My FREE G.S.A. volume attenuator

[Bender 4 Life]

Yes, I mean Girl Scouts of America ......

i've been wanting an "effects loop" volume attenuator for my non master volume equipped amps, but didn't want to register with ebay/paypal to get one for $30, or spend $100 to get one from a retailer, so.....I built one myself.

I scavenged my old Univox head for a 1m v-pot & 2 good 1/4" input sockets, used wire I had laying around, and boxed it in a Girl Scout cookie tin from the latest campaign.

 

The results: it may look odd, but it works perfectly giving me wide open tone w/o wide open volume, and cost $0.00 to build.

 

Geek-Porn:

 

 

Go ahead and lol about its looks.....I know I did....

[Silenced Fred]

I'd rock the hell out of that! Sweet stuff man.

 

Does it sound good? Or is it a wet blanket over your amp? just curious

 

That's sweet! I'll take 2

 

for double what it cost for you to make it

[Bender 4 Life]

Thanks Fuzz........it's not a wet blanket at all, I think (could be wrong) because I used a 1m v-pot.

I considered using the "bright channel" v-pot that has a 150 cap on it (also 1m) but didn't want it to be TOO bright, as I mostly play blues/honky-tonk/classic rock....the current setup hasn't changed the tone at all, but allows me to get "wide open tube crunch" at much lower volume levels, which was the entire point to this quest, as my Mrs. is usually asleep when i'm playing and I absolutely DETEST headphones.

When I 1st tested it, my heart sank because I was hearing a HUGE amount of ststic buzz through the spkr......then I realized that 1 of my cables was a pith poor freebie, which I immediately replaced, removing 100% of the static buzz.

The tone is exactly as it was playing the amp wide open on the clean channel, but now I have the option of reducing the volume w/o altering the tone.

I've got about 2 hrs. play time on it with no issues yet....i'm sure it will reduce my tube life a bit, so i'll buy a few extras, but so far i'm 100% satisfied w/the results.

 

On a side note....I built this using the Weller WES51 soldering station my Wife got me for Valentines day, and it made the de-soldering & cleanup of the used components (nothing NEW in it anywhere) and the assembly job a breeze.

I HIGHLY recommend the WSS to anybody that wants to do their own soldering work!!

[Silenced Fred]

Thanks Fuzz........it's not a wet blanket at all, I think (could be wrong) because I used a 1m v-pot.

I considered using the "bright channel" v-pot that has a 150 cap on it (also 1m) but didn't want it to be TOO bright, as I mostly play blues/honky-tonk/classic rock....the current setup hasn't changed the tone at all, but allows me to get "wide open tube crunch" at much lower volume levels, which was the entire point to this quest, as my Mrs. is usually asleep when i'm playing and I absolutely DETEST headphones.

When I 1st tested it, my heart sank because I was hearing a HUGE amount of ststic buzz through the spkr......then I realized that 1 of my cables was a pith poor freebie, which I immediately replaced, removing 100% of the static buzz.

The tone is exactly as it was playing the amp wide open on the clean channel, but now I have the option of reducing the volume w/o altering the tone.

I've got about 2 hrs. play time on it with no issues yet....i'm sure it will reduce my tube life a bit, so i'll buy a few extras, but so far i'm 100% satisfied w/the results.

 

On a side note....I built this using the Weller WES51 soldering station my Wife got me for Valentines day, and it made the de-soldering & cleanup of the used components (nothing NEW in it anywhere) and the assembly job a breeze.

I HIGHLY recommend the WSS to anybody that wants to do their own soldering work!!

 

That's awesome man! Guys like you do stuff I wish I could, damn amazing