Volume Knob Tone Change WITHOUT the Volume Change

[lemonade93]

Hi,

Well recently, i've been playing alot of songs which i use my main distortion and roll of my volume knob to clear out my tone but still can get back my distorted tone by just increasing my volume so as to create a gradual increase in gain and not like those *Step on Pedal and Instantaneous Change in Tone*. The problem i face now is whenever i 'clean' up my distortion it gets a lil' too soft.

My question is, is there a way to RETAIN the volume of the Tone Change through the volume knob?

 

[theunknown]

What do you mean by volume of the tone change?

You mean you want the change in gain but less change in the volume?

 

[EugeneSmasher]

The volume knob is designed to reduce the volume of the guitar, though it also does clean up the signal. I don't think it's possible to use the volume knob to clean up the signal yet retain the same or similar volume.

 

[edgie]

I think theunknown 's statement is what you really want, gain change without the volume drop. Honestly it's pretty hard to do if what you are going for is totally clean-to-full-on-distortion kind of change with a volume knob. If let's say you're gigging with pedals providing your main tone, you have to get the ones which have great clean-up ability like the Skreddy Screwdriver, most of fuzz face clones, and cbread DLS, Timmy/Tim just to name a few.

Another important factor is your vol pot itself. For me CTS works just fine. I haven't tried those RS kits before so maybe guys with experience on them can chime in.

 

[lemonade93]

Thanks for the replies, so it ISN'T possible lah :/ Darn.

But would changing my vol pot like edgie said make a difference? I've learned about Tone Pots and all but never Volume pots :/

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

changing pots also no use one.

The vol pot is being wired as a divider circuit. With it, theres 2 path which geetar signal can travel, one to ground and the other to amp. At max value, all our geetar signal will be passed through and to amp(thus hearing it as max volume.

When we roll down the pot, the signal will be divided into 2 path, one to amp and the other to ground. As we roll off more, more signal will be going to ground and less signal to amp, thus the volume will become softer.

So as to say, if we wanna roll off volume going to the pedal, we are already reducing the signal going into it, thus, no way to maintain the signal strength.

Anyway, what you wanna do, can be achieved indirectly, with a effect loop blender/mixer device. But thats another thing else and involved a pedal that can split signal into 2 paths, going into 2 effect loop, one loop with the gain effect and the other clean. Example of effect like this is the toneczar vfm, xotic x blender(without footswitch).

 

[Ized]

Talking about pedals that clean up well... Goose's seventh does this frighteningly well and the cleans actually cut through compared to some of the boutique brands mentioned. Uber pwnage.

Any pot with an audio taper wired up to 50s wiring specs should do the trick.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

a reverse log pot might be possible somehow. If taking the 70/30 ratio across whole resistance range, the first 2/3 roll off of the pot be slow down, thus volume reduce going into the gain pedal might not be too drastic to reduce the overall volume till the last 1/3 of the wiper resistance range

 

[theunknown]

Hey you know TS, I also want that effect of the volume knob (if I was describing the problem properly).

But what I observe in my setup is that different pedals and amps react differently. Say my vol knob is at 4 and at this point, both my OD and DS is at the same volume. Individually, when I roll up the vol knob to 10, the OD is much louder with lesser gain up, while the DS isn't much louder and the gain all up.

So products DO react differently to the volume knob, right? Like those who clean up well on the gain but reduction of vol, not so much.

 

[edgie]

changing pots also no use one.

The vol pot is being wired as a divider circuit. With it, theres 2 path which geetar signal can travel, one to ground and the other to amp. At max value, all our geetar signal will be passed through and to amp(thus hearing it as max volume.

When we roll down the pot, the signal will be divided into 2 path, one to amp and the other to ground. As we roll off more, more signal will be going to ground and less signal to amp, thus the volume will become softer.

So as to say, if we wanna roll off volume going to the pedal, we are already reducing the signal going into it, thus, no way to maintain the signal strength.

Anyway, what you wanna do, can be achieved indirectly, with a effect loop blender/mixer device. But thats another thing else and involved a pedal that can split signal into 2 paths, going into 2 effect loop, one loop with the gain effect and the other clean. Example of effect like this is the toneczar vfm, xotic x blender(without footswitch).

If we're talking about just the CTS volume pot, then I think you have a point it's no use to just replace the pot. But if it's going to be used in conjunction with some(I haven't tried all) of the abovementioned pedals, then it's not at all useless to do so.

 

[edgie]

changing pots also no use one.

The vol pot is being wired as a divider circuit. With it, theres 2 path which geetar signal can travel, one to ground and the other to amp. At max value, all our geetar signal will be passed through and to amp(thus hearing it as max volume.

When we roll down the pot, the signal will be divided into 2 path, one to amp and the other to ground. As we roll off more, more signal will be going to ground and less signal to amp, thus the volume will become softer.

So as to say, if we wanna roll off volume going to the pedal, we are already reducing the signal going into it, thus, no way to maintain the signal strength.

Anyway, what you wanna do, can be achieved indirectly, with a effect loop blender/mixer device. But thats another thing else and involved a pedal that can split signal into 2 paths, going into 2 effect loop, one loop with the gain effect and the other clean. Example of effect like this is the toneczar vfm, xotic x blender(without footswitch).

If we're talking about just the CTS volume pot, then I think you have a point it's no use to just replace the pot. But if it's going to be used in conjunction with some(I haven't tried all) of the abovementioned pedals, then it's not at all useless to do so.

For example, when I had the screwdriver i remember it cleans up at 8 on the vol pot. Now if we are going to talk about the volume(decibel) lost by rolling from 10 to 8, it's still very acceptable cleans volume-wise. The mids get scooped out which is good if you are going for a nice clean tone. But the sensitivity and punch is still there, just less grit and gain. Now I don't think this can be achievable if i'm using cheap pots that don't seem to have amy aural difference between 10 to 6 then totally cuts off at 3.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

i was refereing to a more general direction of how a vol pot works, so didnt really have any idea of what pedal is going to be with and knowing that what work for some, might not be for another, imho, it would be more useful on the working behind things, why is it possible/impossible on general level then to focus on whats possible with only certain combo and not another.

cheaper pot is not so bad ya, heh, i have plenty of simlim tower linear pot of different values, can pass some for you to try. At $1 a piece, it can be use to test test and throw kinda. It wont have the 10 to 7 not much difference then totally cut off at 3 kinda situation.

 

[fretless6]

Why not just use a lower impedence volume pedal further down your signal chain to balance your volume? Turn down the volume pot on your guitar, turn up the volume pedal.