Altair - PW-5 Power Attenuator

$75 used

The first power attenuator for guitar amps, before the Scholz Power Soak.

The first guitar amp power attenuator. I examined one in a used guitar store ($75). It has a big switch-knob that turns from 4 to 44 dB attenuation, in 4 dB increments. It is a box smaller than a shoebox, with a light brown metal case. No other controls, just two jacks. The metal casing has holes on all sides except the front, so you can see through it. It's almost empty inside - not much to it at all. There is an inch-wide flat strip that goes lengthwise through the box, with a coiled heater wire wrapped around it. It is tapped at various points. Across the connectors of the switch, there are additional resistive wires -- looks a little sketchy. The heater wire is silver, and difficult to solder to. Sometimes the solder connection fails and the Altair jumps to full power; one user had to regularly re-solder the connection.

auction PW-5

>Do the instructions say anything about what setting to use at a given ohm level? Should you NOT use it... say... on a 16 ohm amp (for example)? Is it safe for any ohm level?

Pete wrote, from the manual:

INPUT
     Impedance
               From 3.9 to 8 Ohms with a 4 Ohm load
               From 5 to 8 Ohms with a 8 Ohm load
               From 6 to 8 Ohms with a 16 Ohm load

Maximum recommended amplifier power 300 watts into 4 Ohms, 150 watts into 8 Ohms

Max current 15 A
Peak voltage 100 V

>Important is, the first sentence in the tech info section is:

"The PW-5 may be used with any amplifier with an output impedance of 8
ohms or less..."

>So if you can switch that amp to 8 Ohms, that would be a really good
idea. I gotta get this thing scanned!

>Pete

SonicVision wrote:

>>Does anyone have any info/experience with the Altair PW-5 power attenuator. I heard one being used on a Marshall plexi Super Lead amp at a guitar show. It sounded pretty good. I'm not sure what the final word is regarding these things in general, are they safe to use or will they screw up the output transformers? I'm not sure what type of attenuation this one uses.

Mark Mitchell wrote:

>I used one of these for many years with my Marshall 50 and used the Line Out to go into a parametric equalizer and power amp. The power amp level was like a big master volume and the equalizer put back a lot of the tone that the Altair sucked. You tend to go through tubes a little quicker but it worked great. And yes, the Marshall was turned up all the way, most of the time.

Randall Aiken wrote:

>I recall seeing a tag [saying do not use with any power attenuator] hanging on a new Marshall a few years back, I haven't seen them on the new amps or the reissue stuff. I believe they quit putting it on when they came out with their own Power Brake, or the SE100 rack mount speaker emulator, which had a 6, 12, and 18 dB switch. I wonder how they suddenly made the amps strong enough to handle the load? :)

>I have used these things since the first Altair power attenuator came out around 1978 or so. I used it on a Fender Twin, a Fender Bassman 50, and a 50 and 100 watt Marshall with no problems. The Altair had a rotary switch that switched in different taps soldered onto a piece of nichrome heater wire. It got nice and toasty, and had a bad habit of coming unsoldered in the middle of a set, resulting in instant full volume! Nichrome wire isn't the easiest thing in the world to solder to. The thing looked pretty cool, though. :)

>After the Altair died one too many times, I got one of the Scholz power soaks, which I still have, and occasionally use with my old 50 watt non-master Marshall. It also doubles as a nice dummy load for working on amps. It is composed of several ceramic body power resistors that can be switched in or out to change the attenuation while (supposedly) keeping a constant impedance load on the amp. I've never verified that, but I've never blown up an amp with it either, so it is probably true.

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�� 1. 98/11/13 026 Re: Altair PW-5 Power Attenu alt.guitar.amps����� �marksmitchell�

���2. 98/11/11 025 Altair PW-5 Power Attenuator alt.guitar.amps����� �|=>SonicVision<

�� 3. 98/11/11 024 Re: Altair PW-5 Power Attenu alt.guitar.amps����� �Bobby Owsinski

���4. 98/10/28 023 ALTAIR POWER ANNENUATOR���� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Mark Griswold�

���5. 98/10/28 022 Re: ALTAIR POWER ANNENUATOR �alt.guitar.amps����� �Mark Griswold�

���6. 98/10/28 022 Re: ALTAIR POWER ANNENUATOR �alt.guitar.amps����� �Bobby Owsinski

���7. 98/10/29 021 Re: ALTAIR POWER ANNENUATOR �alt.guitar.amps����� �marksmitchell�

���8. 98/10/28 021 Re: ALTAIR POWER ANNENUATOR �alt.guitar.amps����� �Mark Limbeck��

���9. 98/08/25 020 Altair Tube Limiter�������� �alt.guitar.effects�� �Bell����������

��10. 98/08/15 017 Re: Hot Plate: Bad for amps? alt.guitar.amps����� �Marc Ferguson�

��11. 98/07/02 017 Re: PowerSoak Question����� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Bobby Owsinski

��12. 98/05/23 017 Re: WOLLMANN THE VULAGARIAN �alt.astrology������� �Edmond Wollmann

� 13. 98/05/23 017 Re: Ricky Ellis THE VULGARIA alt.astrology������� �Edmond Wollmann

� 14. 98/05/22 017 Re: RICKY ELLISTHE VULAGARIA alt.astrology������� �Edmond Wollmann

� 15. 96/07/23 017 FS: Altair Power Soak������ �rec.music.makers.guit Jack A. Zucker

��16. 98/10/06 016 Re: Page and Plant Rocks!�� �alt.guitar.effects�� �Alan Thompson�

��17. 98/08/29 016 Re: What is Jimmy Page using alt.guitar.effects�� �Steve Conrad��

��18. 98/05/31 016 Re: Open Letter to Edmond Wo alt.sports.basketball Edmond Wollmann

� 19. 98/05/22 016 Re: A public apology to Ann �alt.astrology.scam�� �Edmond Wollmann

� 20. 96/05/17 016 Altair Power attenuator���� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Charles C.����

��21. 96/05/17 016 Re: Altair Power attenuator �alt.guitar.amps����� �Jack A. Zucker

��22. 98/05/23 015 Re: Goodbye��������� ��������alt.astrology������� �Edmond Wollmann

� 23. 98/05/22 015 Re: Defamation was-Re: Gee, �alt.astrology������� �Edmond Wollmann

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��26. 98/04/04 015 Re: thd hot plate...��� #3/4 alt.guitar.amps����� �Steve���������

��27. 98/02/06 015 Re: Do Valve amp power soaks alt.guitar.amps����� �Tyrone Shuz���

��28. 98/01/02 015 Re: Marshall Super Lead Ques alt.guitar.amps����� �Rich Koerner��

��29. 97/08/20 015 Re: Cranked Amps!���������� �alt.guitar���������� �Jeff Vineburg�

��30. 97/06/18 015 Re: Power Soak������������� �alt.guitar���������� �RutledgeTW����

��31. 97/04/09 015 Re: Power Brake �������������alt.guitar.amps����� �Duncan Markley

��32. 97/04/09 015 Re: Power Brake������������ �alt.guitar.amps����� �Randall Aiken�

��33. 96/05/18 015 Re: Altair Power attenuator �alt.guitar.amps����� �Mark Duncan���

��34. 98/02/05 014 Re: Marshall 2000 Head� #2/3 alt.guitar���������� �Steve���������

��35. 98/01/13 014 Re: THD Hot Plate or Mar#2/3 alt.guitar���������� �Steve���������

��36. 98/01/03 014 Re: Marshall Super Lead Ques alt.guitar.amps����� �TimTube�������

��37. 98/01/03 014 Re: Marshall Super Lead Ques alt.guitar.amps����� �Peter���������

��38. 98/01/02 014 Re: Marshall Super Lead Ques alt.guitar.amps����� �Peter���������

��39. 97/12/07 014 Re: Power Attenuators ..#2/3 alt.guitar.amps����� �Steve���������

��40. 97/09/10 014 Re: Can I build a Power Soak alt.guitar.amps����� �Jeff Vineburg�

��41. 97/08/08 014 Re: PRS Set neck or Bolt nec rec.music.makers.guit Jay Vyas������

��42. 97/06/18 014 Re: Power Soak������������� �alt.guitar���������� �8Ball, corner p

� 43. 97/06/04 014 Re: Will a Power Soak Blow u alt.guitar.amps����� �Joe Breher����

��44. 97/05/31 014 Re: Power Soak������������� �rec.music.makers.guit Rich Lockyer��

��45. 97/05/16 014 Re: THD HotPlate 8ohm������ �rec.music.makers.guit Peter Stroud��

��46. 97/05/02 014 Re: Help req with Marshall S alt.guitar.amps����� �TimTube�������

��47. 97/03/07 014 Re: Gear List�������������� �rec.music.makers.guit Cypher��������

��48. 97/01/30 014 Re: Power soak question���� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Gino C. Iorfida

� 49. 96/08/14 014 Re: THD Attenuator?�������� �alt.guitar.amps����� �jaybee��������

��50. 96/08/13 014 Re: THD Attenuator?�������� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Steve Milberger

� 51. 96/06/13 014 Re: Whats your rig??? Heres �rec.music.makers.guit M. Diewald����

��52. 97/09/16 013 Re: Opinions wanted: Pow#2/3 alt.guitar.amps����� �Steve���������

��53. 97/09/14 013 Re: Can I build a Power Soak alt.guitar.amps����� �rich-karl�����

��54. 97/06/03 013 Re: Questions From the Mothe alt.algebra.help���� �Anita Whiting�

��55. 97/05/11 013 Re: Aiken Attenuator/Loa#2/3 alt.guitar.amps����� �Randall Aiken�

��56. 97/04/18 013 Re: Tuning a guitar---DC Lut alt.guitar���������� �Altair Aerospac

� 57. 96/07/15 013 Re: HELP..need to make a spe rec.audio.pro������� �Gordon Gunn���

��58. 96/01/04 013 Re: Powersoaks THD & Mar#1/2 rec.music.makers.guit jaybee��������

��59. 96/01/04 013 Re: Powersoaks THD & Marhsal rec.music.makers.guit Randall Aiken�

��60. 97/03/06 012 Re: Gear List�������������� �rec.music.makers.guit Cypher��������

��61. 96/10/29 012 Re: Rvw of Power Brake, Hot �alt.guitar.amps����� �Bobby Owsinski

��62. 96/08/12 012 Re: THD Attenuator?�������� �alt.guitar.amps����� �David Fung����

��63. 96/04/06 012 Re: Amps with switchable out alt.guitar.amps����� �TimTube�������

��64. 96/01/04 012 Re: Powersoaks THD & Marhsal rec.music.makers.guit David Roach���

��65. 95/06/13 012 How to connect two humbucker rec.music.makers.guit Lykakis Janis�

��66. 96/12/17 011 Re: Power Tube Distortion�� �alt.guitar.amps����� �Randall Aiken�

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