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Can you Find The Hidden Tone Control On An Electric Guitar ?

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Can you Find The Hidden Tone Control On An Electric Guitar ?

An Additional Tone Control On An Electric Guitar

Find The Sweet Spot On Your Guitar

An electric guitar has an additional tone control built into it. Players almost never use it because they can’t find it. Here is a tip and something we do often in the Custom Shop at Haywire Guitars. If you want to lose a bit of the jingly sound in your guitar tones, whether playing live or in a studio, then try this: lower the pickups. The farther away from the pickups the “healthier” the sound and the more pleasing the frequencies will be to a point. When the pickups are farther away from the strings they tend to accentuate the bass tones and lose some of the higher frequencies which can sometimes be offensive and harsh. Find the sweet spot.
The proximity of the pickups from the strings will allow the guitar another source of tonal range you didn’t know was available! Think of this as and extra tone control. The adjustment acts much like a tone control. The pickups on electric guitars are adjustable for height because players want either higher or lower “action” but the side adjuster screws of the pickups have another “surprise” benefit which is to change the tone if you choose as well as getting them out of the way to afford lower action. Try it!
Proper pickup adjustment is not as optional as you may think. You’ll find the sound of the pickups is a bit truer when not so close to the strings. As the string vibrates just before the pickup has a chance to “hear it” and when there is more distance between it and the string-then the sound a chance to “mature” a bit before reaching the amp-thus giving you a more rich and melodic tone and one more way to change the sound to what YOU like!
image 7 Sound Switch modification at Haywire Custom Guitars

7 Sound Switch modification at Haywire Custom Guitars

An Additional Tone Control On An Electric Guitar

Tone control in your electric guitar is all over it. Players almost never find them, because they either don’t look or don’t know where to look. Here is a tip and something we do often in the Custom Shop at Haywire Guitars. If you want to lose a bit of the jangly sound in your guitar tones, whether playing live or in a studio, then try this: lower the pickups. The farther away from the pickups the “healthier” the sound and the more pleasing the frequencies will be. When the pickups are farther away from the strings they tend to accentuate the bass tones and lose some of the higher frequencies which can be offensive. As a result however the volume will drop. Since you’re playing an electric-no worries, you have an amp. Many, many players mistakenly think because the pickup sounds sometimes coming from different guitars can be measured by “volume” the pickup has.  Most of all, nothing could be further from the truth. If as a  discerning player want to lower your pickups and lose some volume in the process then do it. If another player says-“those pickups are really weak”…..the as well, you are under no further obligation to believe anything else he says. Finally, feel free to lower your pickups without being bullied by a guitar forum frequenting empty cup. You’re looking for something better. Your looking for tone control.

proximity of the pickups from the strings will allow the guitar another source of tonal range…..

The proximity of the pickups from the strings will allow the guitar another source of tonal range you didn’t know was available! Think of this as an extra tone control. The adjustment acts much like a tone control. The pickups on electric guitars are adjustable for height because players want either higher or lower “action” but the side adjuster screws of the pickups have another “surprise” benefit which is to change the tone if you choose as well as getting them out of the way to afford lower action. Try it!
Proper pickup adjustment is not as optional as you may think. You’ll find the sound of the pickups is a bit truer when not so close to the strings. As the string vibrates just before the pickup has a chance to “hear it” and when there is more distance between it and the string-then the sound a chance to “mature” a bit before reaching the amp-thus giving you a more rich and melodic note. Tone control is one more way to change the sound to what YOU like!  Custom Guitars, Custom Electric Guitars, guitar setups, guitar pickups all involve adjustments. Learn how to do it.
image adjusting tone and frequency modifications at Haywire Custom Guitars

Haywire Custom Guitars adjustable tone on a guitar, better strat sound, better strat tone, fattening up a strat sound, frequency modification, pickups, strat, strat pickup adjustments, Tele pickups

  

About the Author:

Mr. Rick Mariner Owner and Founder and CEO of Haywire Custom Guitars Inc. He is a member of The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.) as well as a guitar player. Rick holds a bachelors degree from University of Md. and a Masters degree from George Washington University. Rick developed his exclusive 8 – Point “Gig- Ready” guitar process that allows for Custom Guitars that are “GIG-READY”. With Rick’s many years of development and guitar set-up experience, Haywire Guitar shop “Builds satisfied players… one Haywire guitar at a time”.

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