Tube amps that needed a master volume

[nightlight]

I'd love to hear what you guys think.

I was messing around with a Sig:X today and got a noise complaint from within the house. I hadn't even cranked the thing, I think the channel volume was between 7 and 8 o'clock.

Now, this is an amp that demands to be played loud to get all the girth and power possible. It has three independent channel volumes, but no master volume.

The only way I could open it up was to hook it to a Fryette PS-2, which I'm so glad to have. That at least allows me to push the power amp and get some tube saturation and balls.

But a dedicated master volume would require one less piece of equipment to hook up or cart around.

It"s a complete contrast from the Victory Kraken I have. That amp has two channel volumes and does not require you to rattle windows and furniture in order to get some good tones out of it.

 

[motorboy1]

Fryettes are stupid loud. Master or no master. I had the sig x and yeah was hard to play quiet.

 

[Rottweiler]

I've noticed the same on my VHT / Fryette pittbull 50cl.
It takes crazy high volume to saturate vs my DSL. The PS100 makes a huge difference for me to get the sweet spot at a usable volume.
My 50cl has both a master and preamp vol controls. You can hear a little poweramp mojo with the master around 3 o clock and higher, but the amp stays tight and dry unless you push the volume in the preamp to near max in conjunction with higher master settings.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I'm not really a guitar amp afficionado or really even a guitarist, but I have two tube amps for guitar. One is a '61 Brown Deluxe that absolutely needs to be cranked to get break up and the other is a modern Chinese AC10C1 with a master volume that can be played at bedroom volume and still sound good and distort decently.

 

[DanTravis62]

I'm not really a guitar amp afficionado or really even a guitarist, but I have two tube amps for guitar. One is a '61 Brown Deluxe that absolutely needs to be cranked to get break up and the other is a modern Chinese AC10C1 with a master volume that can be played at bedroom volume and still sound good and distort decently.

brownface deluxe?! fuck yeah man those things are nice

 

[Floyd Eye]

brownface deluxe?! fuck yeah man those things are nice

Yes they are. Mine was re-capped by Don Butler about 10 years ago. Sporting NOS 40s RCA Blackplates and Bugle Boys. I wasn't sure about the Cream 90 since the Brown is a 22 watt amp, but it sounds fucking killer.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yes they are. Mine was re-capped by Don Butler about 10 years ago. Sporting NOS 40s RCA Blackplates and Bugle Boys. I wasn't sure about the Cream 90 since the Brown is a 22 watt amp, but it sounds fucking killer.

Badass. That's the perfect "At home" or small jam type amp

 

[TheGreatGreen]

All the 5150 III amps would benefit from a Master volume. As they are, the Volume controls are channel volumes, and the actual poweramp always runs at 100% power.

A master volume would let you turn one knob for overall loudness while you retained channel volume balance, and it would also mean the level control of the last effect in the effects loop would no longer act as the actual Master volume like it does now.