The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi folks, I have a really nice "Custom" Vibrolux Reverb that I love. The trouble is: I can't really open it up, it's just too loud for most gigs we play. But I like just a little hint of tube saturation when I dig in on my 330 – the P90s are wonderful dynamic in that regard. I mostly use my blues jr, which I can easily dial in due to the master – but it gets a little bit to trashy on some gigs, can't keep up with the leslie and drummer.
    For the last gig the sound guy brought a device called an attentuator for me. Sitting between the amp and speaker it reduces the power the speaker sees. The one he brought had 2 settings: 25 % and 10 %. The problem was that 25 % was a little bit too quiet. Maybe I should another model that allows for more variations in loudness? Any suggestions?
    Maybe a pedal could be a less pricy option but with my tube screamer clone even with the gain dialed out there's more drive than I want and I have the impression that plying dynamics suffer also – any suggestions for an overdrive pedal that's really subtle?
    Last edited by guavajelly; 10-02-2022 at 07:44 AM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    You could always try the Harley Benton American, keeping the voice and drive settings below 12 o'clock, working the others to taste. Certainly cant go wrong at that price either.

    Harley Benton American TrueTone – Thomann Sverige

  4. #3

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    Plug & Play Amplification in Paris make attenuators with several settings, marked in decibels.

    So far as I understand these things, attenuators come in two types: passive and aggressive.* The one is just a dumb box, while the other has lots of clever stuff inside and a price-tag to match. Some say passive attenuators can harm amps, but that appears to be a superstition. Attenuators are often discussed on The Gear Page, but a conclusion has yet to be reached.

    I have been told that an attenuator is little use on an amp with a master volume control, which is why I have not bought an attenuator.



    *check before posting


  5. #4

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    Check out the Toneking Ironman II attenuators. Works great with both tweeds and bf`s.

  6. #5

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    Clean Boost pedal?

    drive the preamp slightly. Works on my Princeton. I use a cheapo Tc Electronic but the Vertex is well thought of

    yea playing dynamics can become a bit compressed sometimes, but you can always switch it off

  7. #6

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    Donner Boost Killer will give you all you need.


    Donner Boost Killer Review (2019) | GuitarFella.com

  8. #7

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    Having owned pretty much all the attenuators (including the Ironman II), except the expensive ones like Fryette and OxBox, I recommend using an overdrive pedal. You might have to go through several to find one that mates well with your guitar and amp, they are all voiced a little differently.

    I would start with either the RC Booster or TC Spark Booster (full size), then of they aren't giving you the "hint" of drive you want (they should, no problem), then move up to overdrives like the MXR Timmy for starters.

    I use a JHS Morning Glory for the "hint of drive" thing with my P90 guitar and Swart AST.

  9. #8

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    Listen to ruger9 on pedals! That drive he advised me to buy a couple of years is killing - although I don’t think that specific pedal is what you would be looking for in this case btw

    Julian Lage used a JHS morning Glory at least for a while. He has an amazingly dynamic approach to guitar live

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Listen to ruger9 on pedals! That drive he advised me to buy a couple of years is killing - although I don’t think that specific pedal is what you would be looking for in this case btw

    Julian Lage used a JHS morning Glory at least for a while. He has an amazingly dynamic approach to guitar live
    That's why I bought it, and it sounds like Julian. Like I said, it works GREAT with my P90 guitar, with my PRRI, with my Swart AST... interestingly, for my tele (standard tele neck pickup) I prefer the MXR Timmy. So there is a bit of a "mating"/"matching" going on.

  11. #10

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    Let me also suggest the Greer Lightspeed overdrive. Super transparent and natural sounding. I leave it on most of the time for just a tiny bit of warmth and breakup

  12. #11

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    The original Zendrive is the gold standard for many (including me). I was too cheap and stupid to buy one when they were readily available. The current version is excellent and I’m not sure I can tell one from an original except for price (which has gone up considerably). Of course, a good original is even more expensive now.

    My main pedal is a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe, which is close to a Zen, solid as a rock, and moderately priced. The Wampler Euphoria is also a good choice. These will range from barely there (like a Deluxe, Princeton etc on the verge of breakup) to a Robben Ford-like smooth sustain. They have 3 band EQ before the drive stage, and it’s very effective.

    I also have and like the Rowin Dumbler and the J Rockett Touch, both of which are inexpensive, decently made, and very effective as “barely boosters”. They’re not as versatile as the big boys, but they do add just the right touch of grain if you set them right. These are also very small - I leave one in each gig bag.

    And if you ever come across a Hotone Grass pedal, grab it. They’re amazingly fine and originally sold for about $40. I’m not a pedal guy and I already had a Danelectro Daddy-O when the Grass came out - so (once again) I was too dumb to buy one. It was really smooth and subtle and I loved it in the store. I even sat in my car for a while debating whether I needed another pedal. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

  13. #12

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    I have the TC Clean boost and love it on the Strat not so much on the 175. It seems to slightly delay the attack and kinda smear the notes. Bought one of those Klon Clone Kits from StewMac back in the spring. The un-opened shipping box is staring at me. Wasn’t even thinking of using it with the 175 but if I still had a 335 I’d expect pleasing results. Need to focus focus focus and get the Clone going.

  14. #13

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    i use the dr z airbrake (circled in red) w both my dr z carmen ghia and princeton. it's real good. like you, i also like a little bit of hair.

    Just a hint of drive?-airbrake-jpg

    here's a crappy iphone vid of how it sounds with the carmen ghia and a rhythm chief equipped AA (if you can listen past the dog lol)...there are 4 attenuation settings (plus 0 which is bypass) and this is on 2, and i almost always have the vol on guitar rolled back a bit. the ghia usually will start to get some light dirt on around 10:00 on the volume, which is where i typically have it set.



    while i love my air brake, i have to admit im not really familiar with what else is out there. from what ive read, there's a ton of good stuff...everyone seems to love the UA ox box...and there's a fryette thing too. also from what ive read, the air brake, while good, is pricey compared to some of the others...but i have no experience.

  15. #14

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    If you visit The Gear Page, you'll find 1000 posts/arguments on attenuators (pros/cons, of course), pedals, tubes, and amps with phoenix feathers driving them -- have fun!

    Some great pedal ideas already, and I'll add the Sarno "Earth Drive" for a "hint of drive" (or more, if you need it)!

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by marcwhy
    If you visit The Gear Page, you'll find 1000 posts/arguments on attenuators (pros/cons, of course), pedals, tubes, and amps with phoenix feathers driving them -- have fun!

    Some great pedal ideas already, and I'll add the Sarno "Earth Drive" for a "hint of drive" (or more, if you need it)!
    i have the benson preamp and it's really, really good...and ive heard the hudson broadcast is solid too.

  17. #16

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    aww... my boy Indy (RIP) used to sing when I played guitar. I miss him

  18. #17

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    MXR Duke of Tone, and or Timmy!

  19. #18

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    I'll add J.Rockett Blue Note to the list. Well regarded by a few folks here, which is why I went with it. A little pricey, but it's designed for this and does it well.

    It's very good at the 'barely know it's there' thing. It can also do 'definitely there', but not to the level of a tube screamer.

  20. #19

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    The Fulltone OCD can work as an always-on hint-of-overdrive pedal,
    especially if you dial the guitar volume down, and especially with single coils. Joyo American Sound or Tech 21 Blonde, too.

  21. #20

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    Many pedals incorporate a volume control, that can act as a boost. However, I think boost pedals are the simplest way to get various degrees of hair without getting into pedals specifically designed for distortion or fuzz. I had exactly the same issue with my custom built Princeton Reverb-style amp (PR preamp, 6L6 power designed to put out @22-25 watts, 12" speaker) - a very clean amp. I use a wonderful boost pedal:
    Attached Images Attached Images Just a hint of drive?-union-more_2756-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 10-02-2022 at 05:06 PM.

  22. #21

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    I use a black star dept 10 boost in front of a black tech21 blond set to a blackface clean tone. I can then lift the boost until there is a small amount of tube breakup and warmth in the boost and then I adjust output volume on my blonde pedal. I set the amp clean.
    my amp in that case is a lowly class d unit, but when used clean any style of amp would work.

  23. #22

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    When I was using big amps, I had an original Scholtz Power Soak on my '72 50 watt Plexi and a '73 100 watt Plexi running the 4 10" speakers in my Classic 50 cab. Moved lots of air, looked and felt louder than it was. FOH was drums and vocals. We headlined a festival outdoors, with FOH. My 15 watt Marshall Studio 15 was just the ticket as a personal monitor. We slayed.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammertone
    Many pedals incorporate a volume control, that can act as a boost. However, I think boost pedals are the simplest way to get various degrees of hair without getting into pedals specifically designed for distortion or fuzz. I had exactly the same issue with my custom built Princeton Reverb-style amp (PR preamp, 6L6 power designed to put out @22-25 watts, 12" speaker) - a very clean amp. I use a wonderful boost pedal:
    id buy that on looks alone

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by spencer096
    id buy that on looks alone
    When you want more, get ... More.
    They also make the Evermore, Nevermore and a few other swell pedals, all in the same design style. It / they work quite well - clean boost in the first third, then some swell push and grit in the next third, then very aggressive in the last third. Depends on the guitar and amp of course, but that's the general idea.

    Nice tip o'the ol'Hatlo hat:
    Attached Images Attached Images Just a hint of drive?-k-f-steel-jpg 

  26. #25

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    Although, I think Jay got there first with the hat tip.


    Attached Images Attached Images Just a hint of drive?-blackstone-6337-jpg