Dr. Z Air Brake Power Attenuator -Has anyone tried this, or similar devices?

[gbradtke]

I know this is not strictly an EB question, but has anybody successfully used one of these to maintain a good tone through thier amp at a low volume for playing at home.
I am desperate to find a way through this problem.

The following links to the manufacturers site.
Dr. Z Amplification Z Air Brake

Thanks, Graham.

 

[Axis Sport]

I have used both the THD Hot Plate and Ted Weber's attenuators. Both were good, but I like the weber the best. They both allowed me to push the amp to distortion and not blow me out of the room, but not at very low volume. What neither have done is allowed me to do it at bedroom volumes.

I have had DR Z amps in the past and he makes great gear and I have heard is Zbrake is as good as it gets.

Depending on what you are trying to do, I would try and buy one from a company that allows you to try it and return it if it does not work out.


You might also look at the Bad Cat Leash. They make great products too.

The THD Hotplate is the pink unit bottom right.

 

[gbradtke]

I have used both the THD Hot Plate and Ted Weber's attenuators. Both were good, but I like the weber the best. They both allowed me to push the amp to distortion and not blow me out of the room, but not at very low volume. What neither have done is allowed me to do it at bedroom volumes.

I have had DR Z amps in the past and he makes great gear and I have heard is Zbrake is as good as it gets.

Depending on what you are trying to do, I would try and buy one from a company that allows you to try it and return it if it does not work out.


You might also look at the Bad Cat Leash. They make great products too.

The THD Hotplate is the pink unit bottom right.

Thanks, that's helpful.
Do you think the 'bedroom volume' target then becomes an issue with the speakers rather than the audio signal? ie the speaker cone just can't produce the 'sound' without the physical movement the cone would produce at a louder volume.
Ans if so, could the solution be running through an attenuator and smaller speakers, say 8" or 6", instead of 12"?

 

[ShaneV]

Thanks, that's helpful.
Do you think the 'bedroom volume' target then becomes an issue with the speakers rather than the audio signal? ie the speaker cone just can't produce the 'sound' without the physical movement the cone would produce at a louder volume.

That's part of it, plus the fact that the human ear hears frequencies differently at different volumes.

The THD hotplate (the only attenuator I've ever personally used) also imparts a really harsh, disgusting fizziness to the tone at bedroom levels. Setting the Hotplate to load, then reamping into a second amp sounds much better, but still not the same as a cranked amp should.

 

[Spudmurphy]

It kinda makes me smile a bit.

Owning top quality kit that would fill most venues is great - I'll hold my hands up to that one!
- and that is a great looking set up I would add!

But trying to tame those beasts to play at bedroom level is a feat indeed.- and is certainly no Little Feat (I've waited years to drop that pun in - sorry Lowell!)

I would seriously think about getting a really small amp for the home - something like a Fender Champ, or one of those small Epiphone or Black Heart amps. Crank the tubes, get the Tube sag but at a lowish volume - shoot even an Orange Tiny Terror is loud in the bedroom.
- what amp to get for the bedroom is a thread in itself - and was not the question you asked.

Those "Powerbreaks" will get the volume levels down but prolly not enough for the average bedroom.

 

[Jim_F]

Tried the Marshall powerbreak, not really enough of a drop in volume (for home use) to justify the price.

Bought a little 15W practice amp for the flat and v happy with the results.

 

[beachjammer]

I had a Zbrake clone that my buddy made. It sounded better than any other attenuator I've used but I think that all of them alter the tone. I was using it with my Mesa Rectoverb combo. Set in the "vintage" mode it didn't alter the tone that much but in "modern" mode there was a bigger difference in tone. My buddy had added what he called a "bedroom" knob that really helped drop the volume. I could run my Mesa on 4 and easily talk over it... In the end though I sold it and just got a small practice amp to use at home.... when the family is here anyway :O)

 

[TimSz]

Me and the Dr. Z.

I have played and owned numerous Dr. Z products, ranging from the Delta 88 to the Maz 18 to the Stang Ray and so on. None of them had that specific sound I have stuck in my head, but the Maz came close. I knew that if I kept looking and trying, that I would find MY sound with a Dr. Z. Along the way, I picked up an Air Brake because I was living in an apartment at the time that I purchases a Prescription ES combo. I threw the Air Brake into line, and found that it did exactly what was needed. It attenuated the sound brilliantly, and with little to no effort at all. One knob would set the attenuation from none all the way down to "bedroom" levels" and the bedroom knob would further attenuate the bedroom level.

While it may be a little pricey (I don't know where it sits in comparison to a THD or Marshall), I found it to be exactly what I needed. No frills or gimmicks, just attenuation. I actually did some research on the other brands and from what I've learned it seems that THD makes great products, but the Marshall ones have had a nasty habit of starting on fire apparently. I don't know what kind of truth the internet holds in regard to this matter, but it has been enough of a slag for me to not ever try one.

All in all, the Air Brake is a great attenuator, and I'm happy that I own it. The only reason one would choose a THD over it would be availability and color choice. The Air Brake comes in a drab sort of gray color and that's it... where the THD comes in an assortment of vibrant colors. Essentially, skip the Marshall and go for a Z or THD.

Just my two cents.

 

[Chris G]

I had a THD Hotplate which I used on a Mesa F-30 when our old neighbours had a baby. When I moved house and could play the F-30 a bit louder I sold the Hotplate as I didn't really like what it did to the tone of the amp - it sort of removed the life from it.

Depending on the room and the circumstances bedroom volumes are often so low that the Hotplate just kills the benefit you get from tubes/valves anyway and you're as well off buying a 15 or 30W solid state practice amp. I have a Roland Cube 30X which is pretty good at low volumes.

Benefits: It's a lot cheaper than an attenuator, is probably more reliable than a valve amp, and has a headphone jack.

Drawbacks: It's not nearly as cool as a Marshall stack.

 

[beachjammer]

I I have a Roland Cube 30X which is pretty good at low volumes.

I bought the Roland Cube 20X for my home needs. Great amps!

 

[V_S]

On the les Paul Forum some guys are raving about an attenuator called The Ultimate Attenuator. Here are some youtube clips:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZi3uoCH2o0&feature=related"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glVp_1umcmM"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LavOZNaoQlE"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

 

[ShaneV]

On the les Paul Forum some guys are raving about an attenuator called The Ultimate Attenuator. Here are some youtube clips:
YouTube - '72 Marshall 50 watt w/ Ultimate Attenuator
YouTube - Wizard Modern Classic & Ultimate attenuator Demo
YouTube - Wizard Modern Classic w/ Ultimate Attenuator

Those things are crazy expensive though.

 

[nad]

The other thing to bare in mind is that the THD Hotplates are impedance specific. There was a time that I had both a 16 and an 8 ohm hotplate - but now I've got the Dr. Z Airbrake.

They're both pretty comparible in terms of quality - the hotplate definitely adds a harshness to the sound at low low volumes though. In terms of quality/value for money the Z has to take it purely because you're not locked into just the one impedance!

 

[marantz1300]

Instead of a 4x12 cab.I use a 1x12 black shadow loaded cab with my boogies or a 1x15 fane loaded cab with my hiwatt. With only one speaker and a smaller cab, i'm pushing 25% of the air compared to a 4x12 and can drive my amps harded for a given volume.So I can get good tone at lower more domestic levels.