How to Use the Tone & Volume Knobs on Your Guitar for Beginners
How to Use the Tone & Volume Knobs on Your Guitar for Beginners
Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on what the knobs on your guitar actually do — volume and tone — on a Les Paul–style guitar and on a Strat-style guitar.
"Pot" is just short for potentiometer. We call them pots.
Volume Knobs (Les Paul Style)
On a dual-humbucker Les Paul–style guitar you typically get:
- A volume for the neck pickup
- A volume for the bridge pickup
- A tone for each
On a good amp — especially a tube amp — the guitar's volume knob changes the tone, not just loudness. All the way up is fuller. Rolling it back thins it out, can get more "raw." You can go almost nothing, or crank it.
If you're on the middle pickup position (both pickups), both volume knobs affect the blend. You can have the neck rolled down and the bridge up, then bring the neck up to mix.
Use volume knobs to shape the sound, whichever pickup you're on.
Tone Knobs = High Frequencies
A tone knob is basically a high-pass / treble control. Sound sits on a spectrum: bass, middle, treble.
- Tone all the way up: full spectrum, brighter, more bite
- Tone rolled down: fewer high frequencies get to the amp — darker, rounder, warmer
- All the way down: it can sound like you're playing through a wall in the next room
Same idea on the neck pickup: rolled down is less cutting, softer.
If the pots are crackly, they need cleaning. That's a thing.
How to Experiment (Same Idea as Amp EQ)
On an amp, a lot of people start knobs at noon, then go to the extremes and listen. Do that with guitar tone knobs:
- All the way up
- All the way down
- In between until your ear likes it
First decide what kind of sound you're going for, then hear how the extremes change it.
Strat-Style Layout
A Strat-style guitar has three single coils and usually a five-way selector:
- Bridge
- Bridge + middle
- Middle
- Neck + middle
- Neck
Knobs: typically one volume, and two tone knobs. On the guitar I used:
- The bottom tone was wired to the bridge pickup
- The other tone was wired to middle and neck
Yours might be wired differently. If you turn the "wrong" tone knob, nothing changes — that's how you learn which pot is on which pickup.
Bridge pickup is really bright and sharp. Rolling that tone down softens it.
There Isn't a "Right" Setting
A lot of players leave everything cranked. That's normal — if that's the sound you want. Don't do it just because you think you have to.
The only right answer is what your ear says fits what you're playing.
If you want a simple place to start, grab my free Top 10 Things to Learn on Guitar First at http://simpleguitar.com/top10.
And hang out with other adult guitar players in the Simple Guitar Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/simpleguitar.
About the Author
Brad from Simple Guitar helps adult learners play the songs they love without the frustration. Visit simpleguitar.com for more free resources and lessons.
