DIY attenuator and MAster volume box on effects loop :P

[Gledison]

Hey guys,
this is a sort of contiuation of my last post (sorry for that).
I was reading about attenuators and it seems to be an option for my Volume problem on a Marshall Haze 40w.
I also found that some people add a "attenuator" which is basically a Volume know on the effects loop. I understood the differences between both ways of reducing overall volume but still have some doubts:
with the volume pot on the effects loop would be possible to crunk it up the amp volume and still be possible to reduce the volume keeping the tone?
What are your thoughts ?: build an attenuator (any good layout for a 40w amp) or a Master volume control?
My main target is to keep a nice tone (doesnt need to be perfect) with a relatively low volume for rehearsals.
thanks a lot for any suggestion!

[Justus]

I'm going to be doing the same thing for my Mesa F-50.  I had planned on putting a master volume at the end of the effects loop.  Sub'd to read up on the discussion about this.

[RobA]

It's going to depend on what type of distortion you are looking for from your amp and also the topology of the amp.

The good distortion, at least to my ears, is from the power tubes. That means you've got to drive the power tubes hard and any attenuation before the power amp section is bad. That's where the attenuators that come between the power tubes and the speakers shine. You can get full cranked power tube distortion and still set the volume levels to where you want them.

There are various ways to do it, L-pad attenuators, dummy speaker loads, etc. I have a Marshall Class 5 for practice. That 5 watts is way too loud to use in my neighborhood -- seriously too loud. The amp also has an attenuator built in that looks like a frequency compensated π pad that takes it below a tenth of a watt -- still way too loud for practicing at night.

I built a little bridged-T attenuator that takes the signal to line level and then I buffer it and run it into my computer to do digital simulation of the cabs. It works really well.

The attenuator I made is limited to about 15W (the main power resistor is a 25W resistor), but you can do most any output level with the right resistors.

For your situation, you could do something like this kind of attenuator and then into an H&K Redbox sort of deal and then either to a PA or to a powered monitor. The volume levels would be really controllable at any level of power amp saturation.

[Gledison]

It's going to depend on what type of distortion you are looking for from your amp and also the topology of the amp.

The good distortion, at least to my ears, is from the power tubes. That means you've got to drive the power tubes hard and any attenuation before the power amp section is bad. That's where the attenuators that come between the power tubes and the speakers shine. You can get full cranked power tube distortion and still set the volume levels to where you want them.

There are various ways to do it, L-pad attenuators, dummy speaker loads, etc. I have a Marshall Class 5 for practice. That 5 watts is way too loud to use in my neighborhood -- seriously too loud. The amp also has an attenuator built in that looks like a frequency compensated π pad that takes it below a tenth of a watt -- still way too loud for practicing at night.

I built a little bridged-T attenuator that takes the signal to line level and then I buffer it and run it into my computer to do digital simulation of the cabs. It works really well.

The attenuator I made is limited to about 15W (the main power resistor is a 25W resistor), but you can do most any output level with the right resistors.

For your situation, you could do something like this kind of attenuator and then into an H&K Redbox sort of deal and then either to a PA or to a powered monitor. The volume levels would be really controllable at any level of power amp saturation.

Great info man!
i totally agree with you and i want to get the power tubes distortion. I've seen different kinds of builds (with tone control, etc.). I need something quite simple and most important, that will be safe for the tubes.
Those L-pads attenuators seem to be quite easy to build, isnt it?
could you help with some schematic, or a link to something you think is good?
thanks a lot!