Humbuckers & Fender amp EQ

[Stecks]

Anyone else have this setup?  What EQ settings do you use? 

[the_great_lemon]

I play a Les Paul into a Blues Jr. NOS....The bass and mids are usually between 6-8 (they go up to 12) and the treble is between 2-4 depending on the room.  Happy has some great insite into the EQ controls on the Blues Jr (particuarly the mid control) so if you can find that thread there is some great info in there.

What amp are you using?

[Stecks]

I play a Les Paul into a Blues Jr. NOS....The bass and mids are usually between 6-8 (they go up to 12) and the treble is between 2-4 depending on the room.  Happy has some great insite into the EQ controls on the Blues Jr (particuarly the mid control) so if you can find that thread there is some great info in there.

What amp are you using?

mint condition 1971 Twin..  added a master volume to it

[picture_of_nectar]

I have a few Blackface Fender amps. 65 Princeton, 67 Deluxe Verb, 66 Twin

I generally run them around:  Treble 5 or 6, Bass 3-4. On the twin I boost the Mids and use very little bass.

I have found that in a band situation it's better if I dial out the bass as I'm less likely to step on our bass players range. When I am practicing at home I dial the Bass up to warm up the amp a bit.

Treble varies with the guitar depending on the brightness of the wood.

[Heady Jam Fan]

I switched from Fenders (which I used my entire life until now) to a Mesa. The last Fender I had was a '65 Bassman, so I kept the bass completely off. The more and more my rig became similar to Trey's rig, the lower my treble got. I think the treble balances with the volume; the louder the amp, the less treble you need, so playing quietly at home, you might dial in more treble, but at gig volumes, the amp might be loud enough to turn the treble all the way down. Keeping the treble low is key to achieving that really smooth sound - even micing at moderate volumes, I prefer to mic closer to the center of the speaker to pic up more treble rather than turning it up on the amp.

Another approach that Garcia and Jimmy Page are noted for is turning the treble all the way up and rolling off your tone knob significantly. I found this works amazingly when I use a classic rock setup; solidbody guitar, usually amp overdrive. I didn't like it for my jam rig though. This approach is cool though because there is some midrange controlled by the treble knob, so you can maintain those mids by cranking the knob, but ward off the harsh top-end by turning back your tone knob.

Even on my Mesa, which is based off a Princeton, yet has a lot more midrange, I keep my mids around 5 (on the dial - not clock), treble around 4 (but I have been experimenting with it much lower, even completely off). I also usually keep the bass between off and 3.

[Stecks]

Another approach that Garcia and Jimmy Page are noted for is turning the treble all the way up and rolling off your tone knob significantly. I found this works amazingly when I use a classic rock setup; solidbody guitar, usually amp overdrive. I didn't like it for my jam rig though. This approach is cool though because there is some midrange controlled by the treble knob, so you can maintain those mids by cranking the knob, but ward off the harsh top-end by turning back your tone knob.

COULDN'T agree more, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past year or so, cranking amp treble, knocking down tone knob..  Never really knew it was a strategy used by other people!  I like having the extra YOWZA there if I want it. 

[Heady Jam Fan]

Another approach that Garcia and Jimmy Page are noted for is turning the treble all the way up and rolling off your tone knob significantly. I found this works amazingly when I use a classic rock setup; solidbody guitar, usually amp overdrive. I didn't like it for my jam rig though. This approach is cool though because there is some midrange controlled by the treble knob, so you can maintain those mids by cranking the knob, but ward off the harsh top-end by turning back your tone knob.

COULDN'T agree more, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past year or so, cranking amp treble, knocking down tone knob..  Never really knew it was a strategy used by other people!  I like having the extra YOWZA there if I want it. 

Yea, I read about that about a year ago and it really makes notes pop out. Some of the older guitarists I know say that the tone knob is almost a forgotten tool for the younger generation of musicians - I wonder if that approach was fairly common with guys who rode their tone knob? I have definitely suggested this to a few people who had great, vintage Fenders who just couldn't get the tone where they wanted it and it was surprising what such a little adjustment can do!

[Stecks]

Another approach that Garcia and Jimmy Page are noted for is turning the treble all the way up and rolling off your tone knob significantly. I found this works amazingly when I use a classic rock setup; solidbody guitar, usually amp overdrive. I didn't like it for my jam rig though. This approach is cool though because there is some midrange controlled by the treble knob, so you can maintain those mids by cranking the knob, but ward off the harsh top-end by turning back your tone knob.

COULDN'T agree more, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past year or so, cranking amp treble, knocking down tone knob..  Never really knew it was a strategy used by other people!  I like having the extra YOWZA there if I want it. 

Yea, I read about that about a year ago and it really makes notes pop out. Some of the older guitarists I know say that the tone knob is almost a forgotten tool for the younger generation of musicians - I wonder if that approach was fairly common with guys who rode their tone knob? I have definitely suggested this to a few people who had great, vintage Fenders who just couldn't get the tone where they wanted it and it was surprising what such a little adjustment can do!

Yeah, I think that's fair to say - I know I ignored my tone knob for awhile, usually had it up way too high.  I struggled for years with my Twin because of this.  My Schecter is pretty bright as it is at times (its a cool guitar, wish I had a COUPLE things different about it but I still love the old girl, we've been together for 10 years).  Getting that vintage Fender was like learning how to drive a V12 sports car, its super responsive and has a ton of horsepower.  Harnessing it was tricky, still learning, I guess..   Other musicians that I play out with say I get sick tone from it, but I don't know, its all subjective.  I never believe that I'm as good or as bad as anyone says, I'm a perpetual student.  If I have any ability, its because I think I suck and I want to get better   My friend from NYC (best guitarist I know) uses my amp when he plays here or is touring the midwest, so I guess its an OK piece of equipment