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I am looking for a new archtop and am considering some of the Peerless guitars but some of the models I am looking at do not have a tone pot, only volume. Is this common? For me getting the tone control setting right is a make or break for getting the jazz tone I like.
Rick
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01-03-2012 05:39 PM
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Unless I am missing something, I don't think I would buy a guitar with no tone knob (especially for jazz). Many guitars I pick up sound terrible to me until I tweak the tone knob (including my own tele).
Plus you will be missing that whole dimension of using different tone settings on the guitar with different tone settings on the amp..your tone palette would decrease tremendously.
With that said, I know absolutely nothing of Peerless Guitars :P
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Rick,
Assuming the model you want has only volume (and no tone pot), then adding a tone control is very easy to do.
If you want to identify the exact model in question, then it is easier to suggest exactly how a tone control can be most effectively added.
Chris
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Fairly common on the very most expensive handmade archtops. But over the past 70+ years, Gibson pretty much conditioned us to expect tone controls on mass produced electric guitars, so most archtops have tone controls.
Originally Posted by rickshapiro
I sometimes remove them on cheap guitars if the control is pickguard mounted so that it doesn't leave a gaping hole in the top of the guitar.
Some people prefer to send all the signal the pickup generates to the amp and make all tonal adjustments on the amp. I'm one of them, so a tone control means less than nothing to me. YMMV.
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And don't forget rolling off the volume will also roll off bit of treble
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"Don't Worry Be Happy"!!!
Some of the Peerless models that you see without tone knobs can be had with tone knobs! Give Lou a call at "Guitars 'n Jazz" - (908)403-3426
When I was purchasing my Monarch from him he started asking me exactly what I wanted and he offered me guitars with tone controls - even though they don't usually show the photos of Monarch with tone controls they do make them...They probably make the other models with tone controls also.
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Musicians with very good ears will tell you the sound of a guitar without a tone knob changes when you add a tone knob no matter how you adjust it. Most all archtop Jazz musicians utilize one tone for all their songs (unlike other styles which demand different tones for lead and rhythm and other nuances), so all the tone adjustments are made at the amp and left alone for the remainder of the gig.
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It's crazy how many sounds I can get out of my acoustic guitar with no controls.
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My L-5CN with a Johnny Smith PU has no tone control. I don't need it, and I don't want it. Last I checked, all of my amps do have tone controls however.
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My jazz box has tone control and sometimes I use it...:-)
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Though I use my tone pot a little for most of my guitars, I also have guitars with only a single volume control(no tone),applying my tone shaping at the amp and have gotten excellent results. The amp does it much better anyhow, once I got over the safety blanket of the on board control.
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Heritage Golden Eagles with floaters don't possess tone controls either. That's what your amp or preamp is for. Leaving the tone control out prevents muddying of the circuit, from a purist point of view. Originally Posted by rickshapiro
I owned an Imperial for some time...never missed not having a tone control. Good luck!
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Me, too. FWIW, I tend to use both my volume and tone controls, all the time, and frequently within any one song, adding in a bit more or less high end for bridge sections or choruses or solos. Or for nuance on a solo'ed intro, for instance. (Plus I end up varying pick attack and position along the string for variety per sections at times, too.) So bending down to the amp to tweak some knobs just wouldn't always work for me. And, of course, YMMV. Originally Posted by kris
If I ever bought a guitar without a tone control, then I'd simply have one installed. From what I've heard, it's not all that difficult or expensive to do.
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+1 Another advantage of being a bass player for awhile is you learn to use your technique and playing position as your tone control. Guitarist especially one's who came from rock background don't tend to change picking position to change tone. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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I have my tele with esquire wiring. I have tone controls and no tone controls at the drop of a hat (switch)
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I asked the same question about a year ago!
I can't find the thread, but I remember someone mentioning that installing a tone circuit and replacing the volume pot with a 'double-decker style knob' with two controls (so as to avoid drilling a new hole) is really easy.
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Hi,
I never use tone controls on the guitar, I don't like the way they modify the sound.
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Rick, Originally Posted by rickshapiro
If the Peerless cases where you are follow the same pattern as in Australia, you'll be disappointed, if it's a full body archtop.
Their supplied cases here were designed for a jumbo flat top. Wrong case for the guitar.
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Funny that this thread has come back from the dead. An argument for controling the tone from the guitar rather then the amp is that you can adjust the tone from a location away from the amp, a location more inline with what you or the audience is hearing.
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I have a Monarch,no tone control....and I don't need it it's Ok as it is,then you can work out with your amp settings,for a change
But...try it....you'll see ( hear)
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I am not sure but tone controle can create a little darker sound. Originally Posted by peterpanico
I have a Monarch,no tone control....and I don't need it it's Ok as it is,then you can work out with your amp settings,for a change
But...try it....you'll see ( hear)
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Originally Posted by kris
I am not sure but tone controle can create a little darker sound.
mmhh... don't think so,should be tried with a Monarch that has it,
same guitar,with and without,otherwise you can't really compare
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I have similar guitar d'Aspiranta/Perless factory/ and before upgrade it was with volume control only. Originally Posted by peterpanico
mmhh... don't think so,should be tried with a Monarch that has it,
same guitar,with and without,otherwise you can't really compare
Now I have instaled tone control and it give me a little more sound possibilities.
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Yes I've seen your guitar over here somewhere,it should be like the Manhattan,am I right? Originally Posted by kris
I have similar guitar d'Aspiranta/Perless factory/ and before upgrade it was with volume control only.
Now I have instaled tone control and it give me a little more sound possibilities.
I don't know,I like the Monarch tone as it is,I don't even have to fumble with amps controls just keep 'em neutral,be it the ss SR Jam or the tube DV Mark, but in the end we all have different tastes and opinions, about what kind of sounds we like ...
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Yes...sound is personal thing.
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