About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

[JCC]

I've read some things around the internet that attenuators can be used in order to play a loud amp at bedroom levels. However I've also heard other people say that this isn't really possible, and that the main purpose of an attenuator is to reduce the volume levels slightly for gigging in smaller venues, and NOT to produce an acceptable volume for playing in your bedroom.

So which is it? Is it just too much work for an attenuator to reduce the volume of a cranked Marhsall head down to bedroom levels? Can anyone shed any light on this? Cheers.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

If you take a 100 watt amp and use an attenuator to bring down the volume to 1 watt bedroom levels you'll end up with a thin, fizzy tone that will not be especially inspiring. Attenuators work best, IMO, to bring the screaming volume of a cranked 100 watt amp down to the volume of a 30 watt or 40 watt amp...still louder than you'd want in a bedroom or apartment but very usable and more manageable for onstage playing. Or use it to bring down the volume of a cranked 50 watt amp to the volume level you might get from a cranked 20 watt amp. Something like that. They have thier limits...

Lew

 

[aleclee]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

Bedroom levels? No f'n way.

IMO, attenuators are good for taking an amp that's way too loud and making it merely loud. They let you turn up the amp to it's sweet spot and turn the volume down to where you're not blowing out windows.

The consensus seems to be that they start to suck major tone at about 8-12dB of attenuation. That means that if your amp needs to put out SPLs of 100dB to reach its sweet spot, you'll have significant tone loss at 16dB attenuation and still be pretty loud at 84dB.

 

[mr breaker]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

Try putting a volume pedal in your effects loop. Setup this way, it will act as a master volume.

Not the greatest...but you'll probably get a much more desirable bedroom level sound than with an attenuator.

 

[aleclee]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

Try putting a volume pedal in your effects loop. Setup this way, it will act as a master volume.

Not the greatest...but you'll probably get a much more desirable bedroom level sound than with an attenuator.

IME, this doesn't yield significantly different results from using the master volume. If your loop has send/return gain controls, it works better but in that case you don't need the volume pedal at all.

 

[Stevo]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

I agree with Lew - Fizzy and compressed at "bedroom" volume. Also, it's hard to get a cranked sound at low volumes when you don't even push the speakers.

A fully cranked Marshall is too much for my ears but I am hooked on power tube saturation. My attenuator helps to take off that volume edge, but not to an extreme. I think it's a great device for that situation.

 

[Faraday]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

I use a 6g6g power tube and it is 2 watts (1/2 the perceived loudness of a 20 watt amp). When used with an attenuator it is very listenable yet spongy warm like a freshly fluffed pillow on an April afternoon.:laugh2:

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

I will say that the new model Mass 100 I just got, is the most transparent I have heard even at the lowest levels. It is a big improvement over the previous Mass ( which I had for 3 years), quite remarkable in fact. I have had my hands on quite a few now. I think the thought that they can't be used at low levels is a bit overstated, yes it affects the tone but I blame the speakers just as much.You will still get the majority of the vibe that your amp can offer. The transparency of this new one is a dramatic improvement, is it as good as running at stage volume? No, but a quiet Plexi still sounds very nice. I would try one and let your ears decide....

 

[JeffB]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

Speakers are key. I'm with Steve and Lew. They help, but they don't work wonders...you gotta push the speakers...and that means "volume". They work better IMO to bring an outrageously loud amp like a NMV Marshall or 2203 or such to bearable levels while still retaing good tone.

I've been on this search for a year now, and my advice is to just buy a good modeller and the Atomic Reactor for your bedroom.. or a Plexi-tone pedal for cranked Plexi Marshall sounds at low volumes through the amp you have now.

Also...Bumbox makes a 1 Watt Tube Plexi-clone that sounds killer for $400. I was going to buy one myself, but the Plexi-tone would do 95% of the same thing through an existing tube amp at low volumes, I'd suspect. and it's half the price.

Now..if someone knows of a 1 Watt tube 800 clone...lemme know, I'll be on that like a fly on horse$hit

 

[JCC]

Re: About attenuators... what can they actually be used for?

Right cheers everyone for your input!

JeffB... I was listening to some clips of the Bumbox Lead 1 and it sounds very good. I think I might get one of them soon (when money is available!)