ampage archive

Vintage threads from the first ten years

Variac question

 

12/15/2000 9:25 PM
Wonka	Variac question Does anybody know if using a Variac with a marshall head would be a good idea. Would it be safe or harmful to my amp? I wanted to use it to lower the voltage going to the amp so I could get a good distortion at lower volumes. I also heard about the THD hotplate, but I heard it kills your tone. Does anybody have any opinions on this?

 

12/15/2000 9:30 PM
aron	Check this out:     http://www.obsoleteelectronics.com/Marshall_Tech/marshall_tech.htm

 
 

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12/16/2000 11:36 AM

JD Sleep

quote: "I wanted to use it to lower the voltage going to the amp so I could get a good distortion at lower volumes."         Aren't you still going to have to run wide open to get the good distortion? BTW, if you haven't seen it, here's a great inexpensive way to get vintage voltage (from GEO)         http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/vintvolt/vintvolt.htm         (don't forget to re-bias your amp as suggested in Aron's post)         quote: "THD hotplate, but I heard it kills your tone. Does anybody have any opinions on this?"         I've heard a mesa boogie through the hotplate and it sounded pretty good. Of course some of us would argue that the mesa boogie doesn't have any tone to kill anyway         JD

 

12/16/2000 11:42 AM
paul perry	I would never run equipment at less (or more) than the designed voltage. Biases shift, anything can happen. You could well **** up your amp.

 

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