Rebel 30 with an attenuator?

[gregrjones]

Has anyone tried using the Rebel 30 with an attenuator?

I know this amp has scalable wattage, but its not the same as an attenuator (and I'm not sure why).

Running the amp at 1 watt, I'm still not able to push the master volume much to get power tube saturation. I don't normally need any more than 90 dB (and 90 is probably too loud) for stage levels.

If I got a power attenuator, I'm curious on what would yield the best results. Or are they even worth it?

It is interesting to me that I DO hear a slight difference with the blend knob going from EL84 to 6v6 even with my master volume on 9:00. This tells me that I'm still getting some power tube coloration even at low volume settings....

Would the blend knob be more dramatic with an attenuator though?

 

[Buckeyedog]

My buddy who plays with my old band uses a Weber Mass with his Rebel 30 and gets great tone.

 

[danelectro]

I use a Dr Z Airbrake with my Rebel 30. It allows me to get the power tubes breathing a bit yet still keep my stage level manageable. The sound guy loves it Another nice benefit of the Airbrake is the 5 position attenuator switch. My Les Paul is much louder than my Strat, so I set it the dial on 4 (about 10 or 12 Db attenuation) when using a Les Paul and flip it to 3 or 2 when I switch to my Strat.

 

[dan desy]

Of course you hear a difference with the tube mix knob: you're hearing the difference in how EL34 and 6V6 sound, and that's pretty much independent of volume/power. At higher power levels, you may hear more difference simply because of the breakup characteristics of each type of tube.

I haven't used an attenuators with my Rebel, because I like the tone as is, and was never a fan of attenuators.

 

[bonedish]

An attenuator would work. I used a Dr. Z Brake Lite that worked very well. I noticed very little tone loss with the Brake Lite, but max attenuation was only 8 or 10 db, IIRC.

Another cool trick that you can only do with the Rebel 30 is to use the record out to a mixer (or another power amp) and set the amp to silent record. You can crank the amp at 30 watts, and control the actual volume via the mixer/power amp.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.revengeamps.com/

scroll down to the middle...the sites pretty cluttered.

i bought the 8 ohm one for my tourmaster...and it works in all modes of power scaling. actually, it works REALLY well with it...and on the rare occasions that i get to leave my amp in 50 or 100 watt mode...it's nice to hear the amp breathing and feel it pushing some air with some extra power amp oooomph behind it.
i've posted about it before. spending money on music gear is hard for me to justify with 3 kids, my wife and just my income, so i have to spend wisely. 90 bux isn't a lot these days, so i was eager to try it. basically, id' recommend this to ANYONE and i'd put it up against any power attenuator that i've used in the past (hot plate, power brake, etc).

with any power atten you're going to lose some tone, thats the nature of the beast..you are reducing power and volume, and we all know tube tone comes from that...but, i have to say the tone loss/degredation is comparable to your favorite mass market looper pedal regeneration...it's pretty damned good...and works well enough for me to be able to jam with some tube power pushing my tourmaster at 10pm-2am while my family is a sleep, in a non insulated house, without disturbing them. granted, you're not going to start hearing and feeling results with an attenuator at bedroom levels...i think thats what people always expect..you HAVE to push your amp somewhat, then engage the power atten and go from there...

http://www.revengeamps.com/

try it, if you dont like it, im pretty sure you can always return it or flip it on ebay for little loss...i love mine. i was skeptical as all hell....90 bux? no way.

yes way.