![]() ![]() ![]() Listening to music and hearing the vibrations is one thing but I think that in a live loud setting, the vibrations and air being pushed by speakers affect more than just your ears think about how when someone hits a bass drum you can feel it in your chest. They sound pretty good and I would probably prefer them over an attenuated amp at super low volumes, but they are also never going to compare to a cranked amp with no attenuator. Here is a video of a Marshall Super Lead with an attenuator being used at different strengths: I will admit it is a subjective matter to debate whether amp overdrive or pedal tones are superior but I have to give the edge to amplifiers with a big caveat. Does amp overdrive sound better than pedals? Now, for more modern metal-oriented units, where most (if not all) of the “important” distortion is generated in the preamp, unless they are voiced in a way that volume makes them sound better, attenuators don’t have a lot to add. This is great for certain kinds of amps, such as plexis, that really shine when the power section starts barking. The big thing about attenuators is that you can get power stage saturation at bedroom levels because the amp will still be running hot. Its main function is simply to allow you to lower the volume of high-wattage amps for use at home but this gives you the option of turning your amp volume/gain up to overdrive your amp without the actual volume disturbing your neighbors. It can be used easily with a head/cabinet setup and with combo amps provided there is a ¼” output between the amp and the speaker(s). It is placed between the amplifier’s output jack and the speaker(s) and bleeds off some of the voltage being sent to the speaker(s), usually transforming the excess energy into heat. If you are not sure exactly what an attenuator does, it is basically a choke for the output of the amplifier. Can you use overdrive pedals with an attenuated amp?.Does amp overdrive sound better than pedals?.Hopefully, some of this information will help you decide if an attenuator is the right choice for you or if an overdrive pedal will suit you better. The world is changing quickly with a growing population and a huge increase in urban living.īasically, playing through the high-wattage tube amps that were so popular in past decades has become less practical for most of us.Īnd while a lot of musicians are switching to software and computer interfaces with monitor speakers, sometimes the past is hard to let go of and people still want stadium-sized amps too. I don’t think there is any reason that you couldn’t use an attenuator with a solid-state amplifier but since we are focusing on getting an overdriven sound that means we will be talking about tube amps, which begin to distort as you crank the volume. This works great for certain amps and tones. ![]() ![]() Attenuators allow you to get overdrive by cranking the amp and making the power stage saturate. Overdrive pedals offer more flexibility at a fraction of the price of attenuators, however, they can only drive the preamp section. In five years attenuators could be nothing but a fad from the past as gear evolves with even newer technologies. While overdrive pedals have been around forever, it has become increasingly common to hear and read about amp attenuators among gearheads.īut most of the popular models are not cheap and before you invest your money it is best to look at all the alternatives. ![]()
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