Bass Control
The Bass control, as stated above, works in a range that will be useful under most “normal” conditions. Its musical use might
be thought of as a “fatness” control. Leaving the Aural Enhancer in a position lower than 12 o’clock will not boost the extreme
bottom so much as to make indistinct the effect of the Bass control. The overall “punch” of your instrument, from your low E-
string on up about two octaves (midway up the G- string), will be determined with this control. With passive instruments, this will
be straightforward. With active instruments having bass-boost controls more exploration will be worthwhile. (Some active tone
circuits have boost/cut controls, while others have straight boost controls).
Mid Range Controls
The Mid Range controls operate in a crucial area for most instruments. The Mid Level control cuts or boosts the frequency,
which is set by the Mid Frequency control. Starting at mid-position, turning the Mid Level control counter clockwise cuts the fre-
quency determined by the Mid Frequency control. Turning the Mid Level control clockwise boosts the frequency determined by
the Mid Frequency control.
Many basses, particularly those strung with roundwound strings, can have a very “honky” or nasal sound. Adjustments made with
the Mid Range controls can go a long way toward smoothing out your tone. We suggest, though, that what sounds best when
your listening to your tone by yourself may not be what works best in a band or recording. Sometimes that objectionable quality
may be just the right “hair” on your note to still have an audible presence in the track or on stage.
NOTE: When the level control is set at the “center click” (mid) position, turning the frequency control will have no effect
on the sound.
To find the mid range area you are looking for:
1. Adjust the Mid Level control to the full boost or cut position.
2. Rotate the Mid Frequency control until the desired area you wish to cut or boost is found.
3. Adjust the Mid Level control to the desired amount of cut or boost for the frequency you have selected.
The Mid Frequency control sets the area that is to be cut or boosted by the Mid Level function. If the Level control is set at mid-
position, turning the Frequency knob will have NO affect.
Some hints: If you need to “cut through” the band a little more, try boosting 200 to 400 Hz. If you like a more transparent
sound, try cutting at 800 Hz. The midrange area is especially useful in controlling fretless basses and their inherent qualities.
Treble Control
The Treble control operates in a tonal area that extends through and beyond the usual Treble control range. It may be thought
of as a “transparency” control. Boosting the control will open up the sound of a dull instrument, particularly in conjunction with
the piezo tweeter in the Workingman’s 15. However, this is also the range of string rattle, finger slides, pickup clicks, etc. Again,
we recommend you experiment with the control alone with your instrument while finding your tone, and listen again in a band
context, both near to and away from the Workingman’s 15. Qualities such as punch, fatness, presence and bite can be fairly
well spread out. Treble, despite the broad dispersion of the piezo tweeter, is a very directional quality. Spend some time explor-
ing what you can hear in this area as you move around.
Transparency Control
The Transparency control is a shelving type tone control that cuts or boosts the high frequencies a full octave above the treble
function. Shelving point for this control is about 5 kHz.
AURAL ENHANCER
The Aural Enhancer was developed to bring out the fundamental low notes of the bass, reduce certain frequencies that can
“mask” fundamentals, and enhance the high-end transients. The effect becomes more pronounced as the control is turned up.
The result is a more transparent sound. Listening to a passive bass with the control set all the way down, and then turning it all
the way up, can be likened to listening to the bass suddenly become “active.”
16 • WORKINGMAN’S COMBOS OWNER’S MANUAL