THD Hotplate Attenuator (2.7 Ohm)

This is fairly simple to set up. If you have a combo amp (as you almost certainly do if you're using the 2.7-ohm Hot Plate, which is only useful with the Tweed Bandmaster and the Vibro-King) you'll have to make up an extension cord to go from the speaker plug to the Hot Plate.

Other than that, it's just a matter of following your ears.

I sometimes use the Hot Plate vith my Vibro-King when I want to reduce stage volume. The first couple clicks (-4 dB and -8 dB) provide plenty of range to fit the amp's volume into the mix of a typical small-club band.

By the time you hit -12 dB, though, the speakers have less than 10% of the drive they'd normally be getting at that amp setting. For some amp and speaker combinations that reduction in speaker drive may be OK, but the Alnico-magnet speakers in the Vibro-King start to contribute their own sound at fairly low volumes. Choke the power to the speakers and all you end up with is the sound of the amp, which is quite different. Are the high-attenuation sounds "bad"? That's a matter of taste, I suppose. I believe that the Hot Plate, when dialed down to -12 dB or -16 dB, destroys some of the cranked-up character of the Vibro-King.

These things sure *look* rugged. Frankly, the cables are likely to be the weak link in any Hot Plate setup. Be sure to check them once in a while for frayed connections inside the plugs.

I've never had any reason to communicate directly with TDH regarding their products.

I play a variety of music that borrows from rock, folk, classical and jazz. I play mostly fingerstyle. I've been playing for nearly fourty years - seriously for the past seven.

The best application for the Hot Plate is in a small club where everything on stage is mic'd. I use the Hot Plate to let me crank my Vibro-King up into the "zone" where it responds best to playing dynamics, then dial down the stage volume to keep the sound guy happy.

For smaller gigs at lower volumes I prefer to use a Blackstone MOSFET Overdrive pedal instead of the Hot Plate.

I find it a bit odd that the 2.7-ohm Hot Plate doesn't have a fan yet costs more than the other Hot Plates.

I don't really find much use for the line output on the Hot Plate. Removing this would save a bit of money for THD and eliminate an opportunity for users to connect the Hot Plate incorrectly.

Simple to setup, poser amp out to Hotplate, Hotplate out to speakers. Very easy to get excellant sounds, simply turn your amp up and turn the Hotplate down. Also has bright and deep switches to increase treble and bass when playing at extremely low volumes. Simple manual, can damage your amp if you set it up wrong, double and triple check!!

The sound quality is incredible! I can get the same sound I get onstage with my amp turned up to six or seven at volume low enough to not offend the neighbors. I am using this with a vibro king, if you have one of these amps, this thing is essential, you cannot footswitch, but for recording you can get that power amp distortion at reasonable levels. I cannot say enough good things about this device!!!

Only had it a day, looks pretty heavy duty, has a built in fan and cooling fins all over the thing.

Andy Marshall (the owner) was very helpful on the phone and offered me a 'second' one that had a minor scratch on the face, I barely noticed it and got a discount.

This is the best addition to my rig, I have both the Hotbox and the Fulldrive 2 and those are both excellent pedals but this gives true power tube distortion, absolutely huge sound with a strat and the vibro king