eero
Member
Hi, I am an old HRI refugee, I've been a member here since 2011. I almost never post, but I read the forum every day.
I have a Lexicon Signature 284 stereo head for home playing and recording. It’s a 3 watts per channel single ended (one EL84) in class A, switchable clean-high gain, stereo FX loop, an integrated load for silent recording, and a slave out; I would like to use it mainly as a low-power PA with external preamps connected to its return loops, but also like a head by itself.
Unfortunately, I've never found it to be a good fit either way: the preamp section is designed with some very strange tone controls, like a Baxandall I think, very dark (and there's no bright switch). The clean section is only good for jazz in my opinion, and the distortion, even with a lot of gain, tonally sounds more like a poorly executed Fender. The bass is very flabby and the mids are annoying. Everything here is also very dark and midrangey, even with the treble and presence controls almost maxed out. Tried with various EQ and OD pedals, it doesn't make much of a difference.
As for the power amp section alone, here too, the bass is very muddy (more low low mids than bass) and overall lacks clarity, with a boxed-up,
ugly midrange.
Tried obviously with several cabs and speakers, but no way.
Now, I know I can't expect big tube response from EL84s, and that low power limits frequency response, but I know that Friedman, Bogner,
and others can make low-power EL84s sounds good, and I was particularly impressed with Psychodave's JCA 20h mod, which IMO sounded amazing.
So do you think it's possible to at least modify the power amp section, which is single-ended? Perhaps playing also with the NFB values?
Any suggestions would be very welcomed, because local techs have no experience with amp mods, but they would be able to follow diagrams.
Thank you in advance, and sorry for the long post
Cheers
I have a Lexicon Signature 284 stereo head for home playing and recording. It’s a 3 watts per channel single ended (one EL84) in class A, switchable clean-high gain, stereo FX loop, an integrated load for silent recording, and a slave out; I would like to use it mainly as a low-power PA with external preamps connected to its return loops, but also like a head by itself.
Unfortunately, I've never found it to be a good fit either way: the preamp section is designed with some very strange tone controls, like a Baxandall I think, very dark (and there's no bright switch). The clean section is only good for jazz in my opinion, and the distortion, even with a lot of gain, tonally sounds more like a poorly executed Fender. The bass is very flabby and the mids are annoying. Everything here is also very dark and midrangey, even with the treble and presence controls almost maxed out. Tried with various EQ and OD pedals, it doesn't make much of a difference.
As for the power amp section alone, here too, the bass is very muddy (more low low mids than bass) and overall lacks clarity, with a boxed-up,
ugly midrange.
Tried obviously with several cabs and speakers, but no way.
Now, I know I can't expect big tube response from EL84s, and that low power limits frequency response, but I know that Friedman, Bogner,
and others can make low-power EL84s sounds good, and I was particularly impressed with Psychodave's JCA 20h mod, which IMO sounded amazing.
So do you think it's possible to at least modify the power amp section, which is single-ended? Perhaps playing also with the NFB values?
Any suggestions would be very welcomed, because local techs have no experience with amp mods, but they would be able to follow diagrams.
Thank you in advance, and sorry for the long post
Cheers
