Best attenuator

[Reeltarded]

that IS my first attenuator and these are my monkey feet holding it rofl

That jack on the back would start a million threads if it belonged to Van Halen

[hitchcaster]

heres another build with pics
http://valvestorm.com/MultiLoadBox

[Ron Jinks]

I am liking the Weber 50 watt Mini Mass on the Express that I built. And so does everyone that hears it.

[Mark]

I have wondered about the whole VVR versus the Variac thing.

The Variac does lower filament voltage which must effect the electrons emitted from the cathode to some degree.

The VVR does cause scratchiness to the guitars volume pot (typically higher value pots more than lower value pots), but surely the Variac must have this problem as well.

I find new Variacs are quite expensive, I don't think the VVR is that expensive.

Putting VVR into a build can be a pain due to heat sinking the FET and
Finding a good position for the voltage control.

Other thoughts on this matter?

[brewdude]

you can alleviate the guitar pot scratches by inserting a capacitor between the input jack and the first tube's grid.

[Reeltarded]

Variac operates just like a wire to the amp.. with a big knob...

I never run one without selecting a metered voltage and setting a mark on the range that I reproduce the same voltage returning to that mark. All metered. If it's to compensate for the expected voltage on a vintage amp I set that voltage and run it. If it's about dumping voltage I check it as above and turn the knob down until I am happy.

I don't care about electron quantity. I use it as a master volume. It gets softer sounding as the voltage drops. The amp reacts pretty much like it has full voltage all the way down until it stops. Not running 450-500v on output tubes makes them last most of forever. The small tubes never seemed to mind much either. I still have a couple Marshalls running the original xf2s and they just keep going, and going, and going.

Some things don't like a variac lowered more than they like higher than called for wall voltage. Depending on Fender amp type, the trem is going to do something freaky or nothing.

Marshalls love it until the tubes go dark. I don't run anything with channel switching or any relays. That could be a problem.

[MHProd]

Best Attenuator: Torpedo ReLoad (or attenuators using the same technology).

[Mark]

The Torpedo ReLoad has a lot of features beyond an attenuator. That is a lot of added expense to a guy just wanting an attenuator.

[kanderson70]

I have wondered about the whole VVR versus the Variac thing.

The Variac does lower filament voltage which must effect the electrons emitted from the cathode to some degree.

The VVR does cause scratchiness to the guitars volume pot (typically higher value pots more than lower value pots), but surely the Variac must have this problem as well.

I find new Variacs are quite expensive, I don't think the VVR is that expensive.

Putting VVR into a build can be a pain due to heat sinking the FET and
Finding a good position for the voltage control.

Other thoughts on this matter?

Not sure if this ever got answered, but I've used both a VVR and a variac. The VVR did cause scratchy pots so I yanked it out. The variac.... did not cause any scratchiness. I think I grabbed my old vintage 60s variac off of ebay for $60 (of course I see the same one listed by others for $199...guess I got lucky).

[RockinRocket]

Educate me.

Why would the VVR make the guitars pots scratchy?

[Colossal]

Educate me.

Why would the VVR make the guitars pots scratchy?

If you regulate youre preamp stages, when the plate voltages get low enough, you get DC on your guitar's volume pot. Normally, when installing a VVR, a cap is used to block any DC and the grid leak resistor for that stage is moved after the cap.

[martin manning]

Specifically, it’s due to the onset of grid current, which will flow through the guitar volume pot to ground unless blocked by a capacitor.

[Reeltarded]

This is why I am furious about the electric company charging ME for the use of MY local ground potential.

[Mark]

The scratchiness is easily fixed with an adequate sized poly cap.

In fact the scratchiness is fairly common on Trainwreck Rocket amps. I have found it happens on Gibsons more than Fenders, I suspect the 500K Gibson pot versus the 250K Fender pot is the reason. Selecting a "good" valve helps but that ends up being a short term fix.

I don't understand how the scratchiness can occur with VVR and not occur with a Variac. Maybe the low heater voltage has something to do with it or perhaps the Variac isn't turned down as low as the VVR.

[Winder]

Unless you require a "vintage" Staco variac, these work just fine. I have three of them. Bump that $52 to $59 and get a digital readout!!!

https://www.circuitspecialists.com/vari ... 05kva.html