attenuator suggestions

[vlad67]

When I first got my 150w Triple Recto I wasnt planning on putting it in my living room but that is where it has been for the last 6 months. I got a weber 50 watt mass attenuator from a friend an It has worked pretty good. I know I am not really pushing the tubes and am not getting the tone I think i could. I use an MXR overdrive pedal on the clean channel most of the time. I am only keeping the volume at about 9-10AM and the attenuator at about 2.
Question is now that I am going to start playing clubs and have the chance to let this amp push the tone it was designed to will it harm the amp just having the 50 watt to keep my volume reasonable or should I get the 100 watt Attenuator? I have run sound before and dont want to be the the guitarist that overpowers the PA with stage volume

 

[Gnarkill3k6]

As far as I know you should have an attenuator with at least the same power as your amp... Your triple will probably not output 150 watt at a gig... but I won't rely on a 50 watt attenuator.

But why do you use a attenuator at all? I use my triple at home at normal volume and with a good tone on all channels.

 

[stephen sawall]

I would get a attenuator that can handle the 150 watts the amp puts out - Like a THD Hot Plate....

I have been using one for over a decade with my Tremoverb & really like what it does for the sound.

 

[vlad67]

Having an attenuator that matches the power is what i have always read. The Weber Mass 50 was given to me so i figured i would give it a try. I liked the extra push I could give the amp without shaking the plaster off the walls. I figured in an apartment type situation using the 50 would not damage the amp. Just when I start to crank things up in a live venue I wondered if having an unmatched attenuator might cause some problems

 

[soundchaser59]

I figured in an apartment type situation using the 50 would not damage the amp. Just when I start to crank things up in a live venue I wondered if having an unmatched attenuator might cause some problems

It might not damage the amp, but it will definitely destroy the Weber Mass.

Weber actually recommends having one that is rated twice the power output of the amp. 50 w amp = 100 w attenuator.

I have never liked attenuators, but I bought a THD Univalve with the built in hot plate, and it is by far the best sounding attenuator I've ever had.

 

[Gnarkill3k6]

Best attenuator I've tried is a Koch Load Box. THD destroyed the sound of the amps I tried it with (red Blackstar expensive 100watter and a white Marshall Randy Rhoads head).

 

[Pantsleg]

I used a weber mass 200 on my triple recto but I did not like the way it sounded. It squished the sound and casturated my amp. Sounded wimp. So I removed the weber and never looked back. Although the weber did look cool sitting up there with the one rediculously large knob it had on the front lol

 

[knotts]

I have a Rock Crusher for my Roadster and I love it. I don't feel that it colors the tone at all. It handles 120 watts, not quite the 150 that your triple can pump out. There's a risk in under-powering the attenuator to take on the load of your amp. I know that you'll probably never get the full 150 watts out of your triple either. I probably wouldn't spend the money for something that isn't rated properly, however some people are a little more adventurous than me.

 

[58boogie]

you may not need an attenuator, you can run or add a volume knob box through it and turn it down. They sell them on ebay as "volume attenuators"

 

[Gnarkill3k6]

you may not need an attenuator, you can run or add a volume knob box through it and turn it down. They sell them on ebay as "volume attenuators"

Isn't that exactly the same as a attenuator? :roll:

 

[b0nkersx1]

Suggestion: Don't bother

 

[MrMarkIII]

you may not need an attenuator, you can run or add a volume knob box through it and turn it down. They sell them on ebay as "volume attenuators"

Isn't that exactly the same as a attenuator? :roll:

No. They are NOT attenuators. What they are is a passive volume knob inserted into the effects loop. Which is pretty much what the Master Volume on the amp does.
Don't waste your money.
A real attenuator hooks up between your amp speaker output and the speaker itself.
Anything else is not an attenuator.
Some people swear by 'em, some swear at 'em. If you can tell the difference between using an attenuator and using the Master Volume on your amp, good for you. It's a free country, and it's your money.

 

[siggy14]

I have heard nothing but good things about the bad cat unleash, it is also a re-amp as it has its own built in amp, I will pick one of these up.

http://www.badcatamps.com/unleash.html

 

[Blaklynx]

you may not need an attenuator, you can run or add a volume knob box through it and turn it down. They sell them on ebay as "volume attenuators"

Isn't that exactly the same as a attenuator? :roll:

No. They are NOT attenuators. What they are is a passive volume knob inserted into the effects loop. Which is pretty much what the Master Volume on the amp does.
Don't waste your money.
A real attenuator hooks up between your amp speaker output and the speaker itself.
Anything else is not an attenuator.
Some people swear by 'em, some swear at 'em. If you can tell the difference between using an attenuator and using the Master Volume on your amp, good for you. It's a free country, and it's your money.

Spot on.

With these 'attenuators' in the loop all you're doing is turning down the preamp's signal before it hits the poweramp = preamp volume level.

May as well shove an EQ pedal in the loop and turn the input slider down or the output slider down. Same thing as a volume knob and is more versatile.

 

[Gnarkill3k6]

Alright understood... But, what about the many volume knobs on a rectifier that are connected in some way to the fx-loop? I mean, the send (or return can't remember exactly) volume on the back does control this volume, right?
So, no need for another volume knob if you ask me.

 

[soundchaser59]

If you can tell the difference between using an attenuator and using the Master Volume on your amp, good for you.

Thereis a difference, whether you can hear it or not is up to you. The master volume "attenuates" the signal before it comes out of the output transformer. An attenuator receives the signal from the output transformer and intercepts it before it gets to the speaker, at a much higher voltage and, I believe, higher current than what the master volume is dealing with. I don't know exactly how attenuators work, they are all a bit different, but I would assert that if you can't tell the difference, or if you don't like the diffrence, then you got the wrong attenuator. I tried a couple of Weber units and didn't like what it did to the sound. The THD attenuator seems completely transparent to me. I want to try the Rockcrusher because I have, so far, found every claim made by Rivera for their gear to be true when I play it for myself. There is something to be said for being able to crank the power tube section of a good amp without breaking ear drums.

 

[stephen sawall]

Preamp distortion & poweramp overdrive - sound, feel & dynamics are very different just to name a few things.

 

[mazzith]

You could take the outside 2 power tubes out from both sides and any of the one recto tubes and cut your amp back to 100 watts. Like this. X I I I I X
The dual can be backed down to 50 watts by same method.

This info was from the tech support at Mesa.

 

[joesackic]

You don't need an attenuator. Put your amp in stand by mode. Turn on your FX loop set it to normal. Jack up your master volume for the channel(s) you're using to get the saturation/etc where you want it. Set your Output knob to off. Flick the standby to on. Now use your output knob on your amp to control the overall volume/loudness, turn it to where you want it. Done!

 

[Gnarkill3k6]

@ Mazzith

Many many guys tell different thing about pulling tubes on a triple rectifier... Some say it can be done safely some say it just can't be done on a triple.
Something I'd like to know; how do you deal with the change in impedance when you pull the 2 outer tubes? and, does it make that big of a difference in volume?

@ joesackic
That's how I do it at home with good results. When rehearsing with my band I bypass the loop for a bit more bite and clarity.