Let's try this again... NAD

[JeffB]

New Attenuator Day

This one is drastically better than the Weber Mass Lite or whatever I had. It's also about 2.5 times as expensive. It still has a significant change in tone from bypass to -3db, but there is little to no perceptible difference throughout the range from.-3dB until nearly muted..And it sounds far better than the Weber period.

It also doesn't have the drastic change in FEEL the Weber did. There is some difference, but it's tolerable.

Not sure If I like the tone change enough to keep, but I'm going to mess with it for a few days. EQ will need tweaking

 

[ErikH]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

I can honestly say I've never heard of this one.

 

[baritone]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

Looks like a cool setup. What footswitching options does that amp have?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

Erik- the SPL has been out for a few years but only recently came to my attention. I was impressed with clips and reviews and.decided to give it a whirl.

baritone- dsl is two channels footswitchable, (classic channel and high gain channel) and reverb switchable on/off. I use the amp as single channel (classic) and only use the footswitch for the reverb on/off.

fwiw- Reverb sucks on this amp, IMO

 

[baritone]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

I've wanted to dump the built-in reverb on most amps.

Are you running the amp into the attenuator at full or half wattage?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

At the full 40 watts.

the digital chip they use on this amp must be bottom of the barrel. I've had.much nicer sounding reverb on $200 modellers.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

That's a passive attenuator, right? I would expect the Weber Mass to be different seeing how it is a reactive attenuator. Other than that and what I've read I know nothing about the SPL/Tonehunter Reducer. Hope it works out.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

i have an old weber mass and i like it for subtle attenuation but i definitely takes something away. mine is an old one if that matters. the mass lite has the attenuation split between lows and highs and i dont think id like that much but i havent tried one

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

That's a passive attenuator, right? I would expect the Weber Mass to be different seeing how it is a reactive attenuator. Other than that and what I've read I know nothing about the SPL/Tonehunter Reducer. Hope it works out.

Correct. Passive. And the weber definitely is reactive......it reacts Poorly

Jeremy, yep the mass lite allowed fine tuning but even when attenuating same same on both dials, it really stifled the amp at anything but the bare minimum of attenuation. And you could detect a weird lag/feel disconnect at times (in a bad way, not like rectifier sag).

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

SPL makes high end studio gear.

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

I have a couple attenuators (THD Hotplate, Fryette Power Station, Rivera Rockcrusher Recording) that all have their pros & cons. Definitely different, even though they all do essentially the same thing (ie reduce volume). The THD Hotplate is small & light, very portable, and requires no power. Personally, I like that it tightens up the low-end, though others could see it as altering the sound, which it is. The Fryette Power Station is an attenuator and power amp built-in, so it is much bigger and heavier, requires power, but also affects the tone the least. It's also nice that it has power amp functions like a density knob and FX loop, which adds a nice feature if your original amp doesn't already have it. The Rivera Rockcrusher Recording is an attenuator and DI box built-in with a ton of flexibility over the line out sound. You can cab sim until your heart is content with the active EQ. That said, it is bigger and heavier, though probably also bulletproof. Only the active EQ requires power, so you can still run the attenuator unplugged. Tonally, it rounds/smooths out the low-end a bit in the amplified sound. Again, others could see it as altering the sound, which it is, but it also makes it more fluid. I personally like the tightness of the THD over the smoothness of the Rivera, but I also play more metal than blues/classic rock.

That said, I've never heard of this brand/attenuator. Something to look into, for sure.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

Correct. Passive. And the weber definitely is reactive......it reacts Poorly

Jeremy, yep the mass lite allowed fine tuning but even when attenuating same same on both dials, it really stifled the amp at anything but the bare minimum of attenuation. And you could detect a weird lag/feel disconnect at times (in a bad way, not like rectifier sag).

i wonder how they split the signal and if that might be the issue. did you open it up to look by any chance?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

i wonder how they split the signal and if that might be the issue. did you open it up to look by any chance?

Sorry. Didnt see this earlier Jeremy.

No clue how its done, and didn't investigate. I returned it asap.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

So far, Im really digging this spl.

I completely scrapped everything and wanted to go in fresh ears.

I re-tubed my DSL pre-amp with ehx and sovtek lps (pi) 12ax7s I had been using in my OR15.

Re-installed my WLH set in #1

I went back, scrapped my EQ, set everything at noon and re-tweaked Crunch Green to a very satisfying fat heavy blues type tone that cleans up super nice. Gary Moore-ish without all the gain, if you will. Classic Les Paul+ Marshall tone. Maybe similar to Paul K with less bite.

master is slightly over 2 oclock, maybe halfway to 3 oclock which would normally crack windows and land me in jail on this amp through my 2x12. El34s are working.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

sounds like you got some great tone goin on!

 

[ErikH]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

Clips.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

New Attenuator Day

This one is drastically better than the Weber Mass Lite or whatever I had. It's also about 2.5 times as expensive. It still has a significant change in tone from bypass to -3db, but there is little to no perceptible difference throughout the range from.-3dB until nearly muted..And it sounds far better than the Weber period.

It also doesn't have the drastic change in FEEL the Weber did. There is some difference, but it's tolerable.

Not sure If I like the tone change enough to keep, but I'm going to mess with it for a few days. EQ will need tweaking

Hay, did you know that the DSL is the best Marshall EVER??? Just ask the guy's from the Marshall forums, LOL......

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Let's try this again... NAD

I heard a combo recently (no attenuator) when a guy in a local band used one for a gig. I thought it sounded darn good!

Congrats on nad!