leaving big low end and open, soaring top end, the strings can feel more forgiving, bouncy, more elastic, and
easier to play. Conversely, at higher settings of the MID, where this frequency creates a bump and lows and
highs are somewhat overshadowed by midrange frequencies, the sound becomes more forward, and the
response can feel to some players less forgiving and even stiff to play. Setting the Mid higher doesn’t change
anything in the physical sense other than your perception, however depending on how much you rely on the
relationship between what your ears hear and the tactile sensation your hands feel, you may want to give your
ears and your hands some extra time to adjust to the varying different EQ curves.
Guitar is a very tactile instrument and, like an acoustic instrument, is sensitive to the environment …the room it’s
played in. Electric guitar is also affected by and dependent on the frequencies manipulated and cut or boosted
in the amplifier’s preamp.
All these factors play a part in your perception of how the instrument responds to your attack, how the sound
morphs afterward, and how it feels to play as your ears capture it, your brain interprets it, and then sends signals
to your hands while playing in this feedback loop.
This is a highly interactive experience, and the relationship between electric guitar and amplifier – at least a
tube amplifier - is symbiotic. Spend time learning and playing with the interaction between the controls and
also between your guitar and the amp. With an acoustic instrument where much of the sound you hear and
feel is based on room characteristics, here the controls can be used together to shape not only the sound but
also, through interpretation, how the instrument feels in your hands. The MID, as much as any of the controls
and perhaps even more so, showcases this phenomenon.
BASS
The BASS is an easy to understand and gratifying control as well as being forgiving in terms of settings...except
when, as mentioned, high gain is involved. For clean playing in the CLEAN Mode, large amounts of BASS can
be applied with very little worry as to detrimental effects. Fullness and body, warmth and girth are its benefits
as the control is increased past 11:00, with most players finding all the low end they need by about 1:30 or 2:00.
For overdriven sounds in all three Modes, you will need to apply the previously mentioned suggestion; As Gain
goes up, the BASS should come down. Failure to apply this rule may result in tubbiness and a compromised
attack characteristic. This is especially true with the highest region of the GAIN control. A little BASS can go a
long way when this much gain is applied, and in CRUNCH and CRUSH Modes, you may find that 11:00 or 12:00
is the highest you’ll ever need for a great sound.
You can probably get away with the BASS as high as 1:30 or 2:00 for blues, nu-country, roots, and indy rock
sounds where the GAIN control is below 2:00 in CLEAN or CRUNCH. For classic rock sounds in CLEAN, where
the GAIN is maxed, you will likely want to use settings below 11:00 to keep the low end tight and dynamic. Use
a little restraint, common sense, and good taste, and you’ll find great sounds in all three Modes with plenty of
low end available to make things sound and feel huge.
PRESENCE
This control adjusts high frequencies - above those of the TREBLE - and is farther downstream in the signal
path than the Tone Controls. It works with negative feedback and allows adjustment of the top end in the power
section and its placement there is part of achieving its urgent character and its ability to help you hit hard when
you need cut in a dense mix or round out the edges and create a more vocal, rounder sound.
You can think of the PRESENCE as a control that allows you to either clamp the highs down in the power amp -
compressing and darkening things - or open the power section up and let the full spectrum of upper harmonics
come blazing through. It also has a great deal to do with how dynamic the signal is and, as mentioned, how a
given sound will cut through the mix in an ensemble environment.
At low settings (7:30 – 10:30), the sound will be warm and round with a more compressed feel, and dynamic
fluctuation will be somewhat tamed-down. As the PRESENCE is increased (11:00 – 2:30), the top end becomes
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