Any thoughts re: attenuators?

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by AiRdAd »

Voxshall wrote:My vote goes to UA OX, you can get a pretty sweet cranked amp tone through headphones and its handy for recording and gigs it's all a compromise depends how much good tone and more feel of the amp means to you.
The one cool thing that the UA OX doesn't do, is it does't have an amp like the Freyette powerstation. The other stuff it does is amazing though isn't it.
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by griff »

I want one. But they are spendy.

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by calling card »

willow13 wrote:If your amp has a master volume then I think they are kind of pointless
I have master volume added to my 1987x, it sounds like preamp valves not power stage marshall voice of...
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by calling card »

O.K so I'm down this attenuator rabbit hole, power valves of my brain are stressed just trying to find who has what.
I search the online Rockshop and get a ton of junk unrelated to a good power soak (load box?) kind of thing. Am I doing it wrong?
We have cheaper resistor things like THD Hotplate, KLD PB1, THD seem to be fading and KLD from where?
More spendy;
Jetenuator
Bugera power soak
Two note torpedo
Rivera rockcrusher
Weber mass (the big one)

More thoughts? don't know much about the recording thing. Just want to plug in and play and a bit louder than BR level but not excruciating.
2024; I have explored the extent of the perimeter dome, there is no escape. I am become Morpheus

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by griff »

The Rockshop don't have much to choose from apart from the spendy Ox Amp.
Depends how fussy you are with tone because you could go with one of those spendy ones you mentioned, or go cheap and go resistive. Type 'Attenuator' in Reverb.com and there's heaps to choose from. Some are only $100 or so that will do the job.

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by chur »

calling card wrote:O.K so I'm down this attenuator rabbit hole, power valves of my brain are stressed just trying to find who has what.
I search the online Rockshop and get a ton of junk unrelated to a good power soak (load box?) kind of thing. Am I doing it wrong?
We have cheaper resistor things like THD Hotplate, KLD PB1, THD seem to be fading and KLD from where?
More spendy;
Jetenuator
Bugera power soak
Two note torpedo
Rivera rockcrusher
Weber mass (the big one)

More thoughts? don't know much about the recording thing. Just want to plug in and play and a bit louder than BR level but not excruciating.
You could look at Attenuator/Reampers also -
Bad Cat Unleash v2
Fryette Power Station
Ultimate Attenuator

Some of these have effects loops also, which is handy if you have an old Skool amp that doesn't have one.

You could also grab a Torpedo Captor which I see someone on here is selling, and run that to one of those little amplifier pedal units. If I were going pure reactive attenuator, the Rockcrusher seems to be popular.
No one ever died of hard work.. but why take the risk..

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by Terexgeek »

There's the new Boss unit too? Pricing to be confirmed...
Tin arse!!

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by calling card »

Favouring the idea of the Rockcrusher today, sweating on funding dump...
Still, cheaper than blown OT?

https://reverb.com/p/rivera-rockcrusher ... ash-16-ohm

Edit; Wow Weber Mass 100w for $397 kiwi https://reverb.com/p/weber-mass-100-100w-attenuator

Edit2; Sigh... so much gearpage, back to work...
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by chur »

calling card wrote:Favouring the idea of the Rockcrusher today, sweating on funding dump...
Still, cheaper than blown OT?

https://reverb.com/p/rivera-rockcrusher ... ash-16-ohm

Edit; Wow Weber Mass 100w for $397 kiwi https://reverb.com/p/weber-mass-100-100w-attenuator

Edit2; Sigh... so much gearpage, back to work...
These all come up cheaper on trademe from time to time. I think the last Rockcrusher I saw went for about 450.
No one ever died of hard work.. but why take the risk..

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by calling card »

Thanks! oh well best sit tight & see.
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by Molly »

Haven't read the other posts but my experience of attenuators is that even the best of them don't sound as good as not using them at all. Bottom of the heap for me has been the Dr.Z examples (IMHO). Best has been the Tone King. THD was OK but they're impedance-specific so that might not be ideal.

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by calling card »

I know...I bought a THD on impulse the other day & quickly realized I had a unit rated at 2.7 ohms and my application is 16 ohm. Still, half price compared to every where else I've looked. Apparently designed with Fender 4x10 in mind.
I'm thinking the reactive ones may be what to hunt down. I've always held off attenuators before because of tone suck comments but it's this or consign my tube beasts to the museum. Cracks me up, I see people using them on 5E3, this has been my soft home amp for a long time.
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by H671 »

calling card wrote:I know...I bought a THD on impulse the other day & quickly realized I had a unit rated at 2.7 ohms and my application is 16 ohm. Still, half price compared to every where else I've looked. Apparently designed with Fender 4x10 in mind.
I'm thinking the reactive ones may be what to hunt down. I've always held off attenuators before because of tone suck comments but it's this or consign my tube beasts to the museum. Cracks me up, I see people using them on 5E3, this has been my soft home amp for a long time.
I tried to tell that turkey who was selling it, that it was rated at 2.7 Ohms, but he was too dishonest to disclose that fact because he knew not many people would buy it.
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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by Molly »

H671 wrote:
calling card wrote:I know...I bought a THD on impulse the other day & quickly realized I had a unit rated at 2.7 ohms and my application is 16 ohm. Still, half price compared to every where else I've looked. Apparently designed with Fender 4x10 in mind.
I'm thinking the reactive ones may be what to hunt down. I've always held off attenuators before because of tone suck comments but it's this or consign my tube beasts to the museum. Cracks me up, I see people using them on 5E3, this has been my soft home amp for a long time.
I tried to tell that turkey who was selling it, that it was rated at 2.7 Ohms, but he was too dishonest to disclose that fact because he knew not many people would buy it.
Green one, Christchurch seller? If it is I sold him that with full impedance disclosure. Intended for 3x10 Fenders I guess. I used it with a 4x10 Super Reverb and tried it with the 3x10 Victoria. When he subsequently listed it he ignored questions about its intended application.

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Re: Any thoughts re: attenuators?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Molly wrote:When he subsequently listed it he ignored questions about its intended application.
He sure did, because I asked him exactly that.

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