The Volume-Mizer attenuator (?) on eBay

[Mike Gug]

Anyone ever used this or something similar?

 

I don't know much about attenuators or if this is what one is. This goes in the effects loop. Does this make sense? Can it work?

 

It's got good feedback from customers. It appears as though this is all he sells.

[doctorx]

It's not an attenuator or a power soak. It's just a couple of jacks and a pot in a box.

 

What it does is takes the preamp signal flowing through the effects loop and puts a volume control on it, trying to effect a master volume. I guess you could call it an attenuator in that respect but it's not in any way like a THD Hotplate or Power Brake, which is put between the speaker outputs of your amp and the speaker cab. Like I said, it's not a power soak, and won't sound like one.

 

I have built a webpage with a schematic of this thing, although I built it for a different reason. You can build one for just a few dollars if you want one, check it out here.

[Mike Gug]

So do I, in affect, have a THD Hot Plate-type of attenuator when I have a "PRE" and "POST" control on my amp?

[doctorx]

No, that's a master volume setup inside the amp. What you are doing there is overdriving a preamp tube into distortion, reducing its output with a potentiometer, then sending it on to the power amp.

 

A hotplate or power soak attenuator is placed after the power amp and before the speaker.

 

Here is a website with a lot of info that will explain it further.