Just re-read Fro's reply again in post # 5, and I am going to experiment again with the Mesa master up higher than 9 o'clock.
I think that's the whole point of what the Fryette is built for, run the master as high as you want.
With the load box operating, your guitar cab is not getting that signal directly, the load box is absorbing it, converting it to a line level signal (we're talking about an audio signal at this point, not a power thing), and putting out sound from its
own power tubes. That sound can be whatever level you want it to be, it's completely separate and independent from the power level you set your amp at.
That's the secret of why you don't get that typical congested sound that most load boxes have from a stifled guitar amp.
That way, you're getting the tone of a cranked amp. Of course, that tone is reproduced by the Fryette's built in power amp, and pushed through the speakers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if it sounds better than the congested tone you get with most attenuators.
The built in amp on the Fryette plays that tone into the speakers, as though it were a hi fi amp playing a recording. But the point is it sounds like it works.
The limitation, of course, is that what's missing with any attenuator or box like this is the tone you get from an overdriven speaker, which is a big part of distorted guitar tone that we all know and love. Still, this is a great idea.
I do something different -- acoustical attenuation.
I use a gobo to record guitar amps. It simply is an acoustical absorber that you put in front of the cab, and it physically absorbs a good bit of the loudness. You put a microphone between the cab and the gobo, and you've not only given yourself the ability to crank the amp, you've also isolated the microphone from extraneous noise.
However, the limitation is that the sound of the cab in the room is muffled by the gobo, and the closer you put it to the cab, the more it is muffled. This is great for when you're recording, because remember, the mic is hearing the full-on amplifier, but it's not meant for practicing or just messing with the guitar.
Still, I think it's the best solution for recording because it is the cranked tone of your actual amp with no "middleman." I can also isolate drums, vocalists, and other instruments with these, and they're relatively inexpensive. But again, not a "have fun with your guitar" kind of a solution.
I'm impressed with Pete Thorn's demos of the Suhr Corso, a 5 watt amp that is designed to sound like a bigger amp, and I have seen one in person, but didn't get a chance to play through it. It's not much more than the Fryette. In any case, a very low wattage amp is another potential solution, but of course, only if it sounds good!