RE: FW Lexicon MPX G2

["Steven" <stevenw@comcen.com.au>]

For your interest,
RE: Lexicon MPX G2,
http://www.loopersdelight.com/tools/MPX-G2/MPX-G2.html

http://www.lexicon.com/MPXG2/

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Lexicon/MPX_G2-01.html

This question was asked privately, but I figured some others on the list's
would be very interested in my G2 opinions.

Chuck wrote:
I am just curious if you can provide any opinions on the Lexicon MPX G2s
guitar inputs.
 I plan on getting one of these.  Even in the
wired bypass mode is there noticeable coloration?


Well, let me start off by recommending against the Lexicon MPX G2.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy one.
In short, I've had it for a year and I've only
recently figured out how to make it sound good, and I'm using it in a way
totally different from how it was intended.

To answer your question about the input buffer: despite what the literature
on the G2 seems to indicate, the "hard wire bypass" does NOT bypass the
input buffer on the G2. For me, that's a deal breaker right there. The most
sensitive part of a guitar rig to my ears is whatever is between the guitar
and the amp input. I think my detection of tonal changes has improved over
the years, but the very first thing I noticed after getting my first tube
amp is that stomp boxes (crybaby wah, at the time) without true bypass have
a noticable effect on the tone. If you're someone who's thinking "true
bypass ONLY between the guitar and amp," then you shouldn't get the G2.
If you're not a purist, then I think you'll find the buffer on the G2 is 
not
that bad. It's certainly easier to listen to than the tube buffer in the
Valvulator. I actually had to do lengthy A/B comparison with the G2 to
really figure out how much it effected the tone. One trick with the input 
on
the G2 is setting the levels correctly, but we'll get to that.

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T BUY THE LEXICON MPX G2:

It's not worth the money, and it doesn't work very well the way it's
intended to.
First of all, if you use the G2 for most or all of your effects, then it's
definitely easy to route everything and all, but the digital nature of the
sound adds up quickly as you add more effects. For me, three effects is
about my limit of tolerance. Seeing as how the G2 can only do six or seven
effects at once, that's not bad, but there are other Lexicon products that
are much cheaper and will let you set up the same effects.

Second, there's the input buffer, which is not true bypass, and the
difference is enough for me to not use it. So that's pretty much half of 
the
G2 that I don't use. I would have sold the G2 and bought a Lexicon MPX1 by
now, if it weren't for the fact that I'd lose money on the deal, and the
MPX1 is basically the same as the G2 without the guitar input section.

Third, the "post gain DSP" effect stage on the G2 is supposed to go in
 between your preamp and power amp (in the effect loop), and provide your
reverb and chorus and delay and what-not. The problem is that Lexicon is a
studio processing company first, so all their 'post gain' effects are
designed with studio use in mind. They sound best with full range
reproduction, but if you take their world-famous reverb and put it through 
a
guitar power amp and guitar speaker, you get ASS. And I don't just mean a
little bit.. we're talking about a real big ass. Same with their chorus and
flanger. The chorus sounds divine with full-range reproduction, but through
a guitar speaker, it sucks.

Fourth, the continous controller support on the G2 is so slow that you 
can't
really use the pedal wah effects at all, and the "whammy pedal" pitch
effects are only slightly more useful. The wah is also clearly a digital
sound, and even a basic Dunlop Crybaby kicks the ass off the G2 wah.

Fifth, level setting is a bitch and a half with this box, and the gain
structure doesn't really work out. There's not much headroom, when you get
right down to it, and each digital effect you add in the chain reduces the
output level slightly. This is a REAL pain in the ass, but once again it's
indicative of a more studio-oriented design.

In summary, about half the effects in the G2 are designed for use between
the gutiar and the amp, but the fact that they're digital and there's no
true bypass means that your sound is going to suffer pretty badly. You'd do
much better to buy a couple analog pedals with true bypass, and you might
even spend less money!
The other half of the effects are supposed to go in your amp's effect loop,
but since they're optimised for studio use they sound terrible in an effect
loop. If you want to run effects AFTER your speaker and mic or a speaker
simulator (maybe even with a mixer in place like Maarten's rig), then there
are many other cheaper Lexicon producs to choose from that offer AMAZING
reverb and great chorus and other stuff.

Look at the Digitech 2120 or the Rocktron Intellifex instead, and probably
give up on the idea of having one box handle all your effect needs. The G2
just costs way too much money for all that it doesn't do right.

Toad