The Fryette Power Station Is Perfect
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- čas přidán 6. 03. 2023
- #fenderamps #tubeamps #attenuator
I've barely used my Fender Tube Amps in the past 8 years because they're just too loud. Recently I bought a Fryette Power Station PS-100, and it has brought back the passion I once had for using and recording with tube amps. In this video I'm going to show you why.
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I don't run my amp without my Powerstation. It actually costs more than my amp, and I believe it or not, it's the heart of my rig.
You're our kind of madman! Obviously a lot of effort and concentration went into this and the results speak for themselves. If anything, this video really demonstrates the versatility of JBL D130Fs. We listened carefully to the volume transitions on high quality studio monitors and what stood out to us is the consistency of the D130s at every volume level. They maintain their inherent sensitivity to upper harmonics regardless of how much power you throw at them. We were unable to hear the speaker cave at higher volume, nor any hint of fizz at whisper volume. Impressive!
Anthony, the camera sound “ear view” was a most welcome perspective… brilliant
You can also boost a good sounding 20W and turn it into 100W and it add a loop to any amp that dosen't have one, it is one of my favorite piece of gear!
I own a PowerStation PS2. It's the best gear purchase I've ever made! I bought it because it gives me an effects loop on any amp. I wouldn't play an amp without it now.
Cool that you can use it not just to quiet loud amps, but also to amplify something like a 5 watt amp to big stage volumes.
That'll be in my next video.
It’s hard to beat the sound of a Hot Rod Deluxe. That’s my go to for classic blues sound.
The sound comparisons were great thanks for posting
Love the video and enclosed presentation. Great work!
Been watching you for years Anthony keep dish’n the good stuff love every minute.
A really well put together video, very helpful. Thanks for the effort!
What I love about the using the Power Station is that you get that extra layer of power tube goodness!!😊
Excellent piece of equipment. A must for loud amps
Love this review. Thanks for sharing ✌🏻
Just got one last week for my JCM 2203. Unbelievably 👍 great!! I can play in the house w/o it sounding Like a jet is landing and I get to use the fx loop and run a delay/reverb into it as welI. LOVE THE PS100
This piece of kit is simply amazing! I’ve unloaded two tube amps before because they were too loud. Wish I knew about the Power Station!!
I would love to have one. Ive built some cheapy Lpad attenuators, a trainwreck attenuator, and some variants .
I just picked up an 'Ultimate Attenuator' and its probably the best deviice ive tried yet. Like the fryette it re-amps the signal but theough a solid state amp. Ironic , but i am reminded that its no different than the PAs we all use.
Very detailed video, cheers.
Theres nothing else , this is the king !
These seem like a must-have. I wonder what these will be like in 10 years
What a great video! I‘ve set my mind on this piece of equipment for more than a year now. Probably two. After having had my 120 watts Engl collecting dust for ages now because it’s just way too freakin loud, having purchased lower volume Tube Amps, which are still to loud or don’t sound as good on low power (you‘re absolutely right about the Nad Nights when waking up the little ones), having gotten into the rabit hole of Modellers and just about any Amp Sim available, it’s still not nearly the same as playing through a great Tube Amp. Plus, I‘ve heard the Powerstation even makes Modellers sound a lot better too. Seems like the ultimate equipment! Man, I need one! 🤤
Hi Anthony brilliant video mate, I rushed off and bought one and super glad I did. I have a two rock studio and fender blues junior (but can’t use it on the PS). I tried to chase tone through various SRV style pedals but this thing is way better in my opinion as nothing beats that pure overdriven tube tone. So whilst expensive a much better option than stacking a pedal board. One thing I did notice was the unit became searingly hot, could have fried an egg on it. I matched impedance so will reach out to find out why.
But thanks again for providing such great content on an ongoing basis!
To TEXAS BLUES ALLEY: A very honest, frank, down to earth, level headed overview of this stellar product, I myself have been using good attenuators in the past but honestly this one (and all it's alternative ways it can be used) is superb.....and rather than being a "Jack of all trades.....and master of none, this unit does many many things while doing any one of them in a stunningly impressive way. Sir: your video is credible and a honest appraisal of what truly is a FABULOUS piece of gear/....thank you for this broadcast.
You are 100% right. I've had a Palmer PowerPad, an Ox Box and a Tone King Iron Man. The Fryette win hands down..and I run a 1974 100 Watt HiWatt DR103 into it! The Tone King is also great for smaller amps just to take the edge off. The others are frankly rubbish in comparison. I ended up selling them. No bias, just one man's opinion and what my ears heard.
Wow this is truly incredible... An end game piece of gear to be sure.
It absolutely is.
Gamechanger
I think I just found my orange ad140 a new best friend.
I've had Suhr RLIR and now have a Captor X. I'd heard of this box, but just though it was an attenuator, ahhhh, ....I need to just go practice my guitar/////
ahh Anthony - you finally discovered the PS huh. I've had one for 4 years and there's numerous other youtube videos. I've got 2 modern Mesa amps and 2 cabs. PS is a total game changer for me. Better late than never Anthony :) Btw - the PS-2 at 50w is more than enough for most players and is cheaper than PS-100
I am also debating between PS-100 and PS-2. Unfortunately, as I understood, together with a stereo effects unit only the PS-100 has stereo capabilities. I wish Mr. Fryette would offer a lower power stereo PS (e.g. 30W or 50W). The concept behind these PS unites is just brilliant.
I just traded to get a PS-100. I love it!!!! I have more amps & cabs than any sane person needs. LoL
This exactly how this unit should be reviewed! Thank you for that! My only question would be: at « new born baby sleeping » level, is the internal fan actually noisy enough to be annoying?
That's hard to answer as I'm in a pretty big room, but I kind of doubt it.
I have a Hi-Tone DG50, a 50W clone of a Hiwatt. It has a Master Volume, but finding bedroom level on it is damn near impossible. But with the Power Station, I can crank the amp and even get some power tube saturation at low levels. It has a couple of other great uses too. Awesome as a power amp for true pre-amp pedals (Kingsley Maiden, in my case), and the line out is great into a cab sim for recording if you don't want to mic a cab (or use both direct and mic'ed for a blend). I've also used the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander and the Two-Notes Captor X. They're both good too, but for attenuation into a speaker cab, the Power Station easily wins. MVP!
hey quick question for you - when running the line out of the PS-100 do you have the output level trim pot maxed (meaning all the way to the right)? also do you find yourself using the unbalanced or balanced out more? thanks!
I have the output level trim pot fairly high, but not maxed - about 3 o'clock. I use the balanced out exclusively. @@coolyanky
thanks for the feedback! It's odd, i have to crank it too with a matchless even. when using the balanced line out, do you run it line level at +4dBu or -10dBv? or just straight into the hi-z input?@@crissmith2911
+4dBu. I have a PS-2A and a PS-2 that I run wet/dry. The PS-2 is the older model that doesn't have a line out level adjustment, so I set the PS-2A line out level to match the PS-2 line out level, and I have found that it needs to be set fairly high to match them.@@coolyanky
@@crissmith2911 thanks again for the insight! I asked because the line out gain on tap from lets say the Suhr Reactive Load is much greater I've found. So no need to crank it up as high on that unit.
I am pretty happy with my “two notes-Torpedo”, but I would buy a bigger power station if I was in public !
Only difference I could hear was some hiss background noise in the whisper quiet recording, which I assume has nothing to do with the Fryette, and is either the room or the gear’s noise floor from the makeup gain being cranked so high!
That's exactly right, and you've got some great ears! The volume was so low that the room noise (computer fans, overhead fans etc...) was picked up by the mics. Considering how close the mics were to the cabinet and considering how big the room is, it gives you some indication of just how quiet the amp was during that test. Remarkable.
Great video. One personal note. My kids were brought home from the hospital hearing my guitar playing...they were not pampered sonically and they always slept around noise without child proofing their ears. Thanks for an awesome video...I loved it! 🙃
So, you're randomly selecting "levels"? The Volume controls are not stepped, are they? They are variable.
Yes, that's one of the main reasons I love this unit. Infinitely adjustable volume. This makes a huge difference in practical usability.
The power station is pricey but has best value for your hard earned dollar. i use mine with a JMD Trainwreck exp. it is respectable, but there is a cause and effect price to pay. but I dont want the neighbors calling the cops.
so...if the Power Station amplifys the attenuated signal through its own tube amp section...isn´t that amp slaving? I will try that with my Suhr Reactive Load IR, the Suhr has also this feature. Master Amp cranked to taste -> Suhr RL -> Slave Amp FX Return (for volume in the room)
I tried a few attenuators. Never pleased until now that I got the powerstation. It’s so good!!!
What amp were you using in this demo? Would this unit be able to tame a Fender ‘65 Reissue Twin Reverb 85 watt?
Awesome man, thanks for the video. One question, the presence and depth control have been completely off during the video… do they only affect the power amp when boosting low powered amps so they are off or did you have them dialed differently while playing?
They were off for the recording. I’ll detail what they’re for in a follow up video.
@@Texasbluesalley Ok cool, looking forward to it 🤗
*will you try ironman ii* ??
So can this also be used with preamps and modelers?
My lord sounds to good to be true
it prob is...
This thing is the exception to the quote. It actually holds up to its expectations.
It really is. So glad I never sold my Marshalls now.
Well, crap - now I need to get one
I had the Waze TAE for a while, and it just didn't do it for me. Sounded strange and plastic-y. Only realized after the fact that it was completely digitizing the signal and then back to analog again.
I've been jonesing to try a Powerstation!!
If you can track it down, there’s a video of Steve Fryette talking about how speakers respond differently to a tube power amp vs a solid state power amp. That could be part of the difference as well.
Great video, thanks! Which device do I activate first, when the Fryette Power Station is connected between the amplifier and the cabinet to avoid damage? The amplifier or the Power station? And how is the correct order, if I turn it off?
I would turn the Powerstation on first, and off last.
@@Texasbluesalley - Thanks!
The "ideal" order would be: Turning things on you'd go preamp on -> poweramp on to prevent peaks or pops that might occur when turning the preamp on from going to the speakers. When turning things off it's the opposite order for the same reason, if you turn the preamp off while the poweramp is on it might make sounds not good for your speakers. So turning things on: 1st thing in the chain on -> last thing in the chain on. Turning off: Last thing in the chain off -> 1st thing in the chain off. That's what I learned when working in live music, hope it makes sense.
@@clemensmoeller4549 -- Thanks!
I bought the PS2 to use for my 100W amps.. (well My converted Marshall Major to Super Lead is more like 150).. but a Splawn Quickrod and OG 5150 as well as a Ceriatone all access plexi 50W.. they just sound better at ear splitting volumes.. and the tone shaping ability is amazing.. I can run my 100W heads and still practice at midnight and not wake the family if i want to.. and when they are out of the home.. look out.. I recently bought a Fender 68 Custom Twin for a great price (didnt have a fender amp)... and with new tubes she is good to go.. however, how do you hook up a combo with a long lead (my PS2 is centrally located between most of the amps).. perhaps a LONG female to male lead as the combo lead is hard wired.. and then back to the speaker IN of the twin?.. where do you find such a thing?.. i have heard people mention WEBER makes lots of fun connectors for their WEBER MASS systems.. thanks for the vid.. very enjoyable format.. !!!
How do you like the Plexi51? I have one on order from Ceriatone and I'm planning on pairing it with a PS100 to tame it
@@apeeg86 I love it. Does all Plexi tones really well.. nice features.. the mods are subtle for sure.. but it also has a very nice PPIMV which works well... But the Power station allows it to breath better for sure.. mile to hot pickups really allows for different levels of gain.. overdrives send it into high gain territory..
@@bjstein4242 fantastic! Can't wait to get my hands on mine. Should be here in a couple of weeks 🤞🤞
When you re amp with any of these devices the tone will have some coloration...
Barely, and you can dial it in perfectly with the switches and added controls. If anything you might be able to make an amp sound better.
Does Fryette make a version of this that does not have the amplification feature? I just need their high quality attenuation and their direct in features and know that I will never have a need to boost the volume of any of my amp's. I see that their IR units also attenuate to some degree but I need the full blown attenuation where I can dial it way down to a bedroom level on occasion.
I may not have explained this clearly, but the amplification is not simply there to boost the volume of a small amp, the entire signal of the amp is taken down to line level, so the amplifier is needed to get ANY volume. But the advantage this has over a stepped attenuator is that you are not stuck with 3dB increments of volume. Since the signal from the amp (which has been reduced to line level via the reactive load) is now being amplified (not attenuated), the Power Station amplifier can be set to any volume level you want, not jumps of 3dB. I think the question you're really asking is "Will they build a regular attenuator instead of this device", and I believe that answer is no, because high quality attenuators are already made by companies like Tone King and others. The entire point of the Power Station is that it accomplishes the same goal with superior results.
@@Texasbluesalley Thank you for your reply. I was just about to delete my question because I now have a better understanding of how this works and why the tube amp portion of this is necessary. I see a PS2 in my immediate future! Thanks for your great videos and for helping the rest of us. Keep up the great work you do.
Do you use some type of reactive load box to your monitors from the Powerstation?
I'm not sure I understand the question. What kind of scenario are you referring to?
So the idea of playing from your amp to the PS100 to the cab (for attenuation) but also having the option to play through an audio interface and monitors
Huh, what to do, what to do...
can this make deluxe reverb as loud as twin? Have you tried?
Yes. That's one of the things the Power Station can do that regular attenuation devices cannot. Because it's actually an amplifier, if can give any amp of lesser power more clean headroom, and more overall volume.
Sounds fucking great, even at very low volumens!!!
But this FRYETTE stuff is quiet expensive...😔
To TEXAS BLUES ALLEY: Sir see my comments to you (Below)
Thank you ! Most other samples i have seem on the Fryette just show amp scranked into distortion, I wanted to know how well it worked with a" LOUD Clean " amp . Thank you sir !
smokes the ox out of the water as an attenuator.
I've been hearing that a lot, and I'm sure it's true, but it's worth pointing out the the OX isn't really marketed as an attenuator, it's marketed as a cabinet replacement because of the built-in cabinet modeling.
I've been playing for a decade and I still don't understand any of this. I don't understand the point. I'm guessing all this stuff has to do with performing live, which I don't.
Maybe I don't know what I'm missing but I'm completely satisfied with my stereo setup, 1 solid state and 1 tube amp. I suppose I can't desire something I'm unaware of, so I'm happy in ignorance.
Basically - you need to crank a tube amp to get the best tone from it. The tone it was designed for. The tone you hear on records and live shows. The problem is that this cranked volume is far too loud for most situations - particularly playing at home, rehearsing in small rooms, and even larger gigs where you're mic'd and the sound engineer needs the amp quieter, etc. This device takes the exact perfect tone of your cranked amp, and allows you to play it at any volume. Even whisper quiet.
I love honesty. And to be honest I can't figure out what the heck it is either lok
Edit😂
Cheaper than hearing aids and all the grief from your family because you are not that old but already can't hear crap