Princeton Reverb 65 RI Amp Attenuator

SteppedOut

SteppedOut

Strat-Talk Member
Oct 20, 2019
22
England
So I think the time has come for me to invest in an amp attenuator.
I'm looking at the THD - Hot plate although any other recommendations are welcome.
I can only find a 16 ohm model. My amp is 8 ohm.
Would this be an issue or do I specifically need to look for a 8 ohm attenuator?

Thanks.
 
AV59

AV59

Senior Stratmaster
Aug 3, 2015
3,063
New York
Pretty shore you shouldn’t use a 16 ohm attenuator on a 8 ohm amp. Tone King Ironman II is pretty good. If you willing to break the bank, go for a Fryette Powerstation 2.
 
rolandson

rolandson

Dr. Stratster
Jul 13, 2015
13,644
Foothills of the Cascades
There inexpensive ones and then there are some that will cause a sane person to do a double take.

The Hotplate is a good device but ya gotta match impedance. As is the Weber Mass (full disclosure, I have one of those...used as a dummy load)...The Sark looks right in there too.

They all suck the flavor of your stuff. Some more than others.

Then there's the Universal Audio OX...about $1,500...it's supposed to be as good as "it" can get, but I've never heard one.

All depends on you.

Me? I just turned the volume knob down so I could play quietly.
 
Stormy Monday

Stormy Monday

Blooze daddy
Silver Member
Jan 19, 2011
16,476
almost gone
I have a Weber Minimass. You can select the impedance via a switch on the front. I bought it to use with my DR. I never really got it to sound all that great trying to crank the amp then dialing back the output. But that's me.
 
rolandson

rolandson

Dr. Stratster
Jul 13, 2015
13,644
Foothills of the Cascades
Stormy Monday said:
I have a Weber Minimass. You can select the impedance via a switch on the front. I bought it to use with my DR. I never really got it to sound all that great trying to crank the amp then dialing back the output. But that's me.
Click to expand...
Same...'cept I've a Mass 100...the mini lacked the 2ohm capacity or power constraints or something...
And I traded for it rather than purchase new...

And yep, I plugged it in to see what it could do.

It's a great dummy load...works with everything I have. As for actually using it to tame volume?
No. I'd just as soon acquire a lower wattage amp or a modeling thing with headphone out...
 
The Ballzz

The Ballzz

Senior Stratmaster
Feb 26, 2014
2,681
LAS VEGAS , NV
There is only one passive attenuator, in the sub $500 range that won't ruin the subtle nuances of tone, dynamics and feel, and that is the JohnH design. (link below) Having not used one, I can't speak for the higher priced, full blown, ToneKing IronMan II. I've used most of the others including the Weber stuff and not been impressed! With that said, a player who derives and defines their sound and tone almost completely through the use of effects in front of the amp, might notice the loss of such characteristics as much. BUT, a player who depends on the subtleties of a guitar mostly plugged straight into an amp will certainly be disappointed. Yeah, ya gotta build the JohnH yourself, or have someone do it for you (I know a guy), but the price comes out quite reasonable ($100-$125, DIY) and is by far the best attenuator design available! It does NOT suck the tone and life out of an amp!

Simple Attenuators - Design And Testing

Background Passive attenuators are wired between the amp output and the speakers. Their function is to absorb most of the output power of the amp, feeding a smaller amount to the speaker itself. This allows the amp output stage to run at higher power, letting the glorious tone of a good valve...
www.marshallforum.com www.marshallforum.com

Simply Attenuatin'
Gene
 
Ed Storer

Ed Storer

Strat-O-Master
Sep 5, 2016
731
Seattle
Have a look at the Dr. Z Brake-Lite. Mounts inside the amp cab and works with 4, 8, and 16 Ohm loads.
I had one in my MAZ Jr and it worked great at any setting above zero.
 
AxemanVR

AxemanVR

I appreciate, therefore I am...
Silver Member
Feb 8, 2014
6,066
Minnesota USA
‘
Here are a couple reviews I did on the ones that I currently use:

Bugera PS1 Attenuator Review...

Like a lot of players I have a few amps that are way too loud to enjoy playing in certain situations, so I decided to go the "attenuation" route. After reviewing several options (both low priced and high end) I figured I'd try the low priced version first; For a couple reasons: 1) The higher...
www.strat-talk.com www.strat-talk.com

Fryette PS-100 Review

` 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...
www.strat-talk.com www.strat-talk.com


‘
 
Malurkey

Malurkey

Senior Stratmaster
Dec 28, 2016
4,423
Netherlands
Hmmm…

Seems my reply vanished.

Anyway, I use the Weber MiniMass on my Princeton, and it works great. The folks at Weber were of great service.

You can set the MiniMass to the proper impedance:

0C181AB5-F259-48E7-AFC2-65FA671ED9E5.jpeg
 
The Ballzz

The Ballzz

Senior Stratmaster
Feb 26, 2014
2,681
LAS VEGAS , NV
Malurkey said:
Hmmm…

Seems my reply vanished.

Anyway, I use the Weber MiniMass on my Princeton, and it works great. The folks at Weber were of great service.

You can set the MiniMass to the proper impedance:

View attachment 609139
Click to expand...

I also have a MiniMass, in addition to several of the JohnH units. Its been my experience that the Weber only has about three, tonal "Sweet Spots" and where you have the "FUN" knob happens to one of them. The other two tend to be at about 1:00 or so and the other is with that knob at full clockwise. Everything in between those spots seems lifeless and lackluster, especially in terms of dynamics. Those spots vary a little depending on the amp used, but they're pretty close. The JohnH is stellar at all attenuation levels and fully retains all dynamics and tactile feel of the natural amp, as well as all the tone! There really is a huge difference in the designs and what they bring to the table.

With all that said, I'll never get rid of the Weber, as it is quite convenient for going to test an amp at cranked levels, given the multi impedance feature. I simply remind myself what I know the attenuator is going to do to the sound. A good tool, just not really for performance, in my case! The JohnH blows it outa the water!

Just Attenuatin'
Gene
 
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