Seymour Duncan Convertible valve amp

On the overdrive channel, I tend to set the drive on 12 (it's not a high gain amp) and the master volume just cracked open for playing at home. Even at a gig, I rarely need the master volume on more than 4.

Is that a problem?

stratman323 said:

Is that a problem?

Click to expand...

You'll have to speak up I cant hear you

On a slightly more serious note, Marshalls tend to sound a lot better with the master volume wound up which leaves you with a few issues for playing at home. I've recently bought an attenuator which even on the max setting doesn't bring the volume down low enough for evening noodling!

I used to have a little tech21 modelling combo which sounded great at low volume, I just begrudged using it when I had the Marshall sat there doing nothing!

Actually this amp sounds best at (small) gig volume, played on the clean channel, with the volume around 5. It's still a clean sound, but it's just beginning to overdrive; I suppose it's overdriving the power amp - I'm not really much of an amp expert.

As long as you can find the right setting (somewhere around 1!) on the master volume, it can produce a decent sound at home too. I also have a Blues Junior (15W), which I rarely use, as I just don't find it sounds as good (or as versatile) as the good old Blues Deluxe.

I was told a few months back that the reason that most Fender volume controls have most of their effect in the first half of their travel is a policy decision many years ago to make them sound louder than comparable Marshalls. I was told that if you turn a comparably powered Fender and Marshall up to 5, the Fender would be louder, even though turning it up higher than 5 won't produce much increase in volume on the Fender, because it's already at 75% volume when the knob is turned up half way.

I don't know if it's true or not, but it does mean that they can be fiddly to adjust to get the right volume for playing at home.

I've wondered about attenuators, but I don't really know enough about them :-?

Careful with those attenuators. They can cook transformers Mate of mine had a Bogner Ecstasy head. He used a THD Hot Plate with it too often and it fried the tranny. Expensive repair.

oldflame said:

Mate of mine had a Bogner Ecstasy head. He used a THD Hot Plate with it too often and it fried the tranny.

Click to expand...

Great name for an amp, but obviously not named by a Brit! Anyone who has been to Bognor (a seaside "resort" on the South coast of England) is unlikley to have found themselves in ecstasy.

As for frying the tranny, that sounds like the execution of a bloke in a dress :lol:

I worked with a guy who was at sea for years before he took a land job. Back in the 70's, they docked in a foreign port and him and a few shipmates went in to town that evening. Finding a bar, one of his shipmates was getting on nicely with one of the local girls until he felt her up. Unfortunately he felt HIS clock set. Anyway, after some verbal abuse was thrown about, there was a bit of a resulting blue and the tranny managed to half scalp one of his mates (70's, = long hair and platforms no doubt).

Moral - Be mindful of what you say to a man in a dress. :lol:

Only on the Tokai forum will you get advice on how to deal with a bloke in a dress :lol:

Yeah but it beats getting the **** kicked out of you by a Birdman mate.

It's amazing how off topic we can get here

Still off-topic but back on to attenuators, apparently the Marshall ones don't damage your O/P transformer, had no issues with mine yet.

Powerscaling is another option I'm looking in to, this is where you send off your amp and they wire loads of gubbins in to it to reduce the voltage to your valves, have a look/listen to this:

http://www.bruceclement.com/music/psk.htm

Sounds pretty impressive! Costs about ?180 fitted

You could always buy a slightly smaller amp? :lol:

stratman323 said:

You could always buy a slightly smaller amp? :lol:

Click to expand...

Suggestion filed along with:

Drink less beer
Join a Gym

All good ideas on paper :wink: