Dr Z Airbrake Attenuator

[#2121313]

What do you guys think? I was thinkin of gettin one to use with my .50 Cal+ Combo, I never get a chance to crank it past 2-3 so I'm dying to hear the the gain that'll come out at higher volumes....any experiences?

I can pick up a used one for $120 CDN

 

[leblanc74]

I have one, happy with it; however, I managed to crank my amp since I purchased it, so now I am not using it as much... Might consider selling it...

 

[MJ Slaughter]

I'm using an attenuator, not Dr Z, with my DC-10 and I really like the results. As long as you only attenuate a little, you won't have good tone at so called bedroom levels with any attenuator, it is a great tool to tame the volume. Used for gigs or rehearsals I can really drive the power tubes for some very cool tones. It is much easier for me now to control my stage volume. $120 sounds like a good deal for a Dr Z as long as it hasen't been abused though I don't know how you would hurt one.

 

[CoG]

Yeah, remember it's 'less loud', not 'bedroom volume.'

If you want to attenuate more than a little bit you will probably need to re-dialin your amp too, don't be afraid to try this.

 

[leblanc74]

I paid around 350$ Canadian for mine from an Authorized Dealer

 

[mr_fender]

Ted Weber makes a really cool attenuator called the Weber Mass. It uses a speaker "motor", which is basically a speaker with no cone attached. It responds just like a speaker, because it is one. It just doesn't produce any sound since there's no cone to push the air. It's a very clever idea. Check it out.

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

 

[MusicManJP6]

That is very clever actually!

 

[6L6C]

In the past have had a Marshall Power Brake PB100 a Hot Plate and a Weber Mass Lite can’t comment about the Dr Z (but have heard some good things about them).
The Marshall I would not say its bad but it is my least favorite.
The Hot Plate and the Weber Mass are pretty much on par. But in the end I favor the Weber and cheaper too. (But sound first!)

But 120 for a Dr Z I would try it!

 

[CoG]

My attenuator comments are actually based on the Webers, which I have the most experience with. They're really good, I recommend them wholeheartedly as long as you're willing to tweak instead of just plug in and hope it'll sound the same, just quieter...

 

[camsna]

My attenuator comments are actually based on the Webers, which I have the most experience with. They're really good, I recommend them wholeheartedly as long as you're willing to tweak instead of just plug in and hope it'll sound the same, just quieter...

+1.

You HAVE to tweak. You should NOT expect full-blown tone at bedroom level. And also be aware that you'll burn through tubes way more quickly than normal, because they're still working at full-bore.

But they're great devices all-in-all!

 

[MusicManJP6]

A friend of mine built a PowerBrake clone and it sounded really good. It had a bedroom level and all! It really smoothed out the volume taper on my Mark IV when I had it. I wish I still had the clone now because i'd like to use it with my Stiletto I have coming. I've heard they sound thin at low volume and an attenuator lets you get the tubes working and thickens up the tone.