THD HOT PLATE

[rouleau]

Hi !

I'm looking for buying a thd hot plate to push my DR when a play with my band. Anyone try it and can give me some feedback if i get it for throw it at the garbage or i will be happy of my purchase ?

:shock:

 

[stephen sawall]

I really like it with my Tremoverb. I use it in the -4, -8 dB setting with the deep switch on. This lets me get the power amp pushing a little more. It makes for a thicker sound at a lower volume. Like everything else I recommend trying before you buy.

 

[rouleau]

i can't try it befor buy there are no THD Hot plate in the music store where i live and i find one on the net for 250$. With the band i play the master at about 7 o'clock i thing the amp dong give his max at this level.

 

[RectoStudioGuy]

I used to used them when I ran bigger power amps and always great success. Of course some call 'em 'tone suckers' and such but I found that when used correctly and you adjust accordingly you'll actually like it.

 

[Rocker]

Hi,

I seem to detect that you may not quite understand what a hot plate actually does. Before you buy it , you need to understand it, otherwise you will be greatly disappointed! The Hot Plate is a power attenuator. It puts a load on the speaker output of your amp to LOWER the volume, while still making the amp's tubes work hard and heat up. This allows the amp to give you that fully saturated sound at low volumes. The reason that they call it a Hot Plate is that the power that it taps off of the speaker output is sent off as heat. This devise DOES NOT increase the volume or give you any sort of power output increase.

So, if this is what you are looking for, then the THD is the best power attenuator out there, IMHO. It does its job very well, and dampens the tone the least of the equivalent devices that are currently available out there. Make sure that he one that you buy is rated for the same resistance as your speakers....they make a different version for the various resistance ratings (8-ohm is very common) and each one is a different color (the 8-ohm being purple). Do some research on the internet before you buy one.

I hope this helps!

Craig

 

[bucketbot]

I would also consider the Weber Attenuators too.

 

[Spewnz]

yea weber stuff rocks and is made for you.

 

[bucketbot]

I have tried both the THD Hotplate & a couple of Weber Attenuators. Mass 150 & Mass3 both of which gave excellent results.

I found the performance of the Weber units to be superior as I felt they retained mpre of the amps Tone. Particularly at higher levels of Attenuation.

Sadly Ted Weber died last year but the company remains in business. Unfortunately no orders are being taken for attenuators at present due to stock issues but you should still be able to find some available on ebay or from other online dealers.

However it's important to stress that any attenuator WILL have an impact on your tone.

 

[fretout]

I owned a THD 8 Ohm Hotplate and thought it was one of the coolest "guitar gifts" I received. I tried it on my 3 channel Triple Rectifier and determined that the amount of attenuation (a alot) I was using it for didn't warrant keeping it, so I returned it. I actually found out how to use the FX Loop as an "attenuator", and since it sounds more "natural" and "organic", I would recommend trying the "FX Loop" trick before picking up the Hotplate.

Otherwise, the THD did a great job, and is a solid product, and it has a great "record out" jack for those of us inspired night-owls.

 

[davidfloyd]

I'm a fan of the Hot Plate and the Weber unit (and some others as well), but didn't get really good results using any attenuator generally with a high-gain amp at band/rehearsal volumes (tried with Recto 2-channel, Peavey 5150). It just added more compression/lows that I really felt I didn't need. It was "over saturation". Of course, then I would turn down the bass and/or some of the gain to compensate for this - but then what's the point if the tone was fine before?

I will say that I have run a Hot Plate with a Soldano SLO I owned once and it was useful for that particular circuit as Soldanos have the bright/crunch thing going on and some low-end compression was helpful.

But generally a Hot Plate, to me is just one of those great tools to use with the old school non-master volume amps like the Marshall Super Leads and Vox AC30's, etc. Fantastic device for that application.

 

[Robusto]

is definetly worth a try.

I think the hotplate is one of the better attenuators out there.

I have been happy with mine.

Just be sure you pick the right 'ohm' match for your amp.

 

[rouleau]

I got my Hot plate. With the right ajustments it give me the ROARRR that i don't have when the power amp is not pushed. I have a lot more sustains and it's easy to play.

thanK,s for all your comments.

 

[stephen sawall]

Very cool .... I use mine almost as much as I use strings.

 

[poke01]

I recommend getting one. Yes, be sure you are matching the correct THD Ohm rating with your cab. I run my 8ohm THD with my Dual Rectifier (3 channel) and get great results. You will need to tweak the settings to find the right spot for you, but the THD works great IMO. I mainly use mine for recording but could use it live as well!

 

[mikey383]

I never really found a use for the one I had. I could get the same tone from lowering the master volume a hair and playing with the FX loop settings. Of course, I'm playing high gain stuff, so if you're not, maybe it will suffice for you.


They're more suited towards lower powered amps where you need to crank the power section to get a good tone, and that usually involves lots of volume.

 

[94Tremoverb]

I use one with my Tremoverb in the house. It does noticeably improve the low-volume tone, tone me - I'm actually using it as far down as -16dB sometimes, with both the Deep and Bright switches (and the noise-reduction bulbs, which make a subtle difference to the tone) on. If I compare the sound with the Hot Plate to the sound with no Hot Plate and the Loop Active Master turned down to give the same final volume, the Hot Plate makes the amp sound deeper and more responsive - it's a bit flatter and tighter without. It's not a *huge* difference - and maybe not quite enough to justify the cost, if I hadn't bought it anyway! But I like it enough to use it, in the house at least. I don't use it live - it's not necessary, and just more stuff to carry and fiddle with...

Contrary to what it says in the manual, you *don't* need to crank up the masters all the way - in fact that's counter-productive, it makes the amp sound very saturated and squashed. Use it to the minimum amount you need in conjunction with the amp's master, with both doing as little work as possible. I'm running mine with the amp well below power-stage overdrive, I think it's probably in the 20W range with an amp capable of 60-100W depending on settings) and I can still get a completely crystal clean tone. But it also increases the differences between the Vacuum Tube/Silicon Diode/Bold/Spongy modes, so it's clearly making the power stage work harder than without it.

 

[jglover51]

I actually found out how to use the FX Loop as an "attenuator", and since it sounds more "natural" and "organic", I would recommend trying the "FX Loop" trick before picking up the Hotplate.

What is this "FX Loop trick"? I have a Dual Rec Tremoverb and I was seriously considering buying a hot plate for it. I have a Boss GT-8 that I am using in the loop; can I still use the trick?

 

[stephen sawall]

I actually found out how to use the FX Loop as an "attenuator", and since it sounds more "natural" and "organic", I would recommend trying the "FX Loop" trick before picking up the Hotplate.

What is this "FX Loop trick"? I have a Dual Rec Tremoverb and I was seriously considering buying a hot plate for it. I have a Boss GT-8 that I am using in the loop; can I still use the trick?

Remove effects from loop
Turn on the loop
Set mix ~ no effect
Set send level, loop master and channel masters as low as you can and get a sound you like.
Reset the EQ and gain to taste.
Fine tune everything again.

If you want to add effects in the loop I am sure you can figure it out from here.

 

[BostonRedSox]

I wouldn't mess around with a HotPlate or a Weber. You want a attenuator because you want to turn up your amp to hear it the way it is designed to be heard, but at more reasonable volumes, right? These power soaks will not do the trick, and in the end I doubt they'll leave you feeling satisfied. I have done copious amounts of research to achieve this very thing. My conclusions? You really have two options. First option, get an ISO box. Are they perfect? Absolutely not. Yet, are they getting better? They sure seem to be with the release of the Rivera Silent Sister. I have one that is due to arrive at my house on Tuesday. I will gladly post clips on here for your enjoyment. From the previous clips I've heard they sound absolutely fantastic! The following is Zorran's clip of the Silent Sister and his Mark IV. Absolutely brutal and awesome! If you have a PA, then this would be a good possibility -- especially at gigs. This runs $999.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=147856&songID=7351450

If this doesn't float your boat, then check out the Faustine Phantom DX ($800) or the Aracom ( $650 - $770) attenuators. Those two are hands down, the best innovations for attenuators today. Both websites have clips galore showing off what they can do. I was going to go this route, but I really like what the Silent Sister has to offer. Time will tell of course, but so far from what I've heard, I am sold on its potential.

Also, if you plan on ordering the Faustine, you'll have to wait 6 months. I called the other day, and that is the time I was given. They are just swamped with orders. The Aracom is a bit more reasonable, with a 5 week wait list. Both of these have wait lists for a reason -- they are that f-ing good!

HotPlates are great when you aren't trying to attenuate high gain, high power amps IMO.

 

[volatileNoise]

With the band i play the master at about 7 o'clock

you must play at a very quiet level :?: