Who's using an attenuator?

B

B2D

SDUGF Riffologist Supremö
A few years ago using an attenuator on a loud tube rig was a popular topic, now it seems to have fallen by the wayside now that modelers like the Axe FX and the Kemper have gotten so good.

I used to use a Dr. Z/Trainwreck Airbrake on a Carvin Legacy, and it worked well but I'm not totally sure if the attenuator caused the amp to blow one day. if I use one again it'll likely be a Weber MASS.

Anyone else using one?
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

No, but I just acquired my first tube amp very recently after many years of solid state. I've been debating about using an attenuator or not, just weighing the pros and cons at the moment. I can crank my amp fairly loud in my house, without disturbing anyone. So it may not be necessary for me.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I tried using a Hot Plate, and it worked alright, but then I started using lunch box amps with on-board attenuation and don't need an offboard unit any more.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I got one and used it for a bit with my 5E3 so that I could drive it on stage and in practice without blowing everyone away. It worked well, however I went back to using OD pedals because the attenuator has one big drawback: it puts a hard limit on the volume. So that means when I'd hit my solo boost the amp would just get dirtier but not any louder. It's great if you want to play at one volume all night but if you've got solos or whatever then you're sorta screwed. I do have the feature of a bypass switch on the attenuator for solo boost, however when it's kicked into bypass then the whole strength of the amp is let through and I'm suddenly blistering loud.

So in practical use, it was not useful.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I always really liked mine because that Legacy was stupid loud and the half power switch didn't do a damn thing, haha. I liked putting the amp on about 5 for the master but that was louder than I could go in most places. It let me manage the volume (still loud but not overpowering) while getting the tone I wanted. A few soundmen I got to know really liked the fact that I used it as it made their job easier. I think I kept it around -5db or something like that. Every 10db up is 2x the volume so even that helped quite a bit.
 
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Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I'm one of those guys who used one but ended up going digital. I also tried using an iso cab. If I still wanted to use tubes, I'd probably try a Two Notes Torpedo for cab sims but I'm happy with my 1's and 0's.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

It's ironic. I play nice guitars with nice pickups using nice pedals into all tube vintage style amps. The other guitarist in my band plays a no name parts mongrel Strat into a digital multi effects unit to a DI and brings no amp to some gigs. Guess which one of us has guys from the crowd coming up and complimenting us on our gear/tone? (Hint: it's not me).
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I have and use a Weber MASS, but only for playing at home. I would only consider it live if I'm going into a situation where levels are a concern but I don't want to have to completely give up all my tone and response by bringing a completely different/wrong amp and suffering with it just for someone else's volume level prejudice.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I used to use a Hot Plate set at -4 or -8 with a 100W Jubilee head, but the loss of clean headroom made getting any non-dirty sounds quite difficult. I'm using smaller amps these days as the Jubilee & cab are just too big, heavy, and loud to really be practical.

There's also the issue of possible gear theft. The amp I'm now using is available used for around $300-400, and not too terribly hard to find vs the Jubilee at rather rare and $1500-1800+.
 
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Re: Who's using an attenuator?

beaubrummels said:
I have and use a Weber MASS, but only for playing at home. I would only consider it live if I'm going into a situation where levels are a concern but I don't want to have to completely give up all my tone and response by bringing a completely different/wrong amp and suffering with it just for someone else's volume level prejudice.
Click to expand...

Compression may be an even better way to explain. When using an attenuator you have the same range of clean & dirty sounds available, but in a smaller volume range. By the time the amp cleans up enough to no longer be really dirty, it may not be loud enough to be usable. This is why I first ditched the hot plate, then went from 4x12 to 2x12, and finally just retired the Jubilee from live use.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I bought these attenuators on ebay, cant think of the name, but they work pretty well. If I need more attenuation, I run them both in the chain. Luckily my splawn has a loop master volume that can be used as an attenuator of sorts. I just have to remember to turn it off when I play louder or it makes it sound really messed up..
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

my orange thunderverb has a built in "attenuator that is footswitchable"

its pretty awesome for loud lead breaks!
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

Powdered Toast Man said:
the attenuator has one big drawback: it puts a hard limit on the volume. So that means when I'd hit my solo boost the amp would just get dirtier but not any louder.
Click to expand...

not really. the reason the volume didn't get louder is the 5e3 was already at a threshold where hitting the front end harder just pushes more gain. youd run into basically the same thing if you ran the amp flat out without the attenuator and hit it with a boost. it doesn't get louder, just dirtier.

I have a weber mass that I like a lot and a friend of mine uses the z brake. they do what they are supposed to and work really well. there is a little tonal difference which isn't bad but noticeable when not not in a band situation. if you crank up the attenuation, the difference becomes bigger as more parts of the signal chain don't react the same ie speaker
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I run a Weber Mass 100 at about 50% with the high boost at +3db and it works pretty well for what I do. I've gotten so used to the way it responds at that setting throughout the amp's volume range that it sounds wrong if I don't use it.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I think using a form of power soak is safer for the amp than using a cabinet. Speakers are fragile, much more so than a bunch of resistors in a casing designed to dissipate their heat.

I am using a Tom Scholz power soak and a Palmer speaker simulator.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I have several. I have never found one that doesn't affect the tone in some way. In ever case the amp seems to compress and do the opposite of opening up. I like pristine, wide-open, clear tone (even on my overdriven/distorted tones). I want to hear a presence there, a slightly sharp edge on my tone (though not fizzy). I want note separation and string definition. I don't want the dreaded muffling or blanket-over-the-speakers byproduct. I'm sure that one of the $600+ wonder attentuators gets closer to what I'm looking for. But I'd rather just use the amp's master volume to keep things reasonable than drive the tubes harder and generate more heat and wear.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I'm a firm believer in getting close to the appropriate volume by choosing the right amp, then using an attenuator to fine-tune it. Since my needs are modest, I have an 18 Watter clone, with a Weber Mini MASS built into the back.
 
Re: Who's using an attenuator?

I use a BadCat Unleash and a Great Gramma to keep myself out of trouble with my neighbors as I live in an apartment building. :) The Unleash is also a 100w booster (In addition to being an attenuater) which is a cool option to have with my Mini Recto If by chance I ever need more headroom.
 
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