Dr Z Brake Lite clone? (Or low-rated DIY attenuators)

guitargeek62

I seem to recall a topic on these back on MR, any pointers/suggestions? 

I could do with something to knock my Mesa Express 5:25 (EL84s) down a little so that I can push the channels slightly harder without raising the volume too much at home. I'm only using it on 5w mode but it's just too loud for what I'm comfortable to subject my new neighbours too!

Wazmeister

Dr Z Brake Lite is superb...

The secret is to set it up right (strangely enough).

I actually don't like attenuators per se, but the Z is better than the Jim Kelley (£499 !!) one I had...

http://ztalk.proboards.com/board/8/brake-lite

ICBM

I thought the Brake Lite was awful, and laughably overpriced given how basic it is. And yes, I do have a wide experience of attenuators, know how to use them and like quite a few of them. It sounded flat and lifeless. Just about forgivable if it was under about £50, but it's £169…

Each to their own I suppose!

For an amp of under 20W I would go for an L-Pad mounted in a decent ventilated box. The work very well and are under a tenner for the L-Pad itself. (The one you want is rated for "100W", but that's a programme rating for a hi-fi-type speaker, not what the unit itself will handle.)

Fortheloveofguitar

What would you recommend for a 100w head. ?

ecc83

Fortheloveofguitar said:

What would you recommend for a 100w head. ?

4 by 12?

Dave.

stickyfiddle

I built one. Didn't save a huge amount of cash probably but was a fun project. 

It worked nicely with my old Clubster 25, though as ICBM says it might be worth trying an Lpad, especially if only for 5W mode!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stickyfiddle/sets/72157630238600316/ for full pic set

ThePrettyDamned

I used a 50w l pad on my old 5 watt amp and it worked perfectly, remember it's linear taper though.

You can either take the edge off, or you can take it down to whisper volume. You lose top end when you do that, though, but most attenuators seem to do that.

Joe_Easy

I'm currently planning a project to build a Weber Mass Lite clone; these use the voice coil from a speaker as a reactive load as apposed to a purely resistive load - their claim is that it sounds more natural and transparent. They also allow to you adjust high and low frequencies independently, which I suspect is good way to addres the perceived tone suck when playing at lower volumes.

Priced up most of the components and I think I'm going to save a fair amout of cash. It's a very basic circuit, so shouldn't be difficult for a novice to pull off.

Fortheloveofguitar

ecc83;340560" said:

Fortheloveofguitar said:

What would you recommend for a 100w head. ?





4 by 12?

Dave.

2x12

ICBM

If it's an attenuator you want…

The Marshall Powerbrake and the THD Hotplate are both good, but very different - they each work best with different amps. Both are discontinued but easy enough to find second hand. I also liked the Sequis Motherload and Richter, but they're harder to find and more expensive. I liked the full-size Airbrake, but it isn't enough for a 100W amp. I didn't particularly like the Weber Mass I tried, but it was only the Mini one and the full-size one (which is what you need for a 100-watter) is apparently better.

The Koch Load Box also has a very good reputation but I haven't tried it personally.

I would avoid the 'Ultimate Attenuator'. It's neither - it's a crude (and under-rated) dummy load and solid-state re-amp system, and the one I had to fix was extremely poorly made.

There are others now too - Rivera, Jet City, Bad Cat and probably more...