Attenuators vs. Overdrives: Need opinions

[Twangman]

Hey folks -

Say a guy has $200 or so and a souped-up tweed Deluxe (6V6's in fixed bias, 5V4 recto, choke, heavy-duty OT, and 2 X 12s).

What is the best value for the $200 - a good attenuator or a good overdrive?

I currently own a Reverend Drivetrain 2 (improved TS9) that has worked really well with my Victoria Bassman and Blackface Super Reverb, but since the Deluxe has a much stronger midrange, the mids may get a little over-bearing.

Otions I've considered are either the Geek MacDaddy British Ball Breaker Overdrive or a Bad Cat Leash Attenuator.

Thoughts???

[Twangman]

BTW: My Deluxe is WAY too loud turned up past 4 or so for most small to medium clubs. The tone on 7 or so is like God, but will get you fired.

[black_labb]

sounds like you should put it back to cathode biased , or if your ot has multiple secondary taps only use one 1x12 to cut 3db.
if you have a head (as opposed to a combo, im not saying your an idiot ), you could invest in a single possibly less sensitive speaker, and use that for lower volumes. speakers make a big difference for volume, but its often niglected.


not really helpful, but they are how i would work.

[Enzo]

What's better, adding an appetizer to dinner, or a dessert?

Overdrives and attenuators are diffferent things. Really, the thing to do is try either one and buy what results in a sound you like better. Distortion is not generic, so adding a distortion pedal won;t produce the same sound as driving the piss out of the amp and then attenuating it down to a level you want. There is no better, there is only what you personally prefer.

[billyz]

A good Overdrive usually cost less than a good Attenuator. They do sound different. An overdrive can be switched in and out. Most attenuators cannot ( unless you build your own ). Attenuators are hard on your tubes. I do own a THD Hotplate and a homebrew Airbrake. But I have not used them in a while.
The downside to most Overdrive pedals is they take away alot of sensitivity.
Some are better though , a lot of my buds like the OCD or the TIM pedal. I personally use one I built that uses no Diodes for clipping just FET's overdriving FET's.
If you are handy then Try the VVR from Dana Hall. easy on the tubes and sounds great.

[tbryanh]

Another option is Power Scaling.

http://www.powerscaling.com/

[gregsguitars]

Get the Hoochie mama from browntone , he is my cousin and hand builds all his pedals, they are the cats meow.Greg

[mooreamps]

Originally Posted by Twangman

Hey folks -

Say a guy has $200 or so and a souped-up tweed Deluxe (6V6's in fixed bias, 5V4 recto, choke, heavy-duty OT, and 2 X 12s).

What is the best value for the $200 - a good attenuator or a good overdrive?

I currently own a Reverend Drivetrain 2 (improved TS9) that has worked really well with my Victoria Bassman and Blackface Super Reverb, but since the Deluxe has a much stronger midrange, the mids may get a little over-bearing.

Otions I've considered are either the Geek MacDaddy British Ball Breaker Overdrive or a Bad Cat Leash Attenuator.

Thoughts???

Send me a PM. I'll tell you how my passive electronic power brake works.



-g