`
I'd like to start this review off by pointing out how the Fryette PS-100 is often referred to as an "attenuator", but that label grossly minimizes what this device really does in my opinion.
Sure, it can attenuate - in the sense that you can turn it down - but functionally it's still a vacuum tube based signal amplifier, just one that reacts to an amp's speaker load (i.e. a "Reactance Amplifier") instead of something like a low level preamp signal.
It's basically designed to take a guitar amplifier's speaker output signal and further re-amplify it before driving a physical speaker (or not: *There are also options for silent "Direct-In" mixer and recording as well).
Its real value is providing practically unlimited control over your rig's output volume, either high or low, while still essentially retaining the original amp's character.
One of the main advantages of the Fryette PS-100 is that it allows me to scale my 12 watt 2019 Fender '57 Custom Deluxe's perceived output volume so I can use it in practically any venue I may find myself in.
Probably the biggest problem with any Fender 5E3 Deluxe style amp is that you can really only dial it in for one sweet-spot (at least the the way I use it - heavy overdrive when the guitar volume is cranked but cleans up nicely when the volume is backed off).
So, being a single channel amp, I'm limited to the setting that works best no matter where I'm playing. In smaller clubs it may be too loud, while in larger clubs it may get drowned out. There are also other limitations in the 5E3 design, such as a single tone control and no effects loop.
Sure, the Deluxe can be modded to add such features, but I'm not willing to run the risk of messing with the uniquely pure gain structure that made me fall in love with it in the first place.
With the PS-100, not only can I adjust the overall volume of my little Fender Deluxe to suit various performance situations, but I can essentially channel switch and add effects at the end of the signal chain rather than at the beginning - not to mention providing the extra control for fine tuning the tone if needed.
So any simple amp can suddenly become vastly more versatile using the PS-100.
In my case I can crank my beloved Deluxe up to its sweet-spot while setting the overall output where I need it and even have the ability to switch between the two PS-100 channels for rhythm or lead playing. In that sense the Deluxe still works exactly the same way (riding the guitar's volume to dial in either clean or dirt), except now I can have the rhythm channel volume set a little higher, for example, since I usually lower the guitar volume to clean things up. Plus the effects loop can be utilized for effects that work best there, like reverb or delay.
I actually run an EQ pedal through my PS-100 effects loop, to add far more tonal adjustability to the far too limited single tone control that my Deluxe has. Previously I had to run the EQ in front of the amp, which only changes to character of the guitar, not the amp itself.
~~~~
Okay, so far I've been only pointing out the Fryette PS-100's advantages, but unfortunately there are a few notable downsides worth mentioning:
1) The roughly $1000+ price tag (as of Feb 2022).
Obviously not everyone needs something like this, so justifying getting one can be difficult - especially since there are definitely alternatives (such as channel switching amps that essentially have the same functions). Even so, I included some further thoughts about why someone might still want to consider getting a PS-100, even in those situations (to be addressed below).
2) It's Heavy.
At 16 lbs (7+kgs) you'll certainly notice its hefty mass when loading, unloading and setting up this behemoth. It's also difficult to handle since there's nothing to grab onto and I'm always afraid I'm going to drop it sooner or later. That's not only because of the weight, but because of the size, which leads to...
3) It's large and bulky.
Not only do I not look forward to lugging this thing around, but finding a place to put it also takes some forethought. This is partly due to its rather large footprint, but it also needs to be placed in a way where air can sufficiently circulate for cooling purposes, which leads to...
4) It runs hot!
You aren't getting 100 watts out of the two 6550 power tubes without a lot of thermal dissipation. While the PS-100 comes with a built in cooling fan, it still needs to have space for airflow to be effective. The company claims that it's designed to withstand the heat, but, being the paranoid person I am when it comes to my gear, I'd definitely consider bringing an extra fan on super hot days.
5) This may just be an isolated incident, but the first couple of times I turned on my new PS-100 I noticed a weird crackling noise while warming up, but that has since stopped, so hopefully it was just the new tubes burning in or something.
6) This is not a fault of the Fryette PS-100 in any way, but, one unavoidable side-effect of amplifying any signal is that you will also be amplifying any extraneous noise as well. So if your amp is noisy, then expect that noise to get louder as you crank the PS-100 up. Perhaps a noise gate might be useful (through the effects loop) if it becomes a major issue at concert level volumes.
Fryette sells a padded carrying case, as well as hardware to have it rack mounted, so some of the transporting issues might be minimized. I was considering rack mounting mine but am a little concerned whether rack mounting it would cause over-heating problems with it being in such a confined space. The padded case definitely seems like a good idea though, so I got that, along with their lighted footswitch, to complete the package.
~~~~
SOUND
So the number one question has to be "Does it retain the amp's original voice"? The answer, in my opinion, is basically "yes", BUT! It's not quite that straight forward either.
For one thing, since it has several switches and knobs that can be used to adjust the tone, by design there is no preset "exact copy" setting. That said, after tweaking things I was able to do an A/B sound test - where as far as I'm concerned any differences were virtually imperceptible *(at "unity gain": where the levels are the same whether the unit is bypassed or not).
Of course the real test is how it sounds when the volume is raised or lowered and what I found so far is that the original tone seems to hold true, with the only real exception being when turned down to very low levels, but I think that has more to do with "the laws of physics" rather than any "device based tonal degradation".
You see, as the the volume is decreased on the PS-100 some of the highs seem to get lost (just like they do on most attenuators), but I suspect that this is more of a mechanical trait of any amp not providing a speaker with an optimal amount of signal strength. It just makes sense to me that any extremely low volume level will eventually lose some magic at a certain point. Amps with Master Volumes experience the same problem.
So I did find that I needed to adjust each channel's Presence settings, in particular, depending on what volume I was using. The lower the volume, the higher the Presence setting. But just as importantly I found that the higher the volume, the lower I had to adjust the Presence setting.
This is also where the effects loop really comes in handy, since I ran an EQ pedal through mine and was able to further fine tune the tone no matter what volume I was set on. Plus, in the case of my Deluxe, which has a single "treble roll-off" type tone control, the graphic EQ can further dial in the tone in order to balance the amp's tone "post-gain" (after the amp's gain stages instead of before them) and NOT the guitar tone (which is what happens when an EQ is placed in front of the amp).
As far as loudness goes, this thing can get blaringly loud!
I haven't tried mine through a 4X12 cab yet, but I'm fairly confident that I can blast as much volume as I'd ever need using the PS-100. After reaching a certain level of loudness it can be difficult to say whether the original sound is "exactly" the same, and at that point the only question is "does it sound good or not"? So far I've found that it does sound "plenty good", with things like "dynamics" and "picking attack" remaining intact, transparently reproducing the "feel" of the original amp as far as I can tell.
The "Hi" and "Lo" Input Level Switch is great for dialing in the best volume range needed. These labels seem a little counter-intuitive though, since setting it to "Lo" is actually what you'd use to make low powered amps dramatically louder and "Hi" doesn't get nearly as loud when either of the PS-100's channel volumes are cranked all the way up. In other words, the "Hi" setting is most likely what you'd use in order to attenuate the amp's volume.
The pair of 3-way "Flat/Brite/Edge" and "Flat/Warm/Deep" switches seem to be well designed to cover the most usable bass and treble ranges. My Deluxe is so fat that it definitely doesn't need any more bottom end, but I did find myself adding a bit more highs using the "Brite" setting.
Each channel also has individual "Presence" and "Depth" controls to tweak things even further. The "Presence" helps to dial in more top end brilliance while the "Depth" adds more bottom when needed. Once again, my Deluxe has so much bottom end that I pretty much have the "Depth" knobs rolled all the way off. The Deluxe could use a tad more top end though, so I found having the "Presence" knobs turned up to be a blessing in my case.
I haven't had a chance to try any of the "Line In" or "Line Out" features yet, otherwise the PS-100 pretty much does what they say it can do as far as I'm concerned.
~~~~
So, is the Fryette PS-100 a "must have" device?
Certainly not. But, for what it does, I think any serious performer who has a personal attachment to a specific amplifier would find something like this to be invaluable - even amps packed full of features!
For example, my other favorite amp is a Mesa Boogie TA-30 TransAtlantic which has an advertised overall output of 40 watts. It also has two footswitchable channels with a combined total of 5 "Modes" (Vox, Fender, Marshall and Mesa voices). These channels also have three power output level settings each as well (15 watts, 30 watts and 40 watts). In fact, my TA-30 pretty much covers just about any sound I normally require, and, as much as I'd like to take my Deluxe everywhere, I have to admit The TA-30 is often the better choice.
BUT. What if I find myself needing just a tad more output than what it can deliver? Or maybe I just desire a bit more clean headroom for a certain ambience? Needless to say I will probably always have the Fryette PS-100 hooked up and ready to go at any important gig - even if I don't use it... you know, just in case.
Obviously 100 watts can be overkill in most situations, and, truth be told, I could have probably gotten away with getting the Fryette PS-2 (which has only 50 watts), but for about $100 more the PS-100 has twice the power and an extra channel, so for me it was a no-brainer.
While I may never use the 100 watts this amp has on tap, it's still comforting to know that any setup I choose to take will have the ability to reach practically any volume I need. But, just as importantly, I may also need to turn the volume down in certain places as well, and this way I can rock the amp's sweetspot without the risk of blasting people in smaller clubs too.
Anyway, so far the Fryette PS-100 has totally lived up to every possible expectation I've had and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for maximum flexibility for their favorite rig...
Good Luck!
`
I'd like to start this review off by pointing out how the Fryette PS-100 is often referred to as an "attenuator", but that label grossly minimizes what this device really does in my opinion.
Sure, it can attenuate - in the sense that you can turn it down - but functionally it's still a vacuum tube based signal amplifier, just one that reacts to an amp's speaker load (i.e. a "Reactance Amplifier") instead of something like a low level preamp signal.
It's basically designed to take a guitar amplifier's speaker output signal and further re-amplify it before driving a physical speaker (or not: *There are also options for silent "Direct-In" mixer and recording as well).
Its real value is providing practically unlimited control over your rig's output volume, either high or low, while still essentially retaining the original amp's character.
One of the main advantages of the Fryette PS-100 is that it allows me to scale my 12 watt 2019 Fender '57 Custom Deluxe's perceived output volume so I can use it in practically any venue I may find myself in.
Probably the biggest problem with any Fender 5E3 Deluxe style amp is that you can really only dial it in for one sweet-spot (at least the the way I use it - heavy overdrive when the guitar volume is cranked but cleans up nicely when the volume is backed off).
So, being a single channel amp, I'm limited to the setting that works best no matter where I'm playing. In smaller clubs it may be too loud, while in larger clubs it may get drowned out. There are also other limitations in the 5E3 design, such as a single tone control and no effects loop.
Sure, the Deluxe can be modded to add such features, but I'm not willing to run the risk of messing with the uniquely pure gain structure that made me fall in love with it in the first place.
With the PS-100, not only can I adjust the overall volume of my little Fender Deluxe to suit various performance situations, but I can essentially channel switch and add effects at the end of the signal chain rather than at the beginning - not to mention providing the extra control for fine tuning the tone if needed.
So any simple amp can suddenly become vastly more versatile using the PS-100.
In my case I can crank my beloved Deluxe up to its sweet-spot while setting the overall output where I need it and even have the ability to switch between the two PS-100 channels for rhythm or lead playing. In that sense the Deluxe still works exactly the same way (riding the guitar's volume to dial in either clean or dirt), except now I can have the rhythm channel volume set a little higher, for example, since I usually lower the guitar volume to clean things up. Plus the effects loop can be utilized for effects that work best there, like reverb or delay.
I actually run an EQ pedal through my PS-100 effects loop, to add far more tonal adjustability to the far too limited single tone control that my Deluxe has. Previously I had to run the EQ in front of the amp, which only changes to character of the guitar, not the amp itself.
~~~~
Okay, so far I've been only pointing out the Fryette PS-100's advantages, but unfortunately there are a few notable downsides worth mentioning:
1) The roughly $1000+ price tag (as of Feb 2022).
Obviously not everyone needs something like this, so justifying getting one can be difficult - especially since there are definitely alternatives (such as channel switching amps that essentially have the same functions). Even so, I included some further thoughts about why someone might still want to consider getting a PS-100, even in those situations (to be addressed below).
2) It's Heavy.
At 16 lbs (7+kgs) you'll certainly notice its hefty mass when loading, unloading and setting up this behemoth. It's also difficult to handle since there's nothing to grab onto and I'm always afraid I'm going to drop it sooner or later. That's not only because of the weight, but because of the size, which leads to...
3) It's large and bulky.
Not only do I not look forward to lugging this thing around, but finding a place to put it also takes some forethought. This is partly due to its rather large footprint, but it also needs to be placed in a way where air can sufficiently circulate for cooling purposes, which leads to...
4) It runs hot!
You aren't getting 100 watts out of the two 6550 power tubes without a lot of thermal dissipation. While the PS-100 comes with a built in cooling fan, it still needs to have space for airflow to be effective. The company claims that it's designed to withstand the heat, but, being the paranoid person I am when it comes to my gear, I'd definitely consider bringing an extra fan on super hot days.
5) This may just be an isolated incident, but the first couple of times I turned on my new PS-100 I noticed a weird crackling noise while warming up, but that has since stopped, so hopefully it was just the new tubes burning in or something.
6) This is not a fault of the Fryette PS-100 in any way, but, one unavoidable side-effect of amplifying any signal is that you will also be amplifying any extraneous noise as well. So if your amp is noisy, then expect that noise to get louder as you crank the PS-100 up. Perhaps a noise gate might be useful (through the effects loop) if it becomes a major issue at concert level volumes.
Fryette sells a padded carrying case, as well as hardware to have it rack mounted, so some of the transporting issues might be minimized. I was considering rack mounting mine but am a little concerned whether rack mounting it would cause over-heating problems with it being in such a confined space. The padded case definitely seems like a good idea though, so I got that, along with their lighted footswitch, to complete the package.
~~~~
SOUND
So the number one question has to be "Does it retain the amp's original voice"? The answer, in my opinion, is basically "yes", BUT! It's not quite that straight forward either.
For one thing, since it has several switches and knobs that can be used to adjust the tone, by design there is no preset "exact copy" setting. That said, after tweaking things I was able to do an A/B sound test - where as far as I'm concerned any differences were virtually imperceptible *(at "unity gain": where the levels are the same whether the unit is bypassed or not).
Of course the real test is how it sounds when the volume is raised or lowered and what I found so far is that the original tone seems to hold true, with the only real exception being when turned down to very low levels, but I think that has more to do with "the laws of physics" rather than any "device based tonal degradation".
You see, as the the volume is decreased on the PS-100 some of the highs seem to get lost (just like they do on most attenuators), but I suspect that this is more of a mechanical trait of any amp not providing a speaker with an optimal amount of signal strength. It just makes sense to me that any extremely low volume level will eventually lose some magic at a certain point. Amps with Master Volumes experience the same problem.
So I did find that I needed to adjust each channel's Presence settings, in particular, depending on what volume I was using. The lower the volume, the higher the Presence setting. But just as importantly I found that the higher the volume, the lower I had to adjust the Presence setting.
This is also where the effects loop really comes in handy, since I ran an EQ pedal through mine and was able to further fine tune the tone no matter what volume I was set on. Plus, in the case of my Deluxe, which has a single "treble roll-off" type tone control, the graphic EQ can further dial in the tone in order to balance the amp's tone "post-gain" (after the amp's gain stages instead of before them) and NOT the guitar tone (which is what happens when an EQ is placed in front of the amp).
As far as loudness goes, this thing can get blaringly loud!
I haven't tried mine through a 4X12 cab yet, but I'm fairly confident that I can blast as much volume as I'd ever need using the PS-100. After reaching a certain level of loudness it can be difficult to say whether the original sound is "exactly" the same, and at that point the only question is "does it sound good or not"? So far I've found that it does sound "plenty good", with things like "dynamics" and "picking attack" remaining intact, transparently reproducing the "feel" of the original amp as far as I can tell.
The "Hi" and "Lo" Input Level Switch is great for dialing in the best volume range needed. These labels seem a little counter-intuitive though, since setting it to "Lo" is actually what you'd use to make low powered amps dramatically louder and "Hi" doesn't get nearly as loud when either of the PS-100's channel volumes are cranked all the way up. In other words, the "Hi" setting is most likely what you'd use in order to attenuate the amp's volume.
The pair of 3-way "Flat/Brite/Edge" and "Flat/Warm/Deep" switches seem to be well designed to cover the most usable bass and treble ranges. My Deluxe is so fat that it definitely doesn't need any more bottom end, but I did find myself adding a bit more highs using the "Brite" setting.
Each channel also has individual "Presence" and "Depth" controls to tweak things even further. The "Presence" helps to dial in more top end brilliance while the "Depth" adds more bottom when needed. Once again, my Deluxe has so much bottom end that I pretty much have the "Depth" knobs rolled all the way off. The Deluxe could use a tad more top end though, so I found having the "Presence" knobs turned up to be a blessing in my case.
I haven't had a chance to try any of the "Line In" or "Line Out" features yet, otherwise the PS-100 pretty much does what they say it can do as far as I'm concerned.
~~~~
So, is the Fryette PS-100 a "must have" device?
Certainly not. But, for what it does, I think any serious performer who has a personal attachment to a specific amplifier would find something like this to be invaluable - even amps packed full of features!
For example, my other favorite amp is a Mesa Boogie TA-30 TransAtlantic which has an advertised overall output of 40 watts. It also has two footswitchable channels with a combined total of 5 "Modes" (Vox, Fender, Marshall and Mesa voices). These channels also have three power output level settings each as well (15 watts, 30 watts and 40 watts). In fact, my TA-30 pretty much covers just about any sound I normally require, and, as much as I'd like to take my Deluxe everywhere, I have to admit The TA-30 is often the better choice.
BUT. What if I find myself needing just a tad more output than what it can deliver? Or maybe I just desire a bit more clean headroom for a certain ambience? Needless to say I will probably always have the Fryette PS-100 hooked up and ready to go at any important gig - even if I don't use it... you know, just in case.
Obviously 100 watts can be overkill in most situations, and, truth be told, I could have probably gotten away with getting the Fryette PS-2 (which has only 50 watts), but for about $100 more the PS-100 has twice the power and an extra channel, so for me it was a no-brainer.
While I may never use the 100 watts this amp has on tap, it's still comforting to know that any setup I choose to take will have the ability to reach practically any volume I need. But, just as importantly, I may also need to turn the volume down in certain places as well, and this way I can rock the amp's sweetspot without the risk of blasting people in smaller clubs too.
Anyway, so far the Fryette PS-100 has totally lived up to every possible expectation I've had and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for maximum flexibility for their favorite rig...
Good Luck!
`
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