Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

2

2ndhandband

New member
OK, I'm tapped. I run a pair of aging Lexicon MPX-G2s for effects. I need to replace these old beasts with something modern of EQUAL QUALITY and a similar feature pack including 4-wire connection. It seems I can get the quality OR the features, but not both. Any ideas???
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

TC G-System? I think it will do everything you want, but I haven't used one personally so I could be wrong.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

devastone said:
TC G-System? I think it will do everything you want, but I haven't used one personally so I could be wrong.
Click to expand...

Not as flexible as the Lexicon, and doesn't have the analog ODs and distortions.

Does it have to be rack?
Click to expand...

Yes. I don't put expensive processors down front of stage where some drunk chick is gonna spill beer on them. But what did you have in mind?

Picture the Eventide Eclipse... but with 4 wire functionality. That's what the MPX-G2 was in it's day. That's what I want. The VintageRevolution PedalPro is super-tempting... programmable analog effects! But certain things... like the delays... still need to be in the digital realm. So spending $2k+ for the PedalPro and still needing another unit for delays and stuff doesn't exactly appeal to me.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

I'm a Pedal guy and if a rack drawer is OK and you like Lexicon algorithms...

Depending on budget look at an Elektron Analog Drive and two Eventide H9s (Max and Core).

Of course, lots of rack gear is available super cheap now, so another Lexicon is probably the way to go.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

PFDarkside said:
I'm a Pedal guy and if a rack drawer is OK and you like Lexicon algorithms...

Depending on budget look at an Elektron Analog Drive and two Eventide H9s (Max and Core).

Of course, lots of rack gear is available super cheap now, so another Lexicon is probably the way to go.
Click to expand...

Naw, the Lexicons are just getting too damn old. Harder and more expensive to get parts, and less reliable. I'm not spending money on more of them.

The rack drawer totally doesn't work for me. If I have a flanger in that rack drawer it's set one way and the only way to change anything is to get in there and twist knobs. I need presets.

The electron/eventide setup isn't a bad idea except then I'd have to run cabling to front of stage for a separate wah pedal... it also doesn't address compression.

See what I'm getting at? For an old rack guy like myself there are fewer and fewer options. I want THIS. I want what I have already, but in a reliable modern package. As it is I really miss the programmable analog FX that were built into my old MP2, but I've retired that unit due to old age. If guitarists hadn't lost their minds around '93 or so the only place you'd see daisy chained pedals is in a museum.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

Axe FX? Or, an FX-8 in the back of the sage with a midi controller? Probably the closest in quality to the old Lexicons in quality of effects, except higher end Eventides.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

OK... here's where I'm at right now.

My FX rig really has not been the same since I retired my MP2 last year; I made extensive use of the onboard analog FX. It was the only chorus or wah I used ever, and I used the tremolo in all cases except when I needed to tap the tempo. Programmable, midi controlled ANALOG effects. Why isn't this now the norm? Anyway, I kind of want that back along with replacing my Lexicons. So I'm taking a hard second look at the Vintage Revolution PedalPro. It's expensive as hell but frankly in my very strong opinion it's what should have replaced stompboxes in the first place. ADA was going in the right direction before that vintage craze in the early 90s destroyed all that was good.

My only issue is that I don't think the PedalPro is going to cut it for my delay needs... some of what I do is not possible in the analog realm. I'm going to have to pony up for a separate delay unit. I'm eyeballing the TC Electronic D2.

So... and I'm probably pissing in the wind here... does anyone have experience with either the D2 or the PedalPro or both? I'm looking at close to $3000 for both of them, but if that puts me into an FX rig that'll get me through the next decade worth of gigging I'll consider it well-spent. I'm going to roll through the summer busy season with what's currently in my racks unless something breaks; summer is never a good time to work new gear into the system. But once things slow down this fall it's going to be time to resolve the situation. I have till then to figure out which way I'm going to jump. So if anyone can comment on these units... or recommend alternatives... it would be appreciated.
 
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Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

devastone said:
TC G-System? I think it will do everything you want, but I haven't used one personally so I could be wrong.
Click to expand...

I played with a guy that had one. It was very nice.

But he replaced that, AND his Mesa Triaxis with a Fractal AxeFX II. Lots of great effects and amp tones.

We A/B'd the two rigs together and it was so close it would hard to tell the difference on stage. I thought the Fractal had better definition.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

DavidRavenMoon said:
I played with a guy that had one. It was very nice.

But he replaced that, AND his Mesa Triaxis with a Fractal AxeFX II. Lots of great effects and amp tones.

We A/B'd the two rigs together and it was so close it would hard to tell the difference on stage. I thought the Fractal had better definition.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Fair enough, but there is zero chance I'm switching to a modeling rig...
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

2ndhandband said:
Fair enough, but there is zero chance I'm switching to a modeling rig...
Click to expand...

A lot of people use them for just the effects.

All my recorded guitar tones are through either a Johnson J-Station or plugins.

My last guitar amp was a Vox VT-80+. My next one will be a Marshall Code 50. I like the versatility of modeling amps. Lots of tones and they don't break your back! Considering lots of people use a clean amp and then pedals for dirt, what's the difference?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

DavidRavenMoon said:
A lot of people use them for just the effects.

All my recorded guitar tones are through either a Johnson J-Station or plugins.

My last guitar amp was a Vox VT-80+. My next one will be a Marshall Code 50. I like the versatility of modeling amps. Lots of tones and they don't break your back! Considering lots of people use a clean amp and then pedals for dirt, what's the difference?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah... I've learned not to get into this discussion. Not for me, man. Glad it works for you. I'm actually looking to make my rig LESS digital, not more. The plan I'm considering will render everything in my rig analog except my delays and my wireless.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

2ndhandband said:
Yeah... I've learned not to get into this discussion. Not for me, man. I'm actually looking to make my rig LESS digital, not more. The plan I'm considering will render everything in my rig analog except my delays and my wireless.
Click to expand...

Sound is sound. If you get a good tone it doesn't matter how you get it. Tubes, solid state, digital.
And the audience can't tell.

I was in one band with a second guitarist. He had a Mesa half stack, and a bunch of pedals. His main tone was an OCD. Live you couldn't even make out what he was playing. It was a lot of mush. My little Vox combo sounded like a Marshall and was very easy to hear every note I was playing. And except for a Vox wah, I had no pedals. It was all in the amp.

Digital doesn't have a tone. Look at CDs. They sound exactly like the source.

I'm 60 years old. I'm tired of the old gear. Lol. I've used it all. I'm also very experimental with tones. And I can't lug heavy amps anymore. [emoji3]

The future is modeling. [emoji6]


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Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

Whenever I outgrow or have to replace old gear, I don't try to replicate the old stuff- for that, just by mint pieces on Ebay. I look at it as an opportunity to create some new sounds and change my way of thinking about this stuff.
EDIT: Just looked at the Vintage Revolution stuff. Wow, they could use someone in industrial design. But I don't see the point of digitally switched analog effects in one box. It seems like it would be easier (and more fun) to collect vintage pedals, stick them in a rack and buy a midi controlled switcher for them.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

Mincer said:
Whenever I outgrow or have to replace old gear, I don't try to replicate the old stuff- for that, just by mint pieces on Ebay. I look at it as an opportunity to create some new sounds and change my way of thinking about this stuff.
EDIT: Just looked at the Vintage Revolution stuff. Wow, they could use someone in industrial design. But I don't see the point of digitally switched analog effects in one box. It seems like it would be easier (and more fun) to collect vintage pedals, stick them in a rack and buy a midi controlled switcher for them.
Click to expand...

Because it's programmable! I can have presets. I can have a heavy flange and a medium flange and a barely there flange all at the tap of a button. I can't do that with pedals. My old MP2 preamp had programmable analog FX and I miss it.

And yeah... I'm pretty set in my ways. It was a major switch for me last year going from a midi-controlled preamp to a head and I still haven't recovered...
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

PFDarkside said:
Curious to see what you end up with.
Click to expand...

I'll let you know. I'm still doing research... I don't wanna replace anything going into summer so I have a few months to decide. But once I settle on a rig I'll post pics and maybe some clips if I'm feeling ambitious.
 
Re: Replacing the Lexicon... any ideas?

2ndhandband said:
Because it's programmable! I can have presets. I can have a heavy flange and a medium flange and a barely there flange all at the tap of a button. I can't do that with pedals. My old MP2 preamp had programmable analog FX and I miss it.

And yeah... I'm pretty set in my ways. It was a major switch for me last year going from a midi-controlled preamp to a head and I still haven't recovered...
Click to expand...

I get it...actually, I am just as particular as the way I want things, too.
 
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