Suggestions on power attenuator for Mark IV???
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My four cents (two pro, two con):
First, my experience is with a Mark III, not a IV, but I've owned a IV. I've played the III for a good 29 years, at gigs loud and soft, in all size rooms, bedroom and banquet.
I recently got hold of a Weber Mass Lite 100, and it worked great. You can reduce the volume down to zero and use the Mark IV as the world's best-sounding direct box. It has separate controls for lows and highs. It has hookups for two cabs and a line out as well.
My favorite sound was simply cranking the R1 gain and cranking the Master.
Very old school, no fancy-schmancy "cascading gain", but the real deal as far as how vintage cranked amps are s'posed to sound. The only part missing is the sound of the speaker dying.
But in the end, my admittedly ancient and rock-music-abused eardrums couldn't tell that much difference between Boogie pre-amp distortion controlled by the Master Volume and the attenuated power tube clipping with the Master on 5. Plus, it's another seven pounds (!) of gear to haul.
So, to make a long story even longer, I sold the Weber to a guy who owns a bunch of vintage, non-master-volume amps. Fender Deluxe Reverb and JCM 800 among them. He freakin' loves the thing to death.
But remember, he's getting mostly power amp distortion, with only a bit of pre-amp gain.
I guess I'm saying that if you are maxing out the pre-amp gain controls on the Mark IV anyway, using an attenuator and also maxing out the Master Output may get you a sound you like, or you may get undefined mush.
Hope this helps, in some undefined, mushy way
First, my experience is with a Mark III, not a IV, but I've owned a IV. I've played the III for a good 29 years, at gigs loud and soft, in all size rooms, bedroom and banquet.
I recently got hold of a Weber Mass Lite 100, and it worked great. You can reduce the volume down to zero and use the Mark IV as the world's best-sounding direct box. It has separate controls for lows and highs. It has hookups for two cabs and a line out as well.
My favorite sound was simply cranking the R1 gain and cranking the Master.
Very old school, no fancy-schmancy "cascading gain", but the real deal as far as how vintage cranked amps are s'posed to sound. The only part missing is the sound of the speaker dying.
But in the end, my admittedly ancient and rock-music-abused eardrums couldn't tell that much difference between Boogie pre-amp distortion controlled by the Master Volume and the attenuated power tube clipping with the Master on 5. Plus, it's another seven pounds (!) of gear to haul.
So, to make a long story even longer, I sold the Weber to a guy who owns a bunch of vintage, non-master-volume amps. Fender Deluxe Reverb and JCM 800 among them. He freakin' loves the thing to death.
But remember, he's getting mostly power amp distortion, with only a bit of pre-amp gain.
I guess I'm saying that if you are maxing out the pre-amp gain controls on the Mark IV anyway, using an attenuator and also maxing out the Master Output may get you a sound you like, or you may get undefined mush.
Hope this helps, in some undefined, mushy way
GD_NC
Well-known member
I have a Weber that I used with my DC-3 and a few other amps. It a great box. That said, I don't use it at all with my Mark IV. The Mark IV sound is about 80% pre amp and saturating the poweramp of a hi-gain amp is really unnecessary.
Be aware that attenuators generally alter the tone quite a bit. The more you attenuate the more they impact. Weber boxes allow some compensation for this, but you can't completely eliminate it.
I agree with MrMarkIII that the best use of an attenuator on a MKIV would be cranking channel one/Pentode/Simul/full power to add some snarl and sustain. That's a great sound but it gets loud really quick.
Be aware that attenuators generally alter the tone quite a bit. The more you attenuate the more they impact. Weber boxes allow some compensation for this, but you can't completely eliminate it.
I agree with MrMarkIII that the best use of an attenuator on a MKIV would be cranking channel one/Pentode/Simul/full power to add some snarl and sustain. That's a great sound but it gets loud really quick.
I run my mark IV thru a HotPlate. (I run everything thru a hotplate)
I never go more than -8dbs, don't have to, I just find that all amps have a sweet spot on them and it's usually too loud
for in the house playing, so I find it and I just bring it back to a more "reasonable" level.
running my Mark IV with the lead master on 3 and the output on 3 seems to be a 'sweet spot" on th eIV.
that's loud :lol: at -8dbs it's very manageable and the tone doesn't really get altered much. (maybe the high end gets cut a little but I actually find that at -8dbs it smooths it out.)
I never go more than -8dbs, don't have to, I just find that all amps have a sweet spot on them and it's usually too loud
for in the house playing, so I find it and I just bring it back to a more "reasonable" level.
running my Mark IV with the lead master on 3 and the output on 3 seems to be a 'sweet spot" on th eIV.
that's loud :lol: at -8dbs it's very manageable and the tone doesn't really get altered much. (maybe the high end gets cut a little but I actually find that at -8dbs it smooths it out.)
babow2
Well-known member
+1 with Kmanick.
I also run a THD hotplate on all my amps (currently Mark IV and Heartbreaker). I also set it at -8db. I run the Mark IV in simul/triode/tweed. Without the hotplate, I barely push the Ch3 master above 2 and the overall master above 2, and that is usually too much for the band. With the hotplate, they both get to about 3-ish in rehearsal and the amp sounds much richer and fuller even with that small change. There is a minor tone change, but hey, guys guess what? i discovered that my tone knobs all move and change!!! So, I actually have the ability to adjust my tone controls on the amp to compensate when I use or change the hotplate settings. I thought this was a special feature on my amp. Oh wait, maybe not. the manual says it is standard on all Mark IV's. If the attenuator shifts your tone, re-adjust your tone!
Seriously, I have had good luck with Hotplate on several different mesas.
I also run a THD hotplate on all my amps (currently Mark IV and Heartbreaker). I also set it at -8db. I run the Mark IV in simul/triode/tweed. Without the hotplate, I barely push the Ch3 master above 2 and the overall master above 2, and that is usually too much for the band. With the hotplate, they both get to about 3-ish in rehearsal and the amp sounds much richer and fuller even with that small change. There is a minor tone change, but hey, guys guess what? i discovered that my tone knobs all move and change!!! So, I actually have the ability to adjust my tone controls on the amp to compensate when I use or change the hotplate settings. I thought this was a special feature on my amp. Oh wait, maybe not. the manual says it is standard on all Mark IV's. If the attenuator shifts your tone, re-adjust your tone!
Seriously, I have had good luck with Hotplate on several different mesas.
