- Tone Controls usually on amps but also on effects :
is the amount of high end in the sound. High settings of this will make the sound very sharp and crisp. It will make finger and string noise louder and make it scratchier. Usual set around 5-6, be careful with higher settings as it can make to sound too harsh or just unpleasant.
Middle
This is this most important control. Middle (mids) settings can change the whole character of the sound. Taking the mids out (a low setting of 2-3) will give quite a rock sound whereas a higher mid setting will make it more “Honky”. Be careful with the mid, it’s usually set around between 3-4, it is unusual to have it set higher than 5-6.
Bass
usually set around 6-7 or more, this will add low end or bass sound. On some amps you will need to set this higher or the sound will be thin. On very small amps it is hard to get a lot of bass in the sound because the speakers are too small to make them!
Filter / Tone/ Contour - Adjusts all of the above settings in one knob. Usually these change the mid frequency and add bass, but they vary. Get to know each unit that uses these controls and experiment to find out what they do.
Parametric EQ
this is a more proffesional type where 3 knobs control the EQ (equaliser) or Tone. One controls the frequency to be adjusted, one controls whether the frequency is increased or decreased in volume, the last (sometimes left out) control (called Q) is how wide an area of frequency is changed (is just 90-100hz adjusted or is 70-120Hz adjusted). They take some work to use correctly but are the best form of eq.
- Distortion and Overdrive Effects
- Reverb Effects
- Digital Delay, Analogue Delay and Echo
- Chorus Effects
- Flanger Effects
- Wah-Wah Effects
- Talk Box Effects
Source : http://www.goodnightkiss.com/guitarinfo.html
