aion Lab Series Manual - Page 2
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Print PageTABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Project Overview
3 Usage & Circuit Design Notes
INTRODUCTION
The L5 Preamp is a pedal conversion of the preamp of the Lab Series® L5 guitar amplifier, a Moog-
designed solid-state amplifier from the late 1970s that is widely considered the best and most tube-like
solid-state amplifier ever made. It has two channels which are both merged into a shared distortion/
master volume circuit as well as a compressor/limiter.
The original amps had the preamp integrated with the power amp. By splitting out the preamp, we can
use this either as a normal pedal in a chain (e.g. tuner → overdrive → L5 Preamp → modulation / delay
→ amp input) or as a true preamp by plugging its output straight into a power amp (either a dedicated
power amp or just the "return" jack of an amp with an effects loop). The main difference will be the
volume setting. It's capable of enormous signal levels, far more than any stompbox-so if you're using it
like a pedal, it's normal to keep the master volume down really low.
The updated L5 Preamp is a full redesign of our
it's much easier to build, with greatly simplified wiring and a cleaner layout. It also now runs on standard
9V DC power instead of AC like our earlier one.
There are also a few circuit tweaks. The first is a new feature: making the Multifilter section switchable
so that it can be applied to either channel. There's still only one of them, but now people who prefer
channel 1 can also experience the unique sounds of the multifilter.
The second tweak was to reconfigure the input op-amp stages as non-inverting, which cuts down on
noise and is typically viewed as better design practice. We've done simulations and A/B tests to ensure
the tone is unchanged.
The third change is to remove the hi/lo switches for each channel, which corresponded to the hi/lo
inputs in the original amp, and hardwired it to "Lo" mode (i.e. the one intended for low-level signals,
providing more gain boost at the input). The only function of the "Hi" input was to attenuate the input,
but the attenuated input sounds dull and lifeless in nearly any normal use case. You'll generally get
better results just turning down the channel volume if the "Lo" input is too hot with your instrument.
®
Lab Series
is a registered trademark of Gibson Brands. Use of the Lab Series name is not endorsed by Gibson
and is used for comparative purposes only.
L5 PREAMP
20 Licensing
original project from
2016. The biggest difference is that
2