THD Hotplate Attenuator (16 Ohm)

Very easy to use. The Hotplate is completely passive so just put in the input and output(s) and play. There are just three dials - one discreet for selecting -4dB, -8dB, -12dB, -16dB or LOAD. one for when in -16dB which is continuous and goes to -infinite dB. There is a knob on the back which operates the line out volume. On the front you will find three switches, one for the bright (+ treble) and one for deep (+ bass) and one which turns on some bulbs - which as far as i can tell just looks cool. This unit is (like all the other reviews say) practically transparent on -4dB or -8dB but your tone will suffer slightly at -12dB or more, unless of course you amp is so spectacularly awesome at those volume levels where you need to crank the hotplate up some more.

I use Gibson Les Pauls and Engl amps. My pedals are all boutique and true bypass (except my buffer, which you can't turn off anyway) and i dont really go for many fancy effects so i just use delay, distortion, compression and wah. Due to the high gain nature of my amp it took a very, very long time to tweak all the settings on everything (i mean everything) to make sure no pedals would throw the amp into a massive feedback frenzy. Once you've dialled everything in the tone is amazing but it was a bit of a pain adjusting all my gear because of one extre peice

bomb proof, except the paint.

never dealt with them.

i play hard rock, bordering heavy metal, and it is very good for that. I've never tried other attenuators but this one is all i need. I had a band practice yesterday and after the tubes had warmed up i couldn't have been happier with the sound i was making.

Perfectly simple to use, no rocket science needed here at all. I did have a problem with the one that I just bought secondhand through eBay. I couldn't get any sound out of it, the amp was working fine, but I couldn't get a sound out of it through the hotplate. I thought not again, I had just sent one back that I had bought on eBay that had parts missing, yes thats right! it was described as new!! Anyway the problem turned out to be a faulty male to male connector, once I sorted that it worked fine.

I am a golden oldie compered to proberly most of the other posts.
I play Elvis - Buddy Holly - Shadows - Rock 'n Roll - etc.
I haven't fully evaluated it yet, but from what I have tried so far it
is worth every penny. By careful selection of the output levels
you can your get your sound at different volumn levels to suit the size of the venue.

I use a '71 Strat. fitted with Chris Kinman HX noiseless Hank Marvin
pickups through an early eighties Boss pedal board - Compressor - Distortion - Chorus - Phaser - Noise Gate into an Alesis Quadraverb Q20 programmed with E.F.T.P. Shadows settings by the great Charlie Hall.
For you Shadows fans out there this is the same unit that Hank himself
uses, and Charlie is a really nice guy. So if you want THAT sound he is the man to see. It is then fed into a VOX AC30TBX reissue by KORG Made in England. (if you want the right sound you have to have the BLUE ALNICO speakers).

Well I have only had it for a day, but short of using brute force I can see this lasting forever! it is totally solid!

I am gonna use it all the time, I'm hooked. Brilliant!!

Eccellent, I had a query and they were second to none, fantastic!!

Well like I said I have only had it a day, so it is a bit early to give it an overall rating, perhaps I'll come back in a couple of months and do an update.

I have been playing for 45 years.

At one days evaluation I would replace it.

I didn't compare it to other products, I read so much about it on Harmony Central it couldn't miss.

The obvious thing I miss is that it does not have a switchable oHm output. I have a VOX AC15TBX by KORG reissue Made in England which at my age is more manageable, But I would have to buy another Hotplate
because that is on a different oHm. I don't blame THD their sales would down by a fifth!!

I just bought it brand new online a few months ago and rather than add info about the features etc. (which has already been done ad infinitum) I'm just here to add my opinion about what I think of this item.

I found it very easy to use and followed the instructions per Ed DeGenaro of THD and it works perfectly.

This is where I agree with other posters. If you turn the settings over 12DB I found that my cleans weren't as clean and the tone suffered.

I set it to 12DB and I've found a perfect setting that everything sounds as it should and the neighbors aren't calling the cops.

I love the deep and bright switches, the DO work!

I have a quality pedal board setup with mostly Keeley and GarmopatMods pedals, but for distortion I go amp all the way now.

I do use my rack reverb because my Peavey JSX head doesn't have an on board reverb.

I also have a JSX 4x12 cab with the THD in between them.

I love this thing! It allows me to crank the amp up without blasting everyone to smithereens including myself! LOL

I use mainly Les Pauls with active EMG's fwiw.

Seems very well built.

The folks at THD are very helpful and friendly. I've spoken and exchanged emails with them and they are prompt.

It's great imo. It would be perfect if it would allow the user to use it with different ohm ratings rather than having to buy a different one for each rating.

I checked out other attenuators and this one is the best imo.

Not newbie/idiot proof by any means. I got mine online and got jipped with the manual (it ended up being basically the FAQ from the website) the bit about how to use it to me is not 100% obvious, especially without a diagram. I think the real manual is 4 pages and probably includes this, so I rang up one of my music stores I tend to go to, and they sorted it out. Might sound kinda stupid, but since this unit has the potential to damage your amp/itself, I think a little etching/diagram on the unit itself might be a plus, though thats just a nitpick. Other then the setup, the unit IS newbie/idiot proof, attenuation is in increments of 4 decibels, and after -16 you open the volume control to further adjust. Bright and Deep switches REALLY make the sound (more on that later) and you can turn the funky little light on and off which shows you how much power its dissipating. At the back is 4 plugs, 2 of which you use in normal operation, others you use for recording etc. Theres also a volume for the Line Out to control that as well. I am giving it an 7, which is basically a 5 for ease of use, and an extra 2 for the features. 5 being that on the one hand its easy to use once you know it, but its not necessarily intuitive in the setup. Half / half. I also wish it has a selector for impedance rather then having to buy each one seperately.

You want tone ? This is the new price of it.

My setup is very simple:

Ibanez prestige S series, with X2n pickup in bridge and SV Evolution in the neck, with hybrid Ernie Ball slinkys.

-> Into

Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer (Puke Green one with 3 knobs)

-> Into Crate/Ampeg/St. Louis Music V Series 15 watt amp (V1512) w/Hotplate.

Occasionally when I put to pull guitar faces (which I do anyway) I chuck a Dimbag Wah in as well.

My Amp sounds the best at volume around 2:30, Gain all the way up, Treb at 1:30, Mid at 10:30, and Bass dimed. I add in enough Reverb to make the sound 'breathe', kick in the TS9, which has Dist at full, Level at none and Tone at around 2:00. Thats the sound I have spent a few years looking for. Thick, rich, JUST heavy enough to delve into modern metal (but not stuff like Metalcore which I do love the sound of) and perfect for any 80's metal you can think of. Soloing wise, its almost Paul Gilbert like, doesnt quite have that top end brilliance he has though. Of course, at these settings I am not necessarily going to be able to stand in the same room for too long without getting tinnitus, and thats there my Hotplate utterly completes this simple rig. I personally have not found a HUGE loss in tone when going more then -12db. Absolutely, you loose some bass, and the 'thickness'of the sound isnt quite the same, but even with the amp at -30db it still sounds better then solid state distortion at any volume. This is where the Bright and Deep switches come in, I have then on all the time, and I think they really make my sound. The bass boost on the Crate is way too 'Wolfy', I need my bass tighter, and the Deep switch does exactly that, it makes it deeper, not making it 'woof'. I used to be quite happy with my Roland Cube 30's distortion, now I only really use it for the acoustic simulator, and clean stuff, occasionally I will lock in the R-fier, and play something heavier then what the Crate is capable of, but I believe a proper distortion (not overdrive) pedal is in the works for that. No noise (except if you max out your settings, which will obviously produce noise !) It has an inbuilt noise gate. Although my amp is the one making the sound, I have to give this unit full credit for doing exatly what its meant to do with flying colours.

Dont see why this cuhnk of steel would fail me in any way other then by personal abuse.

Mine was second hand without a proper manual, but it was cosmetically perfect, and everything worked perfectly. I dont think I will need to deal with THD (I am outside the US as well) but other people have been raving about them. No opinion here for this one.

I play a bit of everything, but tend to stick to Metal. This unit gives me the opportunity to get the sound I want at the volumes I want, very handy. I have had a couple of amps I REALLY wish I could have used this with ! If lost or stolen, I would look at the other ones, maybe find one with an impedance selector, barring that would buy one again for sure. Nothing to hate, though again wish for the impedance selector, but love everything else about it. I didnt get a chance to really compare, as stores dont tend to stock attenuators on the floor, I bought it courtesy of Harmony Central ! :)

Excellent product, grab one now !

I hooked to my moded peavey 6505 and or the new {5150II} Very easy to use with 16ohms!! This lil unit rocks!!

5150 of course dead on!!! and any other tones i need, well with the help of my podxt live i run through the effects loop!!! Gang these units are a must have!! Also DO NOT ket the company Peavey fool you these gents have come a long way, I purchased a Marsjall JCM 800 100 watt half stacked I played her 30 min before i packed and shipped and gave peavey 6505 a try once plugged into her the 6505 with 4 12 marshall 1960 A cab DRY zero effects WOW, also voodooamps moded this for me to get rid of the tiny buzzy dist I replced power tubes and of course the THD Hotplate, I cant sleep at night she is that good!! I cant stop playing ;-)

This is built like a tank never a problem Ever!!!! I gig live and use in studio and would never travel without her!!!! Once again guitarist for the love of your tone Buy One NOW!!!

Any questions same day repsonse once again it doesnt get any better!!! These fella's will take care of you and so will the unit!!

I play EVH Vai Malmsteen type of music is there any other?? Been playing 20+ years, however, I quit for 15 years and took her back up last x mas I have learned more in the last 6 months about my sound then I ever did back in the day why?? There is more help out here for US Guitarist back in the day all of this was hush hush and you were on your own! If you are unsure and need any help come over to our site www.musiciansquarters.com free site we have it all!!! I would be glad to help new guitar players with there tone gear and technique!!!! Oh This unit is the Bomb a must have!!!!

This thing is plug and go. It really assumes that you know what you are doing to begin with when it comes to tube amps. So, the market that this device really caters to is going to find it quite easy to use. I fired mine up and got great tones immediately.

This is probably one of the most important pieces of gear that I have ever bought, besides my 76 Marshall Super Lead. I play the old 4 input Marshalls that don't have a master volume, so this thing is a must. You just can't get the kind of compression or tone with a stompbox that you get from pushing the output tubes, and if you push the output section on a 100 watt Marshall you are going to hurt some people and like as not go deaf. I bridge the channels on the Marshall and run Volume I at about 3 - 4 and Volume II on about 2, just to get the tubes compressing a little. I haven't chosen a boost yet, but I am leaning towards the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster. I run a 57 Les Paul Custom RI into this rig and it is all you need! Tone for days. One word of advice for you Marshall guys out there, if you run your amp attenuated you are quite naturally not going to be driving the speakers as hard. The solution? Greenbacks. I have a 1960AX and the Greenbacks thump at a much lower volume than the higher rated speakers. This works well for getting the punch you need in a club setting. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the tone my rig is producing. It is as unadulterated as you're ever going to get! Plus, when you dig in with your pick, it doesn't cave in on you like a stomp box does. I am DONE with overdrive and distortion pedals!! I could have bought three Hotplates for what I have wasted buying pedals.

I haven't owned it long enough to know, but all of my colleagues use them and swear by them.

This is an interesting story. I have spoken to the good folks at THD twice. The first time I was just shopping, and I had some questions about how the Hotplate worked, etc. The second time, I called to inquire about any line driver or clean boosting devices that they could recommend that worked well with their products. In both cases, they were very helpful and took the time to make sure that I got what I needed. I was very impressed.

I am 36, have been playing for 25 years, and I am stuck in the land of Joe Walsh, Allen Collins, and Jan Akkerman. I love those tones. You just can't get a better sound in my opinion than a Les Paul into a cranked Marshall. The issue is, you'll go deaf playing them above 1 unless you have a suitable venue in which to do it. So, enter the Hotplate. It really tames down the volume, but for my money the tones you can achieve are just as good. I won't bore you with an explanation of the Munson Curve, but beyond a certain decibel level, your ears don't accurately register sound anyway. Why be that loud? The goal is to sound GOOD, not just LOUD. I would replace this unit in a heartbeat if it were lost or stolen. Way to go, THD! ;)

Fantastic. It does just what it's supposed to do - provide high volume tones at reasonable club levels.

This unit has features I never knew I needed - really. For example, it has a line out with its own volume control. If you give this feed to a sound guy, you can use the attenuator to control your stage volume, yet his signal always stays the same. Very cool.

The bass and treble boost switches are great. If you want a solid, chunky low end, using the bass knob on your amp won't always get you there. It's likely to just make your tone muddy at high gain. The bass boost causes the attenuator to hold back mid to high frequencies more than bass ones, so you get thick, punchy lows without any muddiness. Again, very cool.

My Univalve only has one speaker out, and my cab only has one input. (no parallel jack) Fortunately, the Hotplate provides 2 speaker outs, so I don't need an adaptor. Great.

I've owned my unit for over a year. It was bought used on Ebay. No problems at all, and it's been heavily gigged.

Haven't had to contact them.

It does everything I wanted it to to, plus a few extras, mentioned above. This circuit should be licensed to amp builders - it would be great if amps came stock with all these great features! ...or how about mounting a foot pedal on top? The ultimate volume pedal would be the one that actually controlls what comes out of the speaker!

Very easy! Just plug it in and tweak a couple of knobs, just make sure you get the right one from your amp!

Very good from my JCM2000 DSL100 (x2), one THD per amp unfortunatly however the THD not only cuts bcak the volume but cuts out a lot of noise without the usual noised you'd get from a traditional noise gate. At super low volumes the amps are deathly quiet, crank them up and they sing. You DO lose some tone on the -16db setting but stick to 12 or 8 and its great, ir doesnt mean you can get that wall of sounds effect in your small practise room but its half way there now!

Seems rock solid, very well 'hand built'

Great, I asked them a question, reply in 10 minutes!

I play anything from Maiden to Vai, mainly distorted, Marshall amps + MPX-1 and an Ibanez JS1200. I dont cut all the mids. Sometimes some wierd ambient crap just for a change. They say that the THD is more reliable than the Marshall equivilent (and sounds way better)

It's oh-so simple.

This is one of the best sounding attenuators on the market.

I've been using one for a year and I know artists that use them religiously, every night.

Immediate email response within 24 hours, very concise answers to my email.

There is one better product on the market: the Koch Loadbox. The Koch Loadbox sounds better (does not alter your tone at all) and has a speaker and mic emulator with a balanced DI output. However, the THD is half the price of the Koch.

Quite straightforward to use - as already described by previous reviews.

I am using a Fender Telecaster 52 Reissue and a Gibson SG 61 Reissue with the Hotplate. My current amp is a Marshall 1959slp Superlead Mk11 - 100 watt beast of an amp.

16ohm db setting really kills the tone of the amp, but is quiet enough to use at home. Doesn't really drive my Marshall 1960bx cab very well.

Main criticism is that I find it difficult to get a really clean sound unless its on a low db setting.

12 and 8 ohm keep most of the tone intact - responds well to adjustments in guitar volume controls. Good for gigs in smaller venues.

Used to use a Boss SD-1, don't really need it anymore - let the tubes do the talking.

Overall, pleasantly surprised at how well this sounded.

Handbuilt - sturdy construction - built like a tank. Looks like it'll last a long time.

I have found THD to be helpful in the past - the salesperson I dealt with eas knowledgable and polite.

Previously - I was having to keep my volume down to 1 or 2 whilst gigging, this obviously killed the tone of my amp (but kept me friendly with the other band members).

I can now crank the amp and get the benefit of a saturated tube sound - without deafening everyone within 100 feet - always a bonus.

A simple product but does it's job well.

It is possible to have a -12 dB reduction in volume with no noticeable loss in audio quality, but this is only going to happen with a high volume level going from your amp's speaker output into the Hot Plate. Generally, the lower the signal going into the Hot Plate, the more likely some loss in audio quality will occur. The Hot Plate does make it possible to have lots of output tube overdrive without bartenders reaching for their handguns or neighbors rising up in rebellion. Some guitar players might say, "why don't you just turn the amp down?". Sure you can turn it down, but there goes your output tube overdrive along with it.

The moral of the story: with a Hot Plate you can sound like you're driving a wall of Marshall stacks at the Hollywood Bowl, even though you're really just shredding at the local watering hole.

I used my 16 Ohms Hot Plate to connect not only to one 16 Ohms cabinet, but also to two 16 Ohms cabinets simultaneously, by using the 8 Ohms output of my amp. Technically, this is known as a "safe mismatch", as sending an 8 Ohms signal in to a 16 Ohms speaker will not damage the speaker. (In an ideal situation, you would use an 8 Ohms Hot Plate to drive two 16 Ohms speaker cabs). The resulting sound, even though it might have been a mismatch, was pretty good.

Attenuation: -4 dB, -8dB, -12dB, or -16dB. With the -16 setting you can manually adjust down from -16 dB to inaudible. Deep and Bright switches, noise reduction, line out. If using as a dummy load, you can record the output of your amp into a console, use headphones, and your spouse/neighbors won't have a clue that you're shredding. You can also switch attenuation off to compare the attenuated sound with non-attenuated sound.

Reliable so far.

Haven't contacted THD.

You'll get good results as long as the signal going into the Hot Plate is nice and strong. The Deep and Bright switches work well to further shape the sound. It's a standard part of my rig now. I'll probably get the 8 Ohms version too. Didn't compare it to the Dr Z Airbrake, that one might be worth considering too.

I play a range of styles from rock and blues to funk and soul.
I'm using a 2002 gibson les paul standard, 62 reissue fender strat and 52 reissue tele through a 50W Marshall Plexi 1987X head and 1982 JCM800 50W vertical input head. Both heads go into a 70's Marshall 4X12 cab fitted with original G12-30H celestions.
Both amps have Harma EL34's and RFT ECC83's fitted.
The amps are switched by an Axess electronics head switcher. Live, I set the plexi for clean and the JCM800 for crunch (this is the amp that I put through the hot plate)although both sound fantastic through it.

The JCM800 was far too loud to get a decent sound of on stage in the 6 piece band I am in. The amp really opens up with the preamp maxed and the master around 5 but that is way to loud for the rest of the band. We have a sound engineer and all the backline is miked anyway. I bought the hotplate based on the reviews below and I'm really pleased with it. What I used to find is that I couldn't get the amp passed 3 on the master in some situations and I really used to struggle, not with hearing the amp cos it was still loud but I guess it was more of a feel/tone sort of thing. With the hot plate on -8dB, I can crank both the pre and master both to around 7.5 and the amp really sings. The balls of the thing is truly amazing. I kick in a boost pedal for solo's and it is truly brutal. Try playing a JCM800 (even a 50W) at that sort of volumes live without an attenuator. In a small place you'd probably kill the first 3 rows of the audience!

With the plexi, it's just what you'd expect i.e trully stunning tone at a decent volume level. Pure vintage rock. The problem I've got now is that I like both amps so much through the hotplate, Im wondering which head to use for clean and which for dirty. I guess I could buy another hotplate or shove both amps through the hot plate via the speaker output of the head switcher but then I wouldn't have an amp set up for clean which I need for the band I'm in. Oh well, I guess I could always buy a fender but then again that would probably sound great when cranked though the hotplate as well!

I agree with some of the comments below that the hotplate doesn't sound as good on the -16db setting and the volume kept low but I wouldn't really expect it to as the speakers aren't getting as much of a workout. The bright and deep switch do work well though and you can get a pretty decent sound down when close miking the cab and recording at home late into the night! This setting would be too low to play live with a drummer anyway.

All the features are listed below so won't go over them again but needless to say all the controls are useful.

Gigged around 30 times with it now and had no problems whatsoever. I don't expect to have any either. The thing is built like a tank and doesn't even get that hot with my 50 watters.

Hope i never have to find out for my amps sake!
The warranty is for 2 years.

Cannot rate it highly enough. If you value your tone, your hearing and your relationship with your fellow band members then get one.

It is very easy to use, but be sure to read the short instruction CAREFULLY. It'll tell you which Hot Plate to use with your speaker configuration, and of course exactly how to plug in. Note: If you are using a full 2x16ohm stack, buy an 8ohm HotPlate.

I'm using it through a Engl Powerball and a 5150II, basically I wanted to hear more warmth in the tone without killing my ears. It works like a dream! Of course, at super low volumes through a high powered 4x12 cab your amp isn't gonna sound too good, largely due to the fact that the speakers aren't being driven sufficiently. But, at moderate volumes this thing comes into it's own - I was able to get exactly the tone I was looking for to do a bit of recording.
Another usefull thing is this unit incorporates a noise gate too, to reduce his and hum from your amp. I haven't had this HotPlate long, but I am already extremely impressed.... should have bought it long ago.

No comment, too soon

No comment, too soon

Overall, I'd have to say this thing is fantastic. If you wan't to fully hear what your valve amp is capable of, but keeping the volume down very significantly overall, give one of these cookers a try - I love mine!

Sounds AMAZING!

I play a BC Rich KKV through a 1979 Marshall JMP (100w), using a new, 2004, Marshall 1960A cab. Everyone knows Marshall amps have balls, but turning that damn volume up to reach power tube saturation just kills your ears. That's where the Hot Plate comes in.

The first thing I did when using the Hot Plate was dime the master on my amp. I, obviously, reduced the volume with the Hot Plate. I set it to the -12dB setting. Can you say "Van Halen tone up the wazoo"? This thing is amazing.

I only notice some degradation of tone with I set it to -16dB. On all other settings it is heaven.

Wonderful features, every other review here says what it has, not going to waste my time.

Has worked perfectly so far, though I've only had it a week.

BITCHIN!

Very easy to hook up, plug the amp into it, plug it into your speaker cabinet. Can be used on a combo or stack without trouble. Straightforward one-sheet manual written in good English.

FRONT PANEL: (1) bright/deep switches for enchancing treble/bass respectively, (2) fixed pot for selecting between LOAD (acts as a dummy load cutting amps output so you can line out to a speaker simulator or similar), -16db (maximum attenuation), -12db, -8db, -4db (minimum attenuation) or 0db (no atten.). When at -16db, the control on the front right (3) can take you from -16ohms right down to no output at all. There is a noise gate (4) which uses an LCD with on/off switch.

On the back panel there are two speaker outputs, one input and one line out with adjustable level. A very simple to use piece with more than enough features. Just be sure you plug things in the right way round and NEVER run without a speaker cabinet unless you set the Hotplate to 'LOAD'.

Guitars: Gibson SG and Squier Strat. Amp: 1978 Marshall JMP 2204 (50 watt) with 1960A cab. Effects: Boss GT-5, Boss DD-6 and Catalinbread Super Chile Picoso (an excellent and little-known clean boost pedal). It's not noisy; in fact the in built noise gate helps clean up the amp hiss a lot.

Here is my opinion on the Hotplate since I've had it a few days now. Fristly, there is more compression in tone, this is because valves compress naturally as you crank up anyway. It just becomes more noticable when attenuating to lower volumes. I like this anyway; the amp is still very dynamic, and really growls and sustains when you dig in.

The THD is apprently made with frequency compensators to keep a well-rounded sound at almost any level; my ears and recorded examples certainly agree with this. No serious alteration is done to the sound at most settings. I don't even need the bright and deep switches to compensate as the bass increases as the volume goes up, plus my amp is super bright anyway.

The amp does start to get seriously squashed at -16db or below, however it does sound reasonably good, just rather quiet and compressed. The -4, -8 and -12 settings are excellent. They allow me to use the amp at around 6 or 7 on the master, 2 on the preamp, and still not shake the walls at home.

I haven't got to use the setup with a bassist and drummer yet, only jamming along to a few tracks in my record collection. So far I can say the sound blends better and sits better in the mix, more so because I have better control of the amp and can choose the preamp/poweramp saturation and overall volume.

It's handmade and I'm very impressed with the workmanship; I can certainly see why these are so expensive brand new. The THD uses the amp as it's power source, no external power neeeded (rightly so).

I can't see there being any problems with it at all.

I play rock, blues, funk and contemporary hiphop/Rnb when needed. This is a great match for all of these; you get the pleasing cranked sound of your tube amp without the side effects of a) angry soundmen b) irritated neighbours c) drowned out band members. I've been playing around six years, I'm not a great player but I do know good tone. If this were stolen I would not hesistate to replace it, money permitting.

What do I love about it? Everything. It even works great used as a load box and run into a speaker sim for those late night recordings or times when you can't afford to lug both your amp head and cab around (this happens to me a lot).

I compared this to the Marshall Powerbrake. What did I find? I found that the Powerbrake killed the tone and sucked a lot of the response away from the amp, each notch making things that much worse. The THD totally slaughters it, as well as being lighter, smaller and packed with features.

There's not really anything I'd add to this, but I have a suggestion. I'd like it if THD would make a stripped down version of this that was just the attenuator minus the nice frills (noise gate, lineout etc) so they could be sold cheaply for say half the price. Because more people would be getting awesome tone if they got one of these instead of wasting hideous amounts of money on boutique ODs to compensate for not being able to crank up.

This definately helps me make music; I play better when the amp has power tube saturation and great sustain that you can usually only obtain by cranking up to ear-bleed levels. I'm going to be recording and gigging frequently with this - it's already assured itself a place in my rig for years to come. I can honestly this is one of the best pieces of equipment I've ever had the fortune to own.

My advice is test one for yourself with your amp and spend at least an hour doing so before you come to a conclusion. Like any piece of equipment you have to work it into your rig; very few things give you tonal nirvana in seconds.

Unfortunately power attenuators are very misunderstood and people in the main are convinced that they are amp killers. This simply isn't true. Using one puts the exact same amount of strain on your amp that would occur without. Example: running your amp 'dimed' will wear out tubes much faster, and will blow the output transformer if it's not in good shape. Running your amp 'dimed' with a power attenuator will still wear tubes faster and blow the output transformer if it's not in good condition. What you have to keep in mind is an amp on 10 is still an amp on 10, it just sounds quieter with an attenuator but it's still working as hard.

I hope this review has been helpful.

If you want that classic power tube overdrive with out the hearing loss, an attenuator is essential. Amp speaker out to THD in to your speakers. How easy could it be? No power needed, the signal coming from the amp is enough to power this unit including the fan.

Three knobs. Line out level knob on the back, an attuntination knob for different attunation levels and load selection and then a knob for the lowest attenuation (not the load) for a fine tune of volume level. There is a natural noise gate that lights bulbs up as you play. There is a switch to turn them off. There are also two rocker switches for a high boost nd low boost.

Ease of use can cause one major problem! And this is not a THD unit design problem. This is with all attenuators. If a proper speaker is not used or you do not use the correct THD ohm rated unit, you could destroy your amps transformer! Also, these are for tube amps only! (I know most people checking these out already know that, but there is always one person who is clueless)

Be careful and check twice!

Only reason I give this an 8 is because it is not idiot proof which can be a very expensive "oops!" Like I said, this is a situation with all attenuators.

I'm running my 16ohm THD "Blue" between my Peavy Classic 50 2/12 all tube combos amp and speakers. My amp is a 2 channel but I always thought the gain channel was weak. I tried the clean channel with a overdrive box but no distortion box really helped. Finally I found the amps sweet spot by cranking the clean channel to max and cranking the master volume to 3/4. Beautiful tone. Ringing ears. Problem! These 50 watt Peavy's put out the volume!

The THD 16ohm helped tame the beast!

As for tones: 0db attenuation to -8db the tone stayed pretty true. I kept the high boost off but left low on. From -8db to -12db there is some tonal change due to how much volume is being taken away and not moving the speakers as much. Turning on the high boost helps in these ranges. At the -16db the adjustable volume on the right kicks in for more variance. I've noticed in this range tha my overdrive starts sounding not as pronunced. Not muddy just less overdriven. Of course the speakers are not kicking as much either and your ears hear different frequencies at these lower volumes. And there is just no way around this, it's the nature of power tubes, speakers, pushing air etc. The THD helps with the lowering attenuations by enhancing the frequencies our ears want to hear at these lower volumes.

There is a little noise coming from my amp but when driving a tube amp at these volumes, with some effects, is going to cause some noise but you can only hear and very lightly when you are not playing.

So at these lowest (bedroom, midnight etc.) volumes my amp does not have the same drive (even with the power tubes going at full power) as at full volume, but it still sounds better that a solid state amp at any volume.

Too expensive to have a back-up. But the THD seems to be built like a tank.

I actually contacted them before I purchased with some questions and they responded back within a few hours. But the HotPlate looks like it is built with quality in mind

I use to play live for ten years through an old tube Ampeg, and a Line 6. This little THD HotPlate makes playing in clubs a joy because the Club Owner, audience and bandmates are not screaming at me. That alone is worth it.

I've been playing for about 25 years and nowadays am playing originals in a ZZ Top, SRV, KWS Texas Swang style with a Strat Plus.

If this critter got stolen I would have to buy another one. I need to save my hearing but keep my tone and thankfully the THD HotPlate do the job. Just damn expensive!

EZ

LP Standard and a 1987X Plexi Reissue thru a 4x12 cab. This thing does the job. To rock and distort while maintaining tone...this is the only way to fly. My amp smokes at 2. The only way to play above that in a smaller venue is with THD. Beleive it.

Hello Seattle!

NA but they live down the street....

Good for the hot vintage tube amps that need to volume down. Super quality craftsmanship. A tight unit. Well worth the asking price. Clearly built by and for folks who want smoking tone at lower volumes...(when neccessary...)

Just got this from a local shop in the Seattle area. I am one happy dude!! The HOTPLATE is as easy as turning on the amp! Super easy to hook up, no power adapters or batteries to fool with. The owners manual is short and to the point.

I am using the Hotplate in between my BOGNER SHIVA EL34 head and BOGNER 4x12 Slant 16ohm cabinet. The HOTPLATE runs super quite and produces a great tone. The HOTPLATE has a noise reduction system built in that you can turn on if needed. It also has DEEP and BRIGHT switches to liven up the tone when your playing with max attenuation. This is a BIG plus!

Just got it today, unable to post a reliability statement, but I am hearing good things so far from others.

Called and talked directly with Andy Marshall, the owner of THD, prior to my purchase. Since he's here in Seattle, I was able to jet over and try this baby before I bought. Great guys and gals at THD!!

I play songs by AEROSMITH, ZZ TOP, BRYAN ADAMS, AC/DC, B.O.C., and other great 70's and 80's guitar slamming artists. I also enjoy blues! My opinion of the THD HOTPLATE??? I LOVE IT! I am so happy to be able to play the tones I want in a small practice space with the amp I love! If you want to chat before you buy, feel free to call, 425-785-0093. I am in the Seattle area. Good luck!

Though I have a host of amps I play this through a Prosonic, the others are in a room being renovated. I find the sound to be somewhat condensed, not as free or loose but this is minimal and it could be pickup specfic. When playing with P90s it was free as bird (sorry) yet with a 490 it sounded canned. The rest of my guitars are with my amps. I play mostly my own stuff, not really into learning songs, would you copy For Whom The Bell Tolls? Then why learn Smoke on the Water? Save Classical, I'm not smart enough to compose that stuff, and even as a hack it sounds beautiful.

Got this one for Christmas, used it yesterday for the first time. Go the THD web site for features, they do an excellant job. My hearing is very important to me for what I do for a living, anesthesia, hence until now I never really experienced the joy of play through an over driven amp. I mean even a 15 watt amp can generate a phenomenal amount of volume so I always looked for that gentle, warm break up with gain, not really the same. The hot plate is extermly easy to use. Connections are easily made, you'd have to be in the late stage of a bender to screw it up. The only thing I wish it had would be a headphone jack then it would be perfect.

No idea but this thing is very high quality.

THD is a fine company, Andy Marshall has my respect.

THD should be given the Nobel Prize for this. If you want to jam and open up your amps to a whole new pallet of tone, get it. I plan to get an 8 ohm as soon as my wife forgets how much this thing cost. I can't imagine imagine how this will sound when I play it through my Sound City head and my alnico blues but I suspect I will be blown away.

Bought this so my '64 Vox AC-30 was tolerable as a studio amp. For an attenuator, it's rather easy, even with the bass and treble switches, and funky "lights on" "lights off" settings (the noise reduction). Quick fiddling for the right tone is easy and self-explanatory. Although, since you can fry some pretty pricey amps by using this thing wrong, I'd read the directions carefully first, or else download them from THD.

For an AC-30, this is easily a 10. If you own an AC-30 YOU NEED THIS LITTLE BLUE BOX! I can't speak for a Marshall (don't have, nor LIKE them). I had no intention of owning a speaker attenuator, but found this 16-ohm Hot Plate for $49 at a Pawn Shop. I knew I could Ebay it for 4x's that price so I bought it and took it home. Luckily, I plugged into it before I listed it. NIRVANA! (The place, NOT the band...) For the record I've got a near mint, tonally AMAZING 1964 Vox AC-30 (along with a Twin Reverb, Hiwatt, and Gretsch Dual Twin) decked out with Mullards all around and original Silver AlNiCo's... The HOT PLATE somehow soaks even more tonal beauty out of the Vox then I already had, and surprisingly, the more you dampen the output, the MORE natural compression and "sag" you feel at the output end. I couldn't be happier with this thing. Even the line out is amazing, and with it's gain knob you can do everything from run this to a seperate power amp, or record direct. You can set the output to "Load" and not even bother with speakers at all. I do 90% of my overdubs now straight out of the Hot Plate, straight into the board. With headphones that means you can record your random inspirations at 3am, with that Vox at 10, in your kitchen, and your neighbors will never even have a clue. Also allows you to hit unity gain volumes in smaller clubs without the sound guy lobbing grenades at you! Plus, the crowd always thinks the little glowing lights are cool...

Haven't had it long, but it's built like you could drop it out of a plane and it would still work when it hit ground. Old school JMI Vox's are ALREADY about the worst offenders at eating transformers, so the real test is if it helps or hinders the longevity of my current Woden transformers. (I've found AC-30's run a lot cooler and happier if you buy a step-up transformer and juice the mains at 245v, like it was designed.)

Can't say, 'cause I've never had a problem yet. So I guess in that regards it could be listed an "11". The best customer service is to get your stuff built well enough that you never need support!

10! 10! 10! If you own a Vox, buy this! Now! Even if you have to dish out the near $300 these cost new (I would, without hesitation). The only other one I've heard that fares half as well on my Vox is the Weber MASS Attenuator (which uses an actual speaker core inside it). For the rest of folks, it doesn't warrant as high of a score evidently... If you own a Marshall, don't expect the same tonal bliss.

This little honey is way easy to use. You don't have to fiddle with knobs for hours to lock in tone, it's a simple unit to suppress a "Plexi's" volume. A small sheet of paper gives you all the scenarios for using your Hotplate including using the line out to plug it into a studio board or a rack mount. There is also a little trouble shooting section in the end of the manual to help you out if things go bad.

Let's get this straight. I am a TONE-A-HOLIC!! I don't settle for huge rack units, 100's of pedals a effects all over the floor, and other processors. The only way for me is to take my Les Paul Standard (with matching BurstBuckers... which sound a lot like PAFs), plug it into my Marshall 1959-SLP/1960AX cabinet with 25watt greenbacks and let the amp roll at about 3 for a nice all around sound. The ONLY thing I put between the guitar and my precious amp is a Vox-Wah, and that's it... PERIOD!!! However, this setup is very freaking loud. When you are at a small venue you may get signals from your soundman to turn your amp down. But do you want to do that, heck no! That pretty much means putting all your tone down the toilet. Until now........ The THD Hotplate comes into play. As soon as i set this thing up on my amp, i just slapped in to -16dB to see how quiet it could go. Wow was i impressed!! It made the amp pretty much three times quieter. Amazing! It did take away a little bit of the tone but i'm sure when i actually play a show i'll set it at -8dB to bring some of that stolen tone away. You will only notice this nauce if you are a tone freak like myself. What is also great is that the Hotplate also has a noise reducer. What a bargain. It does settle out some of the hiss in the amp but there will always be the presence of the "Marshall Hum".

No problems yet. I've heard THD has extreme care with customers, as they do with their products........ which are HAND BUILT IN THE USA!! The only thing i'm gonna have to fix is the cooling fan. When it sits flat a part of the fan is rubbing on the plastic making this scraping noise. A little adjustment should do it, but the scraping sound doesn't go to the signal, and it's barely touching the plastic anyway.

No problems yet.

Bottom line.... If you are a gigging "TONE-A-HOLIC" who likes it raw and full of guts, buy a THD Hotplate for your Plexi. Your audience and your ears with thank you.

It's pretty easy to use, although I got a little psyched out by reading their manual's disclaimer warnings. "If you hook this thing up wrong you could potentialy damage your amp!"
That is very true, but it's not difficult to hook ths thing up at all. It's even clearly marked on the unit where your speaker cables go. Amp here, speakers there. Even after realizing that I was still sniffing the air for smoke after a few chords.
As far as the actual use of the unit, all it really involves is turning a couple knobs and flicking a couple option switches until you get the right volume/tone. Also, it's ready to use right out of the box. Simple, yet unsettling.

I love the sound of my amp (Dr Z KT-45) wide open. However, the sound engineers at our live shows typically don't. They want total sonic control through the PA, and if stage volume conflicts with room sound they can get rather cranky. In fact, one engineer got so pissed at me that he decided to turn the entire PA off about three songs into our set. As unprofessional as that stunt was, it reminded me that the sound man has a very influencial effect on how good our performance sounds. It's best to keep them happy.
Enter the THD Hot Plate. This is the tool I needed for the job. Every show has gone over a lot smoother since I got it. When I use it I can almost get the same tone as if I were cranked up and peeling the paint off the walls. Notice I say almost. It IS a noticably different tone. Due to this fact, THD added bass and treble enhancing switches to the mix. An excellent feature, because without them the volume drop would really make your tone suffer. They help, but only so much. Although it's not a perfect recreation, it's still very true to my original tone. I don't think any other attenuator on the market could do any better, so even without a perfect ten in this category I still give THD credit where it is due.

Oh, yes. This thing is durable. Also, each one is hand assembled so I trust it's craftsmanship a lot more then something that was stamped out by a machine.

I emailed them before I bought one and their response was prompt, yet brief and a little condecending.

Overall, it's a very useful tool. One complaint would be that it's a very pricy piece of equipment at around $300 a pop (to save some money I got mine used from http://tonedogs.com). Another more obvious one would be the sacrifice of my tone. Still I think that this unit is a necessary addition to my set up, so mainly I am glad to have it in the chain. It does what it is supposed to do without any quirks or over-adjusting. It's a simple, effective unit. THD also makes a lot of other interesting tube amp related products. I would strongly recommend other serious players to look into them.

I originally got this thing for my Peavey 5150. I wanted to utilize my newly acquired JJ power tubes from Eurotubes. First things first, this thing WILL NOT allow your amp to produce true power tube distortion at bedroom levels. The ONLY way to do that is to crank the post gain on your amp and let the sucker rooooooooaaaaaaaarrrr.
Keeping that in mind, it's easy to see why the hotplate has treble and bass switches to compensate for the loss of tone, which occurs when the hotplate absorbs the full power of the amp and only allows a portion to be transfered to the speaker cabinet.
I will give the hotplate credit for giving this amp a little more versitility. Through tweeking I did discover the amps capability of producing new types of distortion that were otherwise unattainable. But... the higher the post gain on the amp, the lower you must set the volume on the hotplate, thus the more power is absorbed by the unit, resulting in more and more tone sucked away by the unit, neccessarily. Not only that, but the more dependent you are on the hotplate, the more the individual notes (especially the palm muted notes) lack clarity. The noise gets kind of annoying too. Sure the THD Hotplate IS the best attenuator on the market, but that's not saying much.

I'm a big fan of guys like Van Halen, Satriani, Vai, Johnson, and Malmsteen. So naturally I love speed/ shred metal with a pretty warm tube distortion. Not the overdriven solid state crap!!! So If your like me and your strickly looking to get closer to the perfect warm tube classic/ modern hard rock sound, take my advise, and stick with what you got and just crank the amp.

I'm giving the hotplate an 8 because it's the best on the market, but it won't give you the power tube sound at bedroom levels. Believe me, I've used this thing in conjunction with rack mounted processors, pre and post equalizers, and still no dice! I have to use it with an old unmodified Marshall ( which they say is what the hotplate was really made for) so I can't give an all inclisive hands down to this product. But as far as using this attenuator in conjunction with amps already designed to produce heavy distortion, it's just not worth it... not for $300 bucks, or even $150.

- Line out (but it must be connected to a power amp in order to use) w/ line out level control.
- Treble and Bass compensation swiches ( meant to restore lost tone)
- Versitile output load adjustment
- Cooling fins ( neccessary when this thing used for more than 10 minutes at a time)
- Noise reduction (w/ light to let you know when it's working)
- Cooling fan to help cool the resistors

* Very versitile, as far as attenuators and power brakes go, THE MOST VERSITILE... hands down.

Been using for six months now, no problems yet.

Everything I already said above.

i use this with a vox ac30, and a strat or tele.
basically this is a master volume for non-master volume amps, but with a difference, that difference bieng you get power amp distortion as well as preamp distortion.
how does it sound? the product itself has very little tone coloration. i find that highs and lows are there, and boosting both is a really good idea when you are playing at the maximum squeeze. i dig that i can play my ac30 at full crunch, and my neighbors dig it too! also a speaker iso booth was not an option, i can't play like that. maybe record, but not play. i didn't want to sell the amp, and power tube overdrive is way better sounding with a vox than any stomp box.
line out is pretty useless though as a guitar source. it's fine for rockman-esque practice sesh but not serious recording. i take line out and run it into my tc chorus and then into my p.c. for demos and whatnot. it works for me. note that the line out is UNBELEIVABLY hot. be careful!

decent features for the price.
noise reduction --good
line out --good. missing any speaker emulation, though.
bright/deep switches --good. quite useful at the lowest levels.
cool light that glows --good. looks like a selmer treble 'n bass!
dummy load --good.
multiple speaker outs --good. total must equal your old ohm load.
cooling fan/heatsink --good

only works at 16 ohms --bad. evidently it is possible to use at other loads, but it's not as good sounding. competition does this -- marshall powerbrake, for instance.
i liked the sound of this better than the powerbrake.

i've had it for a month, and it's been good to me thus far.
it gets hot, but not hot enough to burn you or anything. i bet a marshall 100watt head would warm up a cup of coffee, though.

ok, thd is one of the best companies to deal with on a techinical level, on a service level, on any level i've ever dealt with. they are gracious, knowledgable, informed and straigh up bro. i cannot regard them high enough, they are the best. every person there knows what's up, which is shocking these days. i gotta give it up for thd!

i would definitely replace this unit. this will become a key component of my sound.
i also practice a lot more, i can hear my phone ring when someone calls too!
i think a lot of thought went into this product. it doesn't do it all, but it does what it was designed to do really well. i am a little bummed that you can't hook this bad boy up to an 8 or 2 ohm load optimally, but that's the price you pay, i guess.
and i would like to add that when i floor my ac-30 i've yet to have problems with this unit and my output tranny. it stays cool, no strain at all on the unit.
please thd, make a hotplate that works with all amps!

VERY SIMPLE TO USE. IT ATTENUATES THE LEVEL OF SOUND FROM THE AMP TO THE SPEAKER AND CAN BE USED AS A LOAD BOX OR A LINE OUT W/ A LEVEL CONTROL. IT ALSO HAS DEEP & BRIGHT SWITCHES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF LOWS & HIGHS IF NEEDED. THE BULBS ACT AS A NOISE REDUCTION TO FILTER OUT UNWANTED NOISE. VERY USER FRIENDLY AND MANUAL WAS EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THERE IS A FAN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE UNIT WHICH SHOULD BE PLACED ON TOP OF THE AMP TO COOL THE TUBES. REQUIRES NO AC POWER.

MOST PEOPLE WOULD USE THIS ITEM ON NON-MASTER VOLUME HEADS BUT I USE IT ON MY 5150 AND IT IS EXCELLENT. I RUN THE VOLUME AT 5 AND USE THE LINE OUT TO FEED MY EFFECTS AND IT SOUNDS EXCELLENT. IT SOUNDS BEST WHEN SET AT -16db or -12db. I TRIED IT ON A MARSHALL PLEXI AND IT DOES THE BROWN SOUND (VH) VERY WELL. I SUGGEST USING A VARIAC W/ THE HOT PLATE TO ACHIEVE THE MARSHALLY VAN HALEN SOUND.

VERY RELIABLE BUT YOU MUST USE THE CORRECT OHM HOT PLATE W/ THE AMP AND SPEAKER. EX. 16OHM CAB, SET AMP AT 16OHM AND USE THE 16OHM HOTPLATE. VERY SIMPLE BUT IMPORTANT. IT WORKS GREAT AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS. THD CUSTOMER SERVICE IS VERY HELPFUL.

VERY HELPFUL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. THE MAUAL IS VERY USER FRIENDLY.

I PLAY ROCK AND BLUES AND HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 13 YEARS. I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN BECAUSE THE QUALITY IS THAT GOOD. I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I COMPERED IT TO THE GROOVE TUBES SEII AND THIS THING IS WAY BETTER. FORGET SPEAKER EMULATORS, THIS THING IS BETTER IN SOUND QUALITY AND EASE OF USE. IT IS SMALL AND EASY TO CARRY AROUND AND PLACE AROUND YOUR GEAR.

It was easy enough to read the directions and set it up. I'm a bit leary of being in a small room with a 100w Marshall turned to 10, so I read the directions carefully. There is also the issue of hurting the amplifier if the speakers are not connected to the head when it is on. The HotPlate goes between the amp head and the speakers, so read the directions first.

The sound at the quietest setting is, well, not like the sound of the amp, but not Unlike it enough that you wouldn't mind the tone you do get at the price of being able to hear people talking to you the next day. In between settings are better, in fact great, when one realizes the degree of volumn the Hot Plate is syphoning off. I got this unit for quiter practice moments, and becuase of all the choices out there, the HotPlate seems to be the best tone-wise. I am happy with it.

Yes, it feeds itself from the power sent from the amp to the speakers. Kind of nice to have something that can add to my sound capabilities without needing a battery or wall outlet.

This seems like a very nice, human company to deal with. I sent drawings of the back of my amp and speakers and asked them to recomend which HotPlate to use. They were a pleasure to deal with.

When I play through my small amp its jazz and blues, but when I'm in the mood I want to have the response and depth that only an old power tube can give where volume and attack have infinite influence on the sound of ones playing. Unfortunatly, one finds oneself in this mood at less than opportune times for cranking a 100w Marshall. There is also the pain associated with hearing loss... The HotPlate is a good compromise; good tone, at bearable (for all) rates. Not the same as an unimpeaded amp full out of course, but not bad for what it is.

Very easy to use. Goes between the amp and the speaker.

Great! See my review of the Marshall 2204, which I felt was too loud for my needs. The Hotplate makes it managable. There's been a lot of talk lately about power tube saturation at "bedroom level" and how desirable it would be. Well, the Hotplate WON'T do it for you. The highest attenuation setting is reminiscent of a really cheezy fuzzbox. But that's OK--I only ask my Hotplate to reduce volume to the point where my tone doesn't suffer, which is the -12dB mode. And that works just fine for real live musicians playing in real live rooms (even small rooms.) This comment will antagonize some people, but what the hell! I live in an apartment, too, (in crowded San Francisco, no less) and I make perfectly great recordings using a Blues Jr. in my closet during daytime hours. So what if I don't have a howling wall of Marshall stacks at whisper levels.

It seems really reliable. Study, simple design. Massive fan and heatsink. You could overclock this hotplate ;)

Hmmm. Andy Marshall's comments on USENET are appreciated, and he seems like a helpful guy. On the other hand, if you want to buy a new Hotplate from THD, be prepared for a lengthy wait. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth that you have to commit to a cabinet of a certain ohmage, or buy multiple Hotplates. I understand that this is to maximize sound quality, but I can't afford to buy a Hotplate for each possible head/speaker combination. I have no idea at which point a mismatch could damage my amp, so I'm cautious.

I like it. It sounds really good, and brings an insanely loud amp under control. Does it sound as good as my cranked 2204, sans Hotplate? It's way better than being an overly loud and obnoxious player with hearing damage who doesn't get invited back for another gig.

This is a hefty, extruded aluminum box 3"x6"x4". Details on the front panel left to right are an attenuation knob 0 to -16dB in -4dB increments, bright and deep switches, a continuously variable attenuation knob -16dB to max, and a light which blinks on power chords (cool). Back panel has an output line level knob, two speaker jacks, an input jack, and a line out jack. Only the large, garish "Hotplate" silk screened logo on the front panel makes this unit hard to use.

The unit is quiet. The signal to noise ratio of the amplifier (Marshall) appears to have improved with this device. The manual talks about the flashing light having something to do with the noise reduction circuitry. Well, it works. Only sonic drawback is some kind of inter-operability glitch between the line out and the attenuated speaker output. The bright switch brightens the speaker out but dulls the line out. This is OK for my application as I am able to achieve the right mix of attenuation and distortion at the -12dB setting, which doesn't require filtering to sound good.

My concern is not with the product itself, but its effects on the other parts of my amplifier. My Marshall head is old, feeble, expensive, and time-consuming to maintain or replace. So I really checked into the reliability before buying the box. I use the hotplate with confidence. Time will tell whether this is a good choice.

I would definitely buy the product again. It is built solidly. It has more features for less money than the Marshall Power Brake. A portion of the attenuated amp power drives a fan in both the PowerBrake and the Hotplate. However, the fan in the Hotplate draws air up from the bottom, so it sits nicely over the ventilation slots in the top of the Marshall head, giving better cooling to the output tubes. Clever, clever.

Very easy to use.Very few knobs and switches.2 speaker outputs,line output,amp in.I always double check to make sure the cables are in the right jacks because it is possible to fry your amp if you hook this thing up wrong.I gave it a 9 only because you do need to be conscious when hooking it up.

Sounds great.Some amp heads are not load resistor friendly.I haven't found one that doesn't sound very good through this unit.Its a power attenuator and or load resistor.You can use it between your head and speaker cabinet.Crank the head up and turn the Hot Plate down and you can play at room listening level and not lose any of the "thump."It has a little bit of eq which sounds nice.OR you can crank your head and put the Hot Plate in load resistor mode and run it through your rack or the power section in(return) of a Marshall or some other cool amp and that sounds really great.

Seems to be built like a rock.It has an internal fan which is powered by the amp head itself and only comes on when your driving it hard.Very cool.Haven't had a problem with it yet.

They answered my questions on the phone.

Mine is a 16 ohm model.They also have 4 and 8 ohm models.I'd buy it again.If you're tired of the sound of your rack mount pre-amp,this is a way cool way to go by loading down a head and running it through the rest of the junk.

Very easy to use.Very few knobs and switches.2 speaker outputs,line output,amp in.I always double check to make sure the cables are in the right jacks because it is possible to fry your amp if you hook this thing up wrong.I gave it a 9 only because you do need to be conscious when hooking it up.

Sounds great.Some amp heads are not load resistor friendly.I haven't found one that doesn't sound very good through this unit.Its a power attenuator and or load resistor.You can use it between your head and speaker cabinet.Crank the head up and turn the Hot Plate down and you can play at room listening level and not lose any of the "thump."It has a little bit of eq which sounds nice.OR you can crank your head and put the Hot Plate in load resistor mode and run it through your rack or the power section in(return) of a Marshall or some other cool amp and that sounds really great.

Seems to be built like a rock.It has an internal fan which is powered by the amp head itself and only comes on when your driving it hard.Very cool.Haven't had a problem with it yet.

They answered my questions on the phone.

Mine is a 16 ohm model.They also have 4 and 8 ohm models.I'd buy it again.If you're tired of the sound of your rack mount pre-amp,this is a way cool way to go by loading down a head and running it through the rest of the junk.