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Topic: Amplifier Tone Control design |
Larry Robertson
From:
Denver, Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2014 11:09 am |
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Are the tone controls designed to cut or to boost the range they are designed for.? IE: Does the treble control cut the treble when at lower numbers or boost treble at higher numbers. Reason I ask is that I have a friend that runs his amp (Fender Pro Reverb) with bass & treble at zero and seems to run his volume higher. So thinking about electron flow (I'm not an electronics engineer) it seems that maybe he's just choking all freq's which requires a boost on the volume control. Maybe different companies design differently. Also I'm not asking about Peavey mid range than is clearly labeled + or -. That's kind of self evident.
Thanks, Larry Robertson
_________________
Website: www.Music2myEars.net
MSA D-10, Carter U12, Fessy SDU-12,Emmons P/P D-10, Emmons P/P U-12,Emmons S-10 ShoBud SuperPro, Lap steel, keyboards, 6-string Guitars.. too many |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 2 Mar 2014 9:55 pm
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| Quote: |
| So thinking about electron flow (I'm not an electronics engineer) it seems that maybe he's just choking all freq's which requires a boost on the volume control. Maybe different companies design differently. |
Essentially, yes.
Passive filter systems can only reduce frequencies for which they are tuned; boosting at selected frequencies is not an option because there is no amplification stage involved in the circuit. Your guitar's single-knob tone control and nearly all tube amp tone stacks are passive, as are some audiophile EQ's.
The "active" in active filters is just such amplification, and it enables boosting as well as reduction of filtered signals. Because including an IC gain stage is so easy and inexpensive, most solid state amps utilize active EQ circuits, as do battery-eating guitars.
Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but to be certain, turning all of the tone controls entirely off in either case would not be my first choice in optimizing any audio system, much less a musical instrument rig.
Download the Duncan Tone Stack Calculator and be edified...
http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/download.html |
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Larry Robertson
From:
Denver, Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2014 10:04 pm
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Hey Thanks Dave, I have always started my amp setups (mostly Fender & Peavey) with tone controls at highest number, and then backed off whatever seems to be too loud. Thanks for the info. I'm not trying to change my friends method, just curious. Larry
_________________
Website: www.Music2myEars.net
MSA D-10, Carter U12, Fessy SDU-12,Emmons P/P D-10, Emmons P/P U-12,Emmons S-10 ShoBud SuperPro, Lap steel, keyboards, 6-string Guitars.. too many |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 5 Mar 2014 10:49 am
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Talking about a typical post 1964 Fender amp here, the treble control does allow you to boost high frequencies in a way, that is, it is a high pass filter that is in parallel with the bass and middle controls.
To get a flat frequency response from these amps, you would turn the treble off, and the bass and middle all the way up. At least that's how I think of it...Jerry |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 5 Mar 2014 1:01 pm
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| Most all of the older amps just had "cut" controls. Nothing was boosted, and when the controls were "maxed", that just meant that almost everything the amp was receiving was being passed onto the speaker. Equalizers normally have active controls that cut or boost, but many musicians are afraid to use them, because the hi-fi crowd doesn't like them. They talk about things like phase distortion and flat response, which really aren't an issue when you're using one type of speaker in an open cabinet. On some amps with passive (cut) controls, like a Twin Reverb, you get almost no output when all the tone controls are all turned all the way down! |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 5 Mar 2014 5:29 pm
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| I agree with Donny--but don't get the big head Donny! Peavey solid state tone controls are totally different than Fender tube amp controls. I had used Peavey solid state amps for so long I had forgot how to adjust a Fender Vibrosonic tube amp I bought. Here is what helped me most; For my Fender tube amp a guy told me to turn all the tone controls wide open, and then back off what I didn't like. This method worked perfectly for me,and I immediatly got a really good tone I liked. |
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Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 5 Mar 2014 7:07 pm
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IIRC, the tonestack on a conventional amp is not exactly fixed frequency centers....the controls are interactive in a certain way such that the treble control has an effect on the center or cutoff frequency of the mid and bass controls.
Use presence to dial in brightness. Use treble to find the overall sweetspot of the mid eq center is how I think I landed on setting up my amp. I'm pretty sure that was my methodology, but whatever it was, I ended up pretty much exactly where everyone else finds their sweet spot. HAHA.. Maybe there's only one. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 11 Mar 2014 4:04 pm
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| Keith Hilton wrote: |
| I agree with Donny--but don't get the big head Donny! Peavey solid state tone controls are totally different than Fender tube amp controls. |
Too late, Keith! 
Actually, some of the Peavey amp controls are active, meaning they will actually boost certain frequencies of the incoming signal. The one thing I have found similar though, in most all amps, is that you can't get decent bass with the mids cranked up. The mids will "cut through" when cranked, and you will be heard, but the quality and body go out the window. |
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