Aion FX Lab Series L5 Preamp

[fuzz]

Build Rating

5.00 star(s)

I went through a preamp phase last month and between this and the IVP Preamp build I think I am set (yea right)

Overall, this was an easy assembly, just a lot of parts. No traces to score for loop wiring, just a crowded PCB.

Swapped the called for 4558 opamps for Burr Browns because I am a cork sniffer, honestly I do not think there is much of a difference.

The only thing that I have not been able to do is set the drive and compressor trim correctly. I have no idea how to do this. My phone doesn’t even have a 3.5mm headphone jack anymore lol.

Channel 1 is a basic vol-treb -mids-bass EQ. You can coax clipping by just playing harder even at low volume levels.

Channel 2 seems to be more customizable, as I believe the EQ is a tilt style EQ. The frequency knob sets the frequency that the mid knob boosts or cuts, a very nice feature.

Compression is a bit non traditional but it’s nice to have. I set it to barely activate, but it can get some squish if set to full.

Overall, a very nice pedal, I love Aion’s stuff. I need to spend time getting the wiring cleaner, as I’m usually pretty impatient at that point of the build. I hate having wires draped all over (you should, and will see my IVP build). But it’s the fastest way to finish up…

 

[rwl]

I feel you on the wiring. I think Aion's wiring guidance also lends itself to longer, messier wires.

 

[HamishR]

Damn!! I think I would be impatient too if I built that!

A relatively easy way to tidy up the wiring might be to disconnect them from the jacks, Feed them underneath the board between the pots and then reconnect them. You might need to remove everything from the enclosure to do it but I doubt it would take long. I suggest disconnecting them from the jacks rather than the PCB.

Another way to keep things neat is to route the wires around the edges of the enclosure using the corners of the box as a guide. I often do this and it usually comes out looking pretty neat. But in your case with this pedal I think using the PCB to hide them would work just as well.

 

[HamishR]

BTW I forget to mention that I really like what you did with the exterior. That's why I posted - and forgot why! It looks killer.

How does it sound? I saw that at Aion and wondered if it might be worth building. I'm better with interiors of pedals than exteriors. I'd love to get the look you have.

 

[fuzz]

@HamishR thanks for the idea's. One issue I also have is the hook up wire is super floppy. I might need something a bit "stiffer" so I can train it to stay put. But I agree, maybe I will run it all under the pcb.

It sounds great. I havent been able to set the distortion and compressor trim pots per the tech docs so I am not sure how "off" I am, but the first channel is very Fender like. Chimey, almost glassy. The second channel is more tunable as the eq it a cut/boot with flat at 12:00.

Thanks for the kind words on the enclosure. It took me a bit to sort out the stamping part, and I gave up on creating artwork for them so into the BBQ they go!

 

[HamishR]

Into the BBQ? Fab! So not only does it look cool it smells like steak!

Floppy wire is why I run it along the corners of the enclosure. If you straighten the wire by running it between your fingers it will usually stay put in the corners. I am a neat freak, but it's also about keeping sensitive wires away from signals on the board. With such low power circuits it's usually not an issue too much but as the gain rises so can interference. I believe that running wires right next to a large grounded surface helps too - although the neat thing is my main concern.

I generally don't use solid wire because it can snap at joints if you're unlucky. So everything is usually stranded wire which is floppy. But there are ways to keep it neat.