Scholz Research & Development (SR&D) 

Power Soak by Tom Scholz

Vintage 1981 Model I First Edition

Serial # 81 0737

The first product released by SR&D was not called a Rockman. It was simply called "Tom Scholz's Power Soak". The Power Soak is an attenuator, put inline between an amplifier and its speakers. The Power Soak can be used to limit the output level while still maintaining the desired overdriven, saturated sound of an amplifier running at full volume. The first commercial Power Soak was issued at the end of 1980. An updated version of the Power Soak, the model II, was issued at the end of 1981. It has an extra switch made to adapt the Power Soak to solid-state amplifiers. The Power Soak was re-issued in 1992 as a Power Soak model III, lacking the solid-state switch, though the Power Soak III can be used both with solid-state and tube amps. The jacks were also moved to the back of the unit.

Though the Power Soak was not the first power attenuation device for guitar amps, it was the first to be 100% reliable, the first to respect the sound of the amp. Most of all, it was the first to include a volume control: the previous devices were only dummy-loads without setting.