The Ohmite Variac is an Ohmite other. It pairs well with the Boss Waza-Air and the Egnater VN-412A.

Ohmite Variac

Ohmite · other

This Ohmite Variac is the specific brand of variable autotransformer behind Eddie Van Halen's legendary brown sound, a device that lets a player manually reduce the AC voltage feeding a tube amp rather than running it at standard mains voltage. Van Halen ran his Marshall at roughly 89 volts instead of a standard 120, going as low as 60 volts in small clubs and up to 80 in larger venues, deliberately starving the amp's power supply to change how the output tubes compressed and distorted, producing a warmer, more harmonically complex saturation than the amp would deliver at full voltage. The trick reportedly began as a happy accident, born from an English-voltage amp and a too-loud Marshall, and it doubled as a practical way to extend tube life since vacuum tubes run below rated voltage last considerably longer.

  • compressed
  • tube
  • harmonic
  • brown sound character
  • warmth
  • club
  • compression
  • sweet

Genres the Ohmite Variac is commonly used in

  • Rock

Amps that pair well with the Ohmite Variac

Boss Waza-Air

Boss

tonal match
$314.10via Reverb

Boss Waza-Air's bright balances out the warm tone

Egnater VN-412A

Egnater

tonal match
$844.67via Reverb

Egnater VN-412A leans bright right where the warm tone needs it

Laney Richter

Laney

tonal match

Run Laney Richter after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright

PRS HX 50 Head

PRS

tonal match
$3199via Reverb

Where this leans warm, PRS HX 50 Head answers back bright

Soldano 4x12 Straight Classic Cabinet (Purple)

Soldano

tonal match

Run Soldano 4x12 Straight Classic Cabinet (Purple) after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright

Winfield Typhoon Combo

Winfield

tonal match

Winfield Typhoon Combo's bright balances out the warm tone

PRS DG

PRS

tonal match

PRS DG leans bright right where the warm tone needs it

Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo

Soldano

tonal match

Where this leans warm, Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo answers back bright

Pedals that stack with the Ohmite Variac

Boss EQ 200 Graphic Equalizer

Boss

tonal match
$241.10via Reverb

Boss EQ 200 Graphic Equalizer's bright balances out the warm tone

CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition

California Wub

tonal match

CALIFORNIA WUB Continuum EQ Galaxy Man Edition leans bright right where the warm tone needs it

Friedman Plexi-Drive Mini Overdrive

Friedman

tonal match

Friedman Plexi-Drive Mini Overdrive's bright balances out the warm tone

Fuzzrocious Baxtabber

Fuzzrocious

tonal match
$253.09via Reverb

Fuzzrocious Baxtabber's bright balances out the warm tone

Hornby Skewes Treble Booster

pedal

tonal match

Run Hornby Skewes Treble Booster after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright

Ibanez Jemini

Ibanez

tonal match

Run Ibanez Jemini after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright

IdiotBox Effects End of Line

Idiotbox Effects

tonal match
$49via Reverb

Where this leans warm, IdiotBox Effects End of Line answers back bright

Shins Music Shin's Music Fun Face Silicon Fuzz

Shins Music

tonal match
$450via Reverb

Shins Music Shin's Music Fun Face Silicon Fuzz leans bright right where the warm tone needs it

Questions people ask

What pairs well with the Ohmite Variac?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Boss Waza-Air, Egnater VN-412A, Laney Richter — Boss Waza-Air's bright balances out the warm tone.

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Related searches

Ohmite Variac — NodeTone