Tone knobs on guitars - do you really use it for Metal?

[Markedman]

I might use the tone knob once or twice a night when playing songs that suck just so I fade into the song more and let the vocals stand out better. I think that's why I do it. I have to compromise in the song selection because I'm a team player after all. When I record or play a song that's great, my tone knob is at 10. I've had 2 guitars custom made for me by Jackson in the late eighties and both have no tone knob. The RR has 1 pick-up and a volume knob, the strat has 3 pick-ups and a volume knob, but I disabled the bridge and middle pick-ups soon after I bought it. I wasn't thinking right when I had Jackson put three mini toggles in instead of a 5-way selector and I kept switching on bad combinations of pick-ups. I must accidentally twist the tone knob on my other guitars sometimes because I'll find it at less than 10 and then think, "so that's why the tone sucked, lost the bite I had, frigging useless tone knob! That never happens with the Jacksons!" I'm getting different pick-ups for a new guitar and although I'll be playing lame classic rock, I'm contemplating leaving the tone knobs disabled. Do Metal players use tone knobs?

 

[Jorn218]

I can't say that I ever use the tone knob, even for other types of music than metal. I have also gotten to the point that I really am starting to question the volume control as well. I don't do swells, so I am thinking maybe just wire in a kill switch instead of the volume knob and give that a try for a spell.

 

[Given To Fly]

With high gain tones I keep the tone control at 10 and volume knob at 10 or 0. With clean tones I've learned to use the volume and tone controls to really manipulate the amp but that is for a different thread.

 

[Jackie]

I would survive without the tone knob for metal, no problem. Volume pot is a different story, our music isn't all slaughter all the time so I roll it down a little for some parts.

Also, you might regret not having a tone knob in the studio - as Given To Fly has already said, with clean tones, the tone pot can be a very powerful tool.