Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

[KLINKDETROIT]

I am thinking of getting an attenuator 8 ohms but wonder whats the best one? I would possibly be using it at a friends as well and he has a Marshall jcm 800. I have a dual rectifier and wonder if I even need it? I have a master volume but like the sound of the amp better when the loop active master is disengaged on the back knob. Do I even need an attenuator?? Running out of tone improvements but recording a cd and want to be all geared up during guitar tracks.

 

[dark_knight]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I have a THD Hotplate power attenuator, in Pink which is the 8ohm version. Hers the deal, I have a Boogie Simul-Setellite amp. Its 85 -100 watts all tube all clean. The hotp[late goes inbetween your speaker output wire and the actual speaker. When you turn your amp up real loud, like i'm talking bone rattling volumes, you get that sweat tube saturation. if you do it right and overdrive the power tubes you get that much sought after tube tone. however its so damn loud you can possible use it unless youre infront of a ****ing stadium of people. and even then you have htis thing called a PA. so this hotplate of mine allows me to run the amp at that setting, but at a lower volume. so i get the same great tone, but less volume. It works very well and even allows you to further tweak the sound. I saw a posting a long time ago comparing the THD hotplate to a powerbreak attenuator and the original signal, depending on the amp and setttings it changes the sound, so its not com[pletly transparent. to compensate for this the hotplate has a deep bass switch as well as a bright switch, which i find very useful. I recomend the THD hotplate.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Is it a studio recording? 'Cause if it is they'll probably have everything you need.....including an isolation room for your cab.

Anyway, I like the Hotplate. It's well built and sounds good. It's drawback is that it's impedance specific. As of a few years ago it was the one that Boogie would suggest if you phoned their tech support, and it's the one that Bogner uses in their shop.

The Weber Mass is also pretty highly regarded, but it has a slightly different tone to it. It's a strait up 16ohm load with an impedance selector that changes the tone stack to compensate for mismatches at other impedances.

Someone told me today that they opened up a Mini-Mass and found that the power resistors were glued to the casing instead of being properly supported. I don't know if this is also true with the full sized Mass, maybe someone else can interject here.

If you can, try both.

 

[B2D]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I use a Dr. Z Airbrake for an attenuator and could not be happier with it.

I use a 100W Carvin Legacy and it's a REALLY loud, bold amp. I can't get it past 3 without stepping on people's toes, volume-wise and even the 50W setting is dangerous. :laugh2: I did a lot of homework regarding good power attenuators and selected the Dr. Z Air Brake after some careful consideration.

The other two popular candidates were the THD Hot Plate and the Weber MASS. There were pros and cons to each model, and people seemed to prefer one or the other for different reasons. However I like the Dr. Z out of all of them for the following reasons:

~ Very little tonal coloration... it only becomes really noticeable at maximum attenuation levels. And because there's so little tonal coloration, this eliminates the need for tone stacks and switches.

~ Low Noise. Doesn't need an external power source like some of them do.

~ Doesn't get very hot like HotPlates are said to.... makes handling after long usage easy.

~ It's not Ohm-specific and it will handle anything up to 100W.

Trust me, this is THE one to get. Plus I've seen people with gripes about MASSes and Hotplates be perfectly happy with these. Look for a deal on eBay or someplace like thegearpage.net.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

For price and performance the Mass is tough to beat. I use it with 16 different amp and could not be happier. Been to a bunch of gigs with it, has been bullet proof.

 

[KLINKDETROIT]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

The cd is being recorded at the bass players basement with pro tools and a a__hole neighbor next door. He has a non master volume Marshall jcm80-0 and I have a 2 channel dual rectifier. Does the weber or airbrake have options for using either a 16 ohm or 8 ohm cab or head? Can you run multiple cabs without problems? Anyone with a dual rectifier have answers?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I hear great things abotu the MASS, as for the power resister version of an Attenuator Weber makes one called a load dump that is based on power resisters...it's NOT a MASS and it has a much greater effect on the tone.

The Dr. Z/Trainwreck Airbrake or the Kendrick are often thought of as the best but they cost a good bit of cash. I have always bene impressed with the Hotplate and the Mass gets rave reviers as well...just stay way from the Power brake or a Power Soak...not good for the amp.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Just a side question - anyone try out a Gibson Power Stealth Attenuator? Are they the same thing as the THD Hot Plate just with the Gibson name stamped on? Just wondering, they are identicle besides color.

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Amplifiers/Gibson Amplifiers/Power Stealth/

 

[mrid]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I haven't tried it, but here's another option.

http://www.ultimateattenuator.com/

 

[B2D]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Ahhh... mrid makes a rare appearance!

 

[fuzz+strat]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

For price and performance the Mass is tough to beat. I use it with 16 different amp and could not be happier. Been to a bunch of gigs with it, has been bullet proof.

Is there a Weber Mass for 100w+ amps? I only see the 50w models...

 

[some_dude]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Just a side question - anyone try out a Gibson Power Stealth Attenuator? Are they the same thing as the THD Hot Plate just with the Gibson name stamped on? Just wondering, they are identicle besides color.

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Amplifiers/Gibson Amplifiers/Power Stealth/

I donno....what do you think?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Is there a Weber Mass for 100w+ amps? I only see the 50w models...

Ther is a very large MASS...the Mini MASS is for 25 or 50 watt and less amps the full on MASS goes to a belive 150 watts and you can actually special like a 200 or 250 watt version!

 

[some_dude]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I haven't tried it, but here's another option.

http://www.ultimateattenuator.com/

Been reading bad things about them on TGP lately. They're basically 32ohm universal load and a few people are b*tching about having blown OTs with them.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

~ Very little tonal coloration... it only becomes really noticeable at maximum attenuation levels. And because there's so little tonal coloration, this eliminates the need for tone stacks and switches.

It doesn't eliminated the need for them, they just built them in so that you can't tweek them.

~ Doesn't get very hot like HotPlates are said to.... makes handling after long usage easy.

I push a Dual Rectifier through mine and it doesn't get that hot.

 

[B2D]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

It doesn't eliminated the need for them, they just built them in so that you can't tweek them.

Hmm... I'll have to open mine up and check that out. In any case I've never felt the need for a tweakable tone stack in my attenuation needs.

I push a Dual Rectifier through mine and it doesn't get that hot.

I think the temperature may depend on how you're using it... I put my Legacy on 5 or 6 and attenuate it just enough not to get the soundmen and club owners yelling at me... i think the guy i heard saying he burned his hand on one was throttling out his amp with extreme levels of attenuation on there.

The Dr. Z/Trainwreck Airbrake or the Kendrick are often thought of as the best but they cost a good bit of cash.

The Dr. Z cost me just over $200 used. It ain't THAT much.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

I can only comment on the Hot Plate - I would like to know if anything is better or worse

BUt I have had great experiences live and recording

 

[mrid]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

Been reading bad things about them on TGP lately. They're basically 32ohm universal load and a few people are b*tching about having blown OTs with them.

Really...nevermind, then!

 

[KLINKDETROIT]

Re: Attenuator. Hotplate/ weber etc. Best one???

May go with the weber mass 100 after reading on the gear page. Do I need one of their "short cables" or any speaker cable will do? The airbrake seems like a good one but doesnt have the options. Does anyone know how to run with 3 cabs? I have 16ohm series box made by mesa that allows me to run 3 cabs at a safe mismatch out of the multiple outputs from the back of the dual rectifier. I run 1 cab out of the 4 ohm output and a cable out of the 8 ohm output to the 16 ohm series box then the 2 other cabs from the 2 outputs of the series box. I wonder how that would work with an attenuator?

Some of my settings use the fx loop on and others without it. Would this affect the output of an attenuator as the master volume is also disengaged when the fx loop is off. (modded)