Master Volumes - I'm Done With You

[matttornado]

Just thought I'd share....

I have a 100 watt 1974 Superlead that I bought used back in the mid 90s. Since then, I have installed two different types of master volumes; one was a type where you add two extra PI caps with a pot between & the other was the LAR Mar.

I never really liked how the master volumes took a way my presence control & I wasn't about to ad a cut control on top of that. So.... I just took the master out & changed it back to simple stock. Now with a stock amp & an attenuator, my amp sounds like it should.

Yes I replace power tubes about every six months or so but so what, right? And yes, the Marshall Powerbreak does color the tone at lower settings but to me, it's acceptable and sounds great!

[chrisom]

I picked up a mid-seventies, non-master volume Traynor (Canada) for a couple hundred bucks that's missing one of it's two EL-84's. it's 18-20 watts as-designed, original mustard capacitors and screams 'British' when cranked... Waiting to get new output tubes before hooking up to my THD Hotplate...

[Doug H]

I got sic of masters in my 50w project plexi as well. I went with a low voltage PT and a feed back control instead. If I want EVH at bedroom levels I'll setup a dummy load and a line out.

[ezs]

Too funny, I just did 3 masters back to back just to tear them out "again". Every time I consider and do install a PPIMV it gets yanked.
I currently have an open Metro Plexi w/2in core OT, 68 spec low filtering loud ass amp. I tried my Hot Plate, then the "Rich Master" that's horrible. Then a quick pre phase of treble, not so great either. Then Lar/Mar, which is the best of the the 3 mentioned but still just not there vs the Hot Plate. I tried a combo of the Lar/MAr and Hotplate everyone is talking about and still a no. So I just tore them all out and using my Hot Plate at -8 to -12 at lowest setting.
And I love my Hot Plate more than ever now.

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[matttornado]

Yeah, I was using the master along with the attenuator too for a while and then realized it just didn't seem logical. Use one or the other. Even when I turned my PPIMV all the way up (supposed to return the amp to stock) & using the attenuator, it still sounded different without the master in at all. Having that in the circuit changed the sound even when turned up.

The master is good for bedroom players with monster amps for sure & works well for many playing live, just not for my particular amp.

[chrisom]

Gerald Weber of Kendrick Amplifiers also says to use an attenuator instead of a master volume for better sound...