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I ordered a Weber MiniMass 50 and I've had the thing for a few weeks now. I've had one practice and one gig with it so far, so I think I can now properly review it.
First off, I've been using it primarily with my Mission 5E3. "An attenuator for a 12 watt amp", you say? Simply, yes. While I love the tone of my cranked 5E3, the fact is that 1x12" speaker is just too loud for several applications. Band practices? Too loud. Club gigs? Too loud. The problem with non-master volume amps is that it's very difficult to control the volume of them without ending up in that range near 1.5 on the volume knob where it loses all tone.
To start, it works! The MiniMass does exactly what it's supposed to - lowers the volume of the amp but allows it to stay in that sweet breakup zone. Like all attenuators, the lower the volume, the more high end it sucks out. The MiniMass has a treble switch to compensate. You can add either 3db or 6 db of treble boost, which really does make a difference.
I got the optional footswich which allows me to pop it into bypass mode with a stomp. It's useful as a solo boost, but only if you're not attenuating the signal very much since you don't want to go from very quiet to stunningly loud all of a sudden.
At today's gig, we played outside and unmicked. The attenuator was perfect because it allowed me to take just a bit of edge off my volume so that all the instruments were better volume matched. I used the footswitch for solo boost, and it was all perfect.
Since using it, my bandmates have commented that it doesn't affect the tone of the amp when engaged (other than the loss of some high end, but then you use the swich like I said above).
Anyway, it works completely like it should. I'm not trying to get my massive amp to play at bedroom levels - I'm using it to help control the volume of my non-master volume amps in practice and gigging situations. For that purpose, it excels and has exceeded my expectations. $140 well spent!
*edit: I neglected to mention the construction of the unit, which appears to be excellent. All metal chassis, jacks, and switches. Everything suggests this thing is built to last and withstand a gigging environment.
First off, I've been using it primarily with my Mission 5E3. "An attenuator for a 12 watt amp", you say? Simply, yes. While I love the tone of my cranked 5E3, the fact is that 1x12" speaker is just too loud for several applications. Band practices? Too loud. Club gigs? Too loud. The problem with non-master volume amps is that it's very difficult to control the volume of them without ending up in that range near 1.5 on the volume knob where it loses all tone.
To start, it works! The MiniMass does exactly what it's supposed to - lowers the volume of the amp but allows it to stay in that sweet breakup zone. Like all attenuators, the lower the volume, the more high end it sucks out. The MiniMass has a treble switch to compensate. You can add either 3db or 6 db of treble boost, which really does make a difference.
I got the optional footswich which allows me to pop it into bypass mode with a stomp. It's useful as a solo boost, but only if you're not attenuating the signal very much since you don't want to go from very quiet to stunningly loud all of a sudden.
At today's gig, we played outside and unmicked. The attenuator was perfect because it allowed me to take just a bit of edge off my volume so that all the instruments were better volume matched. I used the footswitch for solo boost, and it was all perfect.
Since using it, my bandmates have commented that it doesn't affect the tone of the amp when engaged (other than the loss of some high end, but then you use the swich like I said above).
Anyway, it works completely like it should. I'm not trying to get my massive amp to play at bedroom levels - I'm using it to help control the volume of my non-master volume amps in practice and gigging situations. For that purpose, it excels and has exceeded my expectations. $140 well spent!
*edit: I neglected to mention the construction of the unit, which appears to be excellent. All metal chassis, jacks, and switches. Everything suggests this thing is built to last and withstand a gigging environment.
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