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Even if my tube amp is only 15 watt, I always feel like it's too loud (in my bedroom). When I lower the volume even the clean sound doesn't sound right to my ears.
Would an attenuator help (I never tried one)?

I'm thinking about saving for something like this:
https://electricmojoguitars.com/amps/to ... uator.html

Would it really help, even with the clean sound?

I bought a Dr. Z Brake Lite recently. It's great, but despite being a good bit cheaper than that one, it's still a couple hundo.

I have a dr.z brake lite for my 18 watt tweed deluxe build, and a weber mass 200 http://www.tedweber.com/mass-200 for my big amps.

The brake lite is good for knocking off a bit of volume from the deluxe, but wont go down to zero. I don't think it would go as low as you need.

The weber goes down to zero, and has a line out. It has a reactive load (like the one you've linked). It does a great job, but, a significant part of those big amps sound is the speakers having the shit pumbled out of them.

So um yeah, they're useful but they do effect the sound.

Also, read this and see how 15 watts isn't that much quieter than a much bigger amp (the watts to decibels bit)

https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/Speaker-Watt

Good luck!

I've got an Ultimate Attenuator. I was wildely hyped back in the day, before the next greatest thing came along. I dunno, I guess all of em are okay as long as you're not some blues purit who expects a pristine version of his regilar tone at lower levels. There's a bit of high end roll of with most ettenuators, easy enough to dial back in using your amp's eq

But yeah, great way to get an extra 'master volule' of sorts when you're playing at home. I btw managed to fry my Ultimate Attenuator not too long, not sure what the problem was

If it's unfixable I'll get something else, something way cheaper

I have one of the Weber minimass with line out and treble boost switch (can run it silent as a DI if you want).

The big thing for me is the line out - I can use it even when I'm running the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and mic'ing it - the DI on the attenuator set right (have it on the +3db treble boost) is actually very, very, very good to a point I don't mic unless I want something specific out of the micing.

As far as helping the clean sound on whatever amp you're using, depends on whether you're running the power amp tubes enough to get them flying, and whether the speaker sounds alright at low volumes.

I paid well under a hundred for mine (friend deal on a unit he didn't use any more) - no way I'd pay $400 for a small attenuator.

Earplugs. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Extremely stupid question but... have you considered overdrive pedals?

I use pedals, overdrive and fuzz.

I always use the amp clean. But when I lower the volume it sound dull.

I never tried an attenuator... and not sure it would help for the clean sound... that's why I was asking.

ramonovski wrote:Earplugs. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Extremely stupid question but... have you considered overdrive pedals?

Earplugs make verything sound like shit. Good expensive custom made one less so, but they still make your pricey pedal board en amp sound like crap. They're your last resort when you're playing live and don't want to risk getting tinitus.

Just using the volume control of your dirt pedal as an extra master volume can work, but even with "just" 15 watt...In most situations at home you don't get to turn the amp's vol up to a level where the amp sounds remotely nice

frigid midget wrote: Earplugs make verything sound like shit. Good expensive custom made one less so, but they still make your pricey pedal board en amp sound like crap. They're your last resort when you're playing live and don't want to risk getting tinitus.

Yeah, it was kinda like a joke, but if I weren't recording I just don't get the reason of being that picky in a bedroom... I do get some people enjoy it but I just can't, I'm totally fine with my shitty sounding Champ and Eighty-Five setup.

I use an attenuator on my 100-watt Bugera all the time, and it's honestly hard for me to live without it now. Especially since my amp doesn't have a master volume, it's nice to be able to crank the amp up to screaming levels and then bring the volume down to where I need it.

I got an old Tom Scholz Power Soak on eBay for like 80 bucks 4 years ago, and it works perfectly. Never felt the need to get one of the more expensive ones.

ramonovski wrote:

frigid midget wrote: Earplugs make verything sound like shit. Good expensive custom made one less so, but they still make your pricey pedal board en amp sound like crap. They're your last resort when you're playing live and don't want to risk getting tinitus.

Yeah, it was kinda like a joke, but if I weren't recording I just don't get the reason of being that picky in a bedroom... I do get some people enjoy it but I just can't, I'm totally fine with my shitty sounding Champ and Eighty-Five setup.

To be honest...My attenuator's been broken for quit a while now, and since than I've always been okay with sounding meh at home. Like i said, dirt pedals with the gain cranked and the vol turned down works fine. If my attenuator can't be fixed though, I still might look for another one if I can find a really cheap one. The amp's volume control almost half way up makes a huge difference over playing your amp at the quitest possible setting imo.

Otoh, when it comes to just noodling at home, a Katana 50 probably makes a lot more sense than an attenuator for my loud as fuck tube amp

So yeah, fuck attenuators I guess. More than enough tiny amps and decent solid state modeling amps out there that hardly cost more than a decent attenuator

But I don't have a band and I only play home... so I cannot accept the shitty sound.

sylnau wrote:But I don't have a band and I only play home... so I cannot accept the shitty sound.

best rebuttal. i might sig this.

waltdogg wrote:

sylnau wrote:But I don't have a band and I only play home... so I cannot accept the shitty sound.

best rebuttal. i might sig this.

Truth.

I've owned a few amps with built-in attenuation. They all seem to alter my sound a little bit. It's normally really mild, though. I don't know if standalone ones work better? I currently have a Bugera T5 Infinium (built-in attenuator and headphone output). If it's late I'll use the headphone jack, and if it's in the middle of the day I turn all five watts up.

If you're really REALLY happy with the sound of your current amp, then an attenuator might be a really good option. But if you aren't married to the sound, I'd recommend finding something with a little less power.

The Weber with the treble switch changed my mind about attenuators to be honest - it fixed a lot of the issues I've had with them, but I'm also not looking for massive wall of power tube distortion, just something to make the thing different (or dead silent when I don't want to harass the world).

Even the newer ones are cheap, just a slight wait time to have one built.