Tom Scholz

[km6xz]

Variable balanced H-Pads were pretty standard in the day, every broadcast or recording studio had them back when terminated loads were the norm and level was dbm, before bridging inputs became standard so bridging transformers were not needed to do a simple split or mult. I assure you variable balanced attenuators connected to loads were being used commonly in studios in the 50s and 60s. I know I had one boxed up I got from a producer, and it must have been built in the early 50's. They did not change the sound much with low damping factor tube amps but they do change the sound of high damping factor solid state amps because the driver's back emf is attenuated from the feedback loop. It would sound a little more "tube" like with a looseness normally not heard with solid state amps. With the cones not driven hard, the there is little speaker breakup that is associated with a driver running full tilt.

[bob p]

All sorts of attenuators, like ladders, T, H, can be found in any vintage electronics handbook.

[Regis]

Let's say he developed the first commercially successful guitar amp attenuator. The Altair PW-5 before it was notorious for failing at inopportune times.

I have three of the Sholtz Power Soaks, they work fine. Never harmed any amp I've used them with. Some of you may remember I've built a few attenuators for myself.

This may be interesting or not:

Back around 1980 I was in a club in East Lansing Michigan and saw a really killer band. Four piece with two guitarists, Marshall stacks. I don't remember their name, (Gimme a break, it was thirty years ago) but they were really good. They opened with Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy", that's how good they were.

Anyway I went up to one of the guitarists during the break to compliment him and we got to talking. He took me around behind his stack and showed me an attenuator he had built into his Marshall. I had no idea what it was at the time but now I realize it was a couple of huge resistors in an L-Pad, probably -6 db. I was really impressed.

[g1]

Let's say he developed the first commercially successful guitar amp attenuator.

This is it. He was not the inventor of it but he was responsible for bringing it to the masses. Look at all the players in the load simulator market now, his was the first that was really available to the average guitar player.
He's a bright guy, if people wanted to claim he was the inventor, no sense denying a claim he did not make.

P.S. Happy Birthday Regis (belated) .

[Regis]

P.S. Happy Birthday Regis (belated) .

Thanks, only 364 more days until I turn 60. Sigh.

[km6xz]

Youngster.....

[bobsamps]

Rockmans were cool.

[guitician]

Tom Scholz is one of those studio engineers that knows the importance of "Tone"! And uses his skill to achieve it.

[neshel]

They're back on tour - perhaps with a new album? - I can't tell - an ad at a bus stop near my house showed me....else I wouldn'tve known.

Band Boston Official Site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJy38Otisb4


The Rockman amp, direct to board I think, was used in the entirety of Def Leppard's Hysteria. I think the tones are some of the best I've heard. Very streamlined, smooth, like light.

Delp is one of the few tenors/counter-tenors I've always liked. (Elsewise I prefer basses.)

On things 'live', while I haven't been to many shows, I've tended to prefer recorded music. It seems to be done the way that was best, and so why go see someone do it again?

[neshel]

queer double post

[tedmich]

live performances sometimes let me see the artist step outside of the perfect picture frame that studio tracks represent, with studio tracks sometimes showing too much of the producers influence IMO.

Roth's Live Version of "Polar Nights" and Hendrix's "Machine Gun" come to mind, not as polished as studio tracks but immediate and transcendent in their spontaneity and power.

These gems are rare though, so we are lucky they sometimes get recorded as played. Many modern performances are sadly identical to the studio version, by various methods.

[neshel]

live performances sometimes let me see the artist step outside of the perfect picture frame that studio tracks represent, with studio tracks sometimes showing too much of the producers influence IMO.

Roth's Live Version of "Polar Nights" and Hendrix's "Machine Gun" come to mind, not as polished as studio tracks but immediate and transcendent in their spontaneity and power.

These gems are rare though, so we are lucky they sometimes get recorded as played. Many modern performances are sadly identical to the studio version, by various methods.

The spatiality of this recording says differently to me. But this isn't rock......nor does it have the....self-centeredness of it....which is perhaps a lesson to consider...