Get Big Tones at Low Volumes for Your Guitar Man Cave
Every dad guitarist can relate to having the desire to jam while a baby sleeps. Other than a distrurbed sleeping baby’s cries that would rival the amplifier’s volume, a kid’s nap time would be the perfect time to practice. But alas, you can’t crank your amplifier because you’d pay for it overnight with a ruined sleep schedule.
But you don’t have to resort to playing your Telecaster or Les Paul unplugged. And you don’t have to break out your acoustic when you really want an overdriven sound. You have several options for getting your electric guitar fix without waking the baby. With just one of these pieces of guitar gear, you can rock the house without rattling the windows.
Amplifier with Power Reduction
If your man cave is on the other side of the house from the nursery, an amplier with power reduction is a great option. You can still overdrive the tubes to get that on-the-edge-of-breakup sound without pushing the volume like you normally do to get that perfect tone.
The Blackstar HT20R MkII has 20 watts of power on tap which makes it a great gigging amp. When you press the button next to the power switch, the amplifier cuts power by 90 percent down to 2 watts. The volume instantly drops, but you can still drive the power tubes. The power reduction button is great for maintaining a low stage volume at gigs and for keeping a sleeping baby down.
With two channels each with two voicings, this amplifier is incredibly versatile. Blackstar’s proprietary Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) adjusts equaliation settings on the overdrive channel to mimic American style and British style amplifiers. All the way to the left, you can sound like John Frusciante. All the way to the right, you can sound like George Harrison. Set the ISF knob somewhere in between to find your own signature sound.
Attenuator
If you already have an amplifier you love, an attenuator is the next option for cutting your volume without sacrificing tone. You can drive your tube amp as hard as you want while the attenuator allows you to control the volume. Bring the volume way down, and you can rock your guitar man cave without distrubing the rest of the family.
The Bugera PS1 Power Soak sits neatly atop any amp head or combo amp. Insert it in your signal chain between your tube amp and speaker cabinet. The back of the unit has several impedances to fit almost every guitar rig’s specifications. Plus, it has an emulated microphone out jack which mimics the sound of a microphone placed in front of a cabinet and also allows the Bugera PS1 to serve as a direct box for connecting to venue sound systems.
Headphone Amplifier
Audiophiles may cringe at this next product. But when the family wants you quiet, sometimes you have to accomodate them. Plugging your guitar into a headphone amplifier may feel like you’re turning your guitar into a toy, but you can keep the peace in your house.
The VOX AP2AC amPlug 2 mimics the amplifiers many British Invasion bands used in the 1960s. Plug your guitar into it like you would any other amplifier, and the sound goes to your connected headphones. There’s even an AUX input for playing along with your favorite songs or jam tracks. The unit is powered by three AAA batteries.
Keep on Playing
Whichever product you choose to solve your noise problem, the most important thing to do is keep playing. As a fellow guitarist, I know how much joy the instrument brings. And playing in your guitar man cave will make it even better!
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