Amp attenuators are great!

Jahn

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Finally I can crank an amp without disturbing the neighbors! Can't believe it took me this long to learn about them. Anyhow, here's the Guild Starfire II Special cranking a '64 Princeton, but due to the Weber Mass 150 it's still at speaking levels believe it or not!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jgcyrM3z9c
 

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How much did you score that for, Jahn? You must have made the family a lot happier with the lower volume.
And it sounds great!
 

Jahn

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ooh i got it in a trade, i had a pedal i got for $175 and he shipped the attenuator and 40 bucks to me, so $135 for this thing when the dust settled. the family indeed is loving it!
 

capnjuan

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Hi Jahn; great tone! For those who might not know, this is how the Weber, or any other, volume atttenuator works. The attenuator allows the amp to be turned up inducing distortion in the preamp / output tubes, damped back down - without messing up the signal - and put back into the speaker. Result; the sound of an amp screaming along at 9/10 on the volume dial but at pain-free, room-level volume.

weberattenuator.jpg


Source: Weber VST

FWIW: any easily-distorted late 50s/early 60s twin 6V6 amp will more or less sound like Jahn's without an attenuator because, unlike the Princeton and many other highly-regarded Fender models, these 'brown' amps break up at 4/5, about the limit of room-level volume. Attenuators are widely used by players wanting to record, wanting the distortion, but unable to tolerate 9/10 volume to get it.
 
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