Why are attentuators so expensive?
- Thread starter B2D
- Start date
tone4days
Heel Whacker
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
the small market drives the cost of production higher (per unit) than a more widley used commodity ... they cant amortize the cost over a very large production run ... they won't sell THAT many more of them if they lower the price ... so they are maximising their profit on the ones they do sell ...
as a luxury item (no one NEEDS one to survive), it is pretty impervious to economic forces ... face it, someone has already dumped $$$ for an amp that is so loud that it needs to be attenuated .. this proves they have disposable income ... the extra 'surcharge' for this accessory is in line with many 'add-ons' to luxury items
t4d
the small market drives the cost of production higher (per unit) than a more widley used commodity ... they cant amortize the cost over a very large production run ... they won't sell THAT many more of them if they lower the price ... so they are maximising their profit on the ones they do sell ...
as a luxury item (no one NEEDS one to survive), it is pretty impervious to economic forces ... face it, someone has already dumped $$$ for an amp that is so loud that it needs to be attenuated .. this proves they have disposable income ... the extra 'surcharge' for this accessory is in line with many 'add-ons' to luxury items
t4d
PUCKBOY99
Irish Flagologist
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
I would imagine it's more pricey components with a little "WE GOT YOU NOW" thrown in.
They have to withstand a lot of power without sucking up the tone, so in doing that in a compact unit probably ain't cheap.
Get a Weber MASS......best value IMHO:bigok:
BTW....check these out:
http://www.reevesamps.com/reeves_amplification-7-10-05_011.htm
Built-in power scaling:bigok:
I would imagine it's more pricey components with a little "WE GOT YOU NOW" thrown in.
They have to withstand a lot of power without sucking up the tone, so in doing that in a compact unit probably ain't cheap.
Get a Weber MASS......best value IMHO:bigok:
BTW....check these out:
http://www.reevesamps.com/reeves_amplification-7-10-05_011.htm
Built-in power scaling:bigok:
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The Golden Boy
Fleecy Sweaterologist
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
Even if you get a fancy-pants super pricey attenuator, you're still getting a lot of your "tone" "sucked up" (I'm glad you used those terms- I couldn't have described it better!). If you're just getting a big ass variable resistor, you're kinda doing the same thing, but you're not providing an active load, nor allowing for tone bypass. Check around to industrial electronics stores and see how much a "big ass vairiable resistor" will run you.PUCKBOY99 said:
aleclee
Major General GAS
They have to be bulletproof
They have to be bulletproof
There's no room for failure in an attenuator. If something goes bad, it can take the amp with it and then you have people like me griping about it on every guitar board on the internet.
The next thing you know, nobody's buying your product out of fear that it'll fail and destroy the amp in the process.
Engineering and components like that come at a price.
They have to be bulletproof
There's no room for failure in an attenuator. If something goes bad, it can take the amp with it and then you have people like me griping about it on every guitar board on the internet.
The next thing you know, nobody's buying your product out of fear that it'll fail and destroy the amp in the process.Engineering and components like that come at a price.
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The Golden Boy
Fleecy Sweaterologist
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
:blackeye: I mis-spelled "variable!!!!" :blackeye: :laugh2:
:blackeye: I mis-spelled "variable!!!!" :blackeye: :laugh2:
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
That Legacy is working out great for me but MAN is it heavy artillery when it comes to volume. I literally had soundmen yelling at me that it was still too loud last week and it was on 2.
They list new for $300. I picked mine up for $225 plus shipping from a guy on thegearpage.net.PUCKBOY99 said:
That Legacy is working out great for me but MAN is it heavy artillery when it comes to volume. I literally had soundmen yelling at me that it was still too loud last week and it was on 2.
RiffRaff
New member
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
The modern attenuators don't use a ton of resistors to attenuate the signals, unless your using the highest level of attenuation they really don't take away that much from your tone. One thing many players have a hard time dealing with is that at lower volumes your tone will sound different - not due to any of the electronics in the amp but because of your ear and how it functions. Lower the volume (without changing any of the aspects of the signal) and you'll also lower the dynamics of your tone.
The modern attenuators don't use a ton of resistors to attenuate the signals, unless your using the highest level of attenuation they really don't take away that much from your tone. One thing many players have a hard time dealing with is that at lower volumes your tone will sound different - not due to any of the electronics in the amp but because of your ear and how it functions. Lower the volume (without changing any of the aspects of the signal) and you'll also lower the dynamics of your tone.
marvar
New member
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
I remeber when the first generation of attenuators came out- back in the late 70s, the Scholtz was about 120 bucks, and the altair was a little more. So in today's prices, I guess it's about the same. It takes some real heavy duty ceramic resistors to attenuate safely, so I'd say the cost of materials, plus, as was mentioned, it's a fairly small market that buys them.
I remeber when the first generation of attenuators came out- back in the late 70s, the Scholtz was about 120 bucks, and the altair was a little more. So in today's prices, I guess it's about the same. It takes some real heavy duty ceramic resistors to attenuate safely, so I'd say the cost of materials, plus, as was mentioned, it's a fairly small market that buys them.
shredaholic
New member
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
PPIMV - $8.00
sorted.
PPIMV - $8.00
sorted.
tone4days
Heel Whacker
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
you help me make my point, friend
think of the price of that toy in relation to what most people pay for housing in a month ... or car payments .. or whatever ...
when the price of the amp grows into 4 digits, my point becomes even clearer ...
are attenuators engineered to manage heat dissipation too? ... something like a resistor network in a paintcan filled with tar like they use in the power transformers on the utility poles? shunt the unwaned power to the resistor grid and let them get hot, but the tar will serve as a heat sink to keep them from roasting?
or do i have that all wrong?
t4d
B2D said:.. Those run for only $800 brand new.
you help me make my point, friend
think of the price of that toy in relation to what most people pay for housing in a month ... or car payments .. or whatever ...
when the price of the amp grows into 4 digits, my point becomes even clearer ...
are attenuators engineered to manage heat dissipation too? ... something like a resistor network in a paintcan filled with tar like they use in the power transformers on the utility poles? shunt the unwaned power to the resistor grid and let them get hot, but the tar will serve as a heat sink to keep them from roasting?
or do i have that all wrong?
t4d
Kommerzbassist
Thunderbirdologist
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
Actually this is how attenuators work... they produce heat by sucking up the power from the amp (which is quite much) that is then again dissipated.
Actually this is how attenuators work... they produce heat by sucking up the power from the amp (which is quite much) that is then again dissipated.
Re: Why are attentuators so expensive?
$800 amp thats loud as a maw faw + $225 to make it sound good at low levels.... yeah i guess you're right. I guess not many people think of some "inexpensive" amps being loud SOBs though.
I've heard many heads that were louder, mind you, but the tone of this amp is raging and brutal... its very fat and very smooth. Not as gainy as you'd think either. What it lacks in gain it makes up for in pure balls and harmonic overtones. This is an amp that LIKES high volume settings.
tone4days said:you help me make my point, friend
think of the price of that toy in relation to what most people pay for housing in a month ... or car payments .. or whatever ...
when the price of the amp grows into 4 digits, my point becomes even clearer ...
are attenuators engineered to manage heat dissipation too? ... something like a resistor network in a paintcan filled with tar like they use in the power transformers on the utility poles? shunt the unwaned power to the resistor grid and let them get hot, but the tar will serve as a heat sink to keep them from roasting?
or do i have that all wrong?
t4d
$800 amp thats loud as a maw faw + $225 to make it sound good at low levels.... yeah i guess you're right. I guess not many people think of some "inexpensive" amps being loud SOBs though.
I've heard many heads that were louder, mind you, but the tone of this amp is raging and brutal... its very fat and very smooth. Not as gainy as you'd think either. What it lacks in gain it makes up for in pure balls and harmonic overtones. This is an amp that LIKES high volume settings.
