Attenuator for a Fender Pro Junior Amp?

[ambys]

Hey guys,

 

I run a pair of Fender Pro Junior amps in stereo, and while it was awesome at my parents' house, it's just too loud to use in a condo. It took 20 of my 22 years to find a setup with the tone of my dreams, and I don't want to give it up! Is there any attenuator that you guys could recommend that would bring down my volume while still giving me the awesome Fender tube tone (or close to it!)? Or am I pretty much destined to need something smaller?

 

Thanks a ton in advance.

[Ringo_Mop]

I purchased a used Weber MASS on eBay for $50 and it was just the ticket to use with my Blues Junior. Mine is rated for 50W and 8 ohhms. I can dime the master and volume (actually 12) and not wake anyone sleeping in the next room. Tone is preserved although you might have to adjust your amp settings a little. All attenuators suck top end, but the MASS has a very effective treble booster so it is not an issue. And if you leave the treble boost off you can turn your bright Fender into a decent little warm Marshall stack! Now sometimes I run the attenuator with the treble boost off on purpose, for a totally different sound.

 

It is also a direct box, although I have never used it for that purpose. Weber makes several different attenuators, but the MASS are the best and use an actual dummy speaker inside the box which is the way that the best attenuators are made.

 

For the price that I paid I am 100 percent satisfied and have never had the need to look for another attenuator. I also use it on my Line 6 Spider Valve 112. The only reason that I'd ever need another attenuator is with an amp of higher wattage. The 50 is fine with the 15 watt Blues Junior as well as the 40 watt SV but the recommendations if you want to dime your amps is to get an attenuator of twice the rating of your amp, ie. 15 watt amp = attenuator rated for at least 30 watts. Or of course if the ohms don't match, I think most Fenders ar 8 ohms except for the Champs.

 

Hope this helps!

[ambys]

I purchased a used Weber MASS on eBay for $50 and it was just the ticket to use with my Blues Junior. Mine is rated for 50W and 8 ohhms. I can dime the master and volume (actually 12) and not wake anyone sleeping in the next room. Tone is preserved although you might have to adjust your amp settings a little. All attenuators suck top end, but the MASS has a very effective treble booster so it is not an issue. And if you leave the treble boost off you can turn your bright Fender into a decent little warm Marshall stack! Now sometimes I run the attenuator with the treble boost off on purpose, for a totally different sound. It is also a direct box, although I have never used it for that purpose. Weber makes several different attenuators, but the MASS are the best and use an actual dummy speaker inside the box which is the way that the best attenuators are made. For the price that I paid I am 100 percent satisfied and have never had the need to look for another attenuator. I also use it on my Line 6 Spider Valve 112. The only reason that I'd ever need another attenuator is with an amp of higher wattage. The 50 is fine with the 15 watt Blues Junior as well as the 40 watt SV but the recommendations if you want to dime your amps is to get an attenuator of twice the rating of your amp, ie. 15 watt amp = attenuator rated for at least 30 watts. Or of course if the ohms don't match, I think most Fenders ar 8 ohms except for the Champs. Hope this helps!

 

Hey Ringo_Mop, that helps a lot!

 

The PJ is also rated at 15W (and is basically the same amp without the reverb, if I've not mistaken). It seems like the ideal wattage would be a 30W - but I have to choose between 25 and 50. Should I go with 25 to be closer or 50 to play it safe?

 

Also, would something like this be better/worse/overkill? It sounds like I should take the route that you took, but I just want to explore and understand my options before I hand over the green.

[wacopacco]

a Pro Jr and Blues Jr are 2 VERY different amps. Nothing alike really.

 

i own a Pro Jr and the only thing i use for attentuation is a self-built isolation wedge which keeps sound from traveling. Still doesn't help in your situation though. Out of all the attenuators, i think the Weber gets the best reviews.

[ambys]

I guess I didn't realize just how different the BJ and the PJ are from each other. Sounds like the Weber is the way to go. I see there's the MASS and the Micro-MASS. Are there significant differences between the two in terms of quality? Or is it just a matter of feature set?

[Ringo_Mop]

Hey Ringo_Mop, that helps a lot! The PJ is also rated at 15W (and is basically the same amp without the reverb, if I've not mistaken). It seems like the ideal wattage would be a 30W - but I have to choose between 25 and 50. Should I go with 25 to be closer or 50 to play it safe? Also, would something like this be better/worse/overkill? It sounds like I should take the route that you took, but I just want to explore and understand my options before I hand over the green.

 

NP! The THD Hot Plates were the only attenuators specifically made for guitarists for a long long time. I cannot comment on how they work because I have never owned one, the reason being that they were too expensive, especially since they only worked for one ohm rating each. That could get expensive if you had amps of different ohm ratings. I would guess that they work very well though. I've not heard any complaints.

 

If you want to spend that much dough, I would recommend looking into the Bad Cat Leash. While attenuator technology for guitar has not changed much over the years, this seems to be something new. I was looking into getting one before I got my MASS, and I still may get one if I need one with a higher power rating. It is adjustable over the range of ohm values - that's worth it to me right there. Bad Cat also claims that it has no effect on your tone, ie. none of the treble loss that usually accompanies attenuators. In my case I actually like the treble loss, and the treble booster on my MASS works great to put it back if I want it. Actually I usually do use it with the treble boost on, but I enjoy using it with the treble boost off for a sound much warmer than can usually be pulled from a Fender amp.

 

The other main units used by pros over the years are the Variac, which has been used by famous guitar players for decades. It was not, and is not, made specifically for guitar though. But it works and is much less expensive than dedicated attenuators. They are all over eBay. Eddie Van Halen used one all over his records. Then there is the Marshall Power Brake. It is quite expensive and I don't know if it works with other amps. It's made for Marshalls.

 

Then there are the Weber attenuators. I believe them to be the best compromise between quality and cost. Even brand new they cost under $300 with many under $200. He makes a few types, the best ones have the dummy speaker in it like my MASS does. They are dedicated to one ohm rating, but the lower price can help offset this if you need more than one. And you can find used ones on eBay for good prices. I bought mine, an older version MASS fifty watt in like-new condition, for fifty bucks. A buck a watt! It does not look like the newer ones, it's more shoebox shaped, sorta looks like a GT Brick preamp. That type of shape. Actually it's ugly and it's size and shape make it awkward. But for fifty bucks I have abolutely no complaints! It does what it says on the tin, and the build quality is very high. I took it apart and there are no cheap components or bad craftsmanship anywhere. Most attenuators are passive devices and will last a lifetime. And it's also a DI box, as if I needed another one of those! But it's a nice plus for people who need one.

 

Finally there are a lot of cheap ones popping up on eBay these days. They have sold for as low as $19.99! But do not use them. If a good attenuator could be sold for twenty bucks then they would be everywhere. They would be standard on amps everywhere. But they are better for blowing your amp up than for anything else. I would not trust my gear to them. Notice how they will usually call them power soaks and not attenuators. They are not the same thing. Look for a quality attenuator with a dummy speaker load inside like the Weber MASS.

 

As far as wattage, Weber and others recommend that you purchase an attenuator that is rated for twice the amount of power that the amp puts out. That's if you want to dime the amp - but why else would you want an attenuator? I have used my 50 watt rated Weber with my 40 watt Spider Valve though, with no problems. But I worry so when I use it with the Spider Valve I run the amp about halfway. That's enough to get some nice harmonics and stuff going on and with that amp. I am not looking to push the SV into distortion anyway. Just to heat up the tubes a bit for the response. But I have dimed it with the Weber and did not experience any problems. And my MASS is rated for 50 watts. But the double wattage thing is the rule of thumb for attenuation. Better safe than sorry when it comes to your gear!

 

Oh yeah there is one thing that no attenuator or power soak can do, and that's move air. Remember that part of the sound of a tube amp pushed to distortion is the actual speaker moving and pushing lots of air. The laws of physics show that this is simply not going to happen at low power levels. It's common sense, really. But the positive aspects of using the attenuator to play at low volume levels with a tube amp far outweigh this. You can get 90%of the way there or even more, and that works for me.

[Ringo_Mop]

 

I guess I didn't realize just how different the BJ and the PJ are from each other. Sounds like the Weber is the way to go. I see there's the MASS and the Micro-MASS. Are there significant differences between the two in terms of quality? Or is it just a matter of feature set?

 

 

The following link can explain it better than I can. And no, I do not work for Weber or know him or anything. I am just a person who is satisfied with a Weber product. And just like I will holler about something that is crap, I'll praise that which is good. http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

[ambys]

Ringo, thanks a ton for the thorough and informative post. I surely owe you more than a two-sentence response, but I'm going to do some research and let this settle for a little bit first.