Members guitapick Posted January 23, 2011 Members Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've got a Mesa Mark IIB combo with a great mod in the lead channel. I like the idea behind the Hotplate. Anybody got one? Swear by it or at it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claytonjohn18 Posted January 23, 2011 Members Share Posted January 23, 2011 I know that a lot of people I've seen on tour use them. I don't know if it's because they're the easiest to buy or if it's cause they're actually the best attenuators, though. If your problem is "too much loud" then a hotplate will definitely solve that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 23, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've found some really nice settings (lead and clean) for small venues...but it really does shine when you put it louder esp in the lead channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chugs Posted January 23, 2011 Members Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've used a Hotplate for the seven years with zero problems. It has really proved really useful over the years particularly in countries like Switzerland with their crazy low noise limits... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 23, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 23, 2011 I've used a Hotplate for the seven years with zero problems. It has really proved really useful over the years particularly in countries like Switzerland with their crazy low noise limits... Very cool. I'm playing a solo acoustic gig next week with no amp. Private party. Talk about noise limits... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tri99er Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 I am a fan of the Hotplate, not really for bedroom use, IMO best used when you can get some volume but want just a bit more of your amp than volume limitations that may be present. I am really enjoying using it as a load and running it into Logic with cabinet impulses for my late night jamming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 Yep. It's good for shaving a little volume off your amp; the -4 setting is great, the -8 setting starts to compress and fizz things up, the -12 setting sounds very compressed, flat and fizzy, and the -16 setting will have you reaching for whatever 10 watt practice amp you first started out with, because it'll sound better than the AM radio tone you're left with. The bass and treble switches are relatively subtle, they're supposed to bring back some of the tone that is lost at the higher attenuation settings but to be honest adding a little more bass doesn't overcome the tone nightmare. Also, different attenuators work better with different amps and speakers. and I think if your tone is more about preamp gain than cooking power section into pushed speakers, then the tonal effect of attenuation will be less. But then, the reason to own an attenuator will also be less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 Yep. It's good for shaving a little volume off your amp; the -4 setting is great, the -8 setting starts to compress and fizz things up, the -12 setting sounds very compressed, flat and fizzy, and the -16 setting will have you reaching for whatever 10 watt practice amp you first started out with, because it'll sound better than the AM radio tone you're left with.The bass and treble switches are relatively subtle, they're supposed to bring back some of the tone that is lost at the higher attenuation settings but to be honest adding a little more bass doesn't overcome the tone nightmare.Also, different attenuators work better with different amps and speakers. and I think if your tone is more about preamp gain than cooking power section into pushed speakers, then the tonal effect of attenuation will be less. But then, the reason to own an attenuator will also be less. That's interesting. I've been hearing about tonal changes...but you get tonal changes any time you add a distortion (and some/many OD) pedals to your rig. The question comes down to whether you like the changes or not. My main thing is to be able to play "loud" at any volume (and still be able to switch back to clean rhythm). If it sounds a little different than my Boogie when it's really cranked, that's cool, so long as it sounds great... This guy was telling me he likes Rocktron's Intelliflex better for this application. Through the effects loop....though my Mark IIB's infamous for it's loop (haven't gotten the mod). btw: thanks for the laugh. "...AM radio tone...". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chugs Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 I use the -4 or -8 settings. I have never had to go any lower than that. I only use the Hotplate on stage though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 I use the -4 or -8 settings. I have never had to go any lower than that. I only use the Hotplate on stage though. Hm...why's that? You can turn it up at home...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Agreed Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 My THD Univalve has a baby hot plate built into it, made for the much lower output of the Univalve. I can roll the thing back all the way to conversational volumes and it sounds fine. Definitely loses some of the immediacy of the sound and does alter the tone somewhat, but definitely not "AM radio" alteration going on. Makes it kind of a cinch for recording. I'd buy the big version based on my experiences with the build in little one. We can joke about 10W practice amps, but if you've heard a 15W tube amp working hard you'll be reaching for the 1W amp if you are particularly attenuation-shy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ianasauras Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 I have a weber mass attenuator which is also pretty damn good, but like the hotplate too much attenuation ruins your sound more than just keeping your amp quiet. For the money i'd go for the weber again, its about half the price of the THD but seems to do the same job equally well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hiwatt Bob Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 also, it's ridiculous that the hotplate only comes in one impedence. the weber and others allow you to select several different impedence settings so you can use it with many amps/cabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Amigo Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 This thread interests me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 My THD Univalve has a baby hot plate built into it, made for the much lower output of the Univalve. I can roll the thing back all the way to conversational volumes and it sounds fine. Definitely loses some of the immediacy of the sound and does alter the tone somewhat, but definitely not "AM radio" alteration going on. Makes it kind of a cinch for recording.I'd buy the big version based on my experiences with the build in little one. We can joke about 10W practice amps, but if you've heard a 15W tube amp working hard you'll be reaching for the 1W amp if you are particularly attenuation-shy. Like I said, the results depend on the amp. A THD amp with a built in THD hotplate is probably going to have been voiced in such a way that the hotplate doesn't make it sound much worse when it's turned down. And yeah, a 15 watt tube amp is loud - much much louder than the kind of 10 watt practice amps I'm talking about. Think solid state, 30cm tall, 10 inch speaker, knobs that crackle and a thick layer of dust on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 I have a weber mass attenuator which is also pretty damn good, but like the hotplate too much attenuation ruins your sound more than just keeping your amp quiet. For the money i'd go for the weber again, its about half the price of the THD but seems to do the same job equally well. Well, well...this shall require some investigation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 not a fan, I've upgraded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 24, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 not a fan, I've upgraded ...to...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Agreed Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 Like I said, the results depend on the amp. A THD amp with a built in THD hotplate is probably going to have been voiced in such a way that the hotplate doesn't make it sound much worse when it's turned down.And yeah, a 15 watt tube amp is loud - much much louder than the kind of 10 watt practice amps I'm talking about. Think solid state, 30cm tall, 10 inch speaker, knobs that crackle and a thick layer of dust on top. The second, well, those tend not to function at their stated power anyway, a genuine 15W solid state amp that was rated for 15W and would run every bit of 15W would still be loud. At that power level, maybe even get a neat MOSFET power section going and have some interesting clipping as it overdrives. Haha. I don't know why anyone would do that, but it sounds interesting... But as to the real point, yeah, I've gotta give you that one. Resistor grid type attenuators do cull specific frequencies as they present the load to the output section, and building one into the amp that's matched to its frequency response would theoretically result in much better attenuation performance in the sound department. I don't know that they did that, but I don't see why they wouldn't have - it's definitely not just a standard hot plate, it's a special "baby hot plate" made for the THD Univalve in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Reauchambeau Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 ...to...? Ho's Electronics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ispunk Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hotplates are way overpriced. I have a couple Webers and they are great. The Weber Z Matcher is great too. If you want attenuation with a lot less tone change look into amps with power scaling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soulsonic Posted January 24, 2011 Members Share Posted January 24, 2011 also, it's ridiculous that the hotplate only comes in one impedence. the weber and others allow you to select several different impedence settings so you can use it with many amps/cabs. Thing is that the different impedance settings on the Weber aren't accurate. It doesn't really give a matched impedance at any setting. That was always the beef I had with them I'm about to publish a DIY attenuator article on my blog, in case anyone is interested! It's designed to keep accurate impedance at all settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted January 25, 2011 Members Share Posted January 25, 2011 i use a hotplate with one of my amps (EL84 30W) and its perfect if used sparingly (ie the -4db or -8db) but if youre planning to crank an amps volume and squash it down to whisper quiet...prepare to be severely dissapointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitapick Posted January 25, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 25, 2011 i use a hotplate with one of my amps (EL84 30W) and its perfect if used sparingly (ie the -4db or -8db) but if youre planning to crank an amps volume and squash it down to whisper quiet...prepare to be severely dissapointed. I really appreciate all the feedback on this...it's clarified where I'm at, in my mind. I like the sound clips, etc, but I think I'll use my Humphrey mod Metal Zone/Boogie Lead channel/Real Tube OD for the dirt for now and put my bucks towards El Capistan. That's been the choice I've been working through. Thanks, people. Good stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hiwatt Bob Posted January 25, 2011 Members Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thing is that the different impedance settings on the Weber aren't accurate. It doesn't really give a matched impedance at any setting. That was always the beef I had with themI'm about to publish a DIY attenuator article on my blog, in case anyone is interested! It's designed to keep accurate impedance at all settings. Even speaker cabs themselves aren't accurate though. I challenge anyone to go measure their speaker cab and have it match--mine are always high (lower number). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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