Attenuator for Fender Blues deluxe (with effects loop)

[neiltheseal]

Hey everyone. My amp is way too loud and the family are complaining.

I'm looking for an option to reduce the volume in my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. I know it has an effects loop. JHS has the little black box that claims I can chuck it here in the effects loop and I can reduce the volume but keep my tube amp goodness.

Does anyone have any experience with reducing volume in a tube amp?

1. Will something like a balck box work or do I need a real attenuator?
2. Does anyone have a schematic for the black box?
3. Is the black box just a volume pot?
4. Will I destroy my amp if I put a volume pot in the effects loop?
5. Is there anything else I need to know?

 

[hamerfan]

20 years ago i bought a used US made Blues Deluxe. Ever since i use it with a DIY volume box, i also tried the Tom Scholz Power soak with it

1. The Volume Box does the trick
2. https://fmi93superamp.wordpress.com/section-04-fx-loop/ or https://stinkfoot.se/archives/2159
3. yes. You could add a DC blocking cap which could also dime the bass a bit.
4. No, it just dimes the post preamp section. But a Power Soak could set down the lifespan of the power tubes if used extremely.
5. No

 

[Robert]

Pretty sure the Black Box is just a potentiometer and two jacks.

I thought about designing a little 1590A PCB for one, but is that really necessary?

... and has that ever stopped me before?

 

[jimilee]

I’d really like to just use an audio taper pot, but the videos look like changing the volume pot is such a hassle.

 

[joelorigo]

I believe there is a That Pedal Show episode about this very topic. I think they did use a volume box.
I recently built one following this diagram.

 

[Robert]

I’d really like to just use an audio taper pot, but the videos look like changing the volume pot is such a hassle.

I swapped the Master pot in my Blues Deluxe many years ago but it really didn't make much difference.

Maybe at gig volumes? But at home, there was still a big leap from silence to "HELLO NEIGHBOR!" .

 

[brightlight]

I did the same thing with my blues deluxe and it worked great for reducing that massive volume increase you get between 2 and 3 on the dial. It does NOT give you power tube distortion, it's just a clean volume tamer.

I built a fancy one with a footswitch and an LED. This is the wiring diagram. I think I used an A100K

 

[neiltheseal]

I did the same thing with my blues deluxe and it worked great for reducing that massive volume increase you get between 2 and 3 on the dial. It does NOT give you power tube distortion, it's just a clean volume tamer.

I built a fancy one with a footswitch and an LED. This is the wiring diagram. I think I used an A100K

Thanks for this.

Does this act need power? Is this only for the led or am I missing something? I had assumed no power wound be needed here.

 

[Robert]

Yep, power is just for the LED.

 

[brightlight]

Thanks for this.

Does this act need power? Is this only for the led or am I missing something? I had assumed no power wound be needed here.

Yeah the power is just for the LED on/off. I stole a battery clip off a failed Caesar Chorus build of mine

 

[Feral Feline]

Hello neighbour my old friend
You've come to my front-door again
Because of amp-volume softly creeping
Up towards breakup for good-tone reaping
And the valves did glow from all the gain
thus your complain
requesting the sound of silence

Endless knob-tweaking to find the zone
Of narrow sweet-spots of power-tube tone
'Neath the halo of the jewel-like lamp
I tuned the PRESENCE of my old tube-amp
When my ears were stabbed by the flick of switch called "BRIGHT"
That split the night
And torched the sound of silence

And in the naked chassis I saw
Ten thousand volts, maybe more
Power without proper ground-wiring
All exposed for widow-making
I looked for a schematic never shared
No one dared
Disturb the mains, that make the sound of silence

"Fools" said I, "You do not know,
Silence me forever if this thing blows
Here, use modern wiring that I might teach you
Take new amps and view I beseech you"
But my wiring diagrams, like signal straight-to-ground, fell
And echoed through the walls in silence

And the neighbour vowed and made
A call to the cops for a raid
And the tubes flashed out their warning
In the cab's feedback that was forming

And the constable said, "Your court-date appearance
Is written on the ticket's back
BTW, nice stack."
Leaving in his wake, the sounds of silence

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I had one of these for my hot rod deville. I could have just built a volume box but this was so neat I grabbed it instead.

Dr Watson Lion Tamer for Blues Deluxe Deville - Master Volume Module | eBay

Blues Deluxe. No modifications to the amp are necessary, the module simply plugs into the top of the amp as shown in the.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[neiltheseal]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll put one of these together once my amp is fixed. My family will be so happy.

Tayda accidentally sent me a 1590A enclosure and I havent figured out what to do with it. This might just be the project for it.

 

[hamerfan]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll put one of these together once my amp is fixed. My family will be so happy.

Tayda accidentally sent me a 1590A enclosure and I havent figured out what to do with it. This might just be the project for it.

Sounds like a plan. In fact this my first pedal…and look how that developed over the years.

 

[Erik S]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll put one of these together once my amp is fixed. My family will be so happy.

Tayda accidentally sent me a 1590A enclosure and I havent figured out what to do with it. This might just be the project for it.

I started one of these a while back. I thought instead of using up two jacks and two patch cables, I’d just cut one patch cable in half.

I don’t have an amp with an effects loop. I was gonna give it to a friend with a deluxe. I was trying to figure out whether I did it right by measuring resistance and decided something was wrong and pulled it apart.

I still like the patch cable idea though.

 

[Feral Feline]

...

Tayda accidentally sent me a 1590A enclosure and I havent figured out what to do with it. This might just be the project for it.

Or 1590A one of the following ...

Copper Clad Fuzz - PedalPCB.com

Compare to Mythos Golden Fleece

www.pedalpcb.com

Amentum Boost - PedalPCB.com

Compare to EQD Arrows

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Black Tiger Boost - PedalPCB.com

Compare to Mr Black Boost Tiger

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Aft Preamp - PedalPCB.com

Compare to EQD Bows

www.pedalpcb.com

Enchanted Boost - PedalPCB.com

Compare to JHS Pedals Prestige Buffer / Booster

www.pedalpcb.com

https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/rangefinder/ ... well, maybe.

https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/twosticksofderm/

4 Tap DC Converter/Isolator - PedalPCB.com

Power Supply Converter

www.pedalpcb.com

Battery Box Micro - PedalPCB.com

Battery Box

www.pedalpcb.com

Handy Expression Controller - PedalPCB.com

Expression controller

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MicroSplit Passive - PedalPCB.com

Passive TRS Y-Junction

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MicroSplit Passive (TRS TS) - PedalPCB.com

Passive TRS Splitter / Combiner

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THIS

Muffin Crumb Tone Control Stage - PedalPCB.com

Retro-fit Tone Control

www.pedalpcb.com

goes together with
THIS
https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/6-10-6/

https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/pcb156/

Signal Buffer / Inverter - PedalPCB.com

Signal Buffer / Inverter

www.pedalpcb.com

https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/pcb654/ oh, wait, it should but... nope to this last one

 

[Robert]

https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/pcb654/ oh, wait, it should but... nope to this last one

That one is going to be used for a beginner-friendly kit offered by a particular vendor so the components are spread out a bit and the pads are slightly larger than normal.

There's another 1590A based project on the way but you're probably going to want to have it milled by Tayda rather than drill it yourself.

 

[Locrian99]

I would just use an actual attenuator between the output and speaker. I do this for my champ to get that over driven tube sound. I pretty much use my jazz chorus for everything else n

 

[jimilee]

I would just use an actual attenuator between the output and speaker. I do this for my champ to get that over driven tube sound. I pretty much use my jazz chorus for everything else n

Got a link?

 

[Locrian99]

Got a link?

This is what I use.

Speaker Soak Power Tube Volume Attenuator for Fender Hot Rod/Blues Deluxe/Blues Jr/Pro Jr/Reverb | Reverb

Welcome to the Reverb home of Carl's Custom Guitars!\CARL'S CUSTOM GUITARS PROUDLY PRESENTS:THE SPEAKER SOAK!!!Achieve wide open power tube tones at manageable volume levels simply, effectively & AFFORDABLY!True guitar amp speaker attenuator for 8 ohm amps of 60 watts or less!Available i...

reverb.com