Fryette Power Station, which I bought on Reverb after a lot of research. Right now, using it with a Dr. Z ERG 50 to keep the neighbors happy. It does everything I want it to.
Andy Gets an A+ style point for matching his outfit with the Weber Box.. He's like those old couples who begin to look alike, he's becoming the gear!!!!
I own the Boss since 2 weeks and it's amazing and without a doubt the best out there. I also own a Torpedo Reload, but it's doesn't feel the same and doesn't really give my amp tone I know (Two-Rock Traditional Clean). The Boss just feels great because of the different reactive loads in the box. And I don't really notice a loss in tone. Expensive, yes, but really worth it. I can see it being in studios and live as a standard.
What kind of IRs do you use (if you use any custom ones)? I got a bunch of celestion ones I'm still trying to play around with to find the sound I want.
I spent so long looking at all the different types of attenuators before deciding to sell my JCM900 (sob) and getting a lovely H&K Grandmeister with it's built-in power soak feature. Wonderful piece of kit.
You know, doing a demo like this is particularly effective when you know how to really play the guitar! I'm not sure what was coolest, hearing these sounds through the attenuators, or just hearing you play!!!
Another option is the radial headload prodigy, not exactly the same but I love it and the tone is not affected negatively at all. Crank the tube amp but reduce the output and has a headphone out and a 2x eq. Just sharing, food for thought.
My Weber Mass Lite is my secret weapon for taming my Hot Rod Deluxe. Lets me crank it right to the perfect spot. Then control the volume. Plus it lets me try different cabinets regardless of their impedance. So many possibilities!
@@stevieray1072 Set it to match the output impedance of the amp head. The Mass isn't particular as to the impedance of the cab it's connected to. I'm running a 4 ohm Fender amp, so I set the switch on the Mass to 4 ohms. I currently have the Mass connected to an 8 ohm cab, but it would be just as happy connected to my 4/16 ohm switchable cab too.
Weber is a no-brainer for live use with a big amp in a not so big event. I like it's transparency better compared to the older resistive load attenuators. I've owned Palmer PDI-03, OX and WAZA TAE, but those are more expensive geared towards home studio market. All that digital stuff is unnecessary playing live. The weber on the other hand has an internal mechanical voice coil/magnet device to create a real load reaction that sounds genuine all throughout the volume reduction. The sound man will love you, your band mates will love you, you will sound like a pro.
Yes! Even a Princeton is a bit loud for some situations when you open it up. Your amp has power tubes for a reason-get a GOOD power- reduction device of some sort and decouple your volume from your tone. Makes a world of difference! Not to mention, most volume reduction devices also have extended connection options as well.
Been using Weber attenuators for 7+ years. Call me a stick-in-the-mud but I have a hard time understanding why anybody feels they need one of those $1000+ bell and whistle machines when you can get a Weber with a line out and onboard EQ in addition to the attenuator functionality for a couple hundred bucks, which sounds great. The idea of replacing actual speakers with emulations seems counterintuitive, since rolling speakers and playing with mic placement is the easiest way to drastically alter your tone and find unique sounds. If you watched this video and are intrigued, I'd recommend starting with an affordable, well-reviewed model (doesn't have to be a Weber) and see how you like it before shelling out for the DeLorean...after all, the main point is getting your tubes hot without driving your neighbors crazy, right?
The exactly the reason to buy one is just so you can get your tubes hot. Reactive load boxes aren’t necessary unless you a recording artist or something. The Ox is totally an awesome product but honestly no need to own one unless you want to record and do studio work. They cost as much as deluxe Reverb so unless you got that kind of money I’d rather get a Weber or Ironman toneking.
I bought an actual amp with speakers so that I didn't have to use any emulations. I started with UA plug ins first but I was not able to get the sound I wanted. I think all the digital stuff (although has a lot of potential) is not there yet. So yeah right now bypassing your speaker and creating an emulation of your amp is super counter intuitive, why would you do that if you actually have the amp?? Good marketing at it's finest I guess..
Jim Kelley talked about why he liked resistive attenuation, basically because the speaker ‘sees’ a fixed resistance from the amp as much as the amp ‘sees’ a varying resistance from the speaker. To him, providing the speaker the optimal resistance was more important.
I use a Rivera Rock Crusher, not the EQ'd one, with a Marshall Plexi Superlead reissue. That amp would not be use-able without an attenuator. Sounds great, RC is not a massive tone sucker, it is reactive as well. Can go direct too if preferred, but I prefer the sound of a mic'd amp. Bought the RC used for like $300, good deal. To me, non master volume amps are the purest of tone, but they need to be controlled somehow.
I use a Weber MiniMass on my Fender Pro Jr. 15watt amp - and it works great. I thought it was going to be a perfect bedroom/practice amp - but quickly found out there was no way I was going to be able to play it with out it rattling the windows. 100 bucks on Reverb. Without it, I would've had to take the amp back.
Looks to be for sure. I messed my spine up so I am only playing at home through DAW and either using Le Pou amp sim with WOS or IRs, or my Laney IRT Studio with WOS and adding effects in Reaper. The amp only does 1 watts instead of 15 watts when in silent recording mode, which severely limits the headroom of the clean channel. Gain tones are great though. Sounds almost exactly like my Suhr Riot pedal gain tones, but better. I think a Captor is all I need for what I do. All the features on these fancy new things I can do in DAW (I do not seem to get any latency).
Agreed - but I think that's because with the Ox he was demoing the speaker emulation and direct out, but with the Boss he was demoing the effects loop, and (I think) we were still hearing the physical cab in the room. I was hoping the hype was real, but I'm a bit shocked at how much tone was lost by the Ox when he switched to the speaker emulation.
@@TJRsongs Speaker Emulation will always do that; it's the same with the emulation in the Boss unit. You can use Impulse responses to get some of the dynamic response of a cabinet back in your signal, but it's never going to sound exactly like the real deal. That's why a good attenuator is so awesome.
I've been using a Bad Cat Unleash V2 for about a year. It is the best money I've spent to bring my tone to any gig, regardless of any volume limitations given by clubs/venues.
Some of these are attenuators and some seem to be "boss katana in an attenuator" boxes for all kinds of wild things. I am looking for one now and was hoping for a Reverb overview. Fantasic. Thanks.
I have the OX and really dig it... but the problem with the OX is the limited emulated cabinets may be hard to match your Favourite cabinet. This is still what I’m trying to achieve... get my OX to sound just like my miced up cab does. It is easy to make it sound good, but I want it to represent my actual rig... that is harder.
Thank you for not showing the two amps everyone else is showing. I recently went out to get my first amp, thought I was going to spend up to $200 for a Fender or Blackstar modeling amp, brought my Stratocaster with me, headed to the thrift shops first assuming they wouldn’t have what I wanted within my budget, and ended up with a great Marshall amp for $40 which I’ve seen being sold online for $125.
Sorta true, but not entirely. If you like the sound of your amp cranked or turned up, but need something to control that volume, attenuation is the way to go. You can certainly get away with an OD or EQ pedal at low volumes assuming that you are getting your gain tones from pedals and are playing into a clean amp, but it doesn't work for an amp that's cranked.
That OX attenuator IR at 5:14 sounded nothing like your mic'd up amp. But it sounded pretty nice though. The Weber attenuator sounded pretty great to me though. All the character of the amp coming through. Really useful video thanks.
Hello! I’m recording and have an honest question. I have a Mini mass speaker attenuator in red; maybe it is an old model. It’s all red. Left to right has impedance, normal/bypas, treble, and finally volume. I want to use a Marshall Class 5 tube amp, which has a 16-ohm tab, and my Fender Mustang 4/12 can, which is 8 or 4 ohms. There is a mismatch in impedance. Is the toggle impedance on the attenuator a matching or corrective toggle? Can I use the attenuator to match the 16 ohm tab of the amp to match 8/4 ohm on my speaker cab? I’m new to this and prefer to ask than to damage the gear. Best, A
While acknowledge that this is probably the 1000+1 time I've said this, the more time that goes by it only becomes more true: why, with the wide adoption of modelling systems like Helix, Fractal, Eleven, etc. And the sheer volume of great stand alone Preamps that are coming out: the fact that if you want a low watt, stand alone tube driven power amp, your choices are to purchase 1 of half dozen power amps (at best), or run them into the "return" of a normal amp head or combo, seems to me it's a HUGE hole in the market. If you ask guitarist to name a few independent power amps that put out 20w or less, you have the Mesa 2020, and the Mooer, and that's about it. I just don't understand it, I'd think that if affordable class-A power amps were more available, they'd sell like crazy. Why Bruce Egnater has yet to release the Rebel 20's output section as just a power amp, I REALLY don't get. How many players who use modellers or individual Preamps wouldn't want a power who amp they could run from anywhere from 20W down to 1W, AND be able to go between 6V6 or E84's? I own a Rebel 20 head that I bought used a few years ago that I've literally only used the preamp in it 2 or 3 times, the main use is to slave it to a Stomp and the Custom Tones Ethos Overdrive Preamps and the Trainwreck TWE1. I used a15W Tweaker pretty much for the same reason, because I can drop 6L6s, 6V6, KT66, KT88, EL84/34, etc. However I DO use that preamp from time to time.
The attenuator allows you to turn up the amp to get the power tubes cookin', which is where the true "Tube Tone" comes from. With the JHS Little Black Box or a master volume, you're allowing the preamp section of the amp to get rockin', but then reducing that level before it slams into the power tubes.
Thank you for the video, excellent, like the Boss, and the one before it, but, not so clear on the boss, to cut down on the sound of the plexi head, only heard some word used expansion.
I have been using some Fryette Power Loads to balance different amps set at their ideal tones. Still a few patch cords short of bringing the line outputs back around through a mixer and effects to one more wet amplifier. All sorts of devices available on Reverb depending on the tool you want.
Reactive load is only if you want to play silent through line-out? If you're attenuating to a lower volume, you still have the speaker (reactive) in the chain anyway...
Need it? No. But can be useful if you want the big tubes in the power section of the amp to really saturate and overdrive naturally, as opposed to op-amp stomp boxes. What this also allows is dynamics in your overdriven amp to lead that way, with an overdrive pedal it's always going to sound overdriven no matter how hard one's pick attack or playing is, but with an overdriven, tube saturated tone, there's more of an attack dynamic at play. And there's also a tone library to be found by now using one's volume knob on the actual guitar into a fully dimed amp. The difference is that the master volume on an MV amp turns the volume down in the preamp stage and never allows the big tubes (EL34s, 6L6, etc) to over saturate and give that organic and saturated tube tone, just those little-guy tubes in the preamp section. Ever hear a 6L6-loaded amp naturally overdriven? It's beautiful, but it takes a massive amount of volume to get there and one would need to control that...overdriven Fenders can sound amazing that way, and they can be overdriven...but it's loud.
What they do is load the the tubes with resistors in place of the speaker so the volume is a lot lower. If you don't mind wearing out the tubes faster it does the trick.
If you have skills you can build a Ken Fischer Airbrake( Dr Z clones them) for under $100 info is out there and parts are cheap I built a few they work great. Most resistive attenuators do not affect tone until you cut over 15db
I have a 65 Fender Princeton reissue (which I love). Can an Attenuator Damage my Amp in any way? Which one do you recommend to be Safe & Effective for a Princeton? I can't even put my amp past 2 - it's Blasting Loud. Appreciate any input. Stay Safe.
If you get one with a Power Amp built in, then it can definitely damage the speaker. Otherwise, the only risk is working the tubes harder. Unlike a master volume built into amps, attenuators are after the power amp. This means you're running the tubes at full power when you have it cranked. It won't do any damage, but it may shorten the lifespan of your power tubes.
Andy, Thank you for playing the " Hang on to yourself" riff Ronson or Bowie? sure sounded excellent But on the flip side, thank you for bombarding me with too much data. I was going to buy a Rockman and wanted to hear one, not sure now.
That’s it’s basic job. If you play clean you don’t need an attenuator. If you like the sound of your preamp tubes distorting by using a master volume amp, an attenuator won’t do you much good. Likewise, running your amp clean and using a pedal for distortion will not get much benefit from an attenuator. If you like the tone of your tube amp cranked, but need lower volume, a good attenuator is the tool for the job. This is power tube distortion (overdrive) and is only achievable at high power levels. Let’s use a 100 watt tube amp wide open as an example. When you hit the strings hard the amp sends 100 watts to the speaker cab, which turns it into sound. If you run the output of your amp into an attenuator, and out from the attenuator to the speaker cabinet you can lower the sound level. The attenuator has circuitry to absorb some of the amp’s output watts before being sent to the speaker. So in our example, the amp is cranked to 100 watts, the overdrive tone is killer, the attenuator ‘soaks up’ some of that wattage, let’s say 60 watts, and only passes 40 watts on to the speakers. If it all works right you get cranked up overdrive tone at reasonable sound volume levels.
Thank you for this video. Lots of information to take in. I mainly use (non-master volume control) low watt amps (about 5 watts) at home. I've been wondering what type of attenuator to get which would allow me to record to my digital 4-track recorder without using a mic (with or without being connected to my speaker cab). Your video helps a lot in helping me make a decision. Will any of these attenuators work with a bass amp or are there other things to consider?
I need an attenuator for my Marshall JVM410. I am from Brazil and the voltage of my city is 220v. What would be the ideal attenuator for this model of amplifier? Thank you!
Andy is the man. But, a bit too quick this one i think, try to show us a lot of things in a very short while. actually the weber that got most attention. Weber is Excellent. So is Ox. Boss I dont know. If u need just an attenuator, buy one like Weber, not ox, waxa or similar. If you need to recording silently, then ox and waza should come into the picture.
Yes. I do this with an AC30 and a Fender HRD. As long as your speaker is plugged into your amp via standard mono plug, you should be good. It will look like this: Amp> New speaker cable> Attenuator> Original speaker cable> Speaker. Cheers
I just got my first amp and cab and I’m worried how loud it’ll be and I think I need one of these haha def a simple one just so I can crank it but ya great info
I really want Hendrix clean tones like when he has his fuzzface on but volume down. I don't know why my guitar struggles to do that, I have an american original telecaster and have tried multiple fuzz pedals. I also have a prs sonzera. Wondering if I should get an attenuator or another pedal.
No, but driving your tubes harder will affect tube life. If you're using it to raie your power amp volume and lower the speaker volume....yea that'll cook the tubes more
Way too confusing!!!! I have a 60 watt Fender Super Sonic Combo and i was thinking of getting a Carl's Custom Speaker Power Attenuator. Does Anyone here have any experience with this one. I play mainly the Blues. Thanks.
Because the master gain mostly turns up the preamp tubes. That gives you an overdrive sound but not a really good tube crunch that turned up power tubes have.
@@JsnHgl It has a few excellent reviews comparing it favourably with models multiple times it's price. It's what I'll be getting once I can afford the mini Plexi.
I've been thinking about the Boss Waza TAE for a while now. It'd be the perfect companion for my Morgan AC40 Deluxe, which i love to bits. It's a great amp, but i do wish it had an FX loop. While the Morgan does have an onboard power soak, it's doesn't sound great at low volumes and doesn't even come close to the Boss in terms of versatility and sound preservation. Kind of steep in price, but i think you get a lot for the money here.
Rush, Bowie, and Top all in one video? What an awesome start to my morning. Really impressed with how that boss box sounds.
And ACDC!
Anthem!
Fryette Power Station, which I bought on Reverb after a lot of research. Right now, using it with a Dr. Z ERG 50 to keep the neighbors happy. It does everything I want it to.
Andy Gets an A+ style point for matching his outfit with the Weber Box.. He's like those old couples who begin to look alike, he's becoming the gear!!!!
I own the Boss since 2 weeks and it's amazing and without a doubt the best out there. I also own a Torpedo Reload, but it's doesn't feel the same and doesn't really give my amp tone I know (Two-Rock Traditional Clean). The Boss just feels great because of the different reactive loads in the box. And I don't really notice a loss in tone. Expensive, yes, but really worth it. I can see it being in studios and live as a standard.
What kind of IRs do you use (if you use any custom ones)? I got a bunch of celestion ones I'm still trying to play around with to find the sound I want.
I spent so long looking at all the different types of attenuators before deciding to sell my JCM900 (sob) and getting a lovely H&K Grandmeister with it's built-in power soak feature. Wonderful piece of kit.
You know, doing a demo like this is particularly effective when you know how to really play the guitar! I'm not sure what was coolest, hearing these sounds through the attenuators, or just hearing you play!!!
Another option is the radial headload prodigy, not exactly the same but I love it and the tone is not affected negatively at all. Crank the tube amp but reduce the output and has a headphone out and a 2x eq. Just sharing, food for thought.
My Weber Mass Lite is my secret weapon for taming my Hot Rod Deluxe. Lets me crank it right to the perfect spot. Then control the volume. Plus it lets me try different cabinets regardless of their impedance. So many possibilities!
Is that a 60w amp? Did you get the 50 or 100w attenuators?
How do think this would pair up with my 60 watt Fender Super Sonic amp?
How do you set your resistance switch? So that it matches the head or rather the speaker?
@@stevieray1072 Set it to match the output impedance of the amp head. The Mass isn't particular as to the impedance of the cab it's connected to. I'm running a 4 ohm Fender amp, so I set the switch on the Mass to 4 ohms. I currently have the Mass connected to an 8 ohm cab, but it would be just as happy connected to my 4/16 ohm switchable cab too.
Power Station for me. Tried many and never had the desire to move beyond this perfect design.
Weber is a no-brainer for live use with a big amp in a not so big event. I like it's transparency better compared to the older resistive load attenuators. I've owned Palmer PDI-03, OX and WAZA TAE, but those are more expensive geared towards home studio market. All that digital stuff is unnecessary playing live. The weber on the other hand has an internal mechanical voice coil/magnet device to create a real load reaction that sounds genuine all throughout the volume reduction. The sound man will love you, your band mates will love you, you will sound like a pro.
Good to know because I already love their speakers
Does the Weber make high gain amp hiss quieter?
@@jonahlmoore No, piss booster only.
Loving the ZZ top at the beginning, Andy never ceases to impress
What is the name of the first song?
Waitin’ for the Bus - ZZ Top
@@RyanRivs42 Thank you!
Yes! Even a Princeton is a bit loud for some situations when you open it up. Your amp has power tubes for a reason-get a GOOD power- reduction device of some sort and decouple your volume from your tone. Makes a world of difference! Not to mention, most volume reduction devices also have extended connection options as well.
What power reduction device would you suggest?
Bought a WAZA TAE a few months off Reverb. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made
Been using Weber attenuators for 7+ years. Call me a stick-in-the-mud but I have a hard time understanding why anybody feels they need one of those $1000+ bell and whistle machines when you can get a Weber with a line out and onboard EQ in addition to the attenuator functionality for a couple hundred bucks, which sounds great. The idea of replacing actual speakers with emulations seems counterintuitive, since rolling speakers and playing with mic placement is the easiest way to drastically alter your tone and find unique sounds. If you watched this video and are intrigued, I'd recommend starting with an affordable, well-reviewed model (doesn't have to be a Weber) and see how you like it before shelling out for the DeLorean...after all, the main point is getting your tubes hot without driving your neighbors crazy, right?
The exactly the reason to buy one is just so you can get your tubes hot. Reactive load boxes aren’t necessary unless you a recording artist or something. The Ox is totally an awesome product but honestly no need to own one unless you want to record and do studio work. They cost as much as deluxe Reverb so unless you got that kind of money I’d rather get a Weber or Ironman toneking.
I bought an actual amp with speakers so that I didn't have to use any emulations. I started with UA plug ins first but I was not able to get the sound I wanted. I think all the digital stuff (although has a lot of potential) is not there yet. So yeah right now bypassing your speaker and creating an emulation of your amp is super counter intuitive, why would you do that if you actually have the amp?? Good marketing at it's finest I guess..
@@keithremedy Cab sims seem more like a live tool.
I think this is excellent advice . Unless you specifically need an additional fx loop I would go with something like the weber or rockcrusher
Jim Kelley talked about why he liked resistive attenuation, basically because the speaker ‘sees’ a fixed resistance from the amp as much as the amp ‘sees’ a varying resistance from the speaker. To him, providing the speaker the optimal resistance was more important.
I use a Rivera Rock Crusher, not the EQ'd one, with a Marshall Plexi Superlead reissue. That amp would not be use-able without an attenuator. Sounds great, RC is not a massive tone sucker, it is reactive as well. Can go direct too if preferred, but I prefer the sound of a mic'd amp. Bought the RC used for like $300, good deal. To me, non master volume amps are the purest of tone, but they need to be controlled somehow.
Been using a THD Hot Plate for nearly 30 years! Used to tame my 1970 Marshall 100 Watt Super Lead. Now it tames my Fender Pro Jr.
I use a Weber MiniMass on my Fender Pro Jr. 15watt amp - and it works great. I thought it was going to be a perfect bedroom/practice amp - but quickly found out there was no way I was going to be able to play it with out it rattling the windows. 100 bucks on Reverb. Without it, I would've had to take the amp back.
Anthem!!! That a boy Andy!
I've missed Andy -- been worried where he was...
any video with Andy gets a thumbsup, no question
I thought I wanted the OX, but the Boss might be more of what I need...
@@cptcosmic agree Boss makes solid gear- I have been happy so far with my Boss pedals and multi FX units. Ox is cheap overpriced Chinese made crap.
I checked it out and saw the price on eBay, about £1700. But it’s awesome how it has a built in fx loop too. But the price aaaaaaaah.
@@owenjacka2658 The Boss Tube Amp Expander is now £999 which I think is very reasonable for all it's awesome features.
@@GuitarsAndSynths Cheap? Must be nice to have all that cash.
@@GuitarsAndSynths And Taiwan (where the Boss is made) is much better (probably is)?
A video on effects loops would be cool. Can’t say I’ve never used mine.
Andy always plays good licks.
Man, I've been wanting a Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander ever since it came out. What an _amazing_ machine.
Thhe two notes captor8 is a beautiful piece of equipment too
Looks to be for sure. I messed my spine up so I am only playing at home through DAW and either using Le Pou amp sim with WOS or IRs, or my Laney IRT Studio with WOS and adding effects in Reaper. The amp only does 1 watts instead of 15 watts when in silent recording mode, which severely limits the headroom of the clean channel. Gain tones are great though. Sounds almost exactly like my Suhr Riot pedal gain tones, but better. I think a Captor is all I need for what I do. All the features on these fancy new things I can do in DAW (I do not seem to get any latency).
Aquila Rossa I actually just took mine out of the box a couple weeks back, it’s rad as a DI into the WoS and as an attenuator
Wow, that Boss one sounds way better than the Ox.
Agreed - but I think that's because with the Ox he was demoing the speaker emulation and direct out, but with the Boss he was demoing the effects loop, and (I think) we were still hearing the physical cab in the room. I was hoping the hype was real, but I'm a bit shocked at how much tone was lost by the Ox when he switched to the speaker emulation.
I have been saving for the Waza.. Just $240 more and that baby is all mine. Lol.
@@TJRsongs UA hates Windows users anyways, so fuck em
@@TJRsongs Speaker Emulation will always do that; it's the same with the emulation in the Boss unit. You can use Impulse responses to get some of the dynamic response of a cabinet back in your signal, but it's never going to sound exactly like the real deal. That's why a good attenuator is so awesome.
I've been using a Bad Cat Unleash V2 for about a year. It is the best money I've spent to bring my tone to any gig, regardless of any volume limitations given by clubs/venues.
Rivera Rockcrusher. I crank the hell outta my Blackheart BH100 Hot Head into it's 412 and my Krank Ninteen80 into a 212.
I've got a Weber Mass 150 but the UA OX is on my short list.
Got it? Was it better than the Weber?
I've been watching Andy a while now. Andy is a top notch player and all videos he hosts are top notch !
Thanks Mom!
@@sgt.thundercok4704
Run along sport and don't forget to brush your teeth.
@@sgt.thundercok4704
P.S. - There's always someone better.
@@stricknine8623 LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@sgt.thundercok4704 That has got to be stinging
rock crusher recorder by rivera. great eq can sound like any amp.
Some of these are attenuators and some seem to be "boss katana in an attenuator" boxes for all kinds of wild things. I am looking for one now and was hoping for a Reverb overview. Fantasic. Thanks.
I have the Weber Mass Lite and it is great to be able to add frequency back into the signal.
solid playing man. my boy lives in the mariana trench of the pocket!
I have the OX and really dig it... but the problem with the OX is the limited emulated cabinets may be hard to match your Favourite cabinet. This is still what I’m trying to achieve... get my OX to sound just like my miced up cab does. It is easy to make it sound good, but I want it to represent my actual rig... that is harder.
So which Weber would be suitable with a Fender Blues Jr.? How would I set it up? Thanks again for your time and expertise!🙏🏻
Thank you for not showing the two amps everyone else is showing. I recently went out to get my first amp, thought I was going to spend up to $200 for a Fender or Blackstar modeling amp, brought my Stratocaster with me, headed to the thrift shops first assuming they wouldn’t have what I wanted within my budget, and ended up with a great Marshall amp for $40 which I’ve seen being sold online for $125.
EQ and OD pedal can get decent volumes out of tube amp at bedroom levels without altering the amp tone.
Sorta true, but not entirely. If you like the sound of your amp cranked or turned up, but need something to control that volume, attenuation is the way to go. You can certainly get away with an OD or EQ pedal at low volumes assuming that you are getting your gain tones from pedals and are playing into a clean amp, but it doesn't work for an amp that's cranked.
Yeah or you play a modern amp with mostly pre-amp gain and either built in EQ or at least presence and resonance settings
Boss is the boss!
Which one is better for a fly/travel rig?
Great video. Any idea how many Db’s you had going? I’m trying to find the right solution to practice around 70-75dbs.
Been looking into something for my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue.
@ctruxall0284 ...on their official site they explain why the rheostat feels that way.
Michael Loomis III same
Thanks, Andy for your dedication to the music scene. I'm kinda feeling that there is too much gear to hide bad guitar playing?
Excellent explanation of attenuators.
with such great and detailed explanations during the video, it would be nice not to hear complex music in the background.
That OX attenuator IR at 5:14 sounded nothing like your mic'd up amp. But it sounded pretty nice though. The Weber attenuator sounded pretty great to me though. All the character of the amp coming through. Really useful video thanks.
Andy should just do everything reverb related from now on, i wont accept anything els😂😂
Loved the ZZ Top and Rush licks
Props for the Anthem riff at the end. RUSH!
Hello! I’m recording and have an honest question. I have a Mini mass speaker attenuator in red; maybe it is an old model. It’s all red. Left to right has impedance, normal/bypas, treble, and finally volume. I want to use a Marshall Class 5 tube amp, which has a 16-ohm tab, and my Fender Mustang 4/12 can, which is 8 or 4 ohms. There is a mismatch in impedance. Is the toggle impedance on the attenuator a matching or corrective toggle? Can I use the attenuator to match the 16 ohm tab of the amp to match 8/4 ohm on my speaker cab? I’m new to this and prefer to ask than to damage the gear.
Best,
A
While acknowledge that this is probably the 1000+1 time I've said this, the more time that goes by it only becomes more true: why, with the wide adoption of modelling systems like Helix, Fractal, Eleven, etc. And the sheer volume of great stand alone Preamps that are coming out: the fact that if you want a low watt, stand alone tube driven power amp, your choices are to purchase 1 of half dozen power amps (at best), or run them into the "return" of a normal amp head or combo, seems to me it's a HUGE hole in the market.
If you ask guitarist to name a few independent power amps that put out 20w or less, you have the Mesa 2020, and the Mooer, and that's about it. I just don't understand it, I'd think that if affordable class-A power amps were more available, they'd sell like crazy.
Why Bruce Egnater has yet to release the Rebel 20's output section as just a power amp, I REALLY don't get. How many players who use modellers or individual Preamps wouldn't want a power who amp they could run from anywhere from 20W down to 1W, AND be able to go between 6V6 or E84's?
I own a Rebel 20 head that I bought used a few years ago that I've literally only used the preamp in it 2 or 3 times, the main use is to slave it to a Stomp and the Custom Tones Ethos Overdrive Preamps and the Trainwreck TWE1.
I used a15W Tweaker pretty much for the same reason, because I can drop 6L6s, 6V6, KT66, KT88, EL84/34, etc. However I DO use that preamp from time to time.
Which do you think it would sound better, an attenuator, or an added master volume knob such the JHS little black amp box?
The attenuator allows you to turn up the amp to get the power tubes cookin', which is where the true "Tube Tone" comes from. With the JHS Little Black Box or a master volume, you're allowing the preamp section of the amp to get rockin', but then reducing that level before it slams into the power tubes.
So if it goes between the amp and the speakers would it still work for a combo amp?
Thank you for the video, excellent, like the Boss, and the one before it, but, not so clear on the boss, to cut down on the sound of the plexi head, only heard some word used expansion.
I have been using some Fryette Power Loads to balance different amps set at their ideal tones. Still a few patch cords short of bringing the line outputs back around through a mixer and effects to one more wet amplifier. All sorts of devices available on Reverb depending on the tool you want.
I think this is the first time I’ve heard Andy play Rush! 7:07
Thanks, I’ve always peppered them in these demos. A fave is Bytor & Snowdog in the Dunlop Echoplex demo ✌️
Reactive load is only if you want to play silent through line-out? If you're attenuating to a lower volume, you still have the speaker (reactive) in the chain anyway...
The Palmer works well for me, but the Ox sounds really good . Nice demo.
if you have a master volume on the amp could you still need an attenuators? what’s the difference? i’m thinking in particular of playing in home
Need it? No. But can be useful if you want the big tubes in the power section of the amp to really saturate and overdrive naturally, as opposed to op-amp stomp boxes. What this also allows is dynamics in your overdriven amp to lead that way, with an overdrive pedal it's always going to sound overdriven no matter how hard one's pick attack or playing is, but with an overdriven, tube saturated tone, there's more of an attack dynamic at play. And there's also a tone library to be found by now using one's volume knob on the actual guitar into a fully dimed amp. The difference is that the master volume on an MV amp turns the volume down in the preamp stage and never allows the big tubes (EL34s, 6L6, etc) to over saturate and give that organic and saturated tube tone, just those little-guy tubes in the preamp section. Ever hear a 6L6-loaded amp naturally overdriven? It's beautiful, but it takes a massive amount of volume to get there and one would need to control that...overdriven Fenders can sound amazing that way, and they can be overdriven...but it's loud.
Best Rush song ever! Killer!
Informative and very cool
Would I be able to use an attenuator on a Supro Black Magick 1696RT? I love the tone, but I don’t want my neighbors to hate me.
7:09 - Nice jam!!!!
4:52 - Mic'd speaker vs Load Box (Speaker Mute) - Playing sounds good!! Nothing like a real speaker pushing real air to a real mic!!!
What they do is load the the tubes with resistors in place of the speaker so the volume is a lot lower. If you don't mind wearing out the tubes faster it does the trick.
That amp sounds wicked
If you have skills you can build a Ken Fischer
Airbrake( Dr Z clones them) for under $100
info is out there and parts are cheap
I built a few they work great. Most
resistive attenuators do not affect tone until
you cut over 15db
Playing a Bowie tune! Awsome
do i need volume pedal if i have already attenuator
I have a fender bass man ‘59 reissue which attenuator would you suggest
The Weber Mass 100. It's selectable for amp inputs of 2/4/8/16 Ohms. I'm running one with my 4 Ohm Bassman into an 8 Ohm cab.
another outstanding video and explanation Andy, you're a gift to guitarist everywhere.
I have a 65 Fender Princeton reissue (which I love). Can an Attenuator Damage my Amp in any way? Which one do you recommend to be Safe & Effective for a Princeton? I can't even put my amp past 2 - it's Blasting Loud. Appreciate any input. Stay Safe.
If you get one with a Power Amp built in, then it can definitely damage the speaker. Otherwise, the only risk is working the tubes harder. Unlike a master volume built into amps, attenuators are after the power amp. This means you're running the tubes at full power when you have it cranked. It won't do any damage, but it may shorten the lifespan of your power tubes.
How do you connect an attenuator using a combo amp, like a voxac30?
Yeah, with the speaker out, but you'll have to connect to a cab or figure out a way to connect back to your combo speaker. Good luck
Andy, Thank you for playing the " Hang on to yourself" riff Ronson or Bowie? sure sounded excellent
But on the flip side, thank you for bombarding me with too much data. I was going to buy a Rockman and wanted to hear one, not sure now.
Nice bit of Anthem in there!
What mic did you use for the video
If Andy says it’s good it good
So basically the attenuators reduces the loudness of an amp?
yes and no- they allow you to saturate the power amp tubes without loud volume levels and some have direct load boxes to balance the higher amp load.
That’s it’s basic job. If you play clean you don’t need an attenuator. If you like the sound of your preamp tubes distorting by using a master volume amp, an attenuator won’t do you much good. Likewise, running your amp clean and using a pedal for distortion will not get much benefit from an attenuator.
If you like the tone of your tube amp cranked, but need lower volume, a good attenuator is the tool for the job. This is power tube distortion (overdrive) and is only achievable at high power levels. Let’s use a 100 watt tube amp wide open as an example. When you hit the strings hard the amp sends 100 watts to the speaker cab, which turns it into sound. If you run the output of your amp into an attenuator, and out from the attenuator to the speaker cabinet you can lower the sound level. The attenuator has circuitry to absorb some of the amp’s output watts before being sent to the speaker. So in our example, the amp is cranked to 100 watts, the overdrive tone is killer, the attenuator ‘soaks up’ some of that wattage, let’s say 60 watts, and only passes 40 watts on to the speakers. If it all works right you get cranked up overdrive tone at reasonable sound volume levels.
there's an emulated line output on my amp which I connect to the soundcard. doesn't it function as the same thing?
ok you can play well bravo . how about how to hook these up and real details on use
Thank you for this video. Lots of information to take in. I mainly use (non-master volume control) low watt amps (about 5 watts) at home. I've been wondering what type of attenuator to get which would allow me to record to my digital 4-track recorder without using a mic (with or without being connected to my speaker cab). Your video helps a lot in helping me make a decision. Will any of these attenuators work with a bass amp or are there other things to consider?
I need an attenuator for my Marshall JVM410. I am from Brazil and the voltage of my city is 220v. What would be the ideal attenuator for this model of amplifier? Thank you!
Universal áudio vai ser um dos melhores, uma galera usa na Europa em 220
Você pode me passar o link desse atenuador que você falou? Obrigado!
Andy is the man. But, a bit too quick this one i think, try to show us a lot of things in a very short while. actually the weber that got most attention. Weber is Excellent. So is Ox. Boss I dont know. If u need just an attenuator, buy one like Weber, not ox, waxa or similar. If you need to recording silently, then ox and waza should come into the picture.
Good playing andy
What is the riff at 3:30? I thought it was X Los Angeles, but it's not... Thanks!
Sorry for the delay, that’s Bowie - Hang Onto Yourself. Mainly I’m going for the live version from the Ziggy Stardust movie.👍🏻
What if I have a combo? Is it possible to hook up a Peavey Classic through an attenuator?
Yes. I do this with an AC30 and a Fender HRD. As long as your speaker is plugged into your amp via standard mono plug, you should be good. It will look like this: Amp> New speaker cable> Attenuator> Original speaker cable> Speaker. Cheers
I just got my first amp and cab and I’m worried how loud it’ll be and I think I need one of these haha def a simple one just so I can crank it but ya great info
My second favorite ZZ Top song
The Bugera power soak is the best deal.
Attenuators for a 2 ohm super reverb?
Sorry this is two years late, but the Weber Mass 100 is selectable for amp inputs of 2/4/8/16 Ohms.
I really want Hendrix clean tones like when he has his fuzzface on but volume down. I don't know why my guitar struggles to do that, I have an american original telecaster and have tried multiple fuzz pedals. I also have a prs sonzera. Wondering if I should get an attenuator or another pedal.
and if an attenuator which one for those glassy bluesy cleanup tones?
@Zen thanks for the tip!
Does using an attenuator still mean that you will ultimately shorten the life of your amps tubes?
No, but driving your tubes harder will affect tube life. If you're using it to raie your power amp volume and lower the speaker volume....yea that'll cook the tubes more
Way too confusing!!!! I have a 60 watt Fender Super Sonic Combo and i was thinking of getting a Carl's Custom Speaker Power Attenuator. Does Anyone here have any experience with this one. I play mainly the Blues. Thanks.
Where can I buy a thumb pick like that?
you'll hafta cut it off but i doubt andy'll stand for that.
If your amp has a master volume knob, why would you want one of these?
Tube amps require a certain amount of volume to sound really good, something that is unobtainable if you have roomates or neighbors.
doctorrichford or if you want to have good hearing into old age 😄🤦♂️
Because the master gain mostly turns up the preamp tubes. That gives you an overdrive sound but not a really good tube crunch that turned up power tubes have.
That LP is beautiful! When will I be able to afford one...
i sold on with this exact flame top, no regrets cause it is heavy and my back is no strong but sound is great
buy a japanese lawsuit les paul--just as good.
Lol conveniently leaving out the Bugera PS1 I see
Been wondering about that one...
@@JsnHgl It has a few excellent reviews comparing it favourably with models multiple times it's price. It's what I'll be getting once I can afford the mini Plexi.
I've been thinking about the Boss Waza TAE for a while now. It'd be the perfect companion for my Morgan AC40 Deluxe, which i love to bits. It's a great amp, but i do wish it had an FX loop. While the Morgan does have an onboard power soak, it's doesn't sound great at low volumes and doesn't even come close to the Boss in terms of versatility and sound preservation. Kind of steep in price, but i think you get a lot for the money here.
So does the ox not have a fx loop ?
It doesn't need an FX loop if you use the one on your amp.
What about the Speaker Soak by Carl’s Custom Guitars? Is it good enough?
EXATTIC I genuinely blew one of those up with my jtm45
Andy gets the thumbs up for 7:08 !