EQ as attenuator?

FamousForSustain

FamousForSustain

New member
Just grabbed an MXR 10-band for cheap - apparently the guy at the shop mislabeled it as being $80, the usual price for the 6-band model. I asked him why the price was so low (maybe it was used or somehow defective?) and he realized that it was a pricing error and said that I could have it for $80, in the box with the adapter, if I decided to buy it that day, otherwise he'd change the price to the usual $120. I saved him the trouble. Aaaaaanyway....

I've found that by dropping the volume and gain sliders I can crank my amp all the way without the volume being ear-splitting, somewhat akin to what an attenuator would do. I've only had about half an hour's experience using this tactic, but there doesn't seem to be any negative effect on the tone or anything else. Is this common practice? Is there any reason I shouldn't be doing it? I was just curious since I've never heard of EQ's being used this way.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

I remember reading Billie Joe Armstrong talking about doing a similar thing on the American Idiot album. Rather than an EQ, he used a distortion pedal, with the level lowered. Same basic thing though.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

You're just using the EQ as a master volume instead of the amps master volume. No big deal about it, but the nice thing about it is that you can EQ your amp not to thin out so much at lower volumes.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

That's what I was thinking. If it's set up like that, it would get fried. If it's being used as an "attenuator" in front or in the loop, it's just a preamp volume control, like an OD, dist, compressor, or volume pedal.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

It's working more as a master volume for the guitar than the amp. It's gonna reduce the gain, same as turning down your guitar's volume would, 'cept it won't screw with the tone of your pickups.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

screamingdaisy said:
You're just using the EQ as a master volume instead of the amps master volume. No big deal about it, but the nice thing about it is that you can EQ your amp not to thin out so much at lower volumes.
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Yea...

I just hope that he is mis-using that word... Otherwise he's going to be tearing some stuff up if you get my drift.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

EQ units go perfectly in the loop. This way, it comes after the preamp gain stages of the amp, so it won't change the gain dialed into the amp. In a tube amp, an EQ can be used to drive or clean up the power tubes if used in the loop. The way you have it set up, it is just shaping the tone you have already dialed into your amp's knobs. If you moved the pedal in front of the amp, it would have an effect on the fuzziness of the overall sound.
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

With an EQ in the loop and set to a level less than the regular level can't you in essence starve the power tubes and induce clipping at lower levels? Basically your changing the tone of the amp from a front end driven tone to a power amp driven tone?
 
Re: EQ as attenuator?

idsnowdog said:
With an EQ in the loop and set to a level less than the regular level can't you in essence starve the power tubes and induce clipping at lower levels? Basically your changing the tone of the amp from a front end driven tone to a power amp driven tone?
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No.

The power tubes aren't getting hit any harder than turning down the MV.
 
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