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Post by blindwilly3fingers on Aug 21, 2019 14:31:46 GMT
That what made me unsure if they are good or not @defjef.
I know what it's supposed to do but apart from the effects loop where do you plug an attenuator into an amp? I've seen amps with built in attenuators. But is an attenuator a transformer or just a form of volume reduction? It's an area I'm not really sure of and haven't really researched.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2019 16:03:01 GMT
A proper attenuator goes between the power amp and the speakers to soak away the power coming from the final power section of the amp to the speaker. In this way you can really crank those famous EL84s, 6V6s etc. to actually hear what they sound like at full load without actually deafening yourself. We all hear about how those different power section valves respond to volume, how much headroom they have etc., but rarely get a chance to hear them actually do it unless the neighbours and the neighbours' neighbours are away. With an attenuator you can overload the lot and only then reduce the volume to the speaker. This tends to result in a lot of heat that needs to be dissipated. I know some attenuators, the Jet City one for instance, can get so hot that you need to let it cool a bit before you can even touch it to get off stage.
Anything that is really just a potentiometer and two jack sockets that sits in the loop is really just a form of master volume that is lowering the volume of the cranked pre amp tubes before they get to the power section so those power tubes never overdrive. I do wonder if some creativity is possible though by using one even if you have a master volume?
I do think some attenuators can be really useful as they often have speaker simulation and will serve as a load box so you can DI your guitar to your recording setup via your amp without actually using the speaker. A really handy trick that saves mic-ing and which gives a very individual sound that can be excellent.
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Post by MartinB on Aug 21, 2019 16:23:42 GMT
That's a really good call @defjef. An attenuator could be the answer MartinB, how much would you loose selling the laney? I've seen a JHS pedal sized attenuator for around £45 not sure how good it is? I’m not sure, the way things have gone I could potentially make a little on it, I got a Jazzmaster for a bargain price and traded it in for the Laney and a fancy cable, £450 for the JM iirc. reverb.com/price-guide/guide/2577Reverb price guide suggests I could get £450 or a bit more or less. There is a cable round the back going from the amp to the speaker, I guess this is where I could put an attenuator, between the amp and the speaker. |
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Post by blindwilly3fingers on Aug 21, 2019 17:18:46 GMT
That could be a result then MartinB, what would you get in the place of the Laney? Or would you just stick with the Fender? |
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Post by MartinB on Aug 21, 2019 17:22:40 GMT
I would just stick with the Fender, it does the job for me.
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Post by blindwilly3fingers on Aug 21, 2019 17:25:23 GMT
As long as you don't suffer seller's remorse and your sure about the Fender. Tough choice, I don't envy you making that decision MartinB. |
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Post by MartinB on Aug 21, 2019 17:47:01 GMT
It’s definitely one I should give a lot of time to think about.
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Post by salteedog on Aug 23, 2019 12:50:57 GMT
You wouldn't want to put one of those little mosky boxes between the amp and the speaker. No unless you want to fry your amp.
The Mosky 'Attenuator' is based on the EH signal Pad which is really a volume pedal without a 'pedal'.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2019 13:04:13 GMT
Yeah the Mosky and the JHS are just simple volume pots stuck in the loop. Not an attenuator at all. I was reading about the Jet City and the cheap Harley Benton one but even those seem to have certain design compromises despite the great features they offer. I'm not sure I'd want to risk my amp with either of those two either although that may be me being overly cautious.
It seems you really do get what you pay for with attenuators and, whatever the components are that cause them to be quite so costly, I really wonder if the money isn't better spent on a more suitable amp.
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Post by MartinB on Aug 23, 2019 15:23:21 GMT
I think it’ll be easiest to just keep the Fender and the Laney, the Laney is rated at 5W and can get way too loud for my room. Realistically I’d have to look for a 1W amp like the new Marshall and I don’t think it’ll be worth the bother of selling and buying.
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