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Post by rgreen1974 on Dec 4, 2014 20:40:28 GMT -7
Hey guys, I recently picked up an original Prescription head (love it). As you know it's loud. Some gigs I play I have the opportunity to open it up a little. However, there are other gigs that won't allow me to. I'm wondering should I buy an Airbrake or have the master volume mod done? Used Airbrakes are around $250 mod $200. Pros and cons on both? Thanks Rob
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Post by mojolabs on Dec 4, 2014 21:58:50 GMT -7
Not saying they'd both sound exactly the same but I seriously doubt it would make a huge difference. My personal preference would be to leave the original circuit as is and use the airbrake. Pros: instant gratification (no shop time), plus the airbrake can be used with other amps. Cons: a lumpy box and another cable to carry around.
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Post by davmpartridge on Dec 5, 2014 6:32:52 GMT -7
I have an Airbrake with the bedroom knob. The downside is that it is not easy to carry around. I am able to fit it into my Pedaltrain roadcase with my board for traveling. The lid fits a bit tight but the foam keeps it in place.
The upside is that I can dial in the sweet spot, and then adjust the volume to suit the room and the rest of the stage members. The drummer in one of the bands I play in uses an electronic set, so stage volume is very low. The airbrake works great in keeping my volume in check for that band.
As mojolabs pointed out, The airbrake is something you can use with other amps, or sell outright by itself if it isn't your thing.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Dec 5, 2014 8:49:03 GMT -7
I agree with mojolabs that the circuit is best left untouched. You might be able to get away with a Brake-lite. The BL is good for amps up to 45 watts - the Prescription is 45 watts. You could drop a note to Doc or Don just to make sure you won't have any issues. I've used my BL with my Antidote (also 45 watts) with no issues.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Dec 7, 2014 23:17:13 GMT -7
I have this amp with a Master volume. It is GREAT.
I also have an Airbreak (not the smaller brake-lite) and it works extremely well with the Original RX... used it for years before i got the Master volume done...
They both work well and either way would work... but like the others said, you could also use the Airbreak with other amps. One thing for me that was cool was after the Master volume was done, it freed up my Airbreak for the Maz 38 if I wanted to a/b them running together and just use the master volume on the RX to match the level of the 38 with the Airbreak.
The ONLY thing I'd recommend is, I know the RX is "45" watts and the brake-lite could be used... but I'd recommend the larger Airbreak for the original Rx as it probably puts out a bit more Z watts than the rating indicates. It can get loud as you know.
But if Mike has used his brake-lite with his antidote cranked then nevermind... should be fine with the RX. lol
My Airbreak works very very well with it. But really either Master vol or Airbreak will work fine just depends on which way you wanna go.
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Post by rgreen1974 on Dec 8, 2014 5:59:17 GMT -7
Thanks for all the input guys I really appreciate it. I'm going to get in touch with Z and see how long of a turn over rate it would be for the mod. But I think I'll probably go with the airbrake.
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Post by rgreen1974 on Dec 8, 2014 6:09:16 GMT -7
One more question. Does the Airbrake alter the amps tone at all? Thanks
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Post by doctorice on Dec 8, 2014 6:24:30 GMT -7
One more question. Does the Airbrake alter the amps tone at all? Thanks I find the Air Brake to be quite transparent. I've used it on several amps, including an Rx ES. A tip: In contrast to the advice to find the sweet spot, then brake it down, go the other way. Brake it to below the level you expect to use, find the sweet spot, and then open the Air Brake up a notch. When you go the other direction, our ears sometimes perceive that the tone is altered, but this is largely a function of how our hearing works. Steve (benttop) did a test of this by recording an amp close up using varying levels of attenuation, then set playback of all recordings to the same volume. No discernible difference in tone to my ears. One factor that would make a difference in tone is the speaker. If you're driving the speaker hard and having its break up be part of the tone, then reducing the power going to it could make a audible difference. One last thing and I'll shut up: In live settings you may believe your tone is a little different, but the audience will not know
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drc
New Member
Posts: 37
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Post by drc on Dec 11, 2014 9:42:54 GMT -7
I used an Air Brake with my RxES. As long as you don't get past 3 clicks your good. That amp has so much top end that any "dulling" of the signal that the Airbrake might be doing isn't enough to kill the tone. At least it wasn't for me. You just have to understand it isn't gonna get you bedroom levels. It'll just allow you to play that amp for 20 mins without your ears ringing. She's a beast.
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