Tried a Hot Plate w/ LSC 1x12

[old-guy]

Hi Guys!

Since I got my LSC 1x12 I put my Hot Plate back into its box and into my closet. I didn't bother to hook it up because I loved the tone of the amp "as is."

Last night, for some reason, (maybe that I paid 279.00 for it and it was just keeping my clothes company) I hooked it up.

We all know Mesas' sound better when we get the tubes "cook'n".

Excuse my language but holy f**king s**t. Better than sex. Now ........ is it as good as playing in a concert hall with the amp "wide open"? (No)
Does it sound allot better than playing the amp "low" at home?
YOU BET CHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At -4db to -12db very transparent, at -16db and lower you lose some tone
but this is at extremely low volume (bedroom level) and still sounds way better than if the amp's output had been lowered cause the tubes are "still cook'n." At -16db there's a bass & treble boost which I don't use but they're there and "actually do work" if you engage them.

Guys ................... REALLY NICE and I am one fussy ******* when it comes to tone. So if it had sucked or not made any difference I would have told you. Remember, I thought the amp sounded great before, I really didn't think the H.P. was gonna make a difference.

All I can say is ........ There is a God !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's"that good".

Thanks guys!

 

[user 1198]

Okay, now you have convinced me to try it. I have an LSC 2x12 and an 8 ohm Hot Plate (which I use with another amp). The only reason I haven't tried it yet is because I currently have the speakers in my LSC hooked up to the 4 ohm jacks and I really like the way the amp sounds plugged into those jacks.

 

[old-guy]

CodeTitan,

I had run mine through the 4 ohm output for a while for a "tonal" change.
(I liked the sound too)

Is the 2 x 12 combo rated @ 8 ohms? If it is, give it a try, you already know what you're doing. It'll take you 1 minute to hook it up. You already own the H.P., you got nothing to lose.

I know nothing replaces the tone of these (or any amp) when they're in a room where you can really "let them breath". But I'm telling ya, I set it up at a "tonal" volume that I love, but it's just too loud for my home, hooked up the H.P. and I'm in heaven. Even set at -16db, channel 2, I couldn't believe the sustain that I got at this extremely low volume. (LP Std) I set it at -12db when the wife's home, -8db when she's out. Either setting I'm happy with the sound.

Isn't there a commercial on TV .............. JUST DO IT!

If you don't think it's that good, just switch it back and you're done. But at least you'll "know".

Thanks,
Bob

 

[LSCMan]

I've been contemplating a HotPlate for the last few days, I guess you guys just decided it for me.

That thing is hella loud, but it sure sounds sweet. :wink:

 

[old-guy]

LSSMan
You own the LSC and the LSS? (if I remember correctly) If that is you I'm jealous as hell!

Anyway, if you do go for the H.P. please do me a favor. You know we all "hear" things differently. Make sure you buy it from a place that you can return it to just in the "unlikely" event you don't think it's "that good."

Also, I've read allot of reviews on other brands. (Dr.Z, Weber, Marshall
etc.) First, they all seem to use the H.P. as the "standard" for attenuaters.
(Now, you guys who own other brands, don't jump all over me, I'm sure they're great and if you're happy with them that's all that matters.)
It seems that the H.P. usually "wins" especially at the "lower settings."
Now, isn't the lower settings why we buy one of these to begin with?

Here's my dislikes. It does not have an "ohm" switch. You have an amp running 8 ohm and another running 4 ohm you have to buy 2 H.P's, that's 600.00 (+or-). Also, I absolutely HATE the freak'n "colors". They couldn't just make them black. (Creme' color LSC with a Purple H.P. YUK.)

But ........................ they do work great.

Good luck!
Bob

 

[SabuJSE]

OG, you definitely have me intrigued by this... I thought I was perfectly happy with my tone but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't give this a twirl?

Has anyone tried this with a LSS yet - CHannel 2, 5/15/30w modes?

OG - did you use it at the 50 or the 100 watt setting on the LSC?

My wife is going to shoot me

 

[LSCMan]

I used to have one of the Marshall Powerbrakes a few years ago, it sucked the big suck and ended up in the trash.

OG, I do have one of each, just got the Classic back from the shop. Fuckin' guy charged me $65 to fix it. :evil:

I ordered a HP from SameDayMusic last night.

 

[Guitar55]

Old-Guy,

I just found out that my LSC 1x12 is due in the store next week and I have been contemplating getting an attenuator. The only issue I have is that I also want to get a 1x12 ext cab for bigger gigs and I need one that has switchable impedance. I know one of them does, I just have to do some research.

Dennis

 

[old-guy]

SabuJSE,
Ive tried it on 50w and 100w. Both excellent
I'm gonna try "tweed" next. Maybe later today if I have a chance.

You could "cook" all 4 of those 84's and be able to stay in the same room.

Don't know any LSS owners that have the H.P. hooked up. But like I suggested to LSSMan. If you order one make sure you get it from a place that you can return it to if you're not happy. So, you're risking the cost of return shipping.

Or ...................... sit tight. LSSMan owns both. He's got the LSC AND the LSS. (Man do I hate him for that ................ only kidding) He'll be getting his H.P. I'm sure he'll be happy to let you how he likes it with "both" of his amps.

When I first got my H.P. and hooked it up, my wife kissed me. O.K it wasn't cheap, but, she can go into the den and watch TV or read and bearly hear me. (believe me, not a big house) And me ......... I get the tone I love and can still stay in the same room.

It was a win / win situation.

LSSMan,

He charged you .................. THAT SUCKS. Mesa didn't cover it?
Well look at it this way, if you had taken out the chassis, packed it and shipped it (with insurance), it would have cost you more. I know you had to drive quite a distance, but if it's fixed and working, hey just chalk it up to an "inconvenient" situation that got resolved. Things really could have been a "whole lot worse."

I'm glad you got it back. Enjoy it!

(It's gotta be freak'n cold up there!)
My wife's mouth dropped open when I told her where you live.

Good luck guys!

 

[old-guy]

Guitar55,

Dr. Z Air Brake. Adjustable ohm switch. They're rated less than 100w. I don't know if that includes 100w or not. (H.P. goes to 185w)

Weber Mass, (not the Mini Mass) adjustable ohm switch, check their options and power ratings. (Weber much more versatile)

Both these got good reviews from "pro" testing. Go on H.C. and you'll always find someone who thinks one of them sucks.

I believe the Weber Mass has more options on their top of the line unit.

None of them are cheap. But like I said, from what I've read these two are "top notch".

Good Luck with your new amp. YOU'LL LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care!

 

[cnumb44]

Hey Bob, I picked up an 8ohm HP on ebay. I'll let you know what I think. If nothing else, I can always sell it. I used a MASS on my old Marshall and thought it sounded very nice. They have a new version that I tried and it wasn't as good, in my opinion.

I do like using an attenuator and getting that full blown sound at lower levels. I'll let you know what I think!

 

[Dersu Uzala]

Had an HP for a while now and I've never seen the bulb inside lit?
Anyone has any clue about what output level you need to hit before darn thing goes off. I mean just for the effect (and extra loss of juice).
Otherwise I'm ecstatic about the darn thing. Been looking for something like that for 20 years and being an audio purist, I hate putting fuses, dummy load (or a light bulb!!!) and the like in a signal chain.

 

[cnumb44]

Dersu, sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but do you have the switch set to bulbs on? The selects the noise reduction from what I just saw on their web site.

 

[Dersu Uzala]

cnumb44, I haven't really checked the manual, since everything is pretty much self explanatory. Therefore I can't tell for sure which way the switch points to when it's 'on' opposed to 'off'. I did however flipped it both ways and I get no lights anyway. I remember reading somewhere, perhaps briefly in the brochure, that the current needs to reach a certain output level for the bulb to light. I guess I'll have to go RTFM (read the friggin' manual).

 

[old-guy]

OK boys here ya go.

First, as Jerry said make sure you have the switch on.

Now, the light is actually the fuse. (There's 2 inside the unit)

You basically have to have the unit at "eye level" to see the light.
If the unit is placed lower or higher-up you won't see it.

The light gets brighter as you increase the power going through the HP. Even at eye level @ -16db you won't see anything.

The "fan" is not electric. It's "heat activated" it only spins if the unit is getting hot. Playing at home at my levels, and for the amount of time I play, I don't think mine has ever gone on. (which is a good thing)

You wanna know how I know this???????????????

About a year ago when I first got it I called THD and told them there was something wrong with my HP. Talked with Andy Marshall. (oops)
And there ya go!

Bob

 

[Dersu Uzala]

Much obliged, old-guy. ' figured someone's in the know.

 

[Guitar55]

After having my LSC for 2 days, I don't see any apparent need for an attenuator.

 

[old-guy]

I'm no expert and I'm not saying this is "fact", but, here's what I discovered. (this is my experience)

I got my G&L yesterday. My amp is set up for my LP.

I play the LP at -12db. That's a very comfortable level for the house and gives me a real nice tone. (guitar volume @ 5)

Now, if I plug in the G&L and leave all the settings on the amp alone, I can actually decrease the attenuation (which increases the volume) to
-4db and bring the guitar volume to 8. So, in all honesty I could probably play the G&L through the LSC without the HP.

The LP is a MUCH hotter guitar. At -4db and the volume @ 8 it's way too loud. So I would say that the guitar being used may also be a factor.

I'm not saying that everyone who has the LSC should run out and get a HP. I have a small house and I'm in a small 9x10 "music room". You may be able to use more volume than I can.

Also, I had the LSC for 4 months and never bothered to hook up my HP because I didn't think I needed it. (My opinion was "this amp sounds great, couldn't sound any better)

After 4 months I'm still learning what this amp can do. (tonally) I did the HP comparision based on the same setting I'd been using for over 2 months. (I had that "sound" burned in my brain) I could "hear" the difference with the tubes cranked more and the amp attenuated. I liked the results so it's part of my rig now.

Do you think that after 2 whole days you could make a real comparison? I'm not being a wise ***, just think about it. I would say run your amp "as is", it's a great amp with or without the HP. Once you've had it for a while, and you have your favorite tone "burned into you head", that would be a great time to try a HP (or anything) for a tonal comparison.

NO ARGUMENT ........... the amp is excellent w/o anything hooked up.

If you don't need to attenuate that's great. Save $300.00. I wouldn't have a problem with that at all !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, enjoy your amp! (you got great taste) :wink:

 

[Guitar55]

Old-guy,

Of course, I still need to try it "live", but it appears that I can get great tones at various volume levels. Attenuators are great for non-master volume amps, but I don't think I'll need it - and you're right, it would be great to save the $$$

Dennis