Help understanding -db pad

[wolffire99]

I'm trying to figure out exactly how this pad control is affecting the sound. At first I thought it was just a volume decrease setting but now I'm not so sure. I'm using a g&l sb-1 which has insanely hot pickups. Hotter than every active bass I've used and with the -10db OFF I get some pretty nasty distortion/growl on the low E string at pretty much any volume setting, it's not a good growl sound. With the -db turned ON the growl goes away even with the volume cranked up. Gain set at noon for both. Using a tone hammer amp. I guess I'm wondering does the -10db pad affect the gain and not the volume?

 

[B-string]

It affects the gain at the first (input) stage of the amp.

 

[audioglenn]

The reason for the pad is for basses just like yours that have an extremely hot output. As you heard, when you turned the pad off, you got an extremely distorted sound. That's because the signal from your bass is overloading(to hot)the input stage of your amp. If you plug in a bass with passive pickups, you would turn the pad off.
Long story short...you're using the pad correctly.

 

[c-had]

The reason for the pad is for basses just like yours that have an extremely hot output. As you heard, when you turned the pad off, you got an extremely distorted sound. That's because the signal from your bass is overloading(to hot)the input stage of your amp. If you plug in a bass with passive pickups, you would turn the pad off.
Long story short...you're using the pad correctly.

I am have the exact same issue but my bass is passive.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I am have the exact same issue but my bass is passive.

The G&L SB-1 is also passive. The MFD pickup is extremely hot.

If you can't turn the gain of the amp down far enough to prevent input clipping, then the only recourse is to turn down the volume control on the bass. You might be able to lower the pickups and reduce the output level, but it will alter the sound of the bass and mellow it out some.

If possible, turn the gain of the amp down and the volume up to compensate. This usually works on most amps with the proper gain structuring, but some amps have relatively high fixed input sensitivity that can't be lowered. That's where the pad comes in handy.