Marshall PB-100 Power Brake

Pretty versatile, really. You can switch from 16, to 8 ohms on the same unit. That's already cooler than the hot plate, (no pun intended).

Also, you have several steps of attenuation and a dummy load feature. Now you can run your tube amp straight into your mixer without having to drag out your 4x12. : )

It's pretty transparent. In other words, it sounds a lot like your amp. It's more dependent upon the cables you use going into, and out of the power break that the power break itself. Get yourself some good high dollar, quality cables like Monster....and you'll be fine.

The tone change that has people freaked out is coming from their amps...not the power break. I find it amusing because, presumably, that's why people buy the PB in the first place. They want a tone difference, don't they? They want their amps to sound as if they were "cranked", but at a low db level. Your amp is going to sound different when you use this unit. It's meant to. In fact, if your sound didn't change, the unit would be a complete failure. The key is to listen to the unattenuated, pass-through sound, as opposed to running your head straight into your cabinet (with good consistent cabling). The unit is pretty transparent.

Great! I've even dropped it on hard pavement. It's built like a tank. A word on the supposed damaging effects of this unit:

The people that have had problems with their amps "frying" while using the PB are quick to blame this unit. One thing they don't realize is that this unit is going to stress your amp and it's components because, with this unit, you have the ability to make your amp work (for hours without ear fatigue) as if it's being pushed very hard at loud volumes. Your amp doesn't know the difference. Therefore, any weak components (caps, resistors, tubes, etc) that your amp may have.....will show up. The power break is not damaging your amp. The shorted tube, or the weak output transformer was going to happen anyway. It just happened sooner rather than later because of the continued, unusually high stresses that you are able to put your amp through with the power break. It's something you normally wouldn't be able to do without it. For example, I've been using the PB for 10 years with the same amp with no problems. I've gone through a lot of tubes....but that's to be expected. It's actually a more reliable load than your cabinet, as a speaker cab's impedance changes as you play them from long periods of time.

Never had to call Marshall or Korg

It's just expensive. However, you get what you pay for.

Very simple and straightforward.

I have found this unit to be more transparent than the Hot Plate. I hear that the Weber unit is even better but I have not tried one. The tone suffers a little as you get into higher degrees of attenuation but that is unavoidable because you are losing 2 of the 4 factors that determine your overall tone-the speakers being driven hard and the movement of lots of air.

Rock solid.

Not used.

If you know what you are doing these units do not kill tone and they do not fry amps. All attenuators will affect tone as attenuation increases, you can not avoid it. If your amp fries it is not because of the Power Brake it is because you were pushing it so hard. You can not run an amp at 8-10 all the time and expect tubes and transformers to last. If you use this as intended, to run your amp at a level where tone is good (6-7 is fine on my '73 Super Lead) and attenuate it down to a level that would be tolerable for a small club, it is awesome. If you try to turn a 100W into a whisper you will lose tone and you will fry your amp.

It just sucks power & TONE!!!

Waste of $$$ I sold it on EBAY (made a few bucks too, sucka)

Who Cares

Who knows!

Waste of money! there are too many good tube amps with master volumes or low power amps that you can get the tone without this piece of crap!

All the features you need- volume and ohm selector.

First off, I am a HUGE Marshall fan. I love them. I've had alot of them, some good some bad. Some even great. But I've never switched to another brand because they have the sound I want.
Given that background, this unit S-U-C-K-S. If you are looking for an attenuator, which is an absolute necessity for a Marshall valve amp, don't buy this one. It really sounds horrible. I had one, then replaced it with the Weber MASS (look it up on the web). They are much more inexpensive, and honestly sound 50 times better. Simply no comparison. Or go to Legendarytones.come to read the review. I've heard THD Hotplates are just as good, but I can't verify that. Whatever you do, get rid of your Powerbrake, it sucks the tone like no other. Notice the extra fizz in your tone? That's the Powerbrake my friend.

good

no comment

See above. I'm just trying to help out here- go with the Weber MASS. You can even order it to your specific desires (wattage, ohms, brightness switch, etc). I recommend getting the brightness switch.

Again- I LOVE MARSHALL. But this thing sucks.

Read the previous revies, there's not much to it: an Input, two speaker Outs 8 or 16 ohms selectable, and a 3db incrementing output selector.

I've played and Ibanez UV777, an Ibanez 7421, and a Washburn N2 all with their respective stock pickups through a Marshall TSL 100. The lower volumed settings DO INDEED muffle the sound tonaly, despite what some other reviews say. I bought this with the intention of cranking my Marhall up to 6-7 to get that cranked sound at bedroom levels, which I found pretty much impossible to do with the PB100. Before the PB100 I could only turn my amp up to 1 or 1.5 without irritating the living shit outta the neighbors (the TSL100 is LOUD). With the PB100 I can only get my marshall up to about 4 with the PB set to the 1st or 2nd notch, which does cause tonal sufferage, despite the fact that I still can't get my amp as loud as it needs to be to hit that tonal 'sweet spot'. If you're looking for an attenuator that sounds like a cranked amp at tollerable volumes, then this is probably not the device for you. Amp set to 4, PB set to 1 or 2 was still QUITE loud. Personally, I was looking to set my amps vol at about 7, gain maxed, neighbors happy - the PB100 fails in that respect. It just doesn't get quiet enough while having the amp cranked. Tried this with the amp at 25w & 100w as well as 16 & 8 ohms.

Hasn't given me a problem ever. Based on other reviews, I immediately inspected the wiring and found no faults. I've played
through the PB100 for a couple hours straight at moderate levels and
it never did get hot.

Haven't had to contact them.

Bottom line, if it were stolen, I wouldn't get another one. I'de be better off having a tech do a mod-job on my amp....like a master volume control perhaps...which would probably give me the results I was looking for anyway.

his whole rig belongs to my freinds studio

Well I used one in the studio for thefirst time.I ran a 1973 super lead through it into a 4x12 Marshall cab loaded w/ 25W(blackbacks??197?).I found my favorite tones w/ vol 1 on 8.5 and vol 2 on 4-5 with the powerbrake cut back 1 step.I found that stepping it back one step added a bit of compression and browned up the tone abit I really liked it.I actually lik3d the amps tone attenuated 1 step better than straight out.Two steps back was pretty good but not as natural 3 back was getting a bit artificial and more than that was too much IMO.I'll giveit an 8 as I think it should sound better when stepped back more.

Dunno but if Marshalls een making them this long I doubt you'll have trans problems just use quality speaker leads.We used 14guage(over kill)

Like it.

very simple use. go from the amp to the powerbrake to the amp.
8 and 16 ohm choice is excelent.

Using a marshall superbass 73. no major tone alteration at around 4 klicks down. The superbass starts distorting at around 2.5 so you can go from a nice bluesbraker sound to van halen wild distortion, all that thanks to the powerbrake. been playing for 20 years and i must say it is a must part of any vintage gear, especially if you play at home a lot.

doesn't heat up or anything looks like a very reliable piece of equipment.havnt giged with outside so i will take off a point, just for the doubt.

makes me enjoy my marshall sound and that's the point.....

see other reviews

using a superbass 73 with greenback celestions and a les paul.
i have been searching after the vintage sound forever.Been playing for 20 years now.Angus young tone is the benchmark and now i hqave got it with the powerbrake.Going 4 kotches down from minimum attuanation gives me the braking of power tubes without too much tone change, at slightly more than bedroom levels.The bass has to be turned down and you should go for more treble. Great choice for cranking marshall amps.It does what it suppose to do.....Love it.

haven't had for too long but it seems raliable....does'nt heat up like some reviews stated....

One knob is all you really need. Ability to switch ohm settings, unlike a THD hot plate. Piece of cake to use.

I use this with a Mesa Dual Rectifier. I usually play a Les Paul Standard with EMG 81s in both slots. Most people are not daring enough to crank a recto up to 7,8,9 or dare I say, 10. Rightfully so, Rectos are much louder then just about any Marshall. I bought this to see what it would be like at higher volume levels. Let me just tell you, a dual rectifier on 7 pushed down to a decent volume sounds better then any cranked Marshall I've played for Metal. I think people trash Rectos because when they think of a recto, they think of the sounds that a recto produces at a low volumes (which is still realitivly loud actually) Most have not heard a rectifier when it's power amp stage is working hard. It is really an increadible sound. I would never go to a gig without my power brake.

Almost as much of a tank as my Recto. The PB just needs some diamond plating and they would be equal haha. And to all of the idiots blowing their output transformers: Did it ever cross your mind that running your amp's signal throgh a guitar cable is not the best idea? Marshall would not put out a product and keep it out this long unless it was safe to use. It's your fault that your vintage amp is dead... sucks to be you! a 6amp speaker cable will do the job perfectly. If you use the right cables and have the ohms set right, you will not have a problem.

Don't know.

Best 100 bucks I've spent so far. If it were to get lost or stolen, why I would go buy another one. I got mine for 100 bucks off eBay and it is just great.

Offers eleven steps of 3dB attenuation increments, which i thought was pretty good. The unit i've got is the Limited edition power brake in White, it's for Jim Marshalls 35th anniversary in the music buisness, i've read that these ones in white were only made in small numbers

Sounds great when you use it right!
If you turn any valve amp up & cut it all back down again to bedroom levels with any kind of attentuator you will hear what im talking about. Use it to set you amp at louder levels while still driving the speakers to get that "oomph"

It's very reliable!
don't use guitar leads as speaker cable & you'll be right

I opened my one up & averything seems in perfect order & it doesn't even get hot when it's running

Havent needed them yet!

Top bit of gear!

switchable between 8 and 16 ohms.variable attenuation level that goes up in stages.2 outputs for if you want to use 2 cabs.very strong and heavy.good build quality.

im not going to rate this at all becuase it doesnt colour the sound of the guitar and amp at all.i use it with my vox ac30 tbx ,there is a little loss of tone when its way down low but this is really due to the fact that the speakers aint really doing there proper job because its to quiet! also, as the volume decreases our ears become less sensitive to mid and high ranges so this is why it appears there is some loss of tone.

its never fried anything or even thought about breaking.
you MUST use proper unshielded speaker cable.make sure you set the ohm switch to the right setting.if you dont use the right cables you will fry your transformers and tubes.the fan works just fine

never had to deal with them for anything breaking but they replied to my emails pretty quick and they were helpful

very good piece of equipment,saves your ears and speakers.also it saves you from the risk of being evicted.does its job fine

this is a warning to other potential users
you all know what it does.....

it did make my amp sound excellent,i have a vox ac30 from around 1964 with blue speakers etc.

well after a few days i noticed a weird smell.thought it was just wearing in but then after a few weeks i turn on my lovely priceless original vox and pop boom.....nothing
turns out i blew my transformers and as some of you will know the original ones cant be purchased anymore,the re-issue ones only work if you install a solid state rectifier.so im left stuck with a broken vox.MY BABY it was.
the glue holding something on inside melted and the part fell off ,or so ive been told by my tech.this put a no load situation, as explained above.my amp just couldnt hack it.

they were not interested, they said that many others use them perfectly well.which is true.

i would never buy another, not ever.in fact if someone gave me one i would break into my own house and steal it! throw it into a river.
my vox is now dead.anybody selling transformers?

Simple device-simulates speaker load to allow amp natural tube breakup at lower volumes.

As has been mentioned before this is an intregal part of my rig.I am using this with a TSL100 head and a 4x12 cab.I have heard criticizm that these powerbrakes color the sound/tone of an amp, but the tone loss I see is minimal.

Have never had a problem with this workhorse and it gets used daily.I have noticed that mine doesnt get very hot (like I had been warned it would),the onboard fan seems to keep a handle on things.

No problems to report

This is a key piece of equipment.Either to save your bandmates(and yours)ears or to get the right sound at the smaller venues, it is a must.(full cranked Marshall sound/roar at lower volumes)That is all this device will do and it does it well....................................

Easy. Plug it in. Turn the one knob up or down to make it louder or quieter. Play your heart out.

I'm playing a Marshall TSL100 Head through two Marshall 1922 2x12's. Conventional though it might be, I use channel 1 as clean (rhythm or lead), 2 for dirty-ish bluesy crunch (rhythm or lead)and 3 for get-the-fuck-out-of-here wailing overdrive (lead only). Without the PowerBreak, the amp sounds pretty good - no prob's there at all. But it's what happens with the 'Break that's so damn good. If you've never heard the difference between a tube amp cranked and one that's not even breaking into a sweat, then you must stop reading now and go do it - this is something you have to hear to really understand. The reason is that output tubes don't sound like pre-amp tubes when they distort. And you don't have to push tubes all the way to full-on audible distortion to hear the benefit, either - put a lot more signal into the tube and, even without audible distortion, it will sound fuller with more harmonics.

Even played completely clean (my ch 1), shoving the master volume right up (I take it to about 7'ish on my clean channel) and cutting the overall volume via the 'Break yields a richer, fuller, smoother, more responsive sound that cuts through a mix effortlessly in a way that just doesn't happen simply by turning the master down to play at a similar volume without a PowerBreak. And for me this is the real acid test - the improvement of sound quality even played clean, rather than 'just' turning up the master to get 'nicer distortion.'

With the ch 2 bluesy/crunchy sound, I tend to use far less pre-amp gain than I used to and instead crank up the master to over-drive at the power amp end of things instead (the master is at 9 on this channel), which gets me a far more dynamic, less jagged overdrive that's infinitely nicer on the ear than anything I've ever got with just pre-amp overdrive alone.

And by balancing the pre-amp gain with the master gain for the ch 3 overdriven sound, I can get the kind of dynamic, lively, singing sound that can only come from output stage tube overdrive - the kind of EVH 'Brown Sound' or EJ 'violin-ish' tone that's simply not attainable unless you drive the output stage of the amp hard.

I noticed a few references to melting glue and stuff in other reviews, but like some other reviewers I don't generate all that much heat. Even flat out! I've used it in a couple of gigs and it was cool - in all senses of the word.

So no prob's so far.

Never had cause to call Marshall ever (and I've had stacks of their gear over many, many years).

I play lots of stuff, currently mainly soul/Acid Jazz/blues although recently I've been getting back into some fusion-ey instrumentally stuff. I've been playing since God was a boy and did a lot of session work back in the late Seventies/early Eighties.

Nowadays I play a '62 Strat through a mish-mash of pedals (Fulltone ChoralFlange, Electro Harmonic Small Stone, MXR Dynacomp, Line 6 Filter Modeller, Boss Harmonist & Aria Headrush) most of which are off at any one time (the only one that stays on constantly is a Z-Vex 'Super Hard On' I use as a pre-pre-amp at the beginning of my signal chain - FYI: I posted a review for this a while back in which I wet myself ...).

The PB100 has become an integral part of my sound, I simply couldn't get the tones I use without it.

this is a very simple devise, probably couldn't have many more features! i will say it does it's job and does it good. I use a marshall jcm-2000 100watt head and used to play on 1 or 2(very loud) with the powerbrake inline and the volumes cranked it sounds the way a marshall is supposed to! i read that the glue holding the inductor can melt but my powerbrake doesn't even get hot!!! a rackmount version would be nice!

i set my amp up with crunch on one channel, lead on the other with a little more volume. with the powerbrake my crunch sounds just like Black Crowes,or with more treble and no reverb just like AC/DC. put a tube screamer on this channel and it sounds like lead channel only with less volume.this setup can do it all, aerosmith,zep,G&R,Ozzy,ac/dc,skynyrd,clapton,crowes,crue(use deep switch). i use two different les pauls through this marshall and play stuff from pat benetar to G&R. and use an a/b to a clean amp. unless you play stadiums you should own a powerbrake there is no sense in owning a marshall if it isn't cranked!!!

i've only owned the powerbrake for over a month, just put new groovetubes in and replaced a fuse. other than that no problems. also i used to get alot of noise through my setup but found that going straight into the amp, through no effects or a wireless makes the amp sound like it is off.but unfortunatly i need a few effects. i found instead of running though effect such as delays,chorus's,phasers, i run them after the mike on my cabinet. this helps keep my sound noise free. also overdrives sound best after the preamp(in the effects loop).

marshall seems to make these to order or something.i waited two months for this.

ive been playing for only afew years but i'm now starting to gig with my band. the powerbrake is essential to my setup. it allows saturation,compression and the greatest thickest crunch possible.

I don't know if this should be called a effect or somthing for the amp. I decide that it is a thing for the amp and so that is way I leave this submission here anyway. It's a piece of cake. One big knob on the front where you can decrease the output volume between the amp and the speakers. One input and two output jack and one switch 16ohm/8ohm on the back.

For me it's sound good, I can have the filing and sound of my amp (Marshall Bluesbreaker combo) cranked at a bedroom level.

It seems like it's built like an amp. I have read that somthing inside it can come loose when it gets hot.

The warranty is one year. The only thing I have to say about the company that deliver it, they where slow, it took me 8 weeks to get it.

If it were stolen I would cry a bit, and then I would think of a way to get even with the bastard.

(Update to the review I submitted on 4/21/98)

(Update to the review I submitted on 4/21/98)
This happened with BOTH of my units... after playing my Sovtek Mig-100 through it continuously for 15 minutes I noticed a weird smell from it. Opening it up I found a capacitor was overheating: way too hot to touch and the plastic covering on it was melted. Also, another part (an inductor coil) was starting to melt the glue that was holding it to the board. My conclusion: not all of the parts in this thing can handle a 100-watt guitar amp cranked through it. Consider yourself warned.
It seems to handle a 50-watt amp with no problem.

Can't really be said to work reliably with 100-watt amps, should be called the PB-50.
It CAN be rewired to bypass the troublesome components, and I plan to upgrade them with more durable parts. But really, I shouldn't have to do this!

Switchable between 8 and 16 ohms, very handy for me. One knob on the front, 11 attenuation settings, each click to the left cuts the power approximately in half (I've measured this). Lowest setting cuts out the sound completely. No tone controls of any sort. Two speaker jacks on the back. Convenient handles on front for one-hand carrying.

It does just what I want: it takes the amp sound and cuts it down to size, at least in a quiet studio setting: haven't tried it live.

I am an amp tech and have inspected the insides of two PowerBrakes that I bought, one new and one used (I think about 2 years old). The level of construction inside is very good. However there was a problem in both units: the hot-melt glue they used to secure an inductor to the circuit board did not stick, so the inductor was held down only by its two soldered wires. Not hard to fix but if left the way it was I feel it would eventually break loose. This would be a disaster because the inductor is wired in series with the main load resistor: broken connection = no load = fried tube amp. Also, on the used unit one of the solder joints of the inductor was never correctly soldered; the enamel insulation wasn't cleaned off the inductor lead and was preventing the solder from attaching well. I'd say the guy who had it before me was lucky. Or he had a transistor amp, which wouldn't have cared.
A similar no-load situation will occur if the 8-16 ohm selector slide switch is not pushed all the way into one of its two positions. It really should be a toggle switch. The attenuation switch will also disconnect the load resistor when it's in between its click stops. I don't consider this to be poor design because I can see it's difficult to engineer this problem away. I mention it so that you'll appreciate that it's not a good idea to move the switches when you're pumping a lot of sound through this baby.
The jacks are plastic, probably about as sturdy as any other Marshall plastic jack.
Aside from this the thing is brick solid. It's got a big heavy transformer in it though, so falls from any real height will bend or break something.

Beats me.

I use these PowerBrakes with a Sovtek Mig-60 head and Sovtek Mig-100 head, both of which have been modified for more gain and smoother distortion. I have a 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Modern Leads and a Marshall 4x10 cabinet (1965A). For my sound I need a controlled and tailored blend of preamp and output-tube distortion, so for me the PowerBrakes are INDESPENSABLE for getting the sound I want without having to wake the dead.
At some point I'll probably replace the 8-16 ohm slide switch with a real toggle switch.