I have seen some comments about the tonal flexibility of dual volume controls vs. a volume/pan setup. There has also been discussion about how the master volume helps to further improve your tonal freedom when you're using the dual volume setup. There's something here that doesn't quite make sense to me in a physics sense, and maybe it's more art than science. In any case, follow my stream of consciousness if you dare...
With Signature electronics, how does the pan control work? Is the center position full power from both pickups, or something less than that? Wouldn't you have just as much tone shaping ability with that set up as you would with separate pickup volumes? Is there a tonal difference between setting individual volumes at 60%neck/30% bridge and setting them at 100% neck/50% bridge, or just a difference in volume that then creates the need for a master volume? Can't you create any ratio you want with the pan pot as easily as with the separate volume controls?
If I am missing something, then can you tell me how the master volume works, or, I suppose, how you use it?
Would you set it around half with both pickup volumes maxed out and work from there? Obviously, if you start with all three volumes maxed, you won't be able to maintain constant volume as you adjust the individual pickups. On a non-Alembic bass, one would normally set the pickup volume to be about maxed for the best signal, right? Is this not important with the Alembic electronics package? Also, is the master volume a cut only, boost only, or cut/boost control? I am wondering if it is really transparent to the tone and noise of the signal.
-Bob
