Power Soak with a Roadster

[jhguitar1]

Has anyone ever used a power soak (THD, Power Brake, etc...) with their Roadster heads? I played a show last weekend and the sound man suggested I get one so I can crank my amp more. As everyone knows, the tone isn't the same with the volume down.
How much does it affect your tone and does it hurt it more than help it? If it helps and does work, is the THD the best one to use?

Thanks

 

[kmanick]

not with a roadster (yet :lol: )
but I use a Hotplate with my rectoverb head, and honestly, I couldn't really use a Recto without it. It lets me turn up the master and output enough to get out of the "fizz" zone at lower volumes, and then I just cut it back to -8dbs. Works like a charm.
I use it with my JSX as well.
I'd assume at gigging levels it would work great .

 

[Symmetry2170]

I've heard that using powersoaks, THD hotplates in particular, can ruin the life of your amp. Is there any truth to this? I deifintely won't be gigging with my roadster anytime soon, and will want to be able to get a full sound and pull all the tone out of it as possible and I know a hotplate would allow this, but if it's something that in the long run will ruin my amp, i can't see a good reason for buying it.

 

[tele_jas]

I've heard that using powersoaks, THD hotplates in particular, can ruin the life of your amp. Is there any truth to this? I deifintely won't be gigging with my roadster anytime soon, and will want to be able to get a full sound and pull all the tone out of it as possible and I know a hotplate would allow this, but if it's something that in the long run will ruin my amp, i can't see a good reason for buying it.

It doesn't hurt your amp, but it does shorten the life of your power tubes. You're actually pushing the power tubes harder, so naturally they burn hotter and don't last as long.

It doesn't eat your tubes so fast that you have to replace them in a few months, it just takes "maybe" a couple/three months off the end of the tubes...... Well worth it if you like the sound better IMO.