anyone here tried a jettenuator

[1big1]

i am going to be moving into into a smaller house in the not too distant future. i was thinking that the jettenuator would be a good solution for me to keep the volume levels in the range of something that won't invite the cops over. that way i can load the amp.. set the output level where i want.. or just run it straight into a board via the line out and play just about any amp or cab i have in my collection.
i've been using a jet direct to run an output to a mixer for live gigs.. and i like the way it sounds. it reminds me of using an sm 57. in the video on the jc site mike explains that the out is mic emulated and it appears that it's the same circuit as the jet direct.
has anybody used one of these? i will probably wind up getting one at some point.. just wanted opinions based on other people's experience with one. thanks in advance.

 

[AndyK]

I tried one, sent it back the same day! Sucked way too much high end out of the tone to be useful.

I have a Weber Mini Mass on the way, I'll post back here with my results.

 

[1big1]

thanks for your reply. i kind of like the idea behind the mini mass.

 

[AndyK]

They all kill some high end, but the Jettenuator really sucked! I liked the idea of the Jettenuator, small, line out, cheap. But it was lame.

The Marshall Power Brake has been my go-to, but mine is on the way out, so I've been experimenting. The Mini Mass has the added treble boosts, should be interesting!

 

[1big1]

not totally surprised by tone suckage from a passive load. i sort of expected some of that. i thought if i were running it straight into a channel input i could use the eq to add some of that back in. however if it sounds like a blanket? not so much. i do like the mike emulation from the jet direct.. but i'm not feeding tons of signal back through monitors or mains.. just enough to fill a little bit. too many highs in that app wouldn't be good live. it could be piercing.. or brittle.. or try to fill the range of cymbals if it's too bright.

 

[AndyK]

A blanket is pretty much it! I guess if you have piercing highs, it could help - but I like my highs!

 

[1big1]

agreed on the highs. without them it's mud. i've always said that if i were a foh engineer i would use the midrange as my suck control. get 'em wrong and it sucks.

 

[AndyK]

Yup, mids and highs are what make the guitar sound like a guitar!

 

[1big1]

true dat.

 

[sahlomonic]

I (still) have one of the first ones built. I can only compare it to the Marshall Powerbrake I had a couple years prior. I didn't care much for the Powerbrake mainly becuase it lacked options. I bought my Powerbrake for $20, and months later sold it for $200. Win? YOU BET! As far as tone I think the Jettenuator is a little better, but as said above it does suck out some high end and "attack", i.e. wet blanket syndrome. Pretty much any passive attenuator will perform like that. Having said that, I actually use the Jettenuator quite a lot. I leave the level all the way up and use it for the natural ~10% attenuation; gives me enough headroom to crank my amp into it's sweet spot and have it at a good volume level, and I'll compensate tone by turning up the treble and gain a little. It's not perfect, but for the price vs. options I like it a lot. The MicSim isn't the best when going straight to a board, however I have found that running that into a cab sim (I've tried Amplitube when recording at home) it really isn't half bad. I haven't experimented with the Line Out though so can't comment on that.

To be fair, there is a reason it's sold under the Jet City brand and not Soldano. I'm a Jet City fanboi at heart, but I'm also honest about my perception of their products.

 

[1big1]

thanks for your reply. i'm not looking for an attenuator that gives me a recording quality output. i have other tools i can use if i want to try to do that. i plan on using it more for home playing so i can do things like rehearse parts on gear i'm gigging with.. try different pedal and guitar combinations with amps i already have and patch in effects loops. like most folks here i like to crank an amp to it's sweet spot to do that. i don't think that's going to be possible under my new circumstances.. unless i can either iso.. or attenuate.
i have a few pieces of jet city gear as well.. so i've formed an idea of what i can expect. thanks.
i have to add that it does a couple of things that might be interesting. 1st.. it allows you to plug in mismatched head and cab options.. and 2nd.. you could run the mic sim and line out into a board and mix them as separate sources. kinda cool.
how well it plays with stuff i've got is another story.. but there's really only one way to find that out.

 

[AndyK]

I got my Weber Mini Mass 50 - awesome attenuator! Doesn't kill the highs much, and with the bright switch, you get them right back. A great transparent unit!

 

[1big1]

cool. after you've had it for a bit maybe you could start a different thread with your thoughts about it. pardon the pun.. but i'd be all ears.

 

[blackba]

I was initially excited when the Jettenuator was announced a good while back, but after clips and seeing other user reports, I am very happy I have my Alex Attenuator. The Alex or the Rivera Rockcrusher would be the two that I would look at.

 

[1big1]

thanks for your reply. i have read some good things about the alex as well. it's nice to have options.

 

[sahlomonic]

I was initially excited when the Jettenuator was announced a good while back, but after clips and seeing other user reports, I am very happy I have my Alex Attenuator. The Alex or the Rivera Rockcrusher would be the two that I would look at.

I think if your main concern is the price point, the Jettenuator will give you the most options for the cheapest price (and IMO still a good unit). If your main concern is sound quality, an Alex or Rockcrusher would be more appropriate.

Jet City is all about bang for the buck for the budget minded, so it all honesty it's unfair to expect top of the line quality from most of their products. Exceptions being their American line and the Earhart - those are top quality as far as I'm concerned. Having said that, Mike Soldano is not going to put his name on junk. Period.

 

[1big1]

well.. budget is a consideration. anytime you move there are always things that you find you need that you didn't budget for.
i found a yt vid where a guy was demo'ing a jettenuator and it sounded like he was getting some decent results with it.. but then again it was yt.
i'm not sure if any of the local stores that carry jet city have one in stock.. or i'd try one out first. when i got the jet direct they had to ask the sales rep if they could sell it because it was the display model and not on their inventory. i've been very happy with the results in a live application.
the one beef i had with one of their products was with my 2112 combo. the output got distorted after awhile so i took it to my tech to get it fixed. he scoped it and found that there was a wrong value resistor in the second triode of v-2. the resistor was 1.8k and it should have been 1k.. so it was sending about twice the voltage to the second triode of v-2 that it wanted to see.. and it fried a 500pf cap. it was an inexpensive repair.. replace the cap and piggy back another 1.8k resistor on the wrong value one to cut the voltage in half.. but it makes me wonder how many of those units went out the door with the wrong value resistor.
i should add that doug was very helpful in providing a schematic for the amp and was disappointed that i was having problems with it. their interest in their products and performance seems quite sincere.