THD Hotplate Attenuator (8 Ohm)

I don't think it came with a manual...wasn't paying attention when I unpacked it. But it's simple enough. Make sure the impedence is right, plug it in right, and play with the switches until it sounds good....it's that simple.

The sound is both awesome and disconcerting.

I run a 5w Class A Tube amp wide open (using guitar volume to control breakup) into a Vox Cab with no other effects. Without the attenuator, this is my favorite guitar sound by far (better with marshall, black kat, /13, etc.). With either humbuckers (SG) or single coils (G&L Legacy) the breakup of the amp is amazing, but...as we all (should) know, wattage implies nothing about sound levels...and it's really loud.

The attenuator takes the edge off with the first few settings so it won't kill your ears, and it doesn't really color the sound while it's doing it.

On the adjustable setting, which I use a lot...the sound is just not the same...simply because it's not a full-on amp running behind you. Someone below described it as going from a full-on amp sound to a good recording of a full-on amp sound and I couldn't agree more. It's not the best thing in the world, and I avoid using it any time i can...but to be able to get something resembling that tone at an apartment-frienly volume, it's certainly worth it.

One other use I'm toying with is using it to give my amp a line-out and basically using it like a distortion box going into other effects and a shimering clean amp...but as I only have one amp right now, I haven't gotten the chance.

So, it works as intended and the sound is acceptable for my uses...but don't expect it to make you able to play a full stack in your bedroom. That just won't happen.

It's entirely passive and in a big metal box...can't imagine it breaking.

As long as you're not expecting miracles, it works well...and certainly better than a $200 practice amp.

Very easy to use. The only difficulty I had was that my combo amplifier had a very short speaker cable so I had to find an extension cable.

I am using this on a 20 watt combo amp similar to a Fender Deluxe. I have the attenuation set at -16dbm, the bright switch on and the bulbs on. Initially I ran the amplifier volume at full to get the maximum tube overdrive. This gave a nice smooth distortion and sounded very similar to the amp cranked just much less volume. For me where this unit really shined was when I ran my amplifier at about half volume. At this level and -16dbm it was a very jam friendly volume. The difference now was that the sound was clean but on the edge of breakup with plenty of glorious sustain and harmonic richness that you would expect from a tube amp. I can't put my guitar dowm!

Don't know yet but the unit seems very rugged.

I think this is a great accessory for getting hot tube tone at lower volume without sacrificing sound quality. For those looking for mega-distortion get a pedal, for those who love the tone of their tube amps but need lower volume for jamming or recording this is it!

EASY

This is the Truth and told to me by a tech at THD it was designed for many different purposes and one of them being playing your high powered amp at low levels while maintaining a fully driven load from the pre and driven tubes. the attenuator absorbs the power and converts it changing its in essence signal level and correcting equalization to match the power setting at the high volume....... to all those who say this item doesn't work well i have no clue what you might be doing wrong.. i have a three charvel custom shop under fender i run them through a custom Mesa Triple i bridge it between my 8 ohm. speaker out to speaker 1 out to the 8 ohm cab in. at -16 it sounds amazing i can run it through my fx loop because it is getting all the power and then after out of the amp it is converted to the speakers.... if you have a bad or poor sounding cab THD put some switches on there for you deep and then a high end boost is what it sounds like to me or a balanced and bland unity but it seems alittle more tailored eq wise to clearing a very dry high end boost. regardless i do not personally like to use them there is no point. i am running this ingenious Plate through a custom mesa oversized, baffle and back insulated to my specific sound... when i am at home i like to play and to make a long story short i can get an amp that will sound the same as mine so i stumbled across this and i love it. there are many other amazing features... this is a must have for anyone who loves your tone. i have tried substitutes and someone even mentioned its not for low volume use..... what ? also he suggested buying another amp like a practice amp i believe and played for 40 years.... uhm nice thorough review but not practical if you have an amp that sounds like no other and you have found your tone this is an amazing tool. its good for much more with a load option but -16 sounds better than it would with it at low volumes and with out being able to drive the tubes successfully. the speakers most will notice since they are not at there peaking point or the desired point will not sound as great as at full volume but you will notice it will sound fairly similar but when you open this up it will separate more.... meaning more definition and tonality but much better than opting for a POD or other digital modeling unit cause i tried it all and this is honestly the best so far...

yeah i suppose so toured with it to give it a test and it was awesome for warming up back stage.

have not dealt with them but i need to ask them a question so i will see i am sure they will be great most are. especially boutique manufactures.

i trained musician. professional back to have been active musician for a while.. i record and produce bands. i play whatever i decide i would like to, not genre specific.

Plug it in and turn turn the knobs. It takes a little time to figure out the Deep and Bright buttons and how they interact with the different levels, though.

Unlike most owners below, I don't use it to tame a monster Plexi, Recto, or 5150 head. I use a Traynor YCV40WR, mostly clean, with a Tele and a 335-style. What the Hot Plate does is let me turn the amp up to the 3-5 range, where the power tubes open up and the sound gets really fat and dynamic, without hurting anybody. Normally these levels would provide a volume that you can barely shout over from across the room; with the attenuator, the levels are perfect for a basement jam environment, and even work for un-miced vocals. And to my ears, at least, the sound quality is very good down to -12db. (16 gets a little murky, but still sounds pleasing.)

I've dropped it on concrete, and it's still ticking. Solid.

Quick email response; I bought it used and they still seemed interested in helping me out with questions.

If you want raging power-tube distortion without waking the baby, get a Pod. But if your goal is to bring a 40 or 100-watt amp down to about the volume level of a Champ so you can open up the throttle, this will do it. It's awesome at what it does.

After reading other reviews, I'm not sure what other purchasers were expecting. It functions as promised and does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's laid out nicely and has straight forward controls. The manual provides adequate instruction for use and is to the point.

I currently use a Peavey 120 Ultra head and a 4x12 cab with Celestion speakers. Gibson Les Paul 58 re-issue and a PRS Custom 24. So far the Hot Plate is operating as promised. You really need to be at the -16db setting to play quietly enough not to wake the family, but I've found the sound to be very acceptable with minimal tonal coloring. It's a nice addition to my current rig.

I haven't had it for that long, but it's construction is first rate. So far it's very dependable.

I had a question about the impedence for my cab(s) and the tech that answered the phone was more than helpful. He went through everything very thoroughly along with pro's and con's to my anticipated set up. I would caution anyone to call first before buying to make sure you get the right unit prior to purchasing. If you have two 8 ohm cabs, you need a 4 ohm hot plate. Two 16 ohm cabs, 8 ohm hot plate etc...

I play rock and blues. I've been at it long enough to know my limitations and long enough to continually push them. I have more gear than I care to list here. If it were stolen, I'd buy another one. It works like it's supposed to. I like that it's straight forward and easy to operate. The bright and deep switches are a nice touch when playing at the -16db setting. I hate the price. $300 is a little pricey for most. I looked at he Marshall Powerbrake and the Ultimate powerbrake. This was the best value for the money. I can't stress enough how great the customer service is. Call them with your amp first and they'll make the proper recomendation. Then go buy it on ebay....ha.

This unit does EXACTLY what it is supposed to do, and MUCH more. I am really getting tired of hearing these other guys complaining that it doesn't lower the volume low enough for their bedroom when they use it in an apartment...............so ignorant if you really think about it.

If you own a Marshall master volume model for example.........why even use the hot plate in your bedroom at all? Simply turn the pre gain volume up and the master volume down..........what more do you want?? This unit was made for using in a live Club or even larger venue situation, and to run time based effects cleanly via a second amp (or a couple of other ways)and control your over all saturated volumes to a usable volume.

Now, If you own a non-master volume amp, you will need to use the 16 db setting and volume control pot and just deal with the sound, which is pretty good if you use the two EQ adjustments on the Hot Plate itself and maybe some pre or post EQing via an "MXR 8 or 10 Band EQ" or something similar.

There is another use for this unit that FAR outweighs the volume attenuation that these guys are not even paying attention to.............and that is the ability to solve an age old problem with "time based effects" being in the chain BEFORE the preamp section (via the guitar input jack) or before the power tube section (via the effects loops) causing terrible distorted and muddy effects sounds that completely destroy the original beautiful saturated power tube sound that we all love so much. This has been a HUGE problem overlooked by the majority of guitarists who obviously don't do their homework when it comes to great sound and the inherent problems that are caused by pre-distortion (Pre amp OR Power tube)followed by time based effects.


With the THD Hot Plate and TWO similar amps, you can solve this problem VERY nicely, and you can now get that incredible 70's Hard Rock distortion sound AND great time based effects as well without killing the original signal. You do this by running your guitar through the input of your best sounding ALL TUBE AMP (Amp #1) and running the preamp sections at a low setting (preventing that fizzy preamp distortion), and running the power tubes between 7 and 10, getting that beautiful FULL power tube saturation that we all love. Then you run the head #1 through the Hot Plate and then to your one or two 4 x 12 cabs for an undisturbed, unaltered saturated sound. THEN...........you run a speaker cord from the THD Hot Plate's adjustable LINE OUT JACK located on the back of the unit to your EFFECTS PROCESSOR (mine is a Digitech RP20) OR to your effects pedal chain, and THEN run that into the INPUT of AMP #2.

You want to run Amp #2 as CLEAN as possible in order to "reproduce" all your heavily used time based effects (Chorus, Flanger, Delay, Reverb, etc.) cleanly and fully for the rich sound that they can produce, and mix the "clean" and the "wet" amps signals to your desired effects level for your overall sound.

This is the ONLY way (besides going even further and using dummy loads, and isolation cabs) to get that great time based effects' sounds WITHOUT having to run the effects through the MIXING BOARD's Effects loop allowing the sound man to control your effects and being able to mess them up!! I don't know about you, but I want complete control of my sound from A to Z.

I gave this a "9" for sound quality because there is always room to improve this type of unit. I am currently using TWO Peavey 5150's (a 5150 signature and a 5150II signature model) and a Digitech RP 20 effects processor along with a separate floor pedal set up: A "Script MXR Phase 90, an original MXR Script Flanger, MXR 10 Band GEQ, and a EH Holier Grail, EH Memory Man, EH Del Electric Mistress, and a new Echo Plex made by Fulltone (incredible unit),and have been pulling my hair out trying to get the sound I wanted out of them like I heard when I heard Van Halen live. And I have been searching for a way to have POST preamp/effects loop/power tube/speaker/mic time based effects too, which is the BIGGEST problem I wanted to solve.

I can now get all the sounds of my favorite artists like I have wanted for years. I can even put my EQ based effects (like Wah Wah, Compressor, Distortion box, phaser , etc) in the PREAMP section (Guitar input) via separating the time based effects from the EQ based effects using the Left and Right channels of my RP 20 to rout the effects in two different directions........VERY nice to have that ability.

So, for all those here who say that this unit doesn't do what it is supposed to do........TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AND READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS!

This thing is built like a tank, what more can I say? I have only had it for 3 months, but it looks like it will last a lifetime.

I have been in communication with these guys several times while I was trying to figure out how to solve the problems I talked about earlier, and they were GREAT about taking the time to help me, unlike most places that don't care about helping their customers post purchase since they already have your money.

I have been playing guitar for over 40 years and I play mostly 80's style Hard Rock. This is perfect for that genre, as well as any other genre I can think of. You already know what gear I use, except for the fact that I actually have FOUR 5150's and eight 4 x 12 cabs that I usually run in stereo in larger venues. I even use four 4 x 12 cabs in small rooms for the stereo effect, and the fullness and punch that they pack.......PLUS I have to have the 8 ohm impedance for my THD Hot Plates.

If this unit were to be stolen, I would immediately replace it (them) with brand new ones just like this one. It is the very best unit that I have ever used and I have used just about ALL of them. This is MORE than just a volume attenuator, it is a miracle device for me and anyone else who wants great time based effect sounds.

I love the way this thing sounds even when you cut the volume db by more than 8 db. It maintains pretty much ALL of it's tonal characteristics at least to that point.......AND you have the two built in EQ settings that work good enough at these db level drops. The noise reduction system in this unit is great too. It is in NO WAY to be used as a substitute for a full on noise gate, but it certainly is great for that FINAL overall tweek. I use ISP Decimators (4 of them).......... one in each of my effects loops of my 5150 heads, the best noise gates I have EVER heard........simply amazing and easy to operate.

I have compared this Hot Plate to literally every attenuator out there , both new AND used and NOS.........there's no comparison, the Hot Plate is by far the best. There is, However, still room for improvement......such as maybe a way to go from the Hot Plate to FOUR amp cabs? Older Marshalls had the ability to use 4 cabs, instead of 2, and I loved that. And if they can ever make a board that completely keeps the original tone no matter how much you attenuate the volume, that would be nice, but definitely NOT neccessary.

I don't hate anything about this unit, and I love everything about it.....enough said. This unit helped me to make music because I just can't get enough of the fantastic sound I can now get from power tube saturation AND extremely clean time based effects, all in stereo!!!

I would like to share one more thing to all the younger musicians out there. Just because at first glance something doesn't sound great, or you don't take the time to experiment and get great sounds, doesn't mean that the unit is bad, or overpriced. It is up to YOU to experiment and to try different things.........after all........the glory is in the adventure, it's "in the ride", NOT the end.

The hotplate is very simple to use I like the fact that when I have my amp on the bench to bias tubes or check voltages it has a built in Dummy load.

I have a 100 watt handwired Plexi that I built, that I use through the Hotplate, I have mixed emotions about this attenuator, at 12db of attenuation my amp tone is acceptable and is very dynamic and is very touch sensitive. At 16db of attenuation the hotplate has a varible volume control, cool feature but your dynamics and sensitivity dissappear, your basic tone is present with the addition of a fizzy sound at the end of your notes. The fizz does become less evident with less attenuation(louder volume) this is where I will complain, THD could have cleaned up the 16db setting and gotten rid of the fizz. I would love to play my Plexi in my condo but Face it, Attenuators were made to tame 100 watt non master volume amps to play at stage levels not to play in your bedroom........

I would say that the unit is built very well

N/A

Attenuators are a necessary evil for Plexi's I have a love hate relationship with my Hotplate, I will keep it for the Dummy load function alone for when I need to Bias or am building amps. Keeping in mind that it is impractical to play a 100 watt non master volume amp in a condo or at bedroom levels you are missing the magic when you do this. you might as well play your master volume amp at low volume.... Plexi's are amazing cranked up but your ears cannot take the sheer volume of this amplifier, you value your hearing you will use an attenuator. IMO the Hotplate is a good solution but is far from being the ultimate solution. I will be looking for a better sounding attenuator in the future,

Easy . . . pick the ohmage you want. Buy it. Plug it in. Manual explains stuff, but there's not too much to say. Pick your attenuation, and decide on the deep and bright switches (and the noise-reduction bulbs). Use proper speaker cables though!

JCM 800 2203 w/ various guitars into 8 ohm 4x12 cab. Does pretty much what it's supposed to do. I don't know how much of a noise difference the bulbs make, but they look neat anyways.

I was really irked by some of the earlier reviews claiming poor sound quality. I just have to make it clear that this is not the fault of the attenuator. As someone said before, speakers don't move the same at low volumes, especially in high-wattage cabs found on the sort of amps that need a hot plate!

This is NOT a tool for cranked 100w Marshall in your living room. The Hot Plate is for taking an amp that's so loud you can't play small-medium clubs, and taking it down to those levels . . . which are still quite loud!

I usually use 8db attenuation with the master around 7. Sometimes I'll go to 12. I'd say that you can hear a bit of the frequency-shifts that come from attenuating from 12--->on. The deep and bright switches are neat, but I never use them; they're really not need that much on -8db.

Anyway, the thing sounds great for taming an amp that would scare off audience members and bar owners. That's what it's for!

It's never given me a problem . . . but here's the thing about gigging without a backup: My amp has.

Nothing major, just seems to blow fuses more often than it should . . . but I don't know if the Hot Plate is connected.

Other people say they've had no trouble. I don't get the master above 7 anyway, and I'm not using really heavy attenuation. My speaker cable is all up to spec too. I have no reference point for blown fuses, as I never got the master about 4 for any period of time before I got the Hot Plate. When I opened the amp, the blown fuses were actually slow-blows someone had put where fast-blow fuses should be (I purchases the amp used a few years ago).

Anyway, the point is I don't know. Either way, nothing in the amp has ever been damaged, I just seem to fry 3 of my fuses about once every couple months.

The thing sounds great. It'll give you a nice volume cut to let you use your big amp in venues smaller than a stadium.

I'm giving it a 7 because if my bi-monthly fuse chewing is the fault of hte attenuator, I'd give it a 5, and if it's not, I'd give it a 9.

My setup - Fender custom shop strat, Brownface & Blackface Fender amps.

Of course it will affect the tone of the amp in some way... What I don't get is people who are upset about the fact that it changes the tone, as if this is some kind of failure to be the "perfect" attenuator. Just turn down the volume on your radio and the tone changes along with the volume. Any reduction in level especially by a reactive load process and especially when applied heavily will change the tone. It is a scientific fact that the human ear is very sensitive to these changes and no design will ever change that.

I actually think the sound is improved by the hotplate because in my opinion, any "great" tone at a level that can damage the hearing or feels uncomfortably loud is a bad tone. For those who think there is no substitute to an unattenuated amp cranked to 11, grow up and stop p****ing people off..... you're too damned loud!

In recording applications, even in a soundproofed studio a maxed out amp with no attenuation can overcook the microphone, which can have negative impacts on the recorded sound (mic diaphragm distortion etc...), so I think the hotplate is an essential tool, not just a handy thing to have.

On anything but a huge stage it is mandatory to use this device if you don't want the soundman and the rest of the band to resent you and still be able to crank your amp. I recorded an entire album with my hotplate running at 12db attenuation and I have had nothing but great praise for the guitar tone and people asking me how I was able to acheive such recorded tones. A good speaker does help and I use tonetubby hempcones which are in a league of their own.

As a tool, the hotplate is the best attenuator I have used. Others I have used had damaged the amp I was using, but the hotplate has never caused any damage in the years I have used them. Of course you will wear out your power tubes quicker.

Never given up on me and never damaged my amp, but remember when using this, you are running your amp harder more consistantly, so the various parts on the amp can wear out more quickly, mainly tubes.

Never had to deal with them

I play original music. Some may call it softrock, some may call it melodic rock, some may say AOR. I don't really know what it is. It's just what I do. See for yourself if you like...

http:www.thelostangels.net

I've only had it a week.

I e-mailed, They e-mailed back.

I'm only writing this review to let people know that this thing doesn't really do what it says it does. If you live in an apartment or row home or if you want to play in your room and not bother anyone this thing will not bring the volume of your amp down. It has 5 settings not counting the load setting. -16dbs, -12dbs -8dbs -4dbs and 0 which is basically a bypass.

The only setting that you can control the volume to were you don't kill small animals is the -16dbs and you can read other reviews on here at -16dbs it doesn't sound all that good. Once you switch to any of the other settings -12dbs or lower the right knob which they call the potentiometer is inactive. The only time this is active is when you set the Hot Plate to -16dbs, any other setting and this knob does nothing. which means the only way you can control the volume is by turning down the amp which in my opinion defeats the purpose of the Hot Plate. I have the JCM 2000 DSL 100watt head which is a master volume amp, the Hot Plate manual says to set the volume on master volume amps at full output. Unless you enjoy people hunting you down and blood coming from your ears "DON'T DO THIS" The Hot Plate only subtlety effects the volume at -12dbs or lower so your amp will be as loud as it normally would be without the Hot Plate.

I bought my Hot Plate off EBay and when I hooked it up and could only get it to do what it's supposed to do on one setting I thought it was broke. I didn't want to accuse the seller of selling me a broken Hot Plate until I was sure I knew what I was talking about. So I e-mail THD and told them what it was doing. ED DeGenaro e-mailed me back and told me that it was working fine.

So if your like me and thought that you would have all this cranked amp power without the volume and you could do your best Angus Young in the living room while the wife and the baby took a nap upstairs forget it. Like I said you can bring the volume down on that one setting but it doesn't sound all that good. This review isn't a negative against how the Hot Plate will make your amp sound, I'm just trying to let people that don't know like I didn't that you don't have very much control over the volume. I read lots of reviews before I bought mine and no one mentioned that. I'm going to take it to practice with me where I can really test it out to see what kind of sounds I can get with it before I decide to resell it. It may turn out to be what the doctor ordered but it's not all what it's made out to be.