Understanding the Control Knobs
To get the best sounds out of your guitar and amplifier, you will need to understand the volume and tone controls and how they work. Some guitars have only one volume control which works for all the pickups and others have separate volume controls for each pickup. Some typical example are shown below.
Amplifiers may have one or two volume controls. Amps with a single volume control are very straightforward to use: you simply turn the knob until you have the required volume. Amps with two volume controls are capable of producing more different sounds, specifically-various amounts of distortion. Usually the controls on these amps are called volume and master volume, as shown in the following diagram. To start with, set your master volume higher than the other volume to get your basic sound.
Notice the treble, middle and bass controls on the amp control panel. These are tone controls which alter the type of sound coming out of the amplifier. The names of the controls refer to the sound frequencies they can alter. Treble refers to high frequencies, bass refers to low frequencies and middle refers to those in between. There are also amplifiers which have extra tone controls like high mid and low mid, and sometimes "presence" which refers to higher middle frequencies.
Experiment with the controls until you can hear how they work and work out what settings you like. This is a very personal thing and everyone has their own favorite settings. If you are having trouble hearing how the tone controls work, try setting two of them to 0 and the other to 10, and then gradually bring the dial back down. Then try swapping between them, then try various combinations. Tone controls on a guitar consist of a single knob which is numbered 1 to 10. The higher the number, the higher the frequency. Once again, experiment to find the types of tones you prefer. The most suitable settings will vary depending on the musical context.
