# 1 Humbucker guitars with no tone knob? It doesn't make sense!



## Karl Hungus (Apr 3, 2007)

This has been bothering me. It's a ridiculous idea that HH guitars will pretty much always come with a tone knob, whereas H guitars generally won't come with a tone knob. Doesn't anyone else think so?

I mean, select the bridge pickup, and turn the tone down, you get a nice lead tone. It's not the same as an actual neck pickup, but it's a similar sound. I think a one pickup guitar will need the tone control because it doesn't have the option of the neck pickup for lead or clean tones.

As it is, it's backwards! 

Anyone else agree?


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## eaeolian (Apr 3, 2007)

It makes sense from one perspective - these guitars were very popular with metal players in the '80s as stage guitars. Since you were generally the only guitarist, using a JCM800 with a Boss SD-1 and some other pedals, you really didn't spend a lot of time on subtlety. Plus, you were a Van Halen worshiper, and that's what Eddie did...

Why are there still production guitars like this? I have no idea, other than the fact that people buy them - a one-hum Dinky or Soloist with a single volume and a Floyd was the single biggest request from the Jackson crowd after Fender bought the company (well, after Strathead Charvels, but those should ideally be in that config, for the guys that want them.)


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 3, 2007)

I guess manufacturers assume that anyone who wants a one-pickup guitar is going for that 'bare-bones' vibe, and will want minimal controls as well. I agree it doesn't make sense (a bridge humbucker with the tone rolled off and a ton of chorus and delay is great for copping the Holdsworth clean tone), but if you roll off your volume control a little bit you can tame some of the harsher treble on most bridge pickups (EVH used to do this).


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## Pablo (Apr 3, 2007)

I think it makes quite a lot of sense actually... People buying single pickup guitars are simply not looking for the widest tonal palette possible (or they'd be downright dim-witted for choosing a 1-PU guitar in the first place). Actually, it makes no sense to want to make a simplistic guitar _complex_... If you want complex, buy complex and if you want simplistic, buy simplistic - that's what makes sense to me, anyway.

Cheers

Eske


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Apr 3, 2007)

i'm totally with ya hungus!! i always wondered that, i'v seen some custom shop 6'r ibbys that go for 1000 + and they dont even have a fuckin tone knob!! i totally agree that if you only have a bridge pickup, and your a versital style player what so ever you have to have that tone knob to, like you said, emulate a neck pup sound, i suppose you could(and i;m sure many folks have) used a push pull pot but thats just not to good when your on the fly and gotta change quick


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## Rick (Apr 3, 2007)

Pablo said:


> I think it makes quite a lot of sense actually... People buying single pickup guitars are simply not looking for the widest tonal palette possible (or they'd be downright dim-witted for choosing a 1-PU guitar in the first place). Actually, it make no sense to want to make a simplistic guitar _complex_... If you want complex, buy complex and if you want simplistic, buy simplistic - that's what makes sense to me, anyway.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Eske



Great response, rep for you. I just prefer not to have one.


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## Heavy Ed (Apr 3, 2007)

Actually for my next project I'm redoing my LTD M-207 with one Hum and a volume, no tone. I want different pickup configs on my guitars for recording. I have a UV, original pickup config with an Evo7 in the bridge. Another UV with the single in the neck and Hum in the bridge. Now I want to finish the Ltd for tonal variations in all 3. I recorded them before the changes and they all sounded pretty much the same.I just wanted some thing different thats my reason for that setup, don't know bout anyone else?


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## JPMDan (Apr 3, 2007)

For guitar players like C.O.W. and Dino it works out for them since they don't really play lead. Personally if I were to own a single hum guitar it'd be strictly rhythm only. Plus I hate the tone knob so relentless it's gonna come out.


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## Matt Crooks (Apr 3, 2007)

My best sounding guitar for rhythms is a one hum, one volume, no tone Jackson. 

Is it the ultimate in flexibility, no? I generally don't buy things to be a "one size fits all" sort of thing. I have guitars that I use only for rhythm, only for lead, and then some that do both well (but not as well) that I use live. Same thing with amps...


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## Seedawakener (Apr 3, 2007)

I have always thought of the toneknob to be in the way.  It just gets rolled down sometimes and all the treble disappears making everything sound very muddy. I dont like that tone, and Id never used it as a substitute for a neck pickup. But sometimes I feel that I really dont need the neck pickup on all of my guitars for 2 reasons: It looks cool! and i mainly play metal. And since I like the leadtone of the bridgepup more than the neck I Believe its the way to go. For cleans tho, its totally different. But for my custom to be later on Ive decided to skip that and make it all metal.


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## Karl Hungus (Apr 3, 2007)

Fair enough guys, I don't go in for 1 hummer guitars anyway.

I think the K-7 is perfect in the 2 hums 1 vol config.


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## sakeido (Apr 3, 2007)

Its just like Pablo said. I got my COW7 just to have a face melting metal rythym machine, and thats all it is, so it suits me just fine. I can still play leads, I just have to be a lot less sloppy and deal with the less then optimal tone I get


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## Shawn (Apr 3, 2007)

I had a Charvel back in the day that had one humbucker and one volume knob with no tone knob. That's it. For some reason, it never bothered me, never even crossed my mind. Now, if I had that setup on my Ibanez 7s, maybe it would because i've grown accustomed to having a tone knob as well as a volume knob.


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## zimbloth (Apr 3, 2007)

Personally I like the one hum no tone knob setup. Honestly in a live metal band situation, a bridge pickup for leads work really well, it cuts through and sounds really good. I understand why some people don't like it though. Worst comes to worst you could always just install one dude. It wouldn't be that troublesome or expensive ya know? Also certain pickups (especially certain Duncans) sound better without the tone knob bleeding some of the highs off (even when all the way up).

All that said, I agree with you Karl, two hums no tone like the K7 or ESP Ninja V is optimal IMO.


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## Karl Hungus (Apr 3, 2007)

zimbloth said:


> Worst comes to worst you could always just install one dude. It wouldn't be that troublesome or expensive ya know?



Nah, I'm just ranting about something that came to mind. I've only one guitar that has a bridge humbucker only, and I'm selling that anyway because I never play it.


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## fathead (Apr 3, 2007)

A tone knob is nice, but there are a lot of times I don't feel the need to fiddle with it. About the only tone knob I normally mess with is the one on my JPM4 because that guitar has such a wide tonal palette. I've got a few guitars without tone knobs and I don't miss them at all. It normally depends on my mood and the sound I'm looking for.


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## GiantBaba (Apr 3, 2007)

I need tone knobs.

Of all the guitars I've owned, my favorite knob setup is the Les Paul style. With that, I can go from a great distorted rhythm tone to a perfect neck lead tone just by keeping the tone knobs a certain way and flicking the selector switch.


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## stuz719 (Apr 3, 2007)

I'd rather not have any knobs at all on a 1 H/B guitar, personally - just run the thing full treble, flat out and use a volume pedal and the amp to change the tone... otherwise why have EQ on your amp?


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## jtm45 (Apr 3, 2007)

Nah,it is nice to have a volume knob on a single hum guitar,a really loose one that you can flick from 10 to 0 with minimal effort using your pinkie.
Tone knobs just have no place or use on such a guitar.They're an unnecessary signal interference on a single hum guitar.
Single bridge humbuckers generally sound a hell of a lot better without one in the chain. Even if you set a tone control to 10 it doesn't sound the same as if the tone control was removed from the circuit.


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## skinhead (Apr 3, 2007)

I have, on the Frank F# model, 1 humbucker and 1 tone knob, and for solos i close all the tone know, so i have a nice lead sound, if not it's to harshy or shreddy


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## Luvuvibanez (Apr 3, 2007)

If it only has one Hum, you might as well go balls out anyway.


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## AVH (Apr 3, 2007)

As an option it's also a very easy thing to use a push/pull pot as a vol/tone combo.


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## Nick1 (Apr 3, 2007)

I dont ever use tone knobs. I keep it at 10 always. I even had it removed from my 1527. Fender uses a setting in which the tone knob "clicks" at 10 and becomes bypassed. I always leave it at that.


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## guitarjitsumaster (Apr 4, 2007)

Personally I dont like fiddeling with knobs and switches during a live show. The tone knob usually gets in my way and accidentally turned down making things sound mushy. I would rather just have a seperate lead channel eqed out to make the leads fuller and tame the highs as needed. Having no tone pot in the circuit also gives the bridge PU some extra definition. I do like having a guitar with those options for the studio though


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## WarriorOfMetal (Apr 4, 2007)

jtm45 said:


> Nah,it is nice to have a volume knob on a single hum guitar,a really loose one that you can flick from 10 to 0 with minimal effort using your pinkie.
> Tone knobs just have no place or use on such a guitar.They're an unnecessary signal interference on a single hum guitar.
> Single bridge humbuckers generally sound a hell of a lot better without one in the chain. Even if you set a tone control to 10 it doesn't sound the same as if the tone control was removed from the circuit.



+1

i added a neck pickup and a blade switch to my Gunslinger though, i didn't like not having a neck pickup for cleans and leads......but still, i get rid of tone knobs on all my guitars that have them stock, and the volume knob on my Gunslinger is nice and loose, for super fast turning.


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## Vegetta (Apr 4, 2007)

thats why i never owned a kramer  it never made sanse to me either and i think i am one of therare people who actually uses the tone control on a guitar


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