What number do you keep you guitar volume knob on??

[PRSnotPOS]

I've always kept mine on 10 but lately I've been thinking this overdrives the guitar signal a little and makes it harsh sounding sometimes. I've been thinking about keeping it a little under 10 or around 8 or 9. I know that people adjust thier volume throughout songs but for the most part what do you guys/girls keep your volume on. I just want to get a general idea here.

[Marc G]

10....though I turn down to clean up on ocassion

[Dubb]

If I turn my volume knobs down, it cuts some of the high-end from my tone and just make it sound generally duller, so I tend to keep it on 10. I have low output pickups and usually play with a clean tone, so overdrive is not really an issue for me.

Whenever I decide to use AC/DC style overdrive, I still leave my volume on 10.

On rare occasion, however, I will roll back the volume knob(s) to around 3 or so and go for a gently overdriven sound... but with my equipment, it doesn't sound as smooth as I'd like, so I don't do this much.

[WilliamWilson]

I heard B.B. King asked this once, and I think his answer was 5, that way if he needed more or less juice he had it available. I can't say I always take his advice, but I'm usually at 7 or so. Of course, my amp goes to 11.

[RenegadeMinds]

...Of course, my amp goes to 11.

Drat! Someone beat me to it!

[KsE fan]

if i go past 2 my cab {censored}s it self so, 0-2, but 2 on my amp is VERY LOUD!

[wes37]

Why don't you use your ears to decide?

[Jarardo]

10 some of the time, but when I want a soft warm sound for a clean tone(thats not too percussive), I'll turn on all the pickups, set the top one at about 5, and then have the bottom ones just barely on. Nice for things like The Rain Song.

It's yet another way to get a different tone from your guitar, so I fool around with them when I'm looking for a different tone.

[1001gear]

With a Strat/bridge, you can go down to 1 or 2 and crank the amp. This ratio is very dynamic and expressive.
With a Strat/neck, you need a treble bleed circuit to retain clarity - they don't call it the bass pickup for nuthin'.

With humbuckers, you need ways to retain even more treble as the volume goes down. The treble circuits always work and some players even resort to higher impedance (1 meg or more) pots.

The advantage to playing at these settings is of course dynamics. The amp itself is wide open and responds readily to everything you play. The low guitar volume allows comfortable tone and volume while allowing max headroom. If your touch is good you can even go below the settings for that delicate wispy stuff.

This of course works better on tube amps but even SS amps usually have circuitry that respond in a similar fashion.

Like they said, experiment. all the knobs make some kind of difference.

[Knottyhed]

Always on 10, i just think it sounds better... occassionally I'll turn it down if I'm playing live and notice i'm coming through too loud, but that's about the only time I won't be on 10.

[The Burninator]

I have a Gibson SG and I mainly tweak my volume knobs when I want vareity in the middle position.
For the rest of the time I usually keep the volume knobs on 10.

[RenegadeMinds]

if i go past 2 my cab {censored}s it self so, 0-2, but 2 on my amp is VERY LOUD!

I can identify there. In high-school I played my amp on 4 in the basement while my sister walked down the street. She could hear it clearly a block away. I generally played on 0.5 so as not to provoke a neighborhood war.

[Richard Guy]

Eight.five

[dmn23]

Strat, bridge & middle, usually between 7-8. I like that duller/softer sound. Plus, there's a little bit of room to boost during a solo.

[Mark Wein]

Depends on what I hear coming out of the amp, unless I need a full on crunch sound, in which case it is on 10....

[wagdog]

I don't "keep" my volume knob on any particular number and I'm surprised to hear that anybody does.

 

Most guitarist turn the guitar volume down (cleaning up a hair and adding some bass in the process) when playing rhythm and crank it to 10 (or close) when playing a lead. Well, most rock or blues guitarist that is.

 

Any professional guitarist I've ever seen (regardless of genre) adjusts the volume knob while playing. I've never seen someone just leave it somewhere for any significant amount of time.

[RatherDashin]

10, but preferablly id go to 13, i gotta make some new knobs though....

[Bbreaker]

Starts at 0 and I work my way up from there.

[Puckman]

I usually default to 7 or so, based on my knowledge of where my amp is usually set for the guitars I own. Turn it up from there for a lead boost, when need be.

[RedYagiDY]

I like to set my amps volume, with my guitar volume at ~5. That way if i need to move in eather direction I can.

[Terje]

The knob has no numbers but it's either flat open or on let's say 8 or 7. It's a humbucker but the toone of it when it's just below flat open is nice too. Rounder, softer, less clear, but nice.

Perhaps I should try with the amp flat open and adjust everything with the volume on my balalajka, that might be worth another try since I have a new amp to try it on.

[guitarviz]

One of the things to my mind that separates the men from the boys, esp in an open jam type situation with multiple guitars. By rolling back your volume knob a little while someone else is soloing, you will

1) get a rhythm sound which sits better in the mix

2) give the soloist some room mix-wise and

3) give you some room to boost it when its your turn to solo

doesn't need to be a whole bunch, just turning it down to 7 or 8 while someone else is soloing will improve things.

[guitaramj]

My guitar volume is always set at 10. Any adjustment needed, lower than that will be done with my EB volume pedal. =)

My amp is typically set to around 2-3, but is also mic'd.

[fuzzball]

Depends on the song, rhy parts usualy 7 or 8, leads usualy 10.

[fuzzball]

When faking it 0