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Post by Strato on Mar 28, 2006 23:10:49 GMT -7
Sup?
I have a Maz 18 NR head and z-best cab. I keep the volume at about 10:00 and use an overdrive in front of them amp. I love the way the amp sounds cranked, but i cant play that loud anywhere. At lower volumes its sounds ok, but its more harsh an the bass gets kinda muddy. Will an attenuator help me?
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Post by propellr on Mar 29, 2006 6:15:10 GMT -7
An attenuator may allow you to harness the tones you want at more reasonable volumes.
You may be able to use the volume and master dials on your Maz to achieve the same goal. Set the volume for the right amount of amp overdrive, then add your OD sound, and control the overall volume with the master dial.
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Post by zdogma on Mar 29, 2006 6:35:08 GMT -7
Pretty much any tube amp will sound a bit brittle and unbalanced below a certain level on the master. You'll get a fuller sound with the master up a bit past 10 oclock.
I would definately consider an attenuator. Don't get a cheap one, though, they will color your sound too much.
With the airbrake, it is pretty transparent at 1, 2, 3 clicks (-1.8, -3.6 and -5.4 dB respectively) but at higher settings it sounds a bit unbalanced also, highs are attenuated and the bass gets a bit flabby.
Remember that -3 dB is equivalent to halving the power of the amp, but is barely perceptible sound wise. -6dB to -10dB will halve the volume (which the airbrake can do, but there is some degradation sound-wise, as I mentioned above).
Option 2 is a speaker change. A heritage greenback is a very nice speaker, and is only a 96db spl. You could get a 112 with a greenback for quieter gigs. Trouble is it won't have the big bass response of the z best.
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Post by Strato on Mar 29, 2006 15:40:07 GMT -7
I think im almost ok with not having as much bass reponse. Im used to a twin reverb with jensens. I wasnt sure which causes for bass from the Z Best... whether its more the closed back design or the speakers. I think i will definitely try an attenuator... Thanks.
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Post by prsdriss on Mar 31, 2006 7:41:50 GMT -7
Z-Dogma, quick question You said "Remember that -3 dB is equivalent to halving the power of the amp, but is barely perceptible sound wise. " You lost me... Shouldn't it sound like like half of the power??? therefore just sound half as loud? Help me out here...I have a 100 W mesa boogie mark I. If I do -3db (I just ordered he airbrake.) what wattage will it sound like? ...I don't get the DB stuff ) Thanks
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Post by zdogma on Mar 31, 2006 8:22:05 GMT -7
OK, so dB are a logarithmic scale, so nothing is really intuitive. -3dB is equivalent to halving the power of the amp, but halving the power of the amp doesn't halve the volume. In fact, it is just noticeable. Strange, eh? It in fact takes a 6 to 10 dB change to double the volume (which is equivalent to 4-8 fold increase in amp power) Volume perception is a bit subjective, that's why it takes 6 to 10 dB. Depends on the person, the frequency range, the listening environment, etc. Here's a primer on this concept: dB explained And here's one more related to stereo gear, but the concepts is the same: stereo gear and dBThere are many variables that are not discussed here, however. Speakers have a tremendous impact on perceived volume, both due to the dB rating/SPL/efficiency, and the frequencies that they produce. The speaker efficiency or sensitivity (often noted in the specs as SPL) will give you an idea of the volume a speaker produces. It is rated in dB at 1 watt output. For example, a Celestion heritage greenback is a 96dB speaker, and a century neo Celestion is 102dB. The neo will be about (see above) twice as loud with the same amp and wattage. This would be equivalent to increasing the power of the amp by a factor of four. There is more involved than SPL, however. The higher frequencies are often perceived by the ear as louder, so a bright speaker will be perceived as louder than a dark speaker with the same SPL. The amp and the way you eq the guitar will also have an impact on the perceived loudness. A good example of this is a 100 watt bass rig. If you run a bass thru a 100 watt tube amp, say a bassman 100, and a guitar through the same rig the guitar will be perceived as much louder. I hope this helps.
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