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Bored, more guitar clips

Platypus

Platypus

Lifer
Well I finally got around to getting some new clips that people has been asking me for with my new 7 string axe and my new power tubes for my amp and my newest purchase: a high frequency signal attenuator.

Basically it allows me to crank the fvck out of my amp but gives it a global volume control so I can play in my apt and not piss off the neighbors.. gets my power tubes saturated as hell.

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Very rough takes so sorry for the slop, just laying down some 7 string tracks I know off the top of my head (Unearth is the band if you're familiar). If people want settings/equip info just let me know.
 
<edit>They're *finally* both downloaded. Takes forever on dialup. 😛

As always, sounds great 😎
 
I am a bit confused - what exactly is the purpose of the attenuator? You turn the volume way up on your amp, but then use the attenuator to turn it back down so you can play without disturbing the neighbors? Why did you need the attenuator to do that? How is that different from using the amp's volume control?

I've never used a tube amp so there's probably some factor I'm missing here.
 
Originally posted by: Special K
I am a bit confused - what exactly is the purpose of the attenuator? You turn the volume way up on your amp, but then use the attenuator to turn it back down so you can play without disturbing the neighbors? Why did you need the attenuator to do that? How is that different from using the amp's volume control?

I've never used a tube amp so there's probably some factor I'm missing here.
Click to expand...



I will try to explain it a little better.

On a tube amp when the volume is down low, to get any sort of distortion you have to crank the gain knob. This state of low volume, high gain is called pre-amp distortion. The preamp tubes are distorting giving you a distortion. However, this is not the smooth, buttery sustain filled distortion you buy a tube amp for. In order for you to get POWER tube distortion, those suckers have to be very hot (ie lots of power) and the only way to do that is to crank the volume.

The attenuator allows me to emulate the sound I would have in a huge concert hall, but gives me a global volume control INDEPENDENT of the two controls I mentioned earlier. It actually reduces your signal up to -16dB when run through it. Then, you use the other potentiometer to increase the dB from -16 on up.

As far as the amp is concerned, the attenuator is a dummy load, or a huge stack of speakers it's driving so for all it's concerned, the signal is going into these.. however it is going into this unit instead. This allows me to have the sound I want, get power tube saturation, but also play at a comfortable level without pissing people off.

I hope that makes more sense, it isn't the most technical description but I think it will help you.
 
Originally posted by: CorporateRecreation
Originally posted by: Special K
I am a bit confused - what exactly is the purpose of the attenuator? You turn the volume way up on your amp, but then use the attenuator to turn it back down so you can play without disturbing the neighbors? Why did you need the attenuator to do that? How is that different from using the amp's volume control?

I've never used a tube amp so there's probably some factor I'm missing here.
Click to expand...



I will try to explain it a little better.

On a tube amp when the volume is down low, to get any sort of distortion you have to crank the gain knob. This state of low volume, high gain is called pre-amp distortion. The preamp tubes are distorting giving you a distortion. However, this is not the smooth, buttery sustain filled distortion you buy a tube amp for. In order for you to get POWER tube distortion, those suckers have to be very hot (ie lots of power) and the only way to do that is to crank the volume.

The attenuator allows me to emulate the sound I would have in a huge concert hall, but gives me a global volume control INDEPENDENT of the two controls I mentioned earlier. It actually reduces your signal up to -16dB when run through it. Then, you use the other potentiometer to increase the dB from -16 on up.

As far as the amp is concerned, the attenuator is a dummy load, or a huge stack of speakers it's driving so for all it's concerned, the signal is going into these.. however it is going into this unit instead. This allows me to have the sound I want, get power tube saturation, but also play at a comfortable level without pissing people off.

I hope that makes more sense, it isn't the most technical description but I think it will help you.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. So is it true that a tube amp's distortion behaves totally different from a solid state amp's distortion? I don't notice too much of a difference in the quality of distortion in my solid state Marshall when the volume is low vs. high (gain knob turned as high as I want it).
 
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