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Attenuators suck. Why not volume pedal??


MTM105

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Just saying.

I had Dr Z brick.  A while back original TRAINWRECK attenuators 4 sale on eBay, I didn’t pull trigger.  Same $$ as Dr Z.  It fundamentally alters tone.

A passive volume pedal gets the job DONE IMO.

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I think my old SamAmp’s VAC circuit is the best attenuation I’ve ever heard. 

Quote

The adjustable power circuit is done using a series of small light bulbs which soak up power, reducing both voltage and current. This is different than amps that only reduce the plate voltage of the power tubes. This approach limits the current as well as the voltage, essentially causing the tube to act like a smaller tube.

Awesome tone from 45w down to 5w. 

The only real issue is that the quality of incandescent light bulbs sucks so badly these days I was always replacing the bulbs. Not Sam’s fault, but it was definitely a hassle. 

But lawdy, what a fantastic sounding amp. 

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Good attenuators don’t suck unless you want to get them to bedroom volume ..,then they will alter the tone...typically you lose some treble but more importantly, less power hitting the speaker is gonna change some things, tonewise. 

That said, my Badcat Unleash tames big amps so I can still record or play a small bar with no issues and no perceivable change in tone. I record with it all the time.

And for taking the edge off a too-loud amp, my Weber works fine.

Volume Pedals don’t attenuate the power hitting the speaker. They reduce the signal hitting the front of the amp. That will also change the tone.

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Power station is on my wish list.

I'm using a Swart nightlight. It sounds great to me. Maybe because I’m using it on a low wattage amp? No idea? But it’s working well to my ears.

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I will plug the Bad Cat Unleash. Attenuates Down, UP, Footswitchable Adjustable Boost, FX Loop. New version has Headphone Jack and Direct Out. I had one and sold it but that was only after selling my East Studio 2. I was really impressed, it makes your favorite one channel tone beast into a more flexible amplifier without messing with the amp itself. 

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1 hour ago, murkat said:

It is way more than just an attenuation. A swiss army knife for amplification.

Yup this is what the Badcat Unleash is as well. Bubs gives a good description one post up. 

One other thing I do love is that it is a reamp as well as an attenuator. That means my 1 watt Marshall JMP or tweed Champ is now giggable, assuming I have appropriately-powered speakers loaded...which I do.

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5 hours ago, MCChris said:

Not even remotely the same thing.

I fail to see how.

I'm playing low volumes.

I've tried both.  I know that there is an entire school of thought on attenuators, some work well with some amps, others don't.  Or players and equip., etc.

With volume pedal I turn up volume on amp and increase pedal to level where I'm seeking.  IT'S PERFECTION.

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I see what you’re saying. The difference is you are not relying upon a cranked amp power output for your tone. Your OD or distortion comes from the pedal.

Or am I mistaken? 

‘If That is the case, a volume pedal will work wonderfully just as you state.

The difference is for those of us who love NMV amps and the tones we get with them cranked....an attenuator gets us those cranked tones at a lower volume by knocking some dbs off what the speaker is getting. A volume pedal would not work for that. It would reduce how hard the power tubes are getting hit and thus change the tone. An attenuator changes how hard the  SPEAKER is Hit, so it doesn’t affect the tone off the power tubes. Make sense?

But your application is different and it sounds like you have found the way to the tone you love. Life is good!

Keep on rockin’!

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3 hours ago, murkat said:

"Had" a Bad Cat. returned it.

Power Station 2 has been very nice to me, my ears, my amps.

Don't make me come down there! ;) I would love to roll a Marshall Stack into a gig, just to scare the shit out of the rest of the band. The last guy they had, used a cranked 100 Halfstack at the gigs and they were asked to NOT COME BACK a couple of times. 

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1 hour ago, Jakeboy said:

I see what you’re saying. The difference is you are not relying upon a cranked amp power output for your tone. Your OD or distortion comes from the pedal.

Or am I mistaken? 

‘If That is the case, a volume pedal will work wonderfully just as you state.

 

That is the case.  Cascading OD; FUCHS Cream into Wampler Pinnacle, both set lower than 1/2 to compliment one FULL pedal.

I am pussy whipped to the MAX.  I don't play loud.  I play about ear ringing level maybe once a month for 20 minutes.  Play at home with SEVERAL NMV Boutique Amp heads through QUALITY Cabs.  

I don't know what it's like to ride a volume knob.  I've got TRAINWRECK clone hidden waiting to EXPLODE!  I gotta get out to clubs and see what life is about.  Let someone show me how...

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1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

Don't make me come down there! ;)

I tried it. I did not like it. It works for you and that is awesome.

Some stuff works for some, then some less... :ph34r:

But... that PS2 with that Brixon.... ;)    ohmy :)

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35 minutes ago, murkat said:

I tried it. I did not like it. It works for you and that is awesome.

Some stuff works for some, then some less... :ph34r:

But... that PS2 with that Brixon.... ;)    ohmy :)

That Little Monster needs to be roped in with something. One for sale close to me and I keep fighting the urge. That amp must sound huge pushing the cube with a 1265. 

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37 minutes ago, MTM105 said:

That is the case.  Cascading OD; FUCHS Cream into Wampler Pinnacle, both set lower than 1/2 to compliment one FULL pedal.

I am pussy whipped to the MAX.  I don't play loud.  I play about ear ringing level maybe once a month for 20 minutes.  Play at home with SEVERAL NMV Boutique Amp heads through QUALITY Cabs.  

I don't know what it's like to ride a volume knob.  I've got TRAINWRECK clone hidden waiting to EXPLODE!  I gotta get out to clubs and see what life is about.  Let someone show me how...

"Riding the volume knob" will spoil you. And make you a better player. There's nothing like moving a lot of air, but unless you live alone in an empty warehouse or something, it's hard to do on a regular basis. That's where the soaks come in, but they are still loud if used where the tone is still good.

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2 hours ago, bubs_42 said:

That is what a good amp will let you do. I just barely goose the front end and everything else comes from rolling the volume knob up and down and working my pick attack. 

No speakee English.  Sprechen sie Deutsche??

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2 hours ago, bubs_42 said:

That is what a good amp will let you do. I just barely goose the front end and everything else comes from rolling the volume knob up and down and working my pick attack. 

This.

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Someone probs already said this but more volume moves more air! You are not going to replicate that feel at super-low volume! If you want exactly same tone from 11 down to 0.1, you need a modelling amp (maybe a Katana). Different ballgame altogether...

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2 hours ago, Vic Croll (Concrete Sox) said:

Someone probs already said this but more volume moves more air! You are not going to replicate that feel at super-low volume! If you want exactly same tone from 11 down to 0.1, you need a modelling amp (maybe a Katana). Different ballgame altogether...

Yes, you loose the some interaction with the speaker actually moving air. But when we start talking about getting a power section heated up and working, there is a feel that comes along with that. The issue with these "Discussions" on forums is we all have more than one way at getting tone. Non Master volume amps have sweet spot, that spot where the breakup is just right, the amp sags at the right amount, still leaving you clarity in the notes, the notes bloom. This can still be achieved with a really damn good attenuation. Are you going to cut it from 100 to .1 watts and it sound the exactly the same no. But if I'm running my amp on 7 live and i'm above the drummer, that little box can get my into good graces with the rest of the band and I can still set that amp on 7. 

That being said, I ended up moving away from attenuation just because it was another piece of gear to carry. But for home, I still wish sometimes I had one. 

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13 hours ago, bubs_42 said:

That is what a good amp will let you do. I just barely goose the front end and everything else comes from rolling the volume knob up and down and working my pick attack. 

I'm curious- doesn't rolling your vol knob (presumably, the one on your guitar?) effect your tone? I've found that dialing back the vol on the guitar typically ratchets back the treble and the "bite" a bit , too.

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7 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

I'm curious- doesn't rolling your vol knob (presumably, the one on your guitar?) effect your tone? I've found that dialing back the vol on the guitar typically ratchets back the treble and the "bite" a bit , too.

That's why I wire 'vintage / 50s' style or install 'treble bleed' kits (a resistor + a cap) on the vol pot that stops the treble loss when reducing volume...

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1 hour ago, Vic Croll (Concrete Sox) said:

That's why I wire 'vintage / 50s' style or install 'treble bleed' kits (a resistor + a cap) on the vol pot that stops the treble loss when reducing volume...

You're correct. I've heard of those treble bleed installs but while treble is preserved, from my experience, there's no way to preserve all the tonal dynamics inherent in the full-on signal. Once I understood that I'm going to lose some degree of gain and sensitivity dynamics, I looked at other ways to drop the volume without losing quite as much of those desired characteristics. 

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