This is the best way to learn, though, IMO. He plays them right and the tab makes it double-understandable. No wasted time, get up to speed. There are a few tracks, though, where I wish the guitar volume were just a bit higher. And some have double guitar tracks, which can be a bit confusing.
I just started using an attenuator and it's made such a huge difference. With practice for sure since I'm in an apartment building but since I've started using it at gigs I've gotten a lot of compliments on my tone. I'm able to get a massive stadium type tone in a room for only 200 people. Very rad.
King's X is always the proper way to test any equipment! And having Pete perform the test is the best way to get a proper assessment. I absolutely love your ear Pete, what you want from your sound matches my taste perfectly, the difference being you can actually explain it. lol
Dude, thanks for the video. My dealer at Sweetwater has been pushing this product on me hard when I knew nothing about it because I am a new dad with an affinity for loud old school tube amps and your video was the most helpful resource on this product thus far. Thanks bro, great job on the video as well!
I’m super satisfied with my Fryette Power Station, but this seems to sound great too. We’ve come a long way since the Power Soak. Glad to see new advancements in this kind of old school technology.
The Fryette is better at attenuation, IMO, because the volume is not stepped like on this one, it is infinitely variable (at any point below maximum). The Fryette is also a power amp so you can boost lower powered amps for more volume. The Ironman is great but I'd want a variable volume control, not stepped. I like the impedance matching on the back, though - cool - the Fryette doesn't have that. They both cost about the same.
@@hootowl6354 The fryette does reamp your sound thats why it has a variable volume controll. Kinda dislike the fact that it takes all the signal and reamp it with its in build power amp instead of the Power amp from the Amp itself. But must sound very good anyway.
@@toxicavenger9617 Your amp goes into the Fryette and then goes through two 6L6's with the goal of being neutral sounding. I imagine they do add some of their own character, though. But basically, it's still your amp sound, just now at a variable volume to 50-watts (or 100 if you get that model). Plus, you have all speaker and amp ohms covered, and there's another effects loop. Not to mention other things. But it's $800.
This is the first attenuator demonstration I've seen that doesn't make the false claim that one's tone will be unaffected by said device. I also appreciate that he mentions how it can be better applied but not go so far as to say it's going to be able to feel/respond, and record just like a cranked 100 watt head into a 4X12 cabinet. Now if only I can find a review that's honest about buffers....
@@stephenchow5161 You're welcome :) Checkout the pickup emulator also, that was a special design I was trying to find online... a way to restore the impedance of a guitar before an amp. He ended up making it from a forum design, improved it, loved it. He's very email responsive This stuff is the best always on you can imagine I'm unaffiliated but if you PM me we can talk more... I need to make some videos so people can hear the proof , you won't find much online for his stuff at all unfortunately. I don't know what the hesitation is
Geez Pete, you're hitting it out of the park with great videos recently... First that Wetter Box video & now this...... The music manufacturers are lucky they have guys like you able to concisely and accurately demo their gear.
Nice! I've been trying to get a THD Hot Plate to reduce the volume without affecting the tone drastically, with limited success. The Tone King Ironman II does a great job of keeping that sizzle in there.
I loved the review especially because you were using the Lost in Germany riff. Kings X remains as my favorite band an that song is one of my most favorite songs! THANK YOU for giving TY some greatly deserved Props!
Most reactive devices sound very good ... I use a Two Notes Studio (studio) and Radial JDX (live) and love what you can get with them ... as close to real as it gets. This device has some really cool features that even the Two Notes devices don't have ... very useful and sounds great. Great demo as always! Thanks Pete!!!
Great choice on the riff Pete! Ty and King's X don't get enough love man. Great demo as always Pete -- info on the product(s) is always mega useful to aid in a possible purchase.
That´s a cool little gizmo. Listened with headphones and I´ve got to say that it didn´t alter the sound much at all. Sounds like a quality product indeed. Thank god my AFD100 has a built-in attenuator! 🤣
Pretty good demo! I found very little difference in sound. In a live band setting, you could modify the attenuator at will and it would go unnoticed. Thanks Pete!
What a tool, the Ironman II is packed with features. Very thorough demo Pete, LOVE the sound of the AC15! Thanks for leaving the clam in there, you're teasing us ; )
Excellent video and completely relevant to the situation with the Hiwatt I've just purchased. 200 watts RMS worth of Hiwatt is tough to tame, and even though the sound is glorious (and I am deaf anyway), my neighbors 500 feet away can't hear their television. Thank you for the technical solution, Pete T !
Your 200 Watt amp has too much power for the Ironman and almost any other attenuator. Your best bet will be getting a post phase inverter master installed on the Hiwatt.
Here is the deal with you Pete… every time I tune into a video with you reviewing gear… I completely forget I’m watching a gear video. I immediately lose myself in your tones and playing. No kissing ass here. I have nothing to gain besides maybe a like or a reply. Either way, you’re becoming one of my biggest inspirations and guitar heroes. Thanks Pete!
Dang Pete your playing is usually so f_n precise, nice to see you are actually human, gives the rest of us hope :) Great information as always, the volume matching clips were genius, sounded to me like a little low end was lost each time the signal was attenuated but the drive characteristics of the amp were mostly preserved. Excellent review sir.
Hi Pete, I am considering this piece but I have to say, playing Lost In Germany by King's X makes me think that I have to go get this thing! It's a sign! I love King's X, they are so incredible. And the Lost In Germany riff is one of the best ever, so good!! I have the 8 ohm and 16 ohm THD hot plates and I really like those but the Ironman II has quite a few more features.
Pete, I think this is the best attenuator demo I've ever seen or heard. You covered ideas I never considered by volume matching the tracks. I think you set the standard for any future comparisons/demos of these devices, much like you did back years ago with the Scumback speaker videos. The Ironman II seems very impressive. I'm gonna order one to try for myself. Side note: glad to see some Kings X love!
Great video. Thanks! This is one of the best attenuators I have heard but I still that mushy collapse and compression - like you have to dig in more for the presence when playing. Like you said at the beginning, due to the complexity of the physics involved, I am coming to the conclusion that it is impossible and there will always be a compromise. I have a Marshall powerbrake from the 90's. This is definitely better
Thank you for this review Pete. I finally pulled the trigger on an attenuator and got this bad boy (after watching this clip) and love the tones I’m getting from it. So much so , it’s made the lar/mar master volume on my 1959SLP reissue redundant. Has restored the low mid response which was choked out with the Lar/Mar.🤘
I consider myself very lucky that both my amps have built in attenuators. A 1981 JCM800 2204 modded by Lee Jackson in 1982 and a 1993 Ampeg VL502 Lee Jackson designed model. Both I can crank and have bedroom volume levels. Paired with a
If you know your speakers and cab come alive at a certain power input, that power output, to get the speakers really moving, stays the same. But, the signal gets to be more saturated by the amp. It still takes raw power to move air and feel it. Attenuated you can move that same air. Only the tone will be different at the point that the speakers are moving properly. It's still about finding the magic volume for your rig. They all have it. Attenuate and find it. Quiet is not the goal here, tonez is the thing.
In my mind you will never get the same tone because its not only the overdrive of the amp that gets you the tone, but it's also the saturation the speaker itself creates when you have it cranked. Attenuators will never achieve this, the only things that come close are amp modelers like Amplitube 5 or UA's oxbox that actually has physically modeled speakers that interact with the amp in a realistic way (including cone cry)
I really like this attenuator it did a great job and the same for you on your video and I'm glad to see that you finally got a good haircut Lol . Thank you so much for taking time out to do the videos great job as usual !
Hey Pete don't know if you really read these are not but I have missed all of your cool videos I'm glad to see you're putting some more alpro God bless you and Merry Christmas
I use a Rivera Rock Crusher and it's great at holding tone; not the recording one they make, but the lesser straight/non-eq one. I use it with a Marshall Plexi 1959 reissue, and there's just no other way around it if you want that tone at civil levels. Got it used for $300 which was a great deal. Really important to know: it MUST be reactive if one is going the attenuated route, the resistive ones are less money, but tone suckers. Aracom makes a great one too (I did a lot of attenuator research before I bought it), but, yes, they're very expensive. A good reactive attenuator is a must in amps with no master volumes, which I've grown to prefer tone-wise. What I like about this one you're showing is that it has 4, 8 and 16 ohm impedence in/outs, which is great for 4 ohm Fenders which I also have...6L6 tubes if you can get them to saturate are sublime...but really freaking loud. That UA OX sitting behind you is kind of the top-of-line when it comes to attenuators. Great gear demo.
Hey great video man! You've answered a couple of my questions on different videos about this, but I am still trying to find what would suit my situation best. I ultimately have 3 main goals. 1: Be able to record my old tube amps at their sweet spot, either silently or through monitors 2: Be able to attenuate/re amp when I don't feel like climbing through software or routing output through monitors and just want to jam in front of my amp with its own speakers 3: Be able to play silently with headphones when needed I'm still lost with all the options and now just added this one to the mix. The Captor X seems like it would fit all my needs at the best price, but I'm not sure if the attenuation is serviceable for my 2nd goal. The Boss TAE seems like the best option, but I don't know if it justifies being 2x the price. Although I do like that it could add an FX loop, delay and reverb to my old vintage amps. Then there's other options like the Suhr RLIR, but no attenuation feature. And the Fryette Power Station, but now RL haha. Now there's this one. I've heard TK attenuation is best in class, but I wonder if the RL IR abilities are on par with the other options? What would you recommend/which option would you go with? Really appreciate the help! Cheers
Damn, sounds pretty consistent through the attenuation levels. Thank you as always, for what you do Pete... And love the Sunday show. I look forward to it a LOT... I'm a fellow "Guitar Nerd" 👍😜
Hmm, as a devout anti attenuator type, LOL, this is pretty impressive. I hear more change in compression than I do in frequency shifts (aside from the presence cuts of course). Gotta give a shout out to that AlNiCo Blue as well.
James Newlyn there should be no change in compression because the amp settings don’t change. It’s all the same signal. Lower volume can fool our brains though even inspite of the compensation the attenuator does. Like Pete says, the science is imperfect and trying to do what ToneKing does is really hard. It’s not just a simple potentiometer like too many people assume.
@@8sigreg I was referring to the speaker compression. As attenuation is increased, the sound of the feel (if that make any sense) seems to stiffen up a tad. When attenuation is decreased and it's loud again, and he hits it, there is a feeling of a momentary sinking down in and sort of springing back out. A sort of collapse and recoil. It's only an instant of course but that's what it feels like when I listen. Could be some interactivity that changes between speaker and amp affecting overall sag of the amp as the attenuation changes but I don't know. So many variables. And putting it in terms isn't exactly easy either. LOL
I bought an old an old school Tom Scholz~Power Soak attenuator that was ( still is ) in mint condition for only $80 bucks U.S. off of eBay about 6 years ago and have only ever tested it just to make sure it functions properly. Bought it for 2 reasons. #1. The collectability aspect. #2. I anticipated that they would in end up increasing in resale value and ended up being right.
I think a little boost pedal, a little ppmv, a little power brake, a little Variac, low performance speakers, with delay in the loop, and I get good solid feel to the guitar tone and feel if the amp. every time I do any one thing to much it starts to kill the good tube feel of the amp.
2:18 I do the same thing. I always say "Fletcher Munchin" and know that's not what I'm trying to say. It's like some kind of weird speech impediment. Thanks for sharing the video and information on this attenuator
Great playing and explanation, as always. Really appreciate your honesty about it too, eloquently describing how it works, what it is trying to do, but also the limitations of any attenuator. I]Such honesty makes me much more interested in this product than if I heard someone saying it was perfect, which I would just ignore. I hope the manufacturer appreciates that (I would think a killer company like Tone King would).
Mark Bartel, the designer of Tone King amps and the Ironman attenuators, is a perfectionist, methodical and very careful how he does things. I have two of his amps and they are amazing, and my amp tech loves them and, after having them open, only recommends them when people ask him what boutique amp they should buy. They're expensive but if you can justify them they're wonderful tools.
I don't know, I am not totally convinced on the sound and especially on the features, the double attenuation setting makes no sense to me and especially the presence attenuation, in my experience the F & M curve at lower levels asks for a bass and treble boost, not the opposite. The attenuated sound is slightly veiled so I could use some presence boost, so quite the opposite feature.
Interesting. Another outstanding video (love the King's X riff :-)...). What I can't figure out is which power level I need for my amp. I have a 40watt amp, would the 30watt be enough to get my amp to bedroom volumes?? Seems like it's really well designed piece of gear.
I wouldn’t even use this to make my amp quiet, but rather to be able to run it much hotter at the same volume (just enough to not drown the drums out 😎) also I love that it can ‘fix’ impedance mismatch that right there is worth a whole lot to me personally.
Well so far 5 dipsticks don't understand how much time & effort goes into making a video like this. Would like to see a DI comparison between this and the Reactive Load some day!
I have two ToneKing amps, both with Ironman II attenuators in them, and it's wonderful to hear to power-tubes running flat out. Nothing comes close, and anyone thinking a master volume will do what the Ironman II attenuator does is deluding themselves. It has to be played through to appreciate how well it works.
This technology has come a long way. I like my Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8. I use my Mesa Nomad 100 at 50 watts. I use it as a master head/preamp. I have a Noise gate, ParaEQ, mini volume at the start of the fx loop. I run a few stereo fx, the send the left out back into the Mesa Nomad 100. The other side drives a 2nd amp or my Red Box Classic. I have gotten great tones, w/o a cab. The only issue I have the difference in gain between the Red Box and the Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8. I have been thinking of either getting a 2nd Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8 for my other Tube amp. I don't always need to use it. Looking at getting a more adjustable Speaker Sim box, maybe the Friedman Mic No 'Mo! Or the newer Red Box that has 0 db or -26db. Love the Lost In Germany riffage!
![ILLSLICK X YOUNGOHM - We're The same [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yUJNkobYR0E/mqdefault.jpg)
I have a confession: tuning into your clips is less about the gear and more about your playing and tunes. Rock on, brother.
totally right
This is the best way to learn, though, IMO. He plays them right and the tab makes it double-understandable. No wasted time, get up to speed. There are a few tracks, though, where I wish the guitar volume were just a bit higher. And some have double guitar tracks, which can be a bit confusing.
THANK YOU PETE! For taking the time to do this. I know its time consuming, but it is oh so appreciated and informative. Thanks again!
"LOST IN GER-MA-NY!" 🤘🏻❤️🤘🏻
Randy Willcox I was gonna write this same thing but you got here first so all I could do was a measly like.
argh: you beat me!
I just started using an attenuator and it's made such a huge difference. With practice for sure since I'm in an apartment building but since I've started using it at gigs I've gotten a lot of compliments on my tone. I'm able to get a massive stadium type tone in a room for only 200 people. Very rad.
do i need volume pedal if i have attenuator?
I purchased mine a few months ago, a life saver in the condo for sure!
King's X is always the proper way to test any equipment! And having Pete perform the test is the best way to get a proper assessment. I absolutely love your ear Pete, what you want from your sound matches my taste perfectly, the difference being you can actually explain it. lol
The Solo Boost footswitch is such an obvious thing to have on an attenuator, I have NEVER seen one before, excellent idea.
Dude, thanks for the video. My dealer at Sweetwater has been pushing this product on me hard when I knew nothing about it because I am a new dad with an affinity for loud old school tube amps and your video was the most helpful resource on this product thus far. Thanks bro, great job on the video as well!
The volume matched comparisons were pretty nice! Thanks for taking the time.
I’m super satisfied with my Fryette Power Station, but this seems to sound great too. We’ve come a long way since the Power Soak. Glad to see new advancements in this kind of old school technology.
The Fryette is better at attenuation, IMO, because the volume is not stepped like on this one, it is infinitely variable (at any point below maximum). The Fryette is also a power amp so you can boost lower powered amps for more volume. The Ironman is great but I'd want a variable volume control, not stepped. I like the impedance matching on the back, though - cool - the Fryette doesn't have that. They both cost about the same.
@@hootowl6354 The fryette does reamp your sound thats why it has a variable volume controll.
Kinda dislike the fact that it takes all the signal and reamp it with its in build power amp instead of the Power amp from the Amp itself.
But must sound very good anyway.
@@toxicavenger9617 Your amp goes into the Fryette and then goes through two 6L6's with the goal of being neutral sounding. I imagine they do add some of their own character, though. But basically, it's still your amp sound, just now at a variable volume to 50-watts (or 100 if you get that model). Plus, you have all speaker and amp ohms covered, and there's another effects loop. Not to mention other things. But it's $800.
This is the first attenuator demonstration I've seen that doesn't make the false claim that one's tone will be unaffected by said device. I also appreciate that he mentions how it can be better applied but not go so far as to say it's going to be able to feel/respond, and record just like a cranked 100 watt head into a 4X12 cabinet. Now if only I can find a review that's honest about buffers....
Buffer, my review is three words: Siegmund Missing Link (i opted for custom flat response one)
Carmelo Santini hmm. going to check it out
@@stephenchow5161 You're welcome :) Checkout the pickup emulator also, that was a special design I was trying to find online... a way to restore the impedance of a guitar before an amp. He ended up making it from a forum design, improved it, loved it.
He's very email responsive
This stuff is the best always on you can imagine
I'm unaffiliated but if you PM me we can talk more... I need to make some videos so people can hear the proof , you won't find much online for his stuff at all unfortunately. I don't know what the hesitation is
do i need volume pedal if i have attenuator
Geez Pete, you're hitting it out of the park with great videos recently... First that Wetter Box video & now this...... The music manufacturers are lucky they have guys like you able to concisely and accurately demo their gear.
I use a Bugera PS-1 attenuator that cost about £80 - does the job!
Nice! I've been trying to get a THD Hot Plate to reduce the volume without affecting the tone drastically, with limited success. The Tone King Ironman II does a great job of keeping that sizzle in there.
@KC I run mine at -3db almost all the time and it sounds great.
+1 for King's X content.
"Moving in a bus too close for comfort
Listening to all the gibberish around me"....👍
Nice lick! Lost in Germany from King’s X!!! Ty Tabor would approve (I hope)!
Nothing wrong with attenuated sounds.Good demonstration.One more time thanks for such great content on this channel.
Wow, pretty impressive. Like you say, it changes the tone slightly, but it doesn't choke it like some other attenuators.
I loved the review especially because you were using the Lost in Germany riff. Kings X remains as my favorite band an that song is one of my most favorite songs! THANK YOU for giving TY some greatly deserved Props!
"Fucktuating" - my new favorite word.
when the room, ambient noise, humidity and other uncontrollable variables affect your sound in an undesirable fashion - fucktuation.
Most reactive devices sound very good ... I use a Two Notes Studio (studio) and Radial JDX (live) and love what you can get with them ... as close to real as it gets. This device has some really cool features that even the Two Notes devices don't have ... very useful and sounds great. Great demo as always! Thanks Pete!!!
Great choice on the riff Pete! Ty and King's X don't get enough love man. Great demo as always Pete -- info on the product(s) is always mega useful to aid in a possible purchase.
Love Pete and Kings X!! Another awesome video Pete. Thank you sir!
You're the only one who bothered to volume match - thanks Pete
That´s a cool little gizmo. Listened with headphones and I´ve got to say that it didn´t alter the sound much at all. Sounds like a quality product indeed. Thank god my AFD100 has a built-in attenuator! 🤣
Pretty good demo! I found very little difference in sound. In a live band setting, you could modify the attenuator at will and it would go unnoticed. Thanks Pete!
That! Was the best most thoughtful way to put a viewer where you are!
Thanks. More helpful than I ever expected.
What a tool, the Ironman II is packed with features. Very thorough demo Pete, LOVE the sound of the AC15! Thanks for leaving the clam in there, you're teasing us ; )
Very useful device. If I had one starting back a couple of years my neighbors might still like me!
now you can play your favourite songs and your grandma cant complain its too loud. amazing
Great demo. Very informative. +1 for the King's X!
Excellent video and completely relevant to the situation with the Hiwatt I've just purchased. 200 watts RMS worth of Hiwatt is tough to tame, and even though the sound is glorious (and I am deaf anyway), my neighbors 500 feet away can't hear their television. Thank you for the technical solution, Pete T !
Your 200 Watt amp has too much power for the Ironman and almost any other attenuator. Your best bet will be getting a post phase inverter master installed on the Hiwatt.
I love that Pete uses that Suhr Badger as an end table next to his couch.
I believe Ty would approve. Such a great lick.
Really good device. I guess the main difference in the tone would be the speaker interaction at cranked level.
Here is the deal with you Pete… every time I tune into a video with you reviewing gear… I completely forget I’m watching a gear video. I immediately lose myself in your tones and playing. No kissing ass here. I have nothing to gain besides maybe a like or a reply. Either way, you’re becoming one of my biggest inspirations and guitar heroes. Thanks Pete!
Dang Pete your playing is usually so f_n precise, nice to see you are actually human, gives the rest of us hope :) Great information as always, the volume matching clips were genius, sounded to me like a little low end was lost each time the signal was attenuated but the drive characteristics of the amp were mostly preserved. Excellent review sir.
It's incredible. Worth every penny.
Much of the perceived change in tone is the fletcher-munson curve, combined with the fact that you're no longer driving the speaker as hard.
Hi Pete, I am considering this piece but I have to say, playing Lost In Germany by King's X makes me think that I have to go get this thing! It's a sign! I love King's X, they are so incredible. And the Lost In Germany riff is one of the best ever, so good!! I have the 8 ohm and 16 ohm THD hot plates and I really like those but the Ironman II has quite a few more features.
Wow great job Pete on a subject that’s so hard to capture well!!! 🤘😎🤘
Informative video. Nice that you did the volume matching.
Awesome video comme d'habitude ! These amps are really the quintessence of tone. Man does that AC15 sound great, I just love it.
Lost In Germany. Best guitar riff ever written
Rocking some King's X Love Ty! Good tune
Pete Thorn is mortal! I had serious doubts...effective content as usual Pete.
Pete, I think this is the best attenuator demo I've ever seen or heard. You covered ideas I never considered by volume matching the tracks. I think you set the standard for any future comparisons/demos of these devices, much like you did back years ago with the Scumback speaker videos. The Ironman II seems very impressive. I'm gonna order one to try for myself. Side note: glad to see some Kings X love!
Great video. Thanks! This is one of the best attenuators I have heard but I still that mushy collapse and compression - like you have to dig in more for the presence when playing. Like you said at the beginning, due to the complexity of the physics involved, I am coming to the conclusion that it is impossible and there will always be a compromise. I have a Marshall powerbrake from the 90's. This is definitely better
Great review. Everything is well explained, and to point. When I am learning, I love to get right to the thick of things.
Thanks!
@@PeteThorn Thank you man!
Thank you for this review Pete. I finally pulled the trigger on an attenuator and got this bad boy (after watching this clip) and love the tones I’m getting from it. So much so , it’s made the lar/mar master volume on my 1959SLP reissue redundant. Has restored the low mid response which was choked out with the Lar/Mar.🤘
The female singer in my band, and I, would like to thank you for bringing this to my attention. It sounds great!!!
After Mark Lettieri (on the TC Electroncis channel) the 2nd you tube guitar player citing Kings X. Nice.
Waiting on mine to arrive via Fed Ex. Hopefully it makes this SV20 more usable. Wouldn't think 20 watts would be that loud, but wow. Thanks PT.
You're an awesome dude. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
I consider myself very lucky that both my amps have built in attenuators. A 1981 JCM800 2204 modded by Lee Jackson in 1982 and a 1993 Ampeg VL502 Lee Jackson designed model. Both I can crank and have bedroom volume levels. Paired with a
If you know your speakers and cab come alive at a certain power input, that power output, to get the speakers really moving, stays the same. But, the signal gets to be more saturated by the amp. It still takes raw power to move air and feel it. Attenuated you can move that same air. Only the tone will be different at the point that the speakers are moving properly. It's still about finding the magic volume for your rig. They all have it. Attenuate and find it. Quiet is not the goal here, tonez is the thing.
In my mind you will never get the same tone because its not only the overdrive of the amp that gets you the tone, but it's also the saturation the speaker itself creates when you have it cranked. Attenuators will never achieve this, the only things that come close are amp modelers like Amplitube 5 or UA's oxbox that actually has physically modeled speakers that interact with the amp in a realistic way (including cone cry)
Dude, your reviews are the best. Thank you!
I really like this attenuator it did a great job and the same for you on your video
and I'm glad to see that you finally got a good haircut Lol . Thank you so much for taking time out to do the videos great job as usual !
Thanks for the demo, decided to buy one. Cant wait to get it.
Hey Pete don't know if you really read these are not but I have missed all of your cool videos I'm glad to see you're putting some more alpro God bless you and Merry Christmas
Hey Pete, thanks so much for the demo, I’m just starting to learn about attenuators and this was super informative. Love the Channel!
Thanks for the Volume Match thing. That really was what I was looking for.
I use a Rivera Rock Crusher and it's great at holding tone; not the recording one they make, but the lesser straight/non-eq one. I use it with a Marshall Plexi 1959 reissue, and there's just no other way around it if you want that tone at civil levels. Got it used for $300 which was a great deal. Really important to know: it MUST be reactive if one is going the attenuated route, the resistive ones are less money, but tone suckers. Aracom makes a great one too (I did a lot of attenuator research before I bought it), but, yes, they're very expensive. A good reactive attenuator is a must in amps with no master volumes, which I've grown to prefer tone-wise. What I like about this one you're showing is that it has 4, 8 and 16 ohm impedence in/outs, which is great for 4 ohm Fenders which I also have...6L6 tubes if you can get them to saturate are sublime...but really freaking loud. That UA OX sitting behind you is kind of the top-of-line when it comes to attenuators. Great gear demo.
Hey great video man! You've answered a couple of my questions on different videos about this, but I am still trying to find what would suit my situation best. I ultimately have 3 main goals.
1: Be able to record my old tube amps at their sweet spot, either silently or through monitors
2: Be able to attenuate/re amp when I don't feel like climbing through software or routing output through monitors and just want to jam in front of my amp with its own speakers
3: Be able to play silently with headphones when needed
I'm still lost with all the options and now just added this one to the mix. The Captor X seems like it would fit all my needs at the best price, but I'm not sure if the attenuation is serviceable for my 2nd goal. The Boss TAE seems like the best option, but I don't know if it justifies being 2x the price. Although I do like that it could add an FX loop, delay and reverb to my old vintage amps. Then there's other options like the Suhr RLIR, but no attenuation feature. And the Fryette Power Station, but now RL haha.
Now there's this one. I've heard TK attenuation is best in class, but I wonder if the RL IR abilities are on par with the other options?
What would you recommend/which option would you go with? Really appreciate the help! Cheers
Great clip so well presented and really helpful thanks so much
This is so much needed in my life right now! 🔥
Thanks Pete! And great haircut brother! ✌🏼
Damn, sounds pretty consistent through the attenuation levels. Thank you as always, for what you do Pete... And love the Sunday show. I look forward to it a LOT... I'm a fellow "Guitar Nerd" 👍😜
Very cool to see the King’s X love!!!! Great video as usual.
Cool that you played Lost In Germany! That Ironman works great. Wow.
Would love to hear your opinions on the waza tube amp expander for low volume playing
Just got ahold of one...
@@PeteThorn Been waiting on your take on the Tube Expander since it was announced months ago...
Thanks Pete! Very informative!
About time for a bit of King's X. Also about time people started to really give super props to the tone genius that is Ty Tabor.
Hmm, as a devout anti attenuator type, LOL, this is pretty impressive. I hear more change in compression than I do in frequency shifts (aside from the presence cuts of course). Gotta give a shout out to that AlNiCo Blue as well.
James Newlyn there should be no change in compression because the amp settings don’t change. It’s all the same signal. Lower volume can fool our brains though even inspite of the compensation the attenuator does. Like Pete says, the science is imperfect and trying to do what ToneKing does is really hard. It’s not just a simple potentiometer like too many people assume.
@@8sigreg I was referring to the speaker compression. As attenuation is increased, the sound of the feel (if that make any sense) seems to stiffen up a tad. When attenuation is decreased and it's loud again, and he hits it, there is a feeling of a momentary sinking down in and sort of springing back out. A sort of collapse and recoil. It's only an instant of course but that's what it feels like when I listen. Could be some interactivity that changes between speaker and amp affecting overall sag of the amp as the attenuation changes but I don't know. So many variables. And putting it in terms isn't exactly easy either. LOL
Dude your an animal, love your tones and playing, your presentation is as good as always. Very informative 👏
I bought an old an old school Tom Scholz~Power Soak attenuator that was ( still is ) in mint condition for only $80 bucks U.S. off of eBay about 6 years ago and have only ever tested it just to make sure it functions properly. Bought it for 2 reasons. #1. The collectability aspect. #2. I anticipated that they would in end up increasing in resale value and ended up being right.
Not the same thing though- resistive vs Reactive
cool stuff Pete Thanks as usual.
I think a little boost pedal, a little ppmv, a little power brake, a little Variac, low performance speakers, with delay in the loop, and I get good solid feel to the guitar tone and feel if the amp.
every time I do any one thing to much it starts to kill the good tube feel of the amp.
Great sound examples Pete thorn.
2:18 I do the same thing. I always say "Fletcher Munchin" and know that's not what I'm trying to say. It's like some kind of weird speech impediment.
Thanks for sharing the video and information on this attenuator
Nothing beats a Full cranked MARSHALL 😁🤘
Frank M duh!!! 🙄
Except one you can continue to use and sound really good when the owner of the bar says turn it down or get off the stage.
Great playing and explanation, as always. Really appreciate your honesty about it too, eloquently describing how it works, what it is trying to do, but also the limitations of any attenuator. I]Such honesty makes me much more interested in this product than if I heard someone saying it was perfect, which I would just ignore. I hope the manufacturer appreciates that (I would think a killer company like Tone King would).
Mark Bartel, the designer of Tone King amps and the Ironman attenuators, is a perfectionist, methodical and very careful how he does things. I have two of his amps and they are amazing, and my amp tech loves them and, after having them open, only recommends them when people ask him what boutique amp they should buy. They're expensive but if you can justify them they're wonderful tools.
Thanks Jason! Ya I like to keep it real!
I fucking cannot get enough of that riff
I don't know, I am not totally convinced on the sound and especially on the features, the double attenuation setting makes no sense to me and especially the presence attenuation, in my experience the F & M curve at lower levels asks for a bass and treble boost, not the opposite. The attenuated sound is slightly veiled so I could use some presence boost, so quite the opposite feature.
Awesome tech detail and guitar work. Well done.
Love you man and thanks
Just grabbed one. Nice review Pete
Interesting. Another outstanding video (love the King's X riff :-)...). What I can't figure out is which power level I need for my amp. I have a 40watt amp, would the 30watt be enough to get my amp to bedroom volumes?? Seems like it's really well designed piece of gear.
You are human! Thank you for leaving in the little mess up!
Great tone demo video! I love using a looper for the comparisons. Sounds great.
Would be rad if you could use your own IRs though!
Really impressed with the Tone King Ironman II!
Great demo Pete!
I wouldn’t even use this to make my amp quiet, but rather to be able to run it much hotter at the same volume (just enough to not drown the drums out 😎) also I love that it can ‘fix’ impedance mismatch that right there is worth a whole lot to me personally.
Well so far 5 dipsticks don't understand how much time & effort goes into making a video like this. Would like to see a DI comparison between this and the Reactive Load some day!
Some new songs with killer licks in the works nice:)
A lot of trust goes into these attenuators especially if you're lucky enough to own vintage amps. Great review as per usual Pete.
I have two ToneKing amps, both with Ironman II attenuators in them, and it's wonderful to hear to power-tubes running flat out. Nothing comes close, and anyone thinking a master volume will do what the Ironman II attenuator does is deluding themselves. It has to be played through to appreciate how well it works.
Great demo Pete thank you
Pete👍!
This technology has come a long way. I like my Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8. I use my Mesa Nomad 100 at 50 watts. I use it as a master head/preamp. I have a Noise gate, ParaEQ, mini volume at the start of the fx loop. I run a few stereo fx, the send the left out back into the Mesa Nomad 100. The other side drives a 2nd amp or my Red Box Classic. I have gotten great tones, w/o a cab. The only issue I have the difference in gain between the Red Box and the Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8. I have been thinking of either getting a 2nd Two Notes Torpedo Captor 8 for my other Tube amp. I don't always need to use it. Looking at getting a more adjustable Speaker Sim box, maybe the Friedman Mic No 'Mo! Or the newer Red Box that has 0 db or -26db. Love the Lost In Germany riffage!
Tonally insane
it;s pretty good