Lexicon MPX-500?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 30 Apr 2001 7:00 am

I use a Lexicon MPX-100 and I'm happy with the sound, but the lack of a display panel bothers me. It's hard to tell what's going on. Also, I have to adjust the Mix control whenever I switch to Rotary, and I can't combine Rotary with any other effects.

I see that AMS has the MPX-500 on sale for $400. Does anyone here have any experience with the unit? Is it as easy to use on stage as the MPX-100?

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 03 May 2001 at 09:23 AM.]

Rick Barber · Post by **Rick Barber** » 30 Apr 2001 7:49 am

Bobby Lee,

I was considering actually the MPX-1 which www.8thstreet.com has for what looks like $649. new.

Personally what I would do is call the support line at Lexicon (hopefully an 800 number) and let them compare the 500 and the MPX-1. www.lexicon.com

I remember when the 500 came out --- I still had my heart set on the MPX-1 for my purposes.

Later,
Rick Barber

SveinungL · Post by **SveinungL** » 30 Apr 2001 1:14 pm

I use the MPX 500 and I think it is great!
I'm not a fan of lots of effects on steel so to me it's importaint that the straight forward sound with revreb sounds fine.
It sounds great with just the reverb or delay (or both), and I sometimes throw in some light chorus as well, which also is a nice sounding effect. Espesially in stereo (which I'm running.)

To operate the unit on stage is easy. You just dial the "program-knob" till you find the program you're looking for. The display is clear and easy to see. Of course you'll have to have the unit in an angle so that the display will show clearly.

I use: Mesa Boogie studio preamp, Lexicon MPX-500, MosValve 500, two Mesa Boogie cabinets loaded with EV Black Shadow 1x12" speakers.
This all works great for me!

------------------
Thanks SveinungL - Norway
----------------
Kentucky Riders

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 30 Apr 2001 1:14 pm

Hi Guys,

I have had both units hooked up in my house and have played around with both. The 500 will give you quicker control over the settings but not as complete control as the MPX-1 will. The 500 without a doubt will be easier to modify on stage than the MPX. There are a couple of parameters of the MPX that you can change quickly as well but depending on the change the 500 will be easier to operate in a pressure situation. Both units sound extremely good and you can't go wrong with either one.

The 500 has 4 knobs that allow you to quickly change the settings; the MPX has a screen LED readout and you have to navigate through those screens to change certain things. Basic things like wet/dry level can be changed quickly on either box.

Regards,

Mark T.
[This message was edited by mtulbert on 30 April 2001 at 02:16 PM.]

Larry Clark · Post by **Larry Clark** » 30 Apr 2001 1:19 pm

Just to make things more confusing,Lexicon has an MPX 200 which should be around $300.00

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 30 Apr 2001 3:18 pm

Besides the effects (which are great!), here are the things I like about the MPX-100: <ul>
[*]The Output Level knob. I actually use this as my main volume control most of the time.
[*]The Mix control. I can increase or decrease the amount of effect while I'm playing without changing patches or parameters.
[*]The ease of changing effects. I have all of my favorites in the user bank. One know does it all.
[*]The tap button (naturally).[/list]Would I lose any of these with the MPX-500?

My biggest gripe with the unit is that I have to turn up the Mix knob to full effect when I switch to a Rotary effect. The dry signal should not be mixed with rotary if you really want a rotating speaker effect. So it takes two moves to turn Rotary on or off, which can be pretty awkward in the middle of a song, especially if you only have one beat to do it.

Does the MPX-500 allow you set a predefined Mix level for each user preset, and then allow it to be overridden with a Mix knob?

My other gripe is the lack of a display panel, which the MPX-500 fixes.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 1 May 2001 8:09 am

Bob,
I use the MPX 500 in my rack set up.

* The Output Level knob. I actually use this as my main volume control most of the time.

I don't think that is a good idea with the 500.

All the other features you like will work fine.

Does the MPX-500 allow you set a predefined Mix level for each user preset, and then allow it to be overridden with a Mix knob

yes.

The 500 is a souped up 100.

Bob

Gary Peaslee · Post by **Gary Peaslee** » 1 May 2001 8:46 am

I just bought a mint condition MPX1 only 2 months old on ebay for $450. They have been selling for $450 - $500. This is not much more than you are willing to spend on the MPX500. The lowest price for a new MPX1 is $619 at www.aplusguitars.com.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 1 May 2001 8:48 am

Why do you say that using the output level as a volume control is a bad idea, Bob?

In my setup, I set the global volume for the room with the power amp, and use the output level of the MPX-100 to get the exact volume I need. That way I'm not changing the gain charactistics of the tube preamp or the tube power amp.

Is there something different about the MPX-500 in this respect that I should be aware of?

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 1 May 2001 9:48 pm

I put the Lexicon after my pre amp and before my power amp. I have not used the 100 so I don't know what the differences are in output/input level stuff with them. It seems that the 500 was made to be used as an outboard reverb for the most part. It took a good deal of tweaking to find the right levels of input and output to get a clean and strong signal from it.

The reason I don't use the output level control on the Lexicon(or any fx) for volume is it changes the signal to noise ratio in my overall set up.

Overall I'm very happy with it. I don't use Lexicon gear for leslie fx. All the multi box things just mix stereo chorus or flange with trem to get a leslie sound. I'm spoiled by my H&K tube rotosphere stomp box for leslie.

Bob

[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 02 May 2001 at 06:53 AM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 2 May 2001 7:15 am

I see that there's a chip upgrade for the MPX-500 that includes a new compressor effect. Have you installed it yet, Bob?

I really like the rotary effect in the MPX-100. I don't think it's related to the chorus/flange effects. They use doubling and pitch-shifting, which I hate and can spot a mile away. The rotary effect in the MPX-100 sounds more like a variation on the auto-pan effect. I've been assuming that the MPX-500 would have the same algorithm. Wrong?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 2 May 2001 7:19 am

By the way, I use the MPX-100 in the effects loop of my Real Tube II preamp. The output level knob doesn't change the S/N ratio of the rig in that position. I never touch the input level (it's set just right!), and I'm very cautious when using the various volume controls on the preamp.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 2 May 2001 5:46 pm

Hi bOb:
I believe AMS has a 30 day no questions asked return policy, as that would give you a chance to test drive the unit with no risk if it doesn't work out for you.

I wish someone would make a no brainer digital processor with knobs that emulates a Fendery spring reverb sound and a delay and that's all.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 2 May 2001 8:26 pm

Bob,
Check out the H&K tube rotosphere and let us know what you think. If you are happy with how your MPX 100 sounds why mess with it ?

I think alot of the new stomp boxes for individual FX are worth checking out.

Bob

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 2 May 2001 10:29 pm

Bob,

The lack of a front panel makes the MPX-100 really hard to program. You have to have a manual handy, and keep notes about what your user patches do. Also, switching the rotary sound on and off is really awkward, because I have to change the patch number and the Mix knob.

I do really like the MPX-100 for its sounds and ease of use onstage (except for the rotary hassle). It's just that I like to be able to see what I'm doing when I'm putting together new patches. I'd also like to know what's in my user bank when I change patches. At this point all I have are short descriptions on a "cheat sheet" that I carry with me.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 3 May 2001 6:30 am

Bob,
In that case you may want to pick up a 500. The programing is pretty easy. Also I am not sure if it was in my imagination or not but it seemed to me that the 500 sounds a little bit better than the 100. I tried them both out and the 500 seemed to be more transparent, smoother and maybe a little richer sounding. You can dig pretty deep into the editing and set up a bank of user presets.

Bob

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 3 May 2001 8:22 am

None of the pictures I see online show the front panel very well. Is there an Output Level knob? Is there a Mix knob?

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 3 May 2001 8:52 am

Is there an Output Level knob?

Nope

Is there a Mix knob?

yes...sorta
There are 4 large edit knobs and one of them is generally allocated to the mix function. These 4 front panel knobs have real time control over different aspects of whatever patch you are in.

Bob

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 7 May 2001 3:08 pm

Well, the bottom line is that I've decided not to get one. The MPX-100 sounds good enough, and I think I'd really miss that output level knob.

The fact that Bob was not impressed with the rotary sound of the MPX-500 has me nervous, too. I'm getting a real good leslie effect out of my rig - not at all like a flange - and I don't want to risk losing it.

I took that tax return money and upgraded my home computer instead.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

BobG · Post by **BobG** » 8 May 2001 11:54 am

Congrads' on getting to use your tax return money.... Unfortunately my wife got to the mail before I did...

Grayson Joe · Post by **Grayson Joe** » 9 May 2001 12:32 pm

Bobby, i tryed one of those mpx-500,it had some good settings for the steel, but i found it to be noisey on raiseing the out-put gain,however, you can fine-tune your delay timeing one notch at a time, where as you can,t do this with the 100, but to me the 100 is better on stage on shapeing your effects, if you are useing two amps. i,v found useing the Ibanez A.D.-99 Analog delay going in one amp.for your delay and useing a mpx-100 or a lexicon LXP-1 for your reverb in the other amp. this way you you can be wet in both sides or dry on one side. a Analog delay to me, give,s a far better warmer tone than Digital delay. i use the Lxp-1 and the AD-99 Analog delay with a session-400 limited with the Lemay Mod. and the old LTD-400 amps. i,v had a lot of comments on my tone and effects.

------------------
Joe Grayson,Monticello ms

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 9 May 2001 3:22 pm

I've had a lot of comments on my tone and effects.

Me too. They usually say something like "Your sound sucks!"

Seriously, I'm trying to keep the setup as simple as possible. I just use the preamp, the MPX-100 with a handful of custom presets, and a stereo power amp. Since everything is wired into the rack, my setup and teardown time is real minimal.

My tax return came in on automatic deposit, and Mrs. Lee was out of town. She'll get half of it anyway, though. Fair's fair.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 9 May 2001 5:31 pm

Bob you might want to try the Boss VF-1. It is a lot like the Profex II in as much as you can use it direct to the power amp in on a nashville 400. All the settings can be adjusted and it has a tuner with a digital display meter with needle. You can get it from AMS and try it for a month and if you don't send it back. I have had mine for a couple of weeks and used it on a jam last nite. I thought it was very good and easy to modify. It has more adjustments to all the settings than I see on the Profex and extremely easy to tweak on the job. Its in the AMS catalog for $400. I also have a Lex MPX 100 and I like the VF 1 much better. It allows setting all the parameters like the volume on all the effects and has 200 user presets if anyone needs that many. It is like the Profex in as much as it is primarly for lead guitar but can be tamed down for use with steel.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 10 May 2001 8:57 am

Does it have a tempo tap button?

Does it have a good sounding rotary effect?

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 10 May 2001 12:46 pm

b0b, I do not find a tap time in the manual like the lexicon has. It does have a good rotary. It has a tape echo which simulates a 3 head tape playback. It also has amp and speaker simulators, but I have not had a chance to check them out. I really like the 1/2 rack size as it lets me attach it to the leg on my steel. Real handy to make adjustments. I may have a Profex for sale soon, after I had a chance to use it more. The programing is really easy. I would suggest going to the Boss website and check it out. http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/en