Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

So it wouldn’t be a speaker-level attenuator but rather a preamp-level volume control like Brian Wampler shows in that one video and countless players have used on that amp.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

So it wouldn’t be a speaker-level attenuator but rather a preamp-level volume control like Brian Wampler shows in that one video and countless players have used on that amp.

Thanks . . . i'll see if i can find said video clip.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

It's not really an attenuator. A real attenuator goes between the speaker out and the speaker and is actually dissipating part of the power going to the speaker, hence why they are big, get hot, and aren't cheap. This is just a volume pot that you insert into the fx loop, so it is basically just another volume control, it's not allowing you to run the output tubes hard and get power tube distortion. So, it's not any harder/easier on the amp that just turning down the volume control, but it may make it easier to fine tune the volume.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

I’ve got a few of those, some I built & some I bought. They do the trick I guess but it’s nothing like using a Hot Plate or something! Passive attenuation can really only take you so far & there’s debate about weather or not it good for your amp, although I’ve never had any problems?

So in a pinch they are great to have but personally I’d suggest you save up a few bucks & get some kind of active attenuator that you can place between the amp & speaker leaving the effects loop for effects!!!
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

It's not an attenuator at all. Just a master volume pot.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Yeah you can do that same trick with most any pedal that has a volume knob. I have a buddy who uses an OCD, I've seen EQ pedals used for that sort of thing. If it works it works I guess.

A dude in a band I used to be in made one that was just like the 1-knob box in Pigbacon's video but it didn't work with my OR120 because their effects loops are apparently wired completely differently from normal amps.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Yeah you can do that same trick with most any pedal that has a volume knob. I have a buddy who uses an OCD, I've seen EQ pedals used for that sort of thing. If it works it works I guess.

A dude in a band I used to be in made one that was just like the 1-knob box in Pigbacon's video but it didn't work with my OR120 because their effects loops are apparently wired completely differently from normal amps.

Yeah it’s probably worth noting that this will only work with a series effects loop. If your loop is in parallel it’s just going to cause all kinds of problems! However the HRD has a series loop...
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Yeah it’s probably worth noting that this will only work with a series effects loop. If your loop is in parallel it’s just going to cause all kinds of problems! However the HRD has a series loop...

Which is about 87.3% of all guitar amps.
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Which is about 87.3% of all guitar amps.

Yes & of the remaining 17% about half of those have both. Having a level knob for the loop is a good indicator that you might have a parallel loop...

I have both on a couple of my amps... My JCM-600 & something else I’ve got in storage, I don’t exactly remember at the moment???

Parallel loops are great for vintage effects, or really any effects that may not have a level knob themselves or can be kinda overwhelming in a series loop! This becomes much more apparent when using time based or modulation effects with amplifier distortion....
 
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Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Cool, so that covers 104.3% of amps, what about the others?
 
Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

LOL, I are an engineer.
 
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Re: Febder Hot Rod amp with attenuator ? Need some ID'ing please.

Yes & of the remaining 17% about half of those have both. Having a level knob for the loop is a good indicator that you might have a parallel loop...

I have both on a couple of my amps... My JCM-600 & something else I’ve got in storage, I don’t exactly remember at the moment???

Parallel loops are great for vintage effects, or really any effects that may not have a level knob themselves or can be kinda overwhelming in a series loop! This becomes much more apparent when using time based or modulation effects with amplifier distortion....

My Mesa has a parallel loop with a level control.
 
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