THD Hot Plate

[PHYX]

I have a Mesa Mark IV Widebody 1-12" amp with a custom Maple cabinet. I don't play very loud but what to get a better sound out of it. I play my master vol. at 1 1/2 to 2. A sound man told me to buy a THD hot plate for my amp that then will allow me to get the sound I need. Any advise on this and is ohms on the hot plate a issue.
Thanks!
Jim

 

[voodoo_child]

I have a THD hotplate, and i also have a MKIV.

To be honest, i've never used them together, i just don't see the point. In my opinion, the MKIV can sound great at lower volumes (with the right settings).

 

[insideout]

I use a Weber Mini Mass with my Stiletto. You may want to look into a Weber. It works every bit as good as the Hotplate, and it's significanlty more affordable. The newest version has a treble boost on it, so you don't squash your tone when heavily attenuating. I repectfully disagree with voodoo. I think there is a major difference between low volume and a tube amp being pushed - regardless of settings. I don't think an attenuator is necessary in a live situation, but for practice at home it's much more enjoyable to get the girth, sustain, and powertube saturation without shattering your windows :wink:

 

[nemesys]

The guitarist I play with has one that he uses with a Fender. It's the right impedance model (when you buy a Hot Plate, you buy the one that matches the load your amp expects) for my F-50, so we tried it one day, just to see what it sounded like. I think it's useful to run the amp in its sweet spot, with light attenuation so the volume isn't quite as horrific, but doesn't sound all that great with the amp running full-tilt and the attenuator at higher settings -- the Hot Plate definitely sucks tone, it isn't too noticeable at lower settings, but it's very apparent at higher attenuation.

Attenuators are neat, I guess, and I can see where they'd be useful for a lot of people, but I don't think I'd ever use one, as I prefer to keep my rig simple.

 

[pjrake]

i use one both at rehearsal and on stage. at the studio i keep mine at -8dB and at a gig i have it at -4dB if i'm mic.

it's really helpful, and it allows the singer to really cut through the mix nicely.

i would recommend one.

 

[insideout]

(when you buy a Hot Plate, you buy the one that matches the load your amp expects)

Another reason the Weber rocks. It has an impedence switch on it , so you can select 4, 8, or 16 ohm. Therefore, if you ever change your amp, you don't have to worry about having to buy a new attenuator to match your new one 8)

 

[Zorshelter]

I tried one on my Mark Iv and the thing that disappointed me a bit is that you really have to attenuate to be able to crank the amp a little, tonewise, I think it's not so bad and the deep and bright switches help, you can get really good sounds, even if you have to review your settings a bit

I tried it on a 100W JCM2000 and it really helped as this head sounds good only when it's set on high volume