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Bogner Lyndhurst - mods and stuff

tapedseams

tapedseams

Aug 12, 2018
18
12
#1
I love the Lyndhurst but I also love taking stuff apart and messing with it.

Upon opening it up you can see that it is indeed filled with nice components - WIMA caps, Nichicon audio grade electros etc.

The actual VCA part is potted which is a bit of a bummer.

What's interesting is there are some unpopulated components:
- Space for a release potentiometer which has been jumpered with a fixed resistor (I forget the value - somewhere in the megohms). The enclosure has also been drilled for it but the label/overlay isn't so perhaps it was quite a last minute omission. I think I replaced the resistor (been a while) with a different value. Eventually i'll try a pot in there but it's not easy to solder due to the potted VCA monolith.
- Space for a 'warm/flat' switch and related cap. I installed a cap and put in a header to try it out - basically cuts some highs. I ended up leaving it on flat (which is the default) even though the 'warm' setting does cut some hiss (more on that below).

One thing I only recently tried (after rechecking the capacitor voltage ratings) is running it off 12v and 18v and it runs MUCH quieter. It could be that the 9v adapters I have are noisy ones but i'm going to keep running it off 12v from now on. This HISS which i'd resigned myself to is all but gone! I need to check to see if they are running a charge pump to double the voltage like some of the other 'Neve' series, but even if so 12v doubled to 24v should still be ok.

If anyone else has cracked theirs open and tinkered i'd be keen to know!

Cheers,
Jamie
 
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#3
Well, mine was second hand so not quite as much at stake.

In the interests of interest here are some gut shots - very, very nice build quality:

The black thing at the top is the potted part of the circuit which I assume is the VCA
IMG_4788.jpg


Top left is the space for the release pot. I've swapped out the stock resistor for a 1meg one. I can't remember what the stock one was (~2meg?) but I experimented with various values and I liked 1meg).

Towards the bottom, and just above the daughterboard with the PIC chip (that I assume controls the auto attack part of the circuit) and below the LED you can see the 'dark/flat' header with the cap I added.
IMG_4787.jpg


I measured around the circuit with a DMM and found no evidence of voltage doubling (although I suppose it could be within the dark recesses of the potted board) so i'm going to keep using a 12v adapter for better signal/noise. I'll try an 18v again too.
 
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#4
Hey! I’m getting mine in the mail tomorrow, sweeeetwater!

Can I plug it into 12v or 18v without any mod? I am definitely interested in it being quiet and it sounds like you’ve figured something out for it. Thanks for any help!
 
#5
I'd suggest trying it with your 9v supply first and seeing how you go. There is nothing official that says it can handle higher voltages so it'll be at your own risk, but i've been running mine at 12v for ages and I hear an improvement with my setup.
 
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#6
Tried it with 9 volt “one spot” and then 9 through 15 on the MXR “iso brick”, that baby is noisy! Too noisy for me, I wonder if your mods plus the extra volts got yours quiet? I’m gonna call them tomorrow, it seems too noisy for a high end boutique pedal...
 
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#9
It may also be that the 9v supplies I tried were inherently noisy and the 12v and 18v were quieter for some reason. Anyway i'm interested to hear what their response is as it seems others report the pedal to be pretty hissy.
 
#10
tapedseams said:
It may also be that the 9v supplies I tried were inherently noisy and the 12v and 18v were quieter for some reason. Anyway i'm interested to hear what their response is as it seems others report the pedal to be pretty hissy.
Click to expand...

Hi TapedSeams. I recently bought a Lyndhurst and do find the noise floor to be too much on staccato and riffs with rests... I am not a bass player, but a 8-string guitarist... I worry about changing the tone of the pedal... I wonder if we can A/B a stock Lyndhurst with Yours.
 
#11
Hi NikMuso - I don't think any of the tweaks I made would have any effect on the noise floor but I do think the power supply had some influence but i'd need to double check that. As mentioned, i'm not sure if it was the power supply itself rather than the increase in voltage that mattered. I still run it at 12v on an isolated supply as it seems to work well for me.

I tend to keep the 'level' control below noon and use the 'ratio' and 'inp/comp' controls to set the levels. Seems like it's when you boost 'level' that you really start to hear the noise. I also keep the EQ switch flat.

I use it for both bass and guitar and don't notice any obtrusive noise or hiss. There is definitely SOME noise added but I have to really listen for it and it doesn't appear audible in a mix.
 
#12
tapedseams said:
Hi NikMuso - I don't think any of the tweaks I made would have any effect on the noise floor but I do think the power supply had some influence but i'd need to double check that. As mentioned, i'm not sure if it was the power supply itself rather than the increase in voltage that mattered. I still run it at 12v on an isolated supply as it seems to work well for me.

I tend to keep the 'level' control below noon and use the 'ratio' and 'inp/comp' controls to set the levels. Seems like it's when you boost 'level' that you really start to hear the noise. I also keep the EQ switch flat.

I use it for both bass and guitar and don't notice any obtrusive noise or hiss. There is definitely SOME noise added but I have to really listen for it and it doesn't appear audible in a mix.
Click to expand...

You said the hiss was gone in earlier post... I digress, what do You mean by isolated power supply? As in, its own wall wart?

I am running mine from a CIOKS DC10, either the 9 or 12V "isolated" (there's that word again) outlets.

I suppose it does not come through in a mix on most riffs. But for riffs with rests, I disagree. I hear it presently. Depends how busy the mix is. With a guitar and drums duo, I hear it, and it bugs me. I love the sound of this comp. Just so noisy...
 
#13
I currently use a dedicated 12v output on a Truetone 1-Spot Pro which (probably like the CIOKS) is truly isolated.

I did say the hiss was 'all but gone' earlier in the thread and when used as I mentioned (with the level pot under noon) I can't really hear it but then i'm not using a very gainy setup. I do use it first in my chain and its set to a bit louder than unity if that helps at all.
 

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