POWER ATTENUATORS
Why do you need a power attenuator? Simple answer is to get the best out of the amp you spent all that money on! Most of the classic sounds we all try to emulate come from power stage distortion not preamp distortion and there is only one way to get this - turn the amp up. Obviously that can be problematic in all but the biggest venues so the answer is a power attenuator and we stock two of the best available
THD HOTPLATE £250
THD HOTPLATE £250
The Hotplate has acquired a reputation as being one of the best attenuators around, bringing down the volume without sacrificing your tone.
You plug the Hotplate between your amp and the speaker (can be done with combos as well as separate speaker cabs) and use the Hotplate to soak up some of the volume. There are a number of settings for different levels of attenuation allowing fine tuning of the volume. At the lowest power level a volume control comes into play allowing things to be turned right down to bedroom levels if need be.
Obviously when the volume comes down significantly then the speakers will not be acting as they would at higher volumes which will affect the tone - the Hotplate is frequency compensated to allow for this and also how we perceive sound at volume. In addition it has a Deep and a Bright switch which can help compensate for the tonal affects of volume reduction. The Hotplate has a line out which can drive effects, other amps or be used for recording in conjunction with a speaker simulator. There is also a built in noise suppressor circuit which is very transparent and to our ears has little if any affect on the tone. The Hotplate will not cause any problems with your amp - just make sure you use the right impedance value. Unfortunately this means you don't get to choose your colour but they all look great anyway. If you have any questions about this please give Pete a call or bring your amp in for a demo.
KOCH LOADBOX II £275
The Koch Loadbox II is an essential tool for any guitarist offering 5 levels of attenuation, the option to run multiple cabs, two direct outputs, a speaker simulated (two cab and mike placement options) output on jack or balanced XLR and a volume controlled headphone output. This little box adds in all those features that would be great to have in a classic valve amp and enables you to use it to full advantage.
The Loadbox can handle up to 120W of power and comes in 4, 8 and 16 ohm variants.