I was advised to try a power attenuator to elevate tone at lower volumes. Not a tech guy. I just try to make the purty sounds...any advice? Willing to learn. Is this an off board item? Don’t really want to mod the 210-65 if possible.
Sat, 02/01/2020 - 14:50
#1
Attenuator
An attenuator is a box you plug in between your amp's output and your speaker's input using 1/4" speaker cables. It acts to soak up/bleed off/reduce the wattage going to the speaker, so you can control the overall volume heard. It lets you crank up your amp volume controls while keeping the actual volume level where you want it.
There are a number of ways to achieve this, IMHO the best ones have silent speaker motors (no cones) so the amp thinks it's just pushing more speakers.
Attenuator
Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. I have received -outside the forum- 3 opinions all on the fence or negative for use. I’ll share them for conversation:
1. They diminish tonal quality. Get a smaller amp.
2. Just turn amp down, it’s a myth
3. They are hard on amp transformer, instead use low power setting and the 2 stepped volumes (master/gain).
Thanks all.
I trust the third explicitly coming from my uncle who took the amp from someones’s storage shed as mouse habitat to a beautiful resto. If someone were to have a good experience with one on this same amp- I’d be curious to know specifics on the device.
My Experience
I've used attenuators will a number of different amps over the years, don't use one now because:
1 - It was another piece of equipment to carry and setup
2 - It was good for pushing the amp into overdrive without pedals, but you have to like the amps natural overdrive to want that
3 - I prefer a clean tone as my base and add FX pedals (like overdrives) as needed
For MM amps with Master Volume controls, you can get natural overdrive by cranking the channel volume and controlling overall volume with the Master. Some people like that sound, some don't.
Since MM amps are designed to stay clean nearly all the way up, it would follow that you are pushing the amp harder. That said, I never personally encountered any issues doing so with an attenuator. Don't think you are exceeding the design limits of the amp.
Again, just my experience, your mileage may vary...