bring it up for a Solo, back down when the singing comes back.

I do 85% of my work with the Neck Pick-up.

I will admit that the quieter sound by itself is kind of bland.
I like that it gives the illusion of Louder Vocals without touching the PA.
Vocals Pay the Bills in my bands.
 

Grandfunkfan

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@TeleTucson nailed it!
Just find a setting that works for you.

I have been playing in bands for a LONG Time.
My Guitar starts out Loud and Proud.
When the singing starts, I go from 10 down to 7, sometimes even less.
Bring it up for a Solo, back down when the singing comes back.

I do 85% of my work with the Neck Pick-up.

I will admit that the quieter sound by itself is kind of bland.
I like that it gives the illusion of Louder Vocals without touching the PA.
Vocals Pay the Bills in my bands.
The neck pickup is one thing I don't have any worries about, especially that beautiful round greasy tone above the 12th fret. A lot like my strat but more responsive.
 

mschafft

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When you're in a studio or doing a soundcheck on stage it's easier for the sound engineer if the volume and tone on the guitar are on 10. The reason is simply that it will stay there so every other adjustment will be right for the next take or the concert. Imagine how much has to be changed on the console when the player moves his volume from 7 to 10 AFTER the initial soundcheck, it's just a nightmare for the sound engineer. In the studio people sometimes use duct tape to make sure the volumes and tone stay where they are when doing long sessions. Apart from these practical reasons, there is no rule as to how good tone can be dialled in.
 

Jakedog

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Doesn’t matter what the guitar or amp is, if I’m playing live, if I’m playing an electric guitar, the knobs are generally dimed.

The only use I’ve ever found for a tone control is for a strat bridge pickup. And then it only goes back to 8 or so.

The single exception is fender guitars with a TBX. That thing can be cool.
 

BFcaster

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@Grandfunkfan -If you're maxed at 10 where can you go? 11? Not really.
I've learned to use the knobs. They're there to be fiddled with. I personally usually hang out at 8 1/2 to 9 for both Tone and Volume, and set my amp accordingly. Can always adjust on the fly that way, eg. without having to go the amp for the warmer sound of strumming the verses, etc. In a band setting having those controls nearby can prevent you getting lost in the mix.
I actually even today on my deck playing alone, got nervous when I rolled up to 9....I was running out of room to play with!! It's true- adjust the amp, then you have some wiggle-room.
A clean boost (Boss BD-2 with very little or no Gain) can be helpful too, even if you are like me and try to stay at 8-9 range.

-->And I cannot stress enough having proper pickup height adjustment. Ice-pick or mud or clarity- it's all there in the height, but since you have Strat experience you pro'ly know this (Strat-itis).
 

Telecaster88

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I played my Tele for years with the knobs maxed and wondered why it never sounded as good as when others played theirs. When I discovered the magic of turning the tone knob down a notch or two the guitar came alive. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the volume knob on a Tele is like a second subtle tone knob, and I was in heaven.

In my experience, it depends what kind of pickups you're playing through (I can ride Nocasters with tone full up and get no icepick, but my Am Std pickups need to be tamed), and how your rig is set up, but in general I keep tone about 7 or 8, volume around 8 or 9, and that's the sweet spot for what the kind of music I play. That will vary a bit depending on pickup combination (generally nowadays I live on the middle position).

Good luck! It took me way too long to figure that stuff out. But it's all part of the joyful mystery that is the Telecaster.
 

Grandfunkfan

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@Grandfunkfan -If you're maxed at 10 where can you go? 11? Not really.
I've learned to use the knobs. They're there to be fiddled with. I personally usually hang out at 8 1/2 to 9 for both Tone and Volume, and set my amp accordingly. Can always adjust on the fly that way, eg. without having to go the amp for the warmer sound of strumming the verses, etc. In a band setting having those controls nearby can prevent you getting lost in the mix.
I actually even today on my deck playing alone, got nervous when I rolled up to 9....I was running out of room to play with!! It's true- adjust the amp, then you have some wiggle-room.
A clean boost (Boss BD-2 with very little or no Gain) can be helpful too, even if you are like me and try to stay at 8-9 range.

-->And I cannot stress enough having proper pickup height adjustment. Ice-pick or mud or clarity- it's all there in the height, but since you have Strat experience you pro'ly know this (Strat-itis).
That's exactly how I run my strats. 8.5is and I can dig in for dirt. Seemed like a goofy question, but it's always good to see what's what. BTW, they one thing that didn't require any tweaking when I got my tele was the pickup height. That's a job I've done many times and it can take some doing.
 

SixStringSlinger

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Your typical guitar controls are passive, meaning that they cannot add anything, but only take it away. So I would set my guitars controls to 10 and then dial in the amp so that it's the loudest and brightest I could want/use. Then I'll use my guitar controls to shave off volume and treble (and bass! where applicable) as needed.
 

Sparky2

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I start out, always, with Volume and Tone controls on 7.
Play, get my ear going, and then dial-in the adjustments from there.

Like others, I need some elbow room to go up, and if I start out at 10, I can't do that.

Additionally, when it comes to pickup selector switch, I tend to lean heavily on neck and neck/middle.
Occasionally the middle/bridge position. (Especially on a Strat.)
I literally never play on just the bridge pickup alone, unless the song calls for some heavily, egregiously-distorted sounds.

Last thing, I like to perform in the nude, with just a gym sock over my precious bits.
It's an homage to the early Red Hot Chili Peppers.

:(
 

Boreas

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There is only one pot position that unbridles the pickups. 10/10. But two schools of thought - both valid:

1. Set the signal chain to the maxed guitar. This is what I usually do because I do not gig and don't mind changing amp/chain settings when I switch guitars. I often use different chains for different instruments. I typically set up the guitar electronics for a clean signal chain. I don't always play with the pots dimed, but the chain sounds good when I do.

2. Tweak the guitar for a SPECIFIC signal chain. Find chain settings that work for a variety of instruments and pickup types. This would be more convenient for gigging, but does not particularly bring the best tone out of each instrument. Probably not the way to go for recording.

I don't think there is a right or a wrong method, but rather different different strokes for different folks.😉
 
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brookdalebill

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Doesn’t matter what the guitar or amp is, if I’m playing live, if I’m playing an electric guitar, the knobs are generally dimed.

The only use I’ve ever found for a tone control is for a strat bridge pickup. And then it only goes back to 8 or so.

The single exception is fender guitars with a TBX. That thing can be cool.
This!!!
I think of guitar controls (volume, tone) as “suck buttons”.
Anything less than dimed sounds scrawny and dull, IMO.
I change tones with my pickup selector, and my volume with my touch.
I get my fundamentally clean tone from my amp.
I very rarely do volume swells with my volume control, but I want the control pot out of the way of my picking hand.
I do like a phase switch, in case we play My Girl, or Third Rate Romance.
 

2HBStrat

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I'm a 30 year strat player that finally got a tele. I'm still dialing in my tone so I've been poking around the web for tone tips. Almost with out exception, everyone says tone and volume cranked and set your amp up accordingly. So far I'm finding great tones on the neck pickup with the volume around 7 to 10, and the tone about 3 quarters. The middle and bridge I have my volume the same and back my tone off to half to 3 quarters. Im wondering if Im missing something by not playing with the volume and tone cranked. As I said I'm finding good stuff with my approach, but I wonder if I just need to get accustomed to the cranked method until I'm accustomed to it and end up better off in the long run. Don't laugh it took me a couple years to get my strat dialed in.Big difference between a strat and a tele. It's even changed my right hand technique. I play blues hard , classic rock, and old school r and b. BTW I'm running the tele through a compressor, into a deluxe reverb and sometimes a Timmy.
If I was starting out with a Tele I would have volume and tone at 10 and set the amp tone controls so that the neck pickup sounds sweet...then adjust the tone control on the guitar as needed when switching to the bridge or middle positions. I use a treble bleed circuit on the volume control that keeps the tone consistent at any volume level.
 

LostGonzo85

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Who's "almost everybody"? I used to play with everything wide open, but these days rarely have the tone all the way up, especially on the bridge pickup. With a Fender into a Fender, generally there's more than enough treble - I'd rather have the amp set relatively bright (and loud) and have room to work the knobs when a boost or more cut is needed. No one way is the right way, and that's fine.
 
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