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Post subject: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:30 pm
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An attenuator should be built into any > 35 watt professional grade amp. Some amps have this feature but most don't. I don't believe any Fender amps have a built in attenuator.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:37 pm
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But of course!

After all, they worked soooooo well in the Princeton Recording Amp.

:roll:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 6:38 am
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An attenuator should be built into any > 35 watt professional grade amp

mhowell, really? Why not have a small amp that has great tone (and not a reined-in bigger amp) for recording and practice. And a 35-50 watt one for gigging? Seems a lot simpler and better, to get the true potential out of both amps.

JMO. YMMV and all that Jazz. :)


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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:26 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
But of course!

After all, they worked soooooo well in the Princeton Recording Amp.

:roll:

Arjay

One point for Arjay!

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:46 am
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My hearing must be shot. I never thought an attenuator reigned-in an amp tone.

My thinking was that an an attenuator is a must in a high powered tube amp if you want to drive the power stage. How I got from there to saying it should be built in by the manufacturer is the result of pain medication. I'm doing much better now.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:25 pm
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That's why I have so many Porch Weasels. Different wattage amps for different needs. Thing is I can do everything I want with 20 watts now. I'd rather push the amp than hold it back. :wink: That Princeton Recording amp was a real dog. I had one for a really short period of time. The thing would overheat then shut down. I wish Fender would stop trying to reinvent the wheel that Leo so carefully and skillfully crafted. :?

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:43 pm
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63supro wrote:
That's why I have so many Porch Weasels. Different wattage amps for different needs.


That's really the best solution......

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If I need anything quieter then it's time for headphones -- louder and I break out the Vibroverb or a Showman.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:51 pm
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To attenuate more than 35 watts gets expensive; the Brake lite was over $150. to attenuate more than 50 watts gets even more costly; I don't think a lot of people will want that cost added to their amp.

While attenuators are available either as part of the circuit or included in the purchase, they can sometimes change the tone of the amp. I own 2 amps with attenuators -- my Dr. Z Mini Z, which is a 5 watt EL84 amp with Volume and Attenuation knobs only. Great for recording or on stage with a full PA and full monitors. My other amp is a 65 Bandmaster made into a 2x12 combo (see below) that has the Dr. Z Brake Lite screwed into the side of the cabinet. My Princeton and Princeton Reverb don't have one, and neither does my Showman - it's a matter of bringing the right amp that's needed for the gig.

If you're looking for one, I've really liked the Dr. Z; they also now make the SA version, which is the standalone so you can put it on top of an amp. The Airbrake is the larger version for amps over 50 watts, and it's even more expensive.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:11 am
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Remember that pushing an amp with an attenuator is just as hard on the tubes and rest of the amp as cranking the amp without one.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:26 am
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Seems a whole lot easier to restore one of these. Of course, I have a bunch of parts lying around.... :lol:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Fender- ... 3a76a66207


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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:31 pm
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Here's an example where they can be helpful:

You're playing at a club. your amp volume is at just that point where the power tubes start to add something to the conversation.

But the club is empty, and you're too loud.

With the attenuator, you can drop the volume down but still have that tone of power tube distortion. When the crowd comes in, you can back off the attenuator.

Another example - on the Mini Z, the attenuator lets you basically crank the amp, but at a 1 watt power rating. The EL84 sounds like it's going to detonate, but you can talk over it (and not get evicted). Even a Bronco gets obnoxiously loud by the time you get the 6V6 bottles cooking.

Having used one, it is different on some Fenders than turning up or down the volume. But they're certainly not for everyone.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:29 am
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What cracks me up is how I know so many guys who want all this tube saturation, spend all kinds of money on a great tube rig and then pollute the tone with a pedal board the size of Texas. :lol:
I'm not just talking a clean boost pedal, I'm talking four different types of fuzz boxes, lotas of overdrive pedals, a flanger, chorus, echos up the wazoo, compressor, gotta have the noise gate. Seems like an addiction. The excuse I hear is, "I can nail all those vintage tones". Nah, the old guys used a Fuzzface, or Rat, Wah, maybe an Echoplex and possibly a Rorovibe.

Me, I usually use a booster once in a while or an overdrive and possibly a wah, but not very often. I'm even thinking about getting either another Egnater Rebel 20 head, or one of the new Egnater Detroit series amps. One clean, one dirty and a just using a switchbox to go back and forth. I'd rather have two single channel amps than one multi channel amp, my reasoning is simplicity. If you look at all the rock solid amps out there, they are either single channel, or two channel with no gain stages and channel switching like the Twin, Deluxe Reverb, the old Vibrolux Reverb amps, Bandmasters etc.

Same thing with the Egnaters. The Rebel is a single channel amp while the thirty has two. Lots of what seems to be tube problems with the 30 for some reason, I've had zero problems with the Rebel 20 so it makes sense to me to have two. Total tube Nirvana with a wah once in a while. Pure tube tone is a beautiful thing. :wink:

Here's another one, most attenuators will color the tone to some degree even if just slightly.

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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:22 am
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
Seems a whole lot easier to restore one of these. Of course, I have a bunch of parts lying around.... :lol:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Fender- ... 3a76a66207

Wow that went cheap


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Post subject: Re: Attenuators should be standard
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:30 am
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Wow, real cheap! I paid $150 for my Champ in 86 and it doesn't have vibrato.

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