Quilter…
….it looked like all the other answers were taken
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….it looked like all the other answers were taken
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What Do You Do When You Realize Your Amp is Too LOUD?
- Thread starter Lowspeid
- Start date
radiocaster
Doctor of Teleocity
Your cabs are too loud. 12" speakers are loud.
JustABluesGuy
Friend of Leo's
A lot of good advice here. I will probably repeat some, but here goes.
You cannot get %100 power tube distortion at whisper volume. I use a 2W Greta and it can get loud before breaking up. I have to throw a pedal at it to get much crunch at friendly volumes.
I also use an Eminence Reignmaker adjustable efficiency speaker with it to bring down the volume (at breakup) even further down.
And most importantly, I have different “expectations” for low volume playing. I don’t expect it to sound “exactly” the same as at higher volumes. I don’t expect to “feel” my chest thump or my pants legs to be blown about. I don’t expect power tube distortion, and settle for more pre-amp and pedal distortion.
If I wanted to djent in the same room with my wife as we watch TV I couldn’t. I would need some kind of digital modeling to do that. Also, if I was in a event band, and needed a bunch of different tones, I would definitely go with modeling of some kind.
I like tubes and don’t play out much at all, so my little Greta does well in that role. I can also jam with friends on acoustic guitars with no problem. Living room jams without a drummer are the sweet spot for that little screamer.
For low volume with high gain, a modeler will probably be your best bet. Again, reduced expectations are required. Nothing that I know of sounds like a cranked Marshall stack when played at whisper volumes, even a Marshall stack itself.
Louder may not always be better, but it usually is.*
* See the Fletcher Munson effect for more info.
You cannot get %100 power tube distortion at whisper volume. I use a 2W Greta and it can get loud before breaking up. I have to throw a pedal at it to get much crunch at friendly volumes.
I also use an Eminence Reignmaker adjustable efficiency speaker with it to bring down the volume (at breakup) even further down.
And most importantly, I have different “expectations” for low volume playing. I don’t expect it to sound “exactly” the same as at higher volumes. I don’t expect to “feel” my chest thump or my pants legs to be blown about. I don’t expect power tube distortion, and settle for more pre-amp and pedal distortion.
If I wanted to djent in the same room with my wife as we watch TV I couldn’t. I would need some kind of digital modeling to do that. Also, if I was in a event band, and needed a bunch of different tones, I would definitely go with modeling of some kind.
I like tubes and don’t play out much at all, so my little Greta does well in that role. I can also jam with friends on acoustic guitars with no problem. Living room jams without a drummer are the sweet spot for that little screamer.
For low volume with high gain, a modeler will probably be your best bet. Again, reduced expectations are required. Nothing that I know of sounds like a cranked Marshall stack when played at whisper volumes, even a Marshall stack itself.
Louder may not always be better, but it usually is.*
* See the Fletcher Munson effect for more info.
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JustABluesGuy
Friend of Leo's
I have an Eminence Reignmaker that can do 93dB.
radiocaster
Doctor of Teleocity
That's still loud. Compare that speaker to the one in the Greta or an 8" cab, and it's no contest.
You can actually crank those without your ears hurting.
SonicBlueByYou
TDPRI Member
I didn’t read all the replies, and I am sure someone wiser and more ruggedly handsome than me said this already, but in that case I use my attenuator to bring the tone I want down to acceptable levels.
in this hasty pic, see the Rivera Rockcrusher bottom left? It’s wired semi-permanently into the Tweed Deluxe clone 5e3. With that amp, with which you dial in the sound you want and it tells you how loud it is going to be, a GOOD attenuator is a no-brainer must have.
Keep the baby amps, use an amp you like and attenuate it.
in this hasty pic, see the Rivera Rockcrusher bottom left? It’s wired semi-permanently into the Tweed Deluxe clone 5e3. With that amp, with which you dial in the sound you want and it tells you how loud it is going to be, a GOOD attenuator is a no-brainer must have.
Keep the baby amps, use an amp you like and attenuate it.
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Back at it
Tele-Meister
I’m using a ps 2 for my bigger amps, works great. Even use it for my smaller amps so I can really crank them but try and keep what’s left of my hearing
Well that happens, because we're all different. Nowt wrong with that!
If you have EFX loops try a passive attenuator. I live in a third floor condo and use Mesa Boogie, Hughes and Kettner and Blackstar amps. No angry neigbors or neighborettes here
tfarny
Poster Extraordinaire
Yeah. I have an AC30 at home and a 40watt Fender style thing. Also a Helix thing into a 1000w powered monitor. They all have the ability to be turned down!
Loud - simply being loud - just plain makes things sound better. There is no substitute for loud. All of the tricks that make loud amps quieter, also make them sound worse because they are no longer LOUD!
Back at it
Tele-Meister
Thurman Munson, the thump in the gut, pant legs flapping,glorious guitar interaction with volume says nothing is quite like volume
but with accommodations you can make it livable
but with accommodations you can make it livable
ce24
Poster Extraordinaire
ISO BOX...????
codamedia
Poster Extraordinaire
there’s something about a cranked Tweed that no pedal can emulate.
Then buy an attenuator, crank the tweed and roll back the attenuator to the appropriate volume for the space.
The Little black box is NOT an attenuator.... the OX Box (from what I've read) has problems. A volume pedal is no different than turning down your guitar.
Get a good attenuator and call it a day. The tone will remain, your ears will perceive it differently. Try not to confuse the two!
The Ox Box has a lot of problems as an attenuator. It’s why I sold it. The Little black box and volume pedal are pretty much the same thing, and work like a master volume between the preamp and power section. Not bad, but you don’t get the power amp saturation.
I bought a Marshall Powerbrake (old tech, I know), and it sounds pretty good all things considered. But like all the other attenuators that I’ve tried it starts to get “fizzy” when you have the amp running “in the zone”, but tamp it down enough to not need earplugs. Like many have said already, it’s not wrong just different.
I’m just trying to think through if it’s worth hanging on to these amp, or if it’s time to move them on and go a different direction. Nothing beats a NMV Marshall or Tweed that’s being pushed (except maybe a Vox AC30 at Brian May volume). They are the most reactive, tactile, and satisfying amps I’ve personally ever played. It’s why I bought them in the first place. It’s just hard when I don’t have the opportunity to play them at those levels.
And for the record, both the SV20 and 20112 have fantastic lower volume cleans that I do really enjoy.
codamedia
Poster Extraordinaire
Decent attenuators don't add FIZZ... it's already there. It just becomes clear when the ears are not fighting for their life
Attenuator works great to bring it from way too loud down to merely loud. It’s going to sound crappy quiet. Try a modeler through some headphones.
I like those Harry Potter flags you got in that second pic.
Brent Hutto
Tele-Afflicted
I think in all seriousness, you have to either let go of the experience you've always loved listening to those cranked tube amps or you've got to live with having yourself and your neighbors blown away by way too loud sounds.
As friend middy says, you can use an attenuator to knock that back a good few dB and still get a semblance of the experience you crave at volumes that are just somewhat too loud rather than over the top. But to massively lower the volume is to fundamentally change the experience.
