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14
Using the Distortion Generator
Start with 'ODD', 'EVEN' and 'STRUCTURE' controls all at "0" and the
'SOFT' and 'POST EQ' switches out. Make sure that the 'OUTPUT' control
is turned up full and that the 'BYPASS' footswitch is off. Press the
'DISTORT' footswitch so the yellow LED lights. At this point there should be
no change in the sound of the guitar.
Advance the 'ODD' control clockwise until the required degree of distortion
and/or sustain is achieved. Try pressing the 'SOFT' switch and listen to the
effect on tone and sustain. Turn the 'STRUCTURE' control clockwise and
hear how the sound changes ("0" has no effect).
Set 'TUNE' and 'Q' controls to "0" and advance the 'EVEN' control. There
should be an apparent increase in the treble content of the distortion. With
higher settings of the 'TUNE' control, the effect will be heard at
progressively higher pitches.
Turn the 'EVEN' and 'Q' controls to maximum: now sweep the 'TUNE'
control and hear the resonant peak moving through the spectrum. This can
be used to emphasize a particular part of the guitar's timbre.
Enhancement
The "Even" section of the Distortion Generator can also be used with a
clean guitar sound, providing harmonic enrichment without apparent
distortion. This is especially useful for acoustic guitars.
Make sure the 'ODD' and 'Q' controls are set to "0" and the 'TUNE' control
to "7". Advance the 'EVEN' control and adjust the 'TUNE' control between
"6" and "10" to change the character of the resulting enhancement.
Then turn up the 'Q' control and use the 'TUNE' control to hunt around for
particular harmonics. With this kind of enhancement you will usually find
that "less is more" and it is as well to keep the 'EVEN' and 'Q' settings fairly
low. It is very easy to add too much harmonic and though the effect can be
Troubleshooting
1) No Power (FOOTSWITCH LEDs don't light up)
Is the power supply plugged in (both ends)?
Is the mains power on?
Has a mains fuse blown?
There is a thermal, self-resetting fuse inside the gbQ. Try
disconnecting the power supply, waiting 5 minutes then trying again.
2) The Input doesn't work
Is the guitar connected to the input jack?
Is the 'INPUT' control turned up enough?
3) The Distortion Generator doesn't work
Is the 'DISTORT' footswitch on (yellow LED lit)?
Is the 'BYPASS' footswitch off (red LED off)?
Is the 'ODD' control turned up enough?
Is there enough signal, as set by the 'INPUT' control, to drive the
Distortion Generator?
4) The Meequalizer doesn't work
Is the 'MEEQUALIZE' footswitch on (green LED lit)?
Is the 'BYPASS' footswitch off (red LED off)?
Is either the LF 'FREQ' too low or the HF 'FREQ' too high?
5) Too much noise
Is the 'INPUT' control too high (eg: the input signal is too small)?
Is the noise already present in the input signal? (Try unplugging the
guitar).
Is the 'OUTPUT' control too high (eg: when lots of "Odd" distortion is
being used)?
6) Sounds (unpleasantly) distorted
Is the 'INPUT' control too high?
Too much boost from the Meequalizer?
15
dramatic at first, it will soon become wearing and contribute to listening
fatigue. If you can hear audible distortion creeping in you are definitely
overdoing it, so turn down the 'EVEN' control and/or raise the 'TUNE'
setting.
Use the 'DISTORT' footswitch to make comparisons between processed
and unprocessed sound. The nature of harmonic enhancement is such
that you may not realize how much effect it is having until you turn it off!
Using the Meequalizer
Always start with the Meequalizer boost/cut controls (LF, MID and HF) set
to "0" (the control knobs set in their center notches). This setting is also
known as "flat".
Make sure that the 'OUTPUT' control is turned up full and
that the 'BYPASS' footswitch is off. Press the
the green LED lights. At this point there should be no change in the sound
of the guitar.
You need to be careful about too much boost, since boosting takes the gbQ
closer to overload. Overload equals distortion but not the good sort! The
gbQ has generous overload margins but when a lot of boost is used, it may
be necessary to compensate by reducing the 'OUTPUT' control or the
'INPUT' control (the latter will affect the "Odd" distortion and sustain
though).
The way to use the LF, MF and HF controls, is to apply quite a lot of boost,
then sweep the frequency until you "tune in" to the sound you are
interested in. Once you find it, adjust the amount of boost or cut to give the
desired effect.
Experiment with combinations of settings of EQ and try to picture how the
audio signal is being affected. Use the 'MEEQUALIZE' footswitch to make
comparisons between EQ'd and non-EQ'd signals.
Technical Specification
Input impedance
Pre-amp gain
Equivalent input noise
Distortion
Frequency response
Maximum input before clipping
Headroom before clipping
EQ Boost and Cut
EQ "Q"
LF Frequency
MF Frequency
HF Frequency
Output gain
Nominal output level
Output impedance
Noise Floor
Power supply voltage
Power supply current
Power consumption
Mechanical
Weight
'MEEQUALIZE'
footswitch so
6.8Mohm
0dB to +20dB (variable)
-92dBu (A-weighted)
0.001% (below Distortion
threshold)
15Hz to 20kHz (-3dB)
+19.5dBu
+19.5dBu
-15dBu to +15dBu (variable)
0.9
(1.6 octaves)
40Hz to 350Hz
(variable)
150Hz to 2.5kHz
(variable)
500Hz to 7kHz
(variable)
-infinity to 0dB (variable)
0dBu
100ohm
-92dBu (typical, with 0dB
Input and 0dB Output gain)
9V to 18V, ac or dc
(12V ac adaptor s
upplied)
270mA max (@ 9Vdc)
2.5W max
220W x 65H x 154D (overall)
1.5 kilo
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