Now building Load-boxes with variable line out.

[caneris]

Originally Posted by Joshua Wickman

Sorry if these are some dumb questions....

These can be used to push a power section of a amp and record the cab at a lower volume correct?

Also, can this be used for for bypassing a cab all together and just use the head alone and impulses?

If this is the case i would love to buy one of these asap!!

yes and yes

they fuckin rock. my 6505 would be practically unusable without it

[Vinny]

Assuming the prices aren't going to be raised, I'll be interested in a couple weeks.
$80 shipped US, correct?

[JeffTD]

Originally Posted by caneris

yes and yes

Wrong.

Originally Posted by Joshua Wickman

Sorry if these are some dumb questions....

These can be used to push a power section of a amp and record the cab at a lower volume correct?

Also, can this be used for for bypassing a cab all together and just use the head alone and impulses?

If this is the case i would love to buy one of these asap!!

Josh, a load-box just replaces the cabinet. It can be used in-line with the cabinet to take a DI out as well as run the cabinet, but it doesn't work like an attenuator that lowers the volume going to the cabinet.

[Pxz]

DOOOOOOOOOOO WANNNNNNNNNNNT

[TheWinterSnow]

Originally Posted by Joshua Wickman

These can be used to push a power section of a amp and record the cab at a lower volume correct?

No, the loadbox does not have an attenuator, come to think of it though, if you would like something like that in your loadbox, all it takes me is one L-Pad and some additional point to point wiring

Originally Posted by Joshua Wickman

Also, can this be used for for bypassing a cab all together and just use the head alone and impulses?

Yes. With this loadbox you don't even need to have a cab plugged in, it can be used as a DI splitter between the head and cab. But of you want silent recordings, then you do not need a cab plugged in at all. You get the added bonus if you want to use the loadbox as merely a mute switch.

[TheWinterSnow]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Assuming the prices aren't going to be raised, I'll be interested in a couple weeks.
$80 shipped US, correct?

That counts shipping. Extra features will cost you extra depending on the extensiveness of the addon.

Good news as well. I will now be painting the boxes as well with their own layout. Custom made products will have the custom buyer's name of choice on the product/box. I will be working today on the generic layout of the graphics and will post the result when it is done.

The first few runs will be laminate graphics until I can get the equipment to do silk screen printing.

ALSO: And extra upgrade to the loadbox that I am now providing is a speaker distortion simulator to simulate the compression and harmonic distortion of a speaker that is pushed hard, this will bring massive life to impulses.
ALSO ALSO: Please refer back HERE for updates.

[nosgulstic]

Am I correct in assuming this will be similar to a Countryman Type 85 but with more options?

[TheWinterSnow]

Originally Posted by nosgulstic

Am I correct in assuming this will be similar to a Countryman Type 85 but with more options?

Well yes and no. This is in itself not a DI device in the standalone sense. It is a fixed DI made specifically for post power sections of an amp (the countryman type 85 can do this as well but can do normal instrument DIs as well). It also eliminates the need for a mic preamp as the signal is already conditioned for line level, this is why I can feature an ADC with ADAT so that users can expand their I/O because their main interface's preamps and line ins are free from the guitar amp's DI.

It is a one trick pony by all means, but it serves its purpose well IMO, better than anything else on the market especially for the price.

[nosgulstic]

Cool thanks. Definitely gonna pick one of these up when they're ready

[TheWinterSnow]

EDIT: Redoing the board layout for the third time now. Was having some issues when adding some mods on my protoboard so some changes in design where made (found some limitations in the OP amps). A few new features will be added and a new addon has been brought to the roster, be sure to read the OP for these changes.

ADDED:

-Level Pad -40dB
-Hammond 1590X Aluminum Case
-Speaker Distortion Outboard Mod: Provides transformer balanced I/O FX loop for the Speaker Distortion Addon
-Transformer Balanced Output (**Already Installed with Outboard Mod**)

[fenixdoido]

emailed

[abt]

Could you tell me about the ADAT Output? Also some clips of it in action would be cool.

[TheWinterSnow]

I have had everything ready, I just haven't ordered the parts to build a demo version for videos/pics etc. I have been wantingto get this started, my A.D.D brain seems to forget about a lot of stuff.

The ADAT output will be an optical ADAT line (lightpipe) that will allow the device to be used as a digital device. Meaning, the loadbox will not take up Analog I/O on your interface, rather utilize the 16 channel of ADAT that most interfaces have.

[Vinny]

Haha, looks like my post brought in a couple new customers. Any discount for getting all of the add-ons?

So you ARE including a cab attenuator now, correct?

[TheWinterSnow]

Originally Posted by Vinny

Haha, looks like my post brought in a couple new customers. Any discount for getting all of the add-ons?

So you ARE including a cab attenuator now, correct?

All the addons, $150, its an $8 discount, can't really go lower as the price for the extra components make up 95-98% of the total addon price.

And yes, cabinet attenuation is available.

[fenixdoido]

replied email

[snegdk]

This is gotta be great. I have been looking for this kind of thing for some time now. A loadbox with a line level output with no speaker simulation - to use with cab impulses. If I get everything right - with this device I will be able to silently (without speaker cabinet) capture my amp's "after power section signal" then send it to my Audio interface/Axe FX II, where the cab simulation will happen and finally record a complete sound in my DAW? I was already going to make a loadbox myself and buy a BEHRINGER GI 100 ULTRA-G to use them both simultaneously for that purpose, but then I stumbled upon this thread. I'd rather buy a 2 in 1 device with extra features for almost the same price I'd spend on those two.

I am not sure which version should I get (I mean do I need those add-ons for my chain (Guitar, pedals --> 5150II/VH4 --> This Load box --> Axe Fx II (with Red Wires) --> DAW))?

Anyway - I would definitely like to see some pics of the Unit + some posible hookup schemes (without/with addons).

[TheWinterSnow]

@snegdk: with using an AxeFX to run impulses, you can get away with using the base model.

UPDATE: It seems like I most likely not be able to do international shipping without extreme customs tax + shipping (~300% more than the selling price) so be warned. You can if interested send me your address and I can let you know exactly where the shipping and customs is, but until I actually meet with someone on international shipping, they might be way more extreme than expected.

[TheWinterSnow]

Unfortunately due to economic reasons, (prices going up and miscalculating prices), everyone that has not inquired me or has already ordered will have to pay the new price. At this moment I am actually in the hole $40, that is how cheap the product is. Get at it soon, because the prices can easily go up, it all depends.

The good news is, as we speak, I am beginning to work on the PCB for the 5150 clean mod kits and they will be available within the next week. I will announce when they are ready when I release the how to installation and demo video.

[TheWinterSnow]

Update again, the prices have gone up, I have removed the cabinet attenuation as L-Pads only go up to 100W and I have to mod them as they are for hifi. I will be building separate attenuators that will do the same thing but can handle higher power.

I will have pictures of the current two builds in a few.

[setyouranchor]

So what is the total price (inc. shopping to the uk) at right now mate? Looking to get a load box soonish!

[TheWinterSnow]

Originally Posted by setyouranchor

So what is the total price (inc. shopping to the uk) at right now mate? Looking to get a load box soonish!

Right now it is 130 USD +shipping/customs. If you email me an address I can give you an final quote.

[TheWinterSnow]

Pics of the current two I am working on:

The new 1590X Case with 100W load resistor and l-Pad attenuator


Original design 1590KK with 150W load resistor


Board half finished (broke two drill bits, so I ordered more and picked up a drill press so it won't happen again).

[TRUIE]

Hi,
Can you explain this a little more ?

Originally Posted by TheWinterSnow

-Will sound superior than a high end DI through a mic preamp

I ask this because at the moment, I record my amp output with a Countryman Type85 DI and a TubeTown Tonehound Loadbox, using this setup :


Will your loadbox help me improve the quality of the signal I record ? (I'm looking for a better feeling of amp/load interaction, like in real life).

Also, do you have any news about the version with reactive load ?

[TheWinterSnow]

I will give you a synopsis as to why I have beef with the current solutions.

For starters when you have a DI box in parallel with the load (even if it is a cab or reactive loadbox) is that the DI is lowering the load and its transformer adds additional inductances/inductance votlages which on paper are minute enough to not be an issue, but it is not ideal. The next big thing is that DI's where originally designed for live use and therefor where intended to go into a mic preamp. This is fine live, but for reamping guitars in a studio this has a whole list of problems. First, the DI transformer has a stepdown ratio that matches that of a mic level, and thus has to be amplified by a preamp. Any amplification causes noise. To top it off, with a mic preamp, you need it to be linear as possible. Hyper-Linear preamps are not abundant nor cheap.

My solution was to make a loadbox that had a lineout instead, completely bypassing the need for a preamp. But I took it a step further, I made sure that all sensitive components where separated from each other by using buffers. This means that we have maximum input impedance to not effect the load on the amp and minimal output impedance as to have the capability to deliver as much current to the A/D Converters as they desire to draw, without effecting the amp, without causing distortion (THD). Not only that, but we have eliminated the need for a DI Box and a Mic Preamp. The load and the "Pseudo-DI" are an all-in-one solution and is much cheaper than buying all of the traditional components. To top it all off I added the speaker distortion simulator which mimics the way a speaker reacts to its assembly. What you get is one box that loads your amp, and provides you with an ultra-linear line level output.

I cannot say that it will improve performance over the Tonehound -> Type 85 -> Pre setup as I have never used that setup and cannot comment it, but I can say that my product will do the same thing for a much cheaper price.