Stellartone’s ToneStyler for bass is something that at first glance may confuse you as to why anyone would want one. But once you understand the principles of how it works, you’ll understand quickly why many bass players swear by it.
First and foremost, a ToneStyler is for all intents and purposes a passive EQ knob that comes in 6 and 10-position flavors; that’s the simple definition and I’ll explain more about it in a moment.
Second, the ToneStyler is designed to work with passive pickups only, and you can think of it as an equalizer for passive tone control.
Third, yes the ToneStyler for bass is specifically voiced for bass pickups.
How does a ToneStyler work?
ToneStyler is absolutely not “just another tone control,” nor is it a copy of the Vari-Tone, nor is it something where you hear little to difference between each selection.
The way the ToneStyler works is by having individual capacitors for each selection; this is what allows it to truly change the treble roll-off point that’s noticeable in a very good way.
“I remember setups like this being really bulky…”
If you’ve tried multi-capacitor setups before, yes, they are typically bulky on the inside where you run out of space to work with real fast. But not the ToneStyler, as it was designed to be compact from the start (and is!)
“I also remember setups like this breaking really easily…”
ToneStyler was designed to be rugged and withstand many years of use. While some manufacturers claim “aircraft grade,” ToneStyler genuinely is aircraft grade in materials and build all the way through.
The ToneStyler is not a flashy product, nor is it meant to be. At first glance, nobody would be able to tell you had one installed – but that’s the whole point. Everything that the ToneStyler does is “under the hood,” so to speak. You get the variable EQ positions that you want, all analog, all passive, all totally clean and can retain the original look of your bass guitar while still giving it a significant tone control upgrade.
In all honesty, we don’t have to promote the ToneStyler product because it basically sells itself. But there are some who wanted to know how it does what it does, and now you know. It’s a multi-capacitor setup with each capacitor carefully selected, so you can adjust as little or as much treble roll-off as you want.
We carry the ToneStyler for both guitar and bass.
Final notes
What’s the difference between a standard and a duo model?
“Standard” is for single pickup configurations (ex: P-style bass), “Duo” is for two-pickup configurations (ex: J-style bass).
Is the ToneStyler a true drop-in?
Yes.
Is the ToneStyler “low profile”?
Yes, and that’s how it’s able to fit as a drop-in.
