Hotplate: Have I gone crazy?!?!

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

After installing the Tremonti's, I decided to take the hotplate out of the chain and see how my recto sounds alone with the higher output pickups.

GOOD GOD! Wow......I don't know whether I'm just hearing things because of speculation, or something else of that matter, but the hotplate has been stealing my bedroom practice tone....

All the treble (even though I was using the treble boost on the hotplate) can right back, the bass, the dynamics, the gain! Wow! Only problem is that the amp is a bit loud for my room without the hotplate.

The output is very very lower, less than 1, but it is a bit too loud for comfort. But the tone is killer! Much much better than the hotplate (a little buzz from the preamp distortion, but it is not too bad).

So, am I going crazy, or has someone else seen this too? I'm actually considering parting with the THD.

 

[ChrisRocksUSA]

I call dibs on that bad boy!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

But honestly....I don't get it.....everyone praises them so greatly....does it depends on your rig? Pickups? Tone you're after?

I'm going to give it a few days thought, and see what replies I get.

But if I do decide to sell it, and you seriously are interested, I will be sure to PM you.

 

[ChrisRocksUSA]

I'm as serious as a heart attack

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Alright! We'll see how things go then!

Any opinions on my situation though? Am I missing something? Or, in my setup, is it just how it seems?

 

[t0aj15]

Any opinions on my situation though? Am I missing something? Or, in my setup, is it just how it seems?

I stopped using my Hotplate shortly after I got it, because it sucks tone BIGTIME, although I kept it for use as a load when I want to use one of my amps as a preamp only. I also don't use the built in Hotplate on my Univalve. I've had lot's of people tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, "it ain't that bad". To me it is that bad. As for keeping it, sure it's an expensive speaker load but it has the added advantage of having the adjustable line out feature so I kept it.

 

[screamingdaisy]

But honestly....I don't get it.....everyone praises them so greatly....does it depends on your rig? Pickups? Tone you're after?

IMO, most of the people who praise them aren't using them at tone death inducing bedroom levels. Take it into a gig, turn your amp up loud, and knock 4db to 8db off your signal, then make a judgement.

If you're going to judge it based on how it sounds at greater than 16db, you're missing the point. Pretty much every attenuator user will agree that at bedroom levels of attenuation you're crushing the **** out of your tone, regardless of amp, pickups, ect....

 

[timmerel]

Sold my hotplate and bought a Sequis Motherload (speaker simulator and dummy load) - don't hear any tonal difference at any volumes, and great for recording (which is what I primarily use it for).

 

[xscottx9]

where can I buy the tremonti's? Do they come in nickel plating?

 

[fredster]

I use one for bedroom volumes, but I try not to attenuate past 4 or 8db because of the tone loss. It's worth it to kick it down just a little bit to get some more play in the master volume.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I'll give it a shot a 8dB or 4dB....maybe the 16 is just too drastic.

So what would you guys recommend for playing the recto at home? Should I just deal without the hotplate and play a bit louder (worried about my hearing a bit though), or do I deal with the hotplate?

 

[Pinetree]

Funny you should ask.

A few times I've seen you say "Get an attenuator", and was thinking about asking your advice on one".

Personally (and I live alone, no wife, no kids, no dog), I like to play at a "moderate" volume level around the house. Nuthin' crazy, mind you... just a solid rock sound. Yes, it would sound MUCH better if it were louder, but at the age of 47 my have had just about enough as it is.

 

[Elpelotero]

solution is to invest in quality earplugs....

hearos, high fidelity earplugs. available at sam ash stores,, maybe a GC or two...musiciansfriend, etc...

they don't suffer from tone loss due to their unique engineering. all the reviews raved about em...i was skeptical until my drummer bought em and he said the same things the reviews did, so i was impressed.

 

[Pinetree]

I've been using the yellow foam ones for years, and I think that you can get a better "picture" of what things really sound like with them in my ears.

Bear in mind that if you're wearing earplugs, and your neighbors aren't...


:shock:

 

[Platypus]

If you're playing at such low levels it's going to squash the hell out of your tone.. use the bright switch to get some of your treble back at lower volumes. I keep mine at -8dB and I think it sounds wonderful personally.. ymmv.

Plus, I use the Tremonti Treble too



edit: keep in mind you need to dial your settings slightly differently as well when using it, my settings without the HP are different to compensate for the tone suck.. you can get around it.

Personally I think it is worth it for the smooth gain of power tube distortion.

 

[cvansickle]

A HotPlate is a compromise. At "bedroom levels," you have to use lots of EQ if you want anything close to your tone.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Well, I was completely happy with the hotplate, until I tried playing very low without it (after I installed new pickups)!

I'm going to try turning the amp down and using -8dB or -4 dB! I think that might be my problem!

I'll report back soon!

 

[ChrisRocksUSA]

I'll report back soon!

8)

 

[Russ]

I think that a popular misconception is that the attenuator will make you sound exactly the same but at lower levels. Speaker dynamics are never considered by most. Speaker breakup is also very important. If you are trying to achieve the sound of a stack performing at its best you need to have it doing just that. That includes pushing your speakers. Speakers that are not receiving enough signal will not sound the same as ones that are receiving their healthy share. Keep that in mind while you are bedroom jamming with any attenuator. Attenuators used properly will sound fine. As was mentioned, the smaller the amount of attenuation the better. It is best still at gig volume but allows you to crank your amp a little further to get the best out of your power tubes.

 

[VoodooChild24]

But honestly....I don't get it.....everyone praises them so greatly....does it depends on your rig? Pickups? Tone you're after?

IMO, most of the people who praise them aren't using them at tone death inducing bedroom levels. Take it into a gig, turn your amp up loud, and knock 4db to 8db off your signal, then make a judgement.

If you're going to judge it based on how it sounds at greater than 16db, you're missing the point. Pretty much every attenuator user will agree that at bedroom levels of attenuation you're crushing the **** out of your tone, regardless of amp, pickups, ect....

Nicely put!