Alex's,Aracom,Faustine Attenuator's For MB Mark Amps?

[mxr2000]

Read many things about attenuator's, but basically on Marshall style amps, not a review yet with a mesa Boogie mark amp like the Mark IIc+ or any Mar series models is there any reason for this? I was interested on getting one for a IIc+ and a Caliber .50+ head , any body with experience with this attenuator could be kind to tell me,which one work best with a Mesa Boogie Mark series amps?

 

[Gainfreak]

Read many things about attenuator's, but basically on Marshall style amps, not a review yet with a mesa Boogie mark amp like the Mark IIc+ or any Mar series models is there any reason for this? I was interested on getting one for a IIc+ and a Caliber .50+ head , any body with experience with this attenuator could be kind to tell me,which one work best with a Mesa Boogie Mark series amps?

It has been my experiance that Attenuating a Boogie Mark series amp does not sound good at all. Now notice I said attenuating and not using a dummy load. Two different applications.
If you are using it to lower the volume then it's not really needed IMHO. Ive been using the Mark series since the 80's and the Master volumes on them are fine.

Now if you want to use a slave rig where you use an attenutor as a dummy load andthe boogie's volume is cooking....That sounds insanely good.

I used to do this all the time. The hookup was Boogie Mark into Dummy load. Set the volume to stun but no sound would come out because it was loaded down with the dummy load.
use the slave out of the boogie or the out from the Dummy load....send to your effects and then to a power amp or another Mark series amps return and now you have the blaring amp tone at any volume with effects added. You can control the volume at the slave amp.

Hope this helps

 

[blackba]

I used to run a Dr. Z airbrake with my mesa boogie mark IVA and really didn't find it helped much. The master volume on my mark IVA is really touchy, but works fine. I generally just run mine in half power, tweed mode to keep the volume down a bit.

Never tried slaving an amp, but I would like to test it out at some point.

 

[EXPcustom]

I attenuate my Mark IIC+ by using ear plugs.

 

[mxr2000]

I know slaving a boogie with a Power amp is the best to get a huge sound,but i'am looking for bedroom levels sound i was using my self at very low volumes a nice Caliber .50+ and studio 22.+ for this with great results but lack the open sound,sustain,liquid sound or clean sparkle, so i was hopping a attenuator to help do this...

 

[mxr2000]

bump

 

[Gainfreak]

I know slaving a boogie with a Power amp is the best to get a huge sound,but i'am looking for bedroom levels sound i was using my self at very low volumes a nice Caliber .50+ and studio 22.+ for this with great results but lack the open sound,sustain,liquid sound or clean sparkle, so i was hopping a attenuator to help do this...

I am able to get bedroom volume levels from my MKIV, My MKIII coliseum head which is 150 + watts and from my IIC+ when I owned one. They have good master volumes, so Im not sure why you aren't able to get the same results. If you have a bad hair trigger master(that sometimes happens with the Mark series,The secret to taming it is to rock the main volume knob back and forth until you get to the sweet spot. If you cant get that to work, Id have a tech look at your amp because the mesas have great master volumes. if you don't want to bother with swapping out the master volume pot.. Then try using an effects box in the loop that has a level control. You will notice as you turn down the level, the volume will go down.
Hope this helps and at least Ive given some things for you to try!!
all the best!

~R~

 

[MrDan666]

I agree 110% with Ralph,

The Mark Series Boogies are some of the best low volume amps ever made. The Masters on some of them do have that hair trigger effect where it jumps radically, but not all do that. Sometimes it's due to the pot being dirty/scratchy.

Best way to run the Boogies Mark's is to dummyload it like Ralph mentioned, and feed the signal into a clean tube poweramp. Sounds huge even at whisper quiet volumes

 

[Nico]

Man up and turn it up nothing sounds as good..

 

[blackba]

I agree 110% with Ralph,

The Mark Series Boogies are some of the best low volume amps ever made. The Masters on some of them do have that hair trigger effect where it jumps radically, but not all do that. Sometimes it's due to the pot being dirty/scratchy.

Best way to run the Boogies Mark's is to dummyload it like Ralph mentioned, and feed the signal into a clean tube poweramp. Sounds huge even at whisper quiet volumes

Hmmm, so maybe my master volume pot is just dirty? Mine has the hair trigger. I have to fool with it to get it at the right level. It is a bit scratchy if I turn it up. I will try turning it a bunch of times and then go to the contact cleaner if that doesn't work.

 

[MrDan666]

Hmmm, so maybe my master volume pot is just dirty? Mine has the hair trigger. I have to fool with it to get it at the right level. It is a bit scratchy if I turn it up. I will try turning it a bunch of times and then go to the contact cleaner if that doesn't work.

Yeah try the contact cleaner and see how you get on. If no luck, you can replace the pot and that should help

 

[mxr2000]

I know slaving a boogie with a Power amp is the best to get a huge sound,but i'am looking for bedroom levels sound i was using my self at very low volumes a nice Caliber .50+ and studio 22.+ for this with great results but lack the open sound,sustain,liquid sound or clean sparkle, so i was hopping a attenuator to help do this...

I am able to get bedroom volume levels from my MKIV, My MKIII coliseum head which is 150 + watts and from my IIC+ when I owned one. They have good master volumes, so Im not sure why you aren't able to get the same results. If you have a bad hair trigger master(that sometimes happens with the Mark series,The secret to taming it is to rock the main volume knob back and forth until you get to the sweet spot. If you cant get that to work, Id have a tech look at your amp because the mesas have great master volumes. if you don't want to bother with swapping out the master volume pot.. Then try using an effects box in the loop that has a level control. You will notice as you turn down the level, the volume will go down.
Hope this helps and at least Ive given some things for you to try!!
all the best!

~R~

Thanks for this info I owned the same gear in the past in fact that was my first tube amp way back in the early 80's very rare right now mine was a mark iib Coliseum Combo and heavier than me at that age. Is true that you can get a good sound from mark amps at a very low volume but loose a lot of the feel and dynamics of a hard working and cooking tubes, is true that Boogies magic is more Preamp but the power tubes play a very important part on Mark magic and thats what i wanted to to capture using a Attenuator.....

 

[mxr2000]

I agree 110% with Ralph,

The Mark Series Boogies are some of the best low volume amps ever made. The Masters on some of them do have that hair trigger effect where it jumps radically, but not all do that. Sometimes it's due to the pot being dirty/scratchy.

Best way to run the Boogies Mark's is to dummyload it like Ralph mentioned, and feed the signal into a clean tube poweramp. Sounds huge even at whisper quiet volumes

use to do that using in the past with a Studio 22 and My 50/50 and a Alesis Quadraverb huge sound..

 

[mxr2000]

Man up and turn it up nothing sounds as good..

yeah I agree Mark amps are like plexi a Men amp just crank and loose it .. but when you wake up is 5am and something comes in your mind while sleeping and that melody or sound that wants to become a reality, do you man up and turn it up too? lol

 

[blackba]

Hmmm, so maybe my master volume pot is just dirty? Mine has the hair trigger. I have to fool with it to get it at the right level. It is a bit scratchy if I turn it up. I will try turning it a bunch of times and then go to the contact cleaner if that doesn't work.

Yeah try the contact cleaner and see how you get on. If no luck, you can replace the pot and that should help

I got the crackle to go away just by exercising the volume pot. Its still touchy, but not as bad.

One thing I thought I would mentioned, when I bought my mark IVA used, it had 5751 preamp tubes in it. They are a lower gain 12AX7 for those that don't know about them. As I remember, they more changed the headroom of the amp, but didn't really change the overall volume. I do see to remember the volume being not as touchy with the 5751's, but its been a long time.

 

[jabberwocker]

I have an Aracom DAG I bought to use with a vintage plexi. Turns out it also works beautifully with my Boogie Mark V. I had been disappointed in the high gain channel, thought it was really thin, lack of fullness. But when you get the master cranked up even the IIc+ mode fills out and comes alive. The Aracom is extremely transparent. I don't really notice much tone/dynamics loss until high attenuation in variable mode. It's in another league than my old Weber MASS.

 

[blackba]

I have an Aracom DAG I bought to use with a vintage plexi. Turns out it also works beautifully with my Boogie Mark V. I had been disappointed in the high gain channel, thought it was really thin, lack of fullness. But when you get the master cranked up even the IIc+ mode fills out and comes alive. The Aracom is extremely transparent. I don't really notice much tone/dynamics loss until high attenuation in variable mode. It's in another league than my old Weber MASS.

I would love an Aracom DAG, but the price is very close to what I paid for my used mark IVA back in 2002. I keep hoping the price will come down more in the $400-500 range on those, but I think I am dreaming..

 

[mxr2000]

I have an Aracom DAG I bought to use with a vintage plexi. Turns out it also works beautifully with my Boogie Mark V. I had been disappointed in the high gain channel, thought it was really thin, lack of fullness. But when you get the master cranked up even the IIc+ mode fills out and comes alive. The Aracom is extremely transparent. I don't really notice much tone/dynamics loss until high attenuation in variable mode. It's in another league than my old Weber MASS.

Thats what i was thinking the Aracom, the Alex attenuator or the Faustine, the Alex attenuator is the less expensive of this units..