Volume Box ??

[atff]

Hi All,

I just noticed this Volume Box on ebay, never seen one before. It seems like a great idea.
Would anyone have a wiring diagram to build one of these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/VOLUME-BOX-FOR-FENDER-EVIL-TWIN-TONEMASTER-PRO-REVERB_W0QQitemZ190022840721QQihZ009QQcategoryZ38074QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Thanks
Atff

[Seljer]

Its just a potentiometer wired as a volume pot, if you're amp has a master volume control then you allready have this
http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album20/CLEAN_MACHINE_PASSIVE

[slacker]

check out this thread
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=46676.0
it's just a volume knob in a box.
All it lets you do is crank up your preamp volume, which isn't the same as driving the power amp really hard, which is what is supposed to sound really good.
My Fender Twin already has volume knobs on the FX loop so you can do the same thing already.

[atff]

Thanks guys,

I guess all the magic is in the marketing!

Atff

[Bernardduur]

I use such a design with my Ampeg (because it has no master volume) and that works great, but there is no use for it with amps with a master volume

Commercialism = power

[markm]

That looks like one of those RS plastic project boxes doesn't it?

[Lonzo]

For what its worth...
I use a similar design but it's footswitchable.  Why you ask?  I put it last in my FX loop and set it up just below unity when engaged.  When I'm ready for a lead "boost" I bypass the box to get my signal up to unity. That way I'm not overloading the FX loop with a boost, it's just a perceived boost.  Works great and it doesn't add any gain or dirt to my signal - it's just louder.

regards,
lonzo

[cakeworks]

I made one of these with a footswitch. I named it 'the dean' after the soundguy at our church who is perpetually mouthing 'turn it down' to our AC30 toting guitarist who loves natural overdrive... but he doesn't use it as an amp>speakers attenuator (didnt know you could until now); he uses it as a guitar>amp turn-down-for-soundcheck stompbox.

so I could whack one between the amp and the speakers and use it as a tube overdrive attenuator? If so, what advantages to the THD hotplates hold over this?

thanks... dead easy build btw, it was my first build ever hehe

[Bernardduur]

I made one of these with a footswitch. I named it 'the dean' after the soundguy at our church who is perpetually mouthing 'turn it down' to our AC30 toting guitarist who loves natural overdrive... but he doesn't use it as an amp>speakers attenuator (didnt know you could until now); he uses it as a guitar>amp turn-down-for-soundcheck stompbox.

so I could whack one between the amp and the speakers and use it as a tube overdrive attenuator? If so, what advantages to the THD hotplates hold over this?

thanks... dead easy build btw, it was my first build ever hehe

NO!!!!!! That would not work....

Maybe you will even destroy your speakers / amp

[SolderBoy]

I guess all the magic is in the marketing!

No magic, just a guy typing a whole lotta large brown words on an auction. 

Actually brown is an appropriate colour for most of his blurb.

He has got a point about the really touchy vol controls in a few amps, though...

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=48055.msg355541#msg355541


SB

[cakeworks]

I made one of these with a footswitch. I named it 'the dean' after the soundguy at our church who is perpetually mouthing 'turn it down' to our AC30 toting guitarist who loves natural overdrive... but he doesn't use it as an amp>speakers attenuator (didnt know you could until now); he uses it as a guitar>amp turn-down-for-soundcheck stompbox.

so I could whack one between the amp and the speakers and use it as a tube overdrive attenuator? If so, what advantages to the THD hotplates hold over this?

thanks... dead easy build btw, it was my first build ever hehe

NO!!!!!! That would not work....

Maybe you will even destroy your speakers / amp

Thank you for that. Has anyone out there actually made an attenuator for the aforementioned purposes?

[Bernardduur]

Check out the Weber mass series; quite nice to build

[d95err]

Thank you for that. Has anyone out there actually made an attenuator for the aforementioned purposes?

I built a 15W tube amp. I set it up so that if no speaker is connected a dummy load is automatically connected instead (I also have a line out which I use for silent recording). I used an 8 ohm 50W power resistor with a built in heatsink. The heatsink is bolted to the chassis of the amp with some heat conducting silicon paste in between. Even though the amp is just 15W, this thing gets extremely hot - too hot to touch - when I've cranked the amp for a while. Speaker attenuation is really all about heat management.

As for DIY attenuators, you can get a cheap HIFI L-Pad and put between the amp and speakers. It looks like a big pot (but it's not) and they are available in e.g. 15W, 50W and 100W sizes. Works great for small amps. Some people have also used an "In-wall attenuator" from Radio Shack with good results. There are plenty of schematics around for fixed L-Pads and attenuators. Check over at the DIY amp sites (www.ax84.com, www.18watt.com).

www.tubetown.de has a nice little attenuator kit available.

[d95err]

I guess all the magic is in the marketing!

No magic, just a guy typing a whole lotta large brown words on an auction. 

Actually brown is an appropriate colour for most of his blurb.

Marketing blurb aside, $20 (if you include shipping) is a good price for such a device. Not for us DIY-junkies perhaps, but for a professional. It would take a few hours to source the parts, drill the enclosure and put it all together. A few hours is worth a lot more than $20 to a professional.