What's the best single-control tone stack you've seen?

[CitizenCain]

I'm looking for a great tone stack design that just uses one pot. Nothing fancy like concentrics or anything, just a single one way bright, one way dark tone control.

I found a cool schematic a year or so back, but I can't remember where I found it. What do you guys have lurking up your sleeves?

[PRNDL]

Here are some links

http://www.duncanamps.com/technical/tonestack.html

http://amps.zugster.net/articles/tone-stacks

http://www.muzique.com/lab/tone3.htm

[Alex/Tubewonder]

You want "tilt tone control". Google and you shall find

[tubeswell]

I saw a Sheldon last year that had a tone control that went all the way round and back, and had a compass bearing for the label. It did sound amazing. I can't remember which one of their amps I saw it on - I think it was one of their True Tone amps.

[jrfrond]

The Big Muff Pi uses a "tilt" control that works very well, and a model of it can be seen in the Duncan Tone Stack Calculator. It is pretty cool, but it is a lossy network that really should be driven by a cathode follower and followed by recovery amp to bring the voltage gain back to a normal level.

[Rob Mercure]

You nixed concentrics but are you open to dual - or triple - ganged pots?

[CitizenCain]

Thanks for the other links, guys. I think I found the one I was thinking about from a google of "tilt tone control" here, http://members.tripod.com/roymal/ReverbTone.htm

You nixed concentrics but are you open to dual - or triple - ganged pots?

That sounds interesting

[Sweetfinger]

The Valco made Gretsch 'Twin Reverb' has a single knob that sounds pretty good. gets darker in the lower settings, in the middle range it has a kind of blackface vibe, and gets brighter in the upper range.

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/elect...retsch6162.pdf

[CitizenCain]

That Gretsch schemo looks pretty nice all around

[jrfrond]

That Gretsch circuit is actually pretty simple, even though it might look complex to some. The control pans between a low-pass (top section) and high-pass (bottom section) two-pole passive filter. It is accurately described as "darker in the lower settings, in the middle range it has a kind of blackface vibe, and gets brighter in the upper range", because the lower setting sends the signal through the low-pass filter, cutting the highs. The mid setting sends it through both low and high-pass, creating a midrange notch that could be described as the Blackface sound, and the higher setting rolls off lows and passes highs through the (you guessed it!) high-pass filter.

[Sweetfinger]

That Gretsch schemo looks pretty nice all around

The early 'vertical' combo version of that amp with the 6973 output tubes is one of the greatest 'unknown' amps. I have one that has been my main amp for about 6 years. Everywhere I take it I get comments on its great tone, then asked if I'd sell it(no), then "where can I get one?"

The circuit isn't without its quirks- The reverb sounds great, and is very deep...almost TOO deep, because the pan's drive is affected by your volume setting which means that when you've got the amp up loud, the reverb is almost too much even at its lowest setting. I would probably prefer a Fender reverb circuit. Mine was converted to EL-84's before I bought it, though I have heard ones with the original tubes- they sound great as well. The later version of the amp has 6L6 output tubes, but isn't as loud, and has lower wattage speakers in it. Not the same mojo. I think they didn't want any returns due to tube problems.

I redid the pre-amp on the first(non-trem/rev) channel to a simple tweed Pro stack which I occasionally jumper with the stock channel. My amp does just about everything that a blues/roots/country player would need. It also does great early classic rock grind like Aerosmith/Joe Walsh. Think I'll keep her.

[walkman]

Could someone explain or redraw that tone stack and show how it could be put into say a simple single ended amp..... its not clear to me where the tone shaping starts after V4 and whick 500k is the tone control?

[mr.jetski]

walkman,
"its not clear to me where the tone shaping starts after V4 and whick 500k is the tone control?"
1st is vol, 2nd is tone, what a way to draw it out.
put it in between the 1st & 2nd half of one 12ax7. someone better than me will have to post on caps before and resistors after both 500k pots

[WholeToneMusic]

Fender tweeds

The Fender Princeton 5F2-A circuit sounds good. The single tone control is simple yet effective.

Best Regards,
Brian

[yunger]

The Fender Princeton 5F2-A circuit sounds good. The single tone control is simple yet effective.

i may be wrong but isn't the princeton tone control essentially the same thing as a fender pro junior tone control? it is indeed effective up to a certain point but doesn't do much at high to maxed volume.