Neighbour issues!

[Myrup]

So ive gotten my mark v head and i finally got a mesa 4x12" aswell, great ****! Anywhoos ive also gotten some neighboir problems along with it!i dont play like crazy loud but in a nice bedroom level that just gives enough punch to feel the amp. Id like to open up the amp but in a lower level. So....

Attenuators???

Any experiences? Ive been surfing the internrt like crazy these days, but i dunno which one is just the killer one! Ive been looking at ironman, tad silencer, palmer etc... Pretty pricy, so id like to know if any of you guys have a preference to it? Im quite afraid to loose the gut of the sound as ill reduce in db, but turning up the amp with an attenuator will help right??

 

[Boognoob]

Hi mate. Yeah been there, done that!!

I resolved my late night playing situation by 10 watting it with the FX loop engaged, turning up the channel volumes to a nice level, then controlling the output of the amp via the amp's master volume. Rocks like a mofo at near whisper level.
Its one of the loudest and also the quietest amps i've played sounding amazing at either level.
This should be sufficient in sorting your situation out, even if you live in an apartment with paper walls.
Taking down the 80 slider down a bit helps too. Especially since youre pushing a 4x12. (which to prevent further neighbour rage due to bass, I'd recommend keeping on casters too..)
And I wait for my neighbours to be out so I can get my fix of air moving...but the suggestion above should result in a newfound love of 10 watt mode.

 

[fr0sty]

I have a hotplate, and prefer the tone of the V's master volume to that of the attenuator. Are you in an apartment or house? Anyway, for thick gain tones on channel 2 and 3, I like to use 10 watt mode, variac power and very low master volumes. That sound nice and thick to me on channels 2 and 3.

If you are in an apartment, you may be fighting a loosing battle with your neighbors. One way you can use and attenuator though, it to use it as a load box. Run the V into your attenuator and set the attenuator so no amp signal gets to your speaker (load). Take the line out from the attenuator into your pc. Use something called speaker impulses in your DAW software to simulate your speakers, maybe add a touch of 'verb and rock out.

For more info on how speaker impulses work and how to use them, go to http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewforum.php?f=32

 

[Myrup]

Thx... Im in an apartment and its not as much the neighbour guy but the office lady under me... Shes totally being a bitch. However, i think i might give the 10watt thing a chance, but i didnt get the fx loop thing?? How is that a factor...? You write 'been there don that' so youve ditched the attenuator for the 10watt thingy? Dont wanna spend unnecessary cash

 

[SteveO]

A majority of the tone comes from the preamp in a Mark series, attenuators are just an expensive way of doing what the master volume already does. Your problem probably isn't the volume, it's likely that the lower frequencies are going straight through the floor and into your downstairs neighbor's apartment. The cabinet needs to be decoupled from the floor.

 

[Myrup]

Its on wheels...

 

[cherbst]

I'm playing a Mark V in an apt with a Thiele cab on a stand. That does 2 things, decouples it from the floor, and gets it at ear level so I don't have to run it so loud. I've never had a complaint.

I feel the Mark V does not need an attenuator, I also get great tones keeping the channel masters between 9 and 12 and the output super low in 10W mode. You might be fighting a losing battle if you want to use the 4X12, I think that is your problem, can try isolating it from the floor (carpets? thick foam?).

 

[APEMAN]

-

 

[thunder100]

A majority of the tone comes from the preamp in a Mark series, attenuators are just an expensive way of doing what the master volume already does. Your problem probably isn't the volume, it's likely that the lower frequencies are going straight through the floor and into your downstairs neighbor's apartment. The cabinet needs to be decoupled from the floor.

Even on wheels it transmitts,especially on Mark V with its blown transformer*.You need to put insulation under the wheels (at least 2 ").

A Walmart wall insulation plate will do that job

Roland

* I recently aquired a H&K Tubmeister 18.Can be loud too but it NEVER delivers that full sound like a Mark V does even at 10 Watt,and I get told thats the output transformer(Anyway double size in the Mark)

 

[Boognoob]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfxIz1QWK7I Did this tonight, in the spirit of this thread whilst exploring edge mode for a change.
You can hear how low I got the vol by the pick contact on the strings, and the fridge in the next room also...Im loving edge mode right now, which Ive not indulged in almost 2 years.
Its like a whole new amp...and with no worries whatsoever of my neighbours killing me. (I live in a flat/apartment with a hyper sensitive pair of ears on the other side of the (paper thin soundswise) wall..

 

[talltxguy]

Something to consider is picking up a 1X10 cab. I picked up a used 1X10 Express cab on GC used for low 200s last year. They will certainly cut the bass frequencies.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Hate to do this, but:
"Loose" is the opposite of tight, and rhymes with goose.
"Lose" is the opposite of win, and rhymes with booze.

And attenuators do not sound great, certainly no better than just using the Master Volume.