Making a load box/hotplate?

[SpaceShipOne]

The idea of using a Palmer DI has come up a lot lately and I'm going to get one soon. My question is why can't I make a load box? Could you not just get a cheap speaker, say 8 ohms and take the paper part of the speaker off...thus having a quiet load? Or could you take an 8 ohm speaker, put it in a wood box or the such that would remain quiet as possible, and use it? Keep in mind these are not to produce a good sound, just to take the load.

 

[ksmith63]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

i've done that with my isolation cab before. didnt work that well because i could still hear the speaker in the cab + the impedance was reduced to 4 ohms. there was a volume drop but it definitely wasnt significant. just buy an attenuator.

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

i've done that with my isolation cab before. didnt work that well because i could still hear the speaker in the cab + the impedance was reduced to 4 ohms. there was a volume drop but it definitely wasnt significant. just buy an attenuator.

I plain old don't have money and that is not an option. I'm looking for ways to jerry rig one.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Don't jerry rig this stuff or you'll be out a tube amp in the process. Spend the money and get the proper unit for what you're wanting to do. I know money is tight. Just keep saving and hold out until you can afford the Palmer DI if that is what you want. There's no sense in risking your amp.

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

That still doesn't answer my question of it being ok to get some speaker n making a box around it to use.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Sure, you can do that, but you'll still hear it and it'll most likely still be too loud. What that is is an isolation box, not a load box or a hotplate. Two (actually three) totally different things.

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Sure, you can do that, but you'll still hear it and it'll most likely still be too loud. What that is is an isolation box, not a load box or a hotplate. Two (actually three) totally different things.

I like the box idea better for safety and cheaper and plausible. Any ideas that would help me go down this route safely and someone quietly? lol

 

[ErikH]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Well, start by finding a speaker that'll handle the power of the amp. This means 120 watts minimum since that is the max power rating of the 5150. Then find plans on making an isolation box. Don't forget you'll need to put a mic in there too if you're going to record off that speaker in the box.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

You'd probably be better off inside a garage. The box would need to be rather big if you want to try out different mix placements too.

You could probably make it out of plywood and use insulation material on the inside and maybe outside too. No idea how it'd sound though...

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

No mics needed. It'd be used with a Palmer. What's some speaker that handle 120 watts?

 

[J Moose]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

You do realize that by the time you buy a speaker & all the materials to make an isolation box you could probably just BUY the Palmer box outright yes?

3/4" void free furniture grade plywood ain't cheap....

Plus you gotta have the woodworking skills to be able to build a "tight" box...otherwise it's useless. Like a screen door on a submarine.

Randall makes an iso cab that isn't too expensive...

Get a THD Hot Plate for like $250 or so... I think my used Marshall Power Break was $200...

 

[3th3r]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Well, start by finding a speaker that'll handle the power of the amp. This means 120 watts minimum since that is the max power rating of the 5150. Then find plans on making an isolation box. Don't forget you'll need to put a mic in there too if you're going to record off that speaker in the box.

Yep, 120W MINIMUM.

Amps, when cranked with distortion, can easily put out peaks that are double their rated wattage.

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

If I got a THD Hotplate, could I use the Palmer, plug the head into the THD and not have a cab at all?

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

The THD can act as a dummy load. I've been going the same route recently, and opted for a Weber MASS 150 instead. Its a little cheaper new, but a little difficult to find used.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

I thought the Palmer's had a speaker load?

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

The PDI-09 doesn't. Its the cheapest of all the Palmers too...$155 versus $565 for the PDI-03. Its supposed to be the the filter section of the PDI-03 without the load. It ends up being a little more cost effective to buy the 09 and just grab an attenuator.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

If I got a THD Hotplate, could I use the Palmer, plug the head into the THD and not have a cab at all?

Yes. I've done this trick with my HK Red Box.

 

[Guest]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

That's exactly what I'm doing. I want to record my Bluesbreaker cranked in my apartment and it simply isn't possible as it gets way way way too loud. But then I though about this idea.

Bluesbreaker -> Palmer PDI-09 -> DIY Dummy load

Cranked amp that's completely silent in the room, sweet! I ordered parts last week to build this dummy load (simple stuff):

http://www.aikenamps.com/DummyLoad.pdf

Perfect with a 4, 8, 16 Ohms switch and everything. I'm going to build it into a neat effect box for a proffesional look and everything

Costed me about 50$, and would probably be alot cheaper in the US. So now I just have to snag a Palmer PDI-09

 

[suislidE03]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Hell I say go the old fashion way and mic the speaker cab.. but find a quiet way to do it. Plus, you know you can do the pull 2 tubes trick right? I do it with my 6505+ all the time. It does make a difference.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Making a load box/hotplate?

Hell I say go the old fashion way and mic the speaker cab.. but find a quiet way to do it. Plus, you know you can do the pull 2 tubes trick right? I do it with my 6505+ all the time. It does make a difference.

Finding the "quiet way" can be rather difficult . Its no secret that tube amps "open up" as you turn 'em up. The pull 2 tubes trick only does so much. Attenuators can be helpful, but can also muddy up your tone. It can be especially difficult if you have a noise-sensitive neighbor.

Then of course there can be problems with room acoustics...having a nice, sound-treated room to record in can make a world of difference. Obtaining such a room for recording can be problematic for a home studio, though .

Not to mention microphone choice and placement. That, and if you're recording in the same room that your amp is in, monitoring can be difficult without some nice isolation cans.

Add to that how much more effort it takes as opposed to DI. The list goes on and on...honestly.

In the end...it all depends on what your situation is. I record in a small studio, and I have very noise-sensitive neighbors (namely, my parents).

You can get great-sounding recordings both ways. My argument is simply that DI is an easier, more cost-effective choice for the home studio.