THD Hotplate & 5150 combo Good/Bad?

[kmanick]

Loving my 5150 combo but it sounds way beter once I get the post gain past 4.
Unfortunately that is really f'n loud. Problem is this, or should I say question is this.
The 5150 is primarily a pre amp gain amp. Is the better tone I'm hearing
coming from the speakers being driven, or is it from the power tubes kicking in?
Is Post gain on 4 isn't really driving the power tubes?
Would a hotplate even be worth it?
Anyone here every try this combo?
thanks
Nick

[horns666]

No, too much preamp gain capabilty already...hot plates and attenuaters are made for old school non-master volume Marshalls and the like..

They were design so that you could push the power amp section to get that nice compression and sustain..like Eric Johnson and whatnot..

your 5150 will sound like ass with one..that's MY story..

what are you trying to "achieve" with your tone..BBE 422's seem to wake up 5150's alot to my ears ..alot of other people tried them and discovered the same benefit..

[kmanick]

Thanks Bill
I'm trying to figure how to get the tone out of this thing I get when I turn it up.. the MXR EQ int he loop really brings the amp alive too. It must be when I get it to a certain volume it rally starts to drive the speakers.
Thers is always a ton of gain (even on 1) but as I get the volume up to around 4 something happens , it just sounds much much better.

[Inearthed]

I know what you're talking about with the hitting that certain point in the volume... I didn't care with how the 5150 sounded with a hotplate.

It hits at about 3 to 4 on my 5150 head, with or without the BBE, effects, or whatever.