attenuator vs Master Volume on a modded Fender Twin

[ethansnew]

yo


I have a 70s fender twin that has been modded out....the vibrato channel has been blackfaced and the normal channel has a "marshall mod" to it (not sure what exactly that means, but thats what the guy who sold it to me called it and the gain sounds sweet). When he did the modding he unhooked it from the master volume, which now does nothing, and the amp now is only controlled by the volume knobs on each of the channels.

I would like to get a more saturated tone at a reasonable volume, so I was thinking about getting an attenuator or having the master volume rehooked up. The thing about an attenuator is that there is nowhere to plug one in in the back of the amp (i believe) between the speakers and the amp. Anyone know if this can be created by a technician?

The other option would be to see if a technician could rehook up my MV control, but I have a feeling that might kill some of the mods that the guy put in the amp, which I would like to keep if possible. Also if I understand correctly, that would not help me get overdrive from the powertubes which is a really gorgeous sound I would like to tap into. I was thinking about going the attenuator route also because I have a different amp I could really use it on (sunn 2000s woot). Any opinions on what I should/could do?


Thx for the help yall!

[hogfish]

There should be 2 female jacks on the amps back panel, one marked "speaker" and one marked "External". There should be a 1/4 inch plug that goes from the "Speaker" output, that is where the attenuator would be connected. Speaker Out>Attenuator In>Attenuator Out>Speaker In......Tone King Makes the best attenuator out there, all transformers, no resistors. It is amazing, and amazingly expensive (800 USD). I use a THD 8 ohm for a Princeton Head and 12 inch single. The THD is great for everything, and sounds good at all levels. About half the price of the Tone King. My Princeton has a post phase inverter master, which is super useful when I dont want to use the Attenuator. Its good to have both.......

[Marc Alan Goodman]

With a Twin you can also pull two of the power tubes (either the inner pair or outer pair) and half the wattage. It does change the tone a little, and make it in to exactly the same circuit as a Pro from that era, but it's probably the least intrusive option. It still won't bring it down more than a few dbs though.

[The Real MC]

Do not restore the MV control. You will lose tone. The MV is still intact on my Fender silverface amp but I can hear it lose tone when I drop it down so it stays at 10.

[norton]

Power scaling/ B+ voltage dumping is really your best option.

At least from a tone standpoint. Easy little kits out there to be had. They get a bit grainy at extreme settings, but in a much more interesting sounding way than most attenuators do.

I haven't heard the tone king one.... Interesting concept though. I wanna check that one out!

[Jim Williams]

I would re-install the master volume pot. Don't use the original push-pull version or circuit, it's badly done. A straight CTS 1 meg pot or a Bourns conductive plastic will do it without tone damage.

All of my old Fender amps have a master volume pot. Set up to '10' it's out of circuit so it's no different than not having it.

Usually I set my Showman heads to about '7' or 7.5. That allows full power without output stage saturation, it leaves more dynamics. The input volume is set to 9 or 10. Then the guitar controls the overdrive amount. Add a good fuzz and it's Hendrix at the Forum.

I have a 1966 Deluxe Reverb, 1965 Showman, 1967 Showman and a 1971 Vibro Champ, all have master volume pots added. The Showman preamps are like 1959 bassman designs, similar to Marshall super Lead 100's.
It's my sound.

[ashcat_lt]

Quick question:

If you wanted power tube distortion at less than stadium volumes, then why the fuck did you buy a Twin?

Seriously. It was specifically built to reproduce a clean guitar sound at largish live venues in an era when the PA systems could barely handle the vocals alone. Frankly, they're overkill for about anything nowadays.

[Jim Williams]

This Twin is modified. They are a good platform for that. Turn it into the amp you want it to be.

It has a Marshal preamp in the normal channel, I've done that to a couple of my amps, it's a nice option. Adding back the master volume adds more versatility. You can get a pentode/triode switch installed to change it to about 30 watts class A. You can add a cut switch for 2 of the power tubes. You can add a line output after the speaker jack for a DI out. Change out the brite switch and treble ceramic caps to silver mica and the top end is sweet.

These options let you work in a small club with a decent tone or you can fill a big room. I like mounting the head in it's own cab. Then bring the speakers of choice to fit the venue, 1x12, 2x12, 4x12 or more.

[The Real MC]

I like mounting the head in it's own cab. Then bring the speakers of choice to fit the venue, 1x12, 2x12, 4x12 or more.

The Dual Showman Reverb is the head version of the Twin Reverb. Exact same circuit, chassis, everything. And a lot cheaper than a TR. I also use it to experiment with speakers.

[Jim Williams]

The Quad Reverb and Super Six Reverb are also the same amp, different speakers. I have a Super Six head cut 1/2 into a rack cab. I added channel switching and other stuff, it's a home made circuit board I put insides to do all that stuff.

I used to use a Bandmaster Reverb head back in the 1970's to intentionally destroy small 4" speakers. We would crank it up until sparks happened. Sometimes it was fun to set the cones on fire while blasting through them.

[vvv]

If I ever get back to CA, I wanna hang out with you, Mr. Williams.

[The Real MC]

The Quad Reverb and Super Six Reverb are also the same amp, different speakers.

As is the Vibrosonic Reverb

[Darlington Pair]

Power scaling/ B+ voltage dumping is really your best option.

At least from a tone standpoint. Easy little kits out there to be had. They get a bit grainy at extreme settings, but in a much more interesting sounding way than most attenuators do.

I haven't heard the tone king one.... Interesting concept though. I wanna check that one out!

I agree with power scaling, it's pretty common with us Traynor guys and our overly loud amps.