Printable View
Hello everyone, I’m new here and really appreciate the opportunity to learn from all of you.
I have a SCXD and want to add an attenuator (Rivera Rockcrusher) for low volume sound with the warmth you get when turned up.
Have any of you done this and if so, what should I know before trying it out. I definitely don’t want to damage anything.
Attenuators come around every few years. They do reduce volume, but won't warm the amp up like a cranked tube amp. The cranked sound is the result of the interactions between the output transformer and the speaker, the front end and believe it or not, your ears. The warmth you are looking from is mostly from the power section and not the preamp section. I find that upping the preamp section gain actually adds some brittleness to the sound. In the old days of playing loud before we had the equipment we had today we would sometimes use the stage amps for preamps only and send the output to separate power amps. This allowed getting good amp volume without all the bad things that happen to mics onstage. If you look at concert pictures from the late 80's and 90's you'll often notice no mics on the speaker cabs. Later we learned about iso cabs offsage with mics in them. That's why when you really listen to bands live back then you realize they had a much cleaner sound than people seem to want to remember.
An iso cab may be a better bet for you if you're recording.
Honestly, the best way to get the cranked amp sound at lower volumes these days is to use a Fractal or PODXTPro If you want live volume use a FRFR monitor as a stage cab. Heckofalot easier and sounds better than an attenuated amp imho. I use that system onstage these days. I like that I can dial in the prescience, and sag I want to get a very organic feel. Plus, the sound people will love you for it. There are also some really nice modeling amps that will get the job done.
Others may have different opinions, I'm just telling you what works for me playing live.
Just out of curiosity, what type of music are you playing? That may have an impact on whether an attenuator is for you.
I know it sounds a bit snobby, but if your amp ain't doing it for you the way it was built, you have the wrong amp. Trust me on that one.
Chuck
Just out of curiosity, what type of music are you playing? That may have an impact on whether an attenuator is for you.
Chuck[/QUOTE]
Thanks Chuck for the response.
I play (or try) classic rock and some blues. It’s just for me playing at home. I don’t gig or play live, just trying to get the good sound from the amp with low volumes so I can keep the wife (and neighbors) happy.
When I want to crank one of my amps to a higher volume than is comfortable in the room, I will place the amp in a carpeted closet and stuff a towel under the door, and just run the microphone and guitar cables under the door. I have a variety of external speaker cabinets, and normally would put the cabinet in the closet and leave the amp out in the room so I can adjust the controls. With a cabinet, you can even cover it with a heavy packing blanket to further cut down on the volume escaping into the room. With a combo amp, I wouldn't cover it with a heavy blanket for long, as it may overheat.
There are even guitar amp isolation cabinets you can buy (or make).