Volume box or attenuator?

[JeffBard]

The volume box sounds like it would help control the jump in the master volume knob on the amp to dial in a bedroomish volume.... but wouldn't push the power amp tubes. An attenuator may help lower the volume and push the tubes a bit more but not sure how less the loudness of the amp would be going through it. I was looking at the recycled sound attenuator for 80 bucks but would need two. The volume box is 20 bucks. This isn't for live playing... just at home. I would just like to get the feel of pushing the amp like at practice or live but at a reasonable living space volume. So maybe the volume box isn't what I am looking for? I have never used any of these things. I would like to experiment with finding a sweet spot on the amp. It's only sixty watts and have only used it max at 12 o'clock. Maybe at 3 or 4 o'clock it may sound better? I may have answered my own question possibly but I've never had the chance or place sit alone with it and crank it to find it's potential. If 3 or 4 sound better then an attenuator is in order but I just don't know. It's just roll it into practice or gig and go. It's a 6505 plus combo. Any opinions or suggestions?

 

[Dolebludger]

perhaps many members on this board don't know what a "volume box" is. I don't and I've been playing for 53 years. But I've been through several attenuators, and never meet one I liked very much. For practice only, it might sound good enough. But the ones I've tried caused the tone to be too thin and lacking in character for any type of gigging. Hopefull, some expert on these things will chime in.

 

[AngryHatter]

Master volume ftw.

 

[Rock]

perhaps many members on this board don't know what a "volume box" is. I don't and I've been playing for 53 years. But I've been through several attenuators, and never meet one I liked very much. For practice only, it might sound good enough. But the ones I've tried caused the tone to be too thin and lacking in character for any type of gigging. Hopefull, some expert on these things will chime in.

From what I gather a volume box is simply a box with a volume knob on it. It plugs into your amp's effects send and return loop. What it does, I think, is controls the amount of volume the amp's preamp section sends to your amp's power amp section. It acts like a master volume for your power amp section. This way you can turn the amp up and send a large amount of volume from your preamp section to your power amp but control how much volume or power your power amp section really gets thus reducing the overall volume.

I've done this in the past by putting an effects processor in the the effects send/return loop and using the rack's master volume to do the same thing as a volume box would do but I didn't try it for very long at all. Some say yes and and some say no, but I've read some stories on line about how doing something like that might fry things like your amp or effects processor by over heating the components and I was afraid of blowing out my amp or effects processor. I will say for the few minutes I did try it I was able to get my amp's distortion sound at a very quiet/bedroom volume level.

I don't see many volume boxes for sale anywhere except maybe home built and sold on e-bay but if I find one at MF, Guitar Center or Sweetwater for a cheap price I might pick up a dedicated volume box some day.

 

[Dolebludger]

If a volume box only acts like turning down the volume of some FX in the loop, I can't see any result (compared with turning down the master) except wimpy tone with excessive pre-amp content. Reminds me of the time I plugged in at a gig and got a horrible, weak tone. discovered the output volume on one of my FX in the rack in the loop was turned way down.

 

[Rock]

I don't know if it's like turning down an effects in the loop because the box is not an effect unit or pedal. It's just a box with a volume knob. It sets in the loop so that it can be a master volume for the power amp section only; not just an overall master volume for both the pre amp and power amp like a master volume on the front of your amp.

I think it works like this. If you have a 100 watt amp and turn it up to 100% then 100% of the power goes from the pre amp, then to the power amp, then to the speakers. If you turn down the master volume on the front of your amp to 50% then only half of the power is going to your pre amp so only half the power is going to your power amp then to the speakers. So, your overall tone is not as good because you are messing with the pre amp section before the power amp section even gets anything. Now, image if you can turn your amp to 10 giving 100% power to the pre amp section. The pre amp section is giving out 100% power or tone to the power amp section. The volume box sits right in between those two sections and in theory you can then turn down the volume box and the amp still thinks it's getting 100% power and reacts like it's getting 100% power but in reality it's only getting 10%, or 20% or how ever low you turn your box down. So in theory, I guess it tricks the power amp section into thinking it's getting everything the pre amp section can send it. So, I guess instead of your 100 watt amp's power section thinking it's getting 100 watts of power it tricks it into thinking it's a 5 watt amp or 10 watt amp, etc, reacts to that and relays that to the speakers thus providing power amp sound at a low volume. At least I think that how a volume box works.

 

[Dolebludger]

I wonder if it is not a matter of what controls you amp has on it. Mine has a clean channel gain and master, and an overdrive channel gain and master, and then an overall master (along with many other tonal controls for each channel). So I can crank the overall master down, and get as quiet as needed.