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Lightning Boy Audio Thread
- Thread starter HoochfromP
- Start date
on my oh so high quality phone speaker, I’d say #2 is with. I feel like the lows are a little more prominent
Thanks for doing this. I listened on good headphones. I'm hearing a tighter even sound vs more open with deeper lows sound. Won't say which yet I'll let the game play out. Could you disclose the signal chain?
I think the first one is 23fe, maybe the second too but I feel like something else is going on in that one
This was Warwick Corvette > Warm Audio Passive DI > Focusrite Scarlett gen 3 > DAW, then reamped:
Focusrite Scarlett gen 3 > Radial X-Amp > Broughton Messenger Jr. > (LBA 23fe) > Darkglass Element > Focusrite Scarlett gen 3 > DAW
Not a super wet sound but I think dry enough to allow any differences which might be present to come through.
Thank you for doing this, and nice playing. I'm ok with being wrong here, as they were all very close. #2 sounded the beefiest, but I'll guess that #3 is with the 23Fe?
Nicely done
My ears picked up the biggest difference between 1 vs 2 & 3, mainly in the depth of the lows, and the amount/lack of compression. That's all I'll add for now as I have a 23e so have a head start in this game.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I got a coupon code in my email so I bought a 23fe. Looking forward to it.
This one’s tricky — while there are some differences between them to my ear (e.g. slightly reduced low end/more prominent mids in 2 vs 1, and 3 with more top end than both, 2 & 3 seem slightly more compressed than 1, I think??) I’d struggle to say for sure which tracks had the box inline. Your playing is very even, so not much “smoothing” required, and the piece chosen doesn’t cover a huge segment of the fretboard, so it’s fairly subtle. You need to play worse and all over the place to make it obvious for my old, cloth ears!
So, when are we going to see the solution to this little audio puzzle? 
OK, I couldn’t take the suspense any longer, so I just went ahead and ordered one. It obviously does something, right?
I have been curious about the potential effect of a transformer in my chain (very simple), and had been tossing up between an API Tranzformer LLX and a Genzler Magellan Pre (no transformer) to replace my Tone Hammer (just ‘cos, no major complaints). The Genzler won for its other features and no regrets, it’s fantastic, but it left me wondering. And this way, I can be sure that whatever I’m hearing/feeling really is down to the transformer and not some other element(s) of the system.
The 23Fe has a long way to travel, so I’ll just have to try and hold it together
.
I have been curious about the potential effect of a transformer in my chain (very simple), and had been tossing up between an API Tranzformer LLX and a Genzler Magellan Pre (no transformer) to replace my Tone Hammer (just ‘cos, no major complaints). The Genzler won for its other features and no regrets, it’s fantastic, but it left me wondering. And this way, I can be sure that whatever I’m hearing/feeling really is down to the transformer and not some other element(s) of the system.
The 23Fe has a long way to travel, so I’ll just have to try and hold it together
.
It's worth the wait. I have a sushi box more feeding mine and it's the drive sound I've always wanted.OK, I couldn’t take the suspense any longer, so I just went ahead and ordered one. It obviously does something, right?
I have been curious about the potential effect of a transformer in my chain (very simple), and had been tossing up between an API Tranzformer LLX and a Genzler Magellan Pre (no transformer) to replace my Tone Hammer (just ‘cos, no major complaints). The Genzler won for its other features and no regrets, it’s fantastic, but it left me wondering. And this way, I can be sure that whatever I’m hearing/feeling really is down to the transformer and not some other element(s) of the system.
The 23Fe has a long way to travel, so I’ll just have to try and hold it together
@OnlyFlats and @GrowlerBox have it surrounded. #1 is without 23fe, #2 is with.
I was inspired by the below statement from @JKos about transformer behavior so I tried to test this in #3. I maxed out the gain of the Messenger (+20dB) and added -12dB pad on the Element to try to get additional current through the 23fe, hopefully increasing the flux to saturation levels. Interestingly, the level into my DAW was nearly identical despite the theoretical additional 8dB of gain...
I was inspired by the below statement from @JKos about transformer behavior so I tried to test this in #3. I maxed out the gain of the Messenger (+20dB) and added -12dB pad on the Element to try to get additional current through the 23fe, hopefully increasing the flux to saturation levels. Interestingly, the level into my DAW was nearly identical despite the theoretical additional 8dB of gain...
I bought it used but I believe it to be the stock jj 12au7 and 12at7
Thanks, Frosted — I’m pleased that those are the tracks with, because they were more interesting to me than the first track (not that there is anything at all wrong with the tone in that one). Looking forward to getting mine (it was mailed almost immediately after ordering, great service). Cheers!
The 23Fe has just completed its journey across the globe and landed on my board tonight.
I have had a brief play with it; not a whole lot of knob twiddling … but it does respond very differently depending on where it is in the chain. I first tried it near the top, right after the tuner and H+LPF, where it sounded pretty good while the filter was on, but produced a very loud hum when I switched it off. It was even louder when swapped to right after the tuner. Hmmmm … (pun fully intended).
The least noisy spot is right at the end, between the Magellan pre/DI and the effects return, but seemed to lose some of the “thickening” effect compared to earlier in the chain. So far, best seems to be just before the preamp, after tuner>H+LPF>compressor>OD. Adding boost (whether from the Broughton, the Mira compressor, or the OD run with the gain dialled out) makes a big difference, of course, increasing the saturation to pleasing effect.
It’s clearly a keeper, and I’m now wondering about the effect of adding more transformers in the form of either a Supro OD which has an output transformer with the option of switching between different winding ratios, and/or an Analogworm Orbita (ОРБИТА) 1974 fuzz, a 2-germanium diode fuzzface-type effect with a transformer in the passive pickup emulator, designed to allow the pedal to be elsewhere than right after the instrument. I’m not sure what tonal effect the latter transformer is likely to have in that configuration, but it’s a pretty interesting sounding pedal in any case.
I have had a brief play with it; not a whole lot of knob twiddling … but it does respond very differently depending on where it is in the chain. I first tried it near the top, right after the tuner and H+LPF, where it sounded pretty good while the filter was on, but produced a very loud hum when I switched it off. It was even louder when swapped to right after the tuner. Hmmmm … (pun fully intended).
The least noisy spot is right at the end, between the Magellan pre/DI and the effects return, but seemed to lose some of the “thickening” effect compared to earlier in the chain. So far, best seems to be just before the preamp, after tuner>H+LPF>compressor>OD. Adding boost (whether from the Broughton, the Mira compressor, or the OD run with the gain dialled out) makes a big difference, of course, increasing the saturation to pleasing effect.
It’s clearly a keeper, and I’m now wondering about the effect of adding more transformers in the form of either a Supro OD which has an output transformer with the option of switching between different winding ratios, and/or an Analogworm Orbita (ОРБИТА) 1974 fuzz, a 2-germanium diode fuzzface-type effect with a transformer in the passive pickup emulator, designed to allow the pedal to be elsewhere than right after the instrument. I’m not sure what tonal effect the latter transformer is likely to have in that configuration, but it’s a pretty interesting sounding pedal in any case.
Here's where I have mine in the chain. No noise from mine. The killface pedal that drives it acts like a lpf so I'm not feeding much highs into it (which might explain the no noise). Pedal settings are accurate, this is my pre gig setup.Latest posts
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