Anybody use a Power Soak?

[dante]

Hi y'all,

I just picked up an old Tom Scholz power soak for practicing at home. Just wondering if anyone else has tried 'soaking' their Boogies to achieve the same tones at any volume? Anyone?

Opinions?


FWIW: I have found that the -9db setting seems to be the sweet spot, YMMV

 

[Maynardo]

I use a DIY attenuator sometimes with my dc5, never tried that particular one you mention tho, anyways I think attenuators in general are great for clean channels not so good for heavy distortions... the more you attenuate the more you will get a "blanket" effect, bass will become looser and highs will be rolled off.

What I did find usefull is not to try to get a good tone with the amp on it's own and then attenuate it, the best choice is to use tone knobs after you have achieved the volume you need with the attenuator.

 

[dante]

I totally understand that blanket effect, I call it a wet blanket. That's why I mentioned the -9db setting being the sweet spot. It's not super attenuated, just moderately so. Any higher, and the blanket starts to form.

I too have noticed it better to try adjusting after attenuating. The bonus part of that is that I am trying all sorts of new EQ options w/my amp now...good experience.

 

[edward]

Not with a Power Soak, but with a Weber Mass.

The Weber sounds good ...in other words largely transparent with subtle attenuation. But I ended up selling the Weber simply because I do not think Mesas benefit from attenuators. Mesas have really good-sounding gain structure/master volumes such that what you're trying to achieve with an attenuator really is achievable with adjusting the gains/master relationships (and some subtle tone tweaking).

Edward

 

[kdorsey]

The old Power Soaks did seem to have a sweet spot that you didn't dare stray beyond in fear of the wet blanket effect. Enter the Marshall Power Brake. In my application, it was completely wet blanket-free. But after my "revoicing" work, the master is no longer between 5-7, so the attenuation is not needed. For me, the speaker interaction at the proper volume was more important than pushing the power stage that hard. Going to the push-pull class A mode really helped, too.

I also agree with the tone stack adjustment after finding the volume setting you like.

 

[dante]

UPDATE: The one thing this attenuator does well is, it allows the Output knob to be turned rather than tapped. Without the soak, I have to tap the volume knob to keep it from getting to that 'stupid loud' level while practicing at home.

Once past 2-3 range on the Output (in a live situation), it tapers off.

Honestly, I don't NEED this thing by any means. The DC-5 sounds fine at bedroom levels for practice. If I were recording, I'd put the amp in another room and turn it up to a proper volume.

 

[gibsonboogie]

I have a DIY unit used almost exclusively at home. Every time I have tried it in a band setting, I have ended up turning it off and just controlling the output knob. At home, it does come in very handy to be able to keep the same settings while taking it down to acceptable home levels.

I use the highest level (-12db) for late night. It does have a wet blanket effect and seems to change the volume balance of the channels. But for a late night tone fix, it does the job. I tend to adjust the attenuator and output knob, one after the other, to get the right volume. The right volume depends on the time of the day. I play around all of the other increments (-3db, -6db, -9db) all the time.

As with anything in the signal path, it's going to have an effect on the signal itself. I have a very simple, passive attenuator that has no tone compensation. It simply takes away from the sound. But I can turn my amp down by -9 or -12db and be able to get that sweet power tube saturation without getting complaints from wife or neighbors. I highly recommend *any* tube amp owner to invest in one, DIY or store-bought. If the unit fails while in operation, it can have a catastrophic effect on the amp. So that is something to think about if considering DIY.

 

[dante]

The more I use this thing, the more I find exactly what you just described.

I have been using the soak for volume and...

• I do notice the difference in the channel balance

• I sometimes have to compensate for the wet blanket

• I can really get the singing feedback at a bedroom level

It does work, but it took me a coupla weeks to fiddle around enough to find it. The goal was to have the amp singing long feedback-infused notes (a la Carlos Santana back in the day) at a reasonable volume to not upset the neighbors or the missus. Mission accomplished..but I'm sure I'll try something different soon