Amp Attenuation - UA Ox - Freyette PS 100 or Boss Tube Amp Expander

[herb]

Finally serious about getting a good attenuator. I have several amps that are too loud to be used at a gig so they stay at home collecting dust while I take my Carr Rambler out for almost everything. Those old amps sound great and I want to use them (Marshall JTM 45- Fender '65 Vibrolux- Fender '57 Tweed Twin Reissue- '63 Vibroverb Reissue- Tweed Bassman Reissue) Plus, sometimes that Carr is not loud enough.

I also have amps that are a little bit underpowered like a Clark Beaufort and a 5 Watt Marshall that would definitely need their sound boosted to be used in a band setting.

My main goal is to buy an attenuator to make my amps sound great live at lower volumes for the more powerful amps and higher volumes for the low power amps. I also want one unit that is switchable between 2-4-8 and 16 ohm loads. Having a box that is good for recording would be nice but is secondary for right now.

So far I am leaning to the Fryette model but wanted to get opinions on the Boss and UA models as I know they are popular. If there is something else I should be looking at please let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[renderit]

Have you considered a load box?

That way you can send the speakers to the board (or your headphones when practicing) so you can use little amps out for gigs and huge ones thru the board so you don't have to lug cabinets.

I find it beyond useful and as it can simulate speaker cabinets you are never at a loss of choices.

It also lets you drive the amp as hard as you want and has none of the attenuator drawbacks.

Since I got it I very rarely use an attenuator...

As it takes 8 ohm input I use this to convert others...

 

[Dekel Bor]

ive had the waza one, and sold it after using it twice - it transfers your signal to digital and models it, and the difference is there.
would love to hear more about the other two! seems like everyone's using the UA

 

[herb]

That load box looks like something to look into. Looks like it would best be used with amp heads rather than combos?

At first I was really interested in the Boss model but the more I looked it I got less and less interested. I'd probably get the Ox if I was looking for something solely to record with.

 

[SoK66]

I purchased a Fryette PS2A last Spring and must say it's far and away the best piece of accessory gear I've ever owned.

 

[renderit]

That load box looks like something to look into. Looks like it would best be used with amp heads rather than combos?

At first I was really interested in the Boss model but the more I looked it I got less and less interested. I'd probably get the Ox if I was looking for something solely to record with.

As you can use the speaker outs on many combos into the input that is not an issue. I use many of mine through it.

 

[Phoenician]

I haven’t tried the other units you mentioned but the Power Station is absolutely epic. It’s also very good for making a wet-dry rig with a Radial CabLink.

 

[herb]

After some more research the Fryette PS 100 looks like it will accomplish what I want to do the easiest way possible. Doesn't mean I'll change my mind but I have about a month to mull over it as that's when they will be back on the shelves. Can't find one available out there anywhere.

 

[jb_abides]

I haven’t tried the other units you mentioned but the Power Station is absolutely epic. It’s also very good for making a wet-dry rig with a Radial CabLink.

Thanks for the great idea!

 

[zacknorton]

there are some Freyette power stations listed on reverb. even a brand new one :

Fryette PS-100 Power Station 100 Dual-Mode Reactance Amplifier Attenuator | Reverb

A unique attenuator and tube amp built into one portable unit.The Fryette Power Station 100 Dual-Mode Reactance Tube Amplifier is an easy to use Power Attenuator for controlling the volume of high-powered tube amplifiers with none of the drawbacks of a conventional attenuator. The PS-100 features...

reverb.com

 

[bern1]

I have become a believer in using attenuators on all the modern amps to get the best possible sound with modern volume constraints. I use a Weber Mass Lite with the Metro JTM45 and a Z Brake-Lite with the Allen Encore combo. I just bought a Weber Mini for the GDS based Mini Bluesbreaker Combo and bolted it to the lower back panel. They make all these amps more versatile and usable. The Weber Mini is the only one that has impedance selection but the others don’t seem to suffer. Other Weber models have impedance switches as well. I’d recommend them, they use a speaker driver as welI. I find it’s all about compromise and knob fiddling at this point. Sure, they would all sound “better” if it was 1969 and I could turn them all up!

 

[seafood]

these are the kinds of posts...that i love about this forum,,,,,the exchange of information...that helps everyone....thank you and cheers!!!!!!

 

[herb]

there are some Freyette power stations listed on reverb. even a brand new one :

Fryette PS-100 Power Station 100 Dual-Mode Reactance Amplifier Attenuator | Reverb

A unique attenuator and tube amp built into one portable unit.The Fryette Power Station 100 Dual-Mode Reactance Tube Amplifier is an easy to use Power Attenuator for controlling the volume of high-powered tube amplifiers with none of the drawbacks of a conventional attenuator. The PS-100 features...

reverb.com

Thanks for pointing that out. The three listed want either more money or shipping costs added. I'll wait until they start shipping to larger retailers.

 

[vim]

I purchased a Fryette PS2A last Spring and must say it's far and away the best piece of accessory gear I've ever owned.

100% agreed. By far the best attenuation I´ve tried/owned, and that´s a lot (excl. Boss Wasa).

 

[mthrunn]

Another vote for the Fryette PS

 

[herb]

Looks like Fryette made a price increase on the PS-2 and PS-100

 

[SoK66]

Looks like Fryette made a price increase on the PS-2 and PS-100

Price increases will hit just about everything for quite some time. Feds announced 7% inflation, that's the highest since '82. Strap in, hold on. Gibson pricing, particularly on Custom Shop stuff will go bonkers. Cost of labor, raw mterials shrtages, etc. hitting everywhere. Forty years ago the Fed countered with big interest rate hikes that slowly brought it down, along with the economy. Possibly even rougher seas ahead.

 

[herb]

Price increases will hit just about everything for quite some time. Feds announced 7% inflation, that's the highest since '82. Strap in, hold on. Gibson pricing, particularly on Custom Shop stuff will go bonkers. Cost of labor, raw mterials shrtages, etc. hitting everywhere. Forty years ago the Fed countered with big interest rate hikes that slowly brought it down, along with the economy. Possibly even rougher seas ahead.

I did suspect they would raise the price on this item so not really surprised. As you said, price increases have hit pretty much everything. Approaching 70, I remember of those days you speak of and have been keeping an eye out on interest rates and inflation.

Anyway, I found a PS-100 in stock at one of the major internet dealers and ordered it. With any luck I'll be receiving it on Friday. I'm jacked! I rarely buy music gear anymore.

 

[herb]

Received my PS 100. So far I'm blown away by what this unit can can do and the sound coming from my powerful old amps that have been pretty much in storage for the last two decades. I have been feeling a bit under the weather (I'm slowly feeling better) but used this with my blackface Vibrolux Reverb and my Clark Amplifiaction JTM 45 with Marshall 4X12 Reissue cab with Celestion T652 alnico speakers. The sound looses no clarity that I can tell and the PS100's effects loop gives these vintage amps options they never had before.

Best gear purchase I have made in the last 20 years, hands down. Maybe 30. If you have an amp collection I highly recommend you looking into one of these.

 

[Bulwark]

Best gear purchase I have made in the last 20 years, hands down. Maybe 30. If you have an amp collection I highly recommend you looking into one of these.

There’s something heavily implied by the fact that you almost never see these used on Reverb, leastwise not at all proportional to their (product) volume or popularity.

If no one can keep them on shelves, and no one is selling their own, it must be a keeper.