Anyone feel like they don't gain from using an attenuator?

peterc52

peterc52

Well-known member
I really don't feel like I gain anything from using a attenuator.

Do anyones use them with something other than no master volume amps?

Even my old JMP 2203 sounds as good without the attenuator.

I'm using a Two Notes Reload btw
 
peterc52 said:
I really don't feel like I gain anything from using a attenuator.

Do anyones use them with something other than no master volume amps?

Even my old JMP 2203 sounds as good without the attenuator.

I'm using a Two Notes Reload btw
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I have one, but I hardly use it with my 72 Marshall. It sounds killer enough with the high treble vol on 0, rhythm ch vol on 0.5 then boosted. It's quiet enough for low volume playing. This is why I returned the Power Station...I didn't need an FX loop since I have a line out box and a separate W/D/W rig. There's just no substitute for that awesome speaker compression you lose with an attenuator. Just using a pedal gets the job done.
 
I've never liked either attenuators or noise gates. I've tried many but they all color the sound some what. They change the dynamic of the pick attack which to me is super important since I play metal.

I can't handle digital pedals either, they really fuck things up for me.

If anything in my line from guitar to amp changes the tone in a bad way, it doesn't stay on my board.
 
I use them exclusively. Mainly it’s just the setup and flexibility paying through my studio monitors.
 
Depends on what youre trying to gain from an attenuator.

They're great for NMV marshalls and vintage style amps, but I mostly use my PS1 as a power amp. The Larry MV is so ridiculously good that it makes no difference at all using the PS1 as an attenuator with it.
 
peterc52 said:
So only for load box purposes?
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Yes, I have all my amps going into a de Lisle amp selector, with a Captor X and a Sure RL. Out of the there I have all my time based effects then going into my audio interface to my studio monitors.
 
I had an amazing sounding 67 SB that was in almost mint condition, and was one of the best Marshalls I've heard. The thing was perfect either loud(with it's own breakup) or at low volume with pedals pushing it. Had it for two years, and around early 2001, I got an attenuator for it, and after about a week, it fried the OT. And it wasn't even pushing it that hard. Amp volume was about 2:00 and attenuator three clicks down. Tried everything from older transformers, new MM, the original rewound twice, but the amp never sounded that great again. So I promised I would never ever use another attenuator again.
Plus, I never heard an amp with an attenuator that sound as good as one without it or with a decent Master Volume.
Matter of fact, I even avoid buying amps from people who uses them with attenuator. With the volume of amps that I've had the chance to own, coincidence or not, the ones that were previously used constantly with an attenuator, were the least inspiring ones, and the ones that got booted not long after.
More power to the ones who likes and use them.
Me? I hate them.
That's my experience with attenuators.
 
I use a Ho attenuator with my Blankenship plexi. I recorded the amp with the attenuator and without, sound was 97% the same. And eqing the amp could make up the difference. Used this attenuator/amp a lot, every day pretty much for 15 years and never had an issue. But for my DSL and JCM800 style amps, master volume works fine.
 
dstroud said:
I use a Ho attenuator with my Blankenship plexi. I recorded the amp with the attenuator and without, sound was 97% the same. And eqing the amp could make up the difference. Used this attenuator/amp a lot, every day pretty much for 15 years and never had an issue. But for my DSL and JCM800 style amps, master volume works fine.
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I have always said, I want to buy Ho Attenuators and call the product "Pimp Hand".
 
I much preferred reamping to attenuators, whether it be a power station or Suhr rl into a power amp.

I find reamping almost essential for non master volume amps, whether pushing them to break up or just getting them to a point where they sing. I like to jump the channels on my Vox ac50 and doing this it’s just not possible to play at low volumes, so reamping really helps here.

As far as master volume amps, I generally don’t find reamping or attenuators of much use. Main use case I can see would be for an amp like the Marshall silver jubilee, sure the master volume is pretty good, but it sounds the best when the output master is on 6 or above, which then means the other volume controls become very touchy. So an attenuator or reamp setup is nice in those instances.

I should mention I am using the term reamping as in slaving. Not talking about the recording reamping which I realize was the first use of the term.
 
I have been using attenuators since the Tom Shultz came out in the early 80's. I tried a lot of them. I have a few THD Hot Plate and a Fryette PS100 here.

My experience is most of my amps do not sound better with attenuation.

Some sound better with the THD. Some sound better with the Fryette.

If you have the volume really low no matter what you are using it probably isn't going to sound that great. The speaker need to be pushed enough to get a decent sound.

So it really comes down to the entire rig and what you are trying to accomplish.

There isn't anything universal.
 
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My current amps sound fine without it. I'm using a fryette ps2 and honestly I haven't used it in months. I will be using it at a load box this week though. Nice to have but very rarely needed these days
 
I don’t think a cab or a load sounds equal. They are different. But I don’t think one is better, just different. I love the sound of a cab in the room, it’s more raw and organic to me. But it’s also not a finished sound, not a full chain. It’s missing the part of being mic’d up into a mic preamp which is what the sound of a good Reactive Load is, which is more of a polished, finished sound to me.

If you tried to tried to mic the cab and run it through a mic-pre, then I think it would just sound like a good load with IR’s played through your monitors.

I like both, but I think you can pull your hair out if you try to make them sound equal. There’s just more in the chain of a reactive load closer to a finished sound on an album. If you like the in the room cab sound, then I can understand why any type of load probably won’t work for you.
 
DanTravis62 said:
The Larry MV is so ridiculously good that it makes no difference at all using the PS1 as an attenuator with it.
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Well noticed! The reason is, because the MV's in my DINO, Pure Metal Machine & Rock Wizard amps aren't usual Mastervolume circuits, but active gain controls of the last stage before the power amp, stepless regulating the gain of this stage between full blast and cut off.
Hence I've named this control never 'Master', but 'Output'
 
novosibir said:
Well noticed! The reason is, because the MV's in my DINO, Pure Metal Machine & Rock Wizard amps aren't usual Mastervolume circuits, but active gain controls of the last stage before the power amp, stepless regulating the gain of this stage between full blast and cut off.
Hence I've named this control never 'Master', but 'Output'
Click to expand...

Absolutely makes sense, it is by the far the most natural sounding at low volumes of any amp I've ever used 🤷

It has impressed many friends who had come by late at night, but "have" to try the Larry 🤣👌
 
I Never use an attenuator. I do own a fryette ps-2 for sometimes adding fx's to my old amps. At unity gain I can't notice a tone loss.
 
I honestly get what I want with out one . I’m using modern hi gain heads and at some turning it up makes the amp sound worse . My masters stay at 4 to 5 loudest and I’m really happy . For me that is
 
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