 | |
 | Download Example 1 Channel A; Rate: 8 o'clock, Depth 2 o'clock, Channel B; Rate 4 o'clock, Depth 10 o'clock |
| Download Example 2 Turbo Switch 'On' Channel A; Rate: noon, Depth: 10 o'clock, Channel B: Rate: noon; Depth 4 o'clock |
| All tracks recorded with a humbucker-equipped Gibson Les Paul and a 1966 Fender Bassman | |
Canadian Rock
You can almost distinguish a Radial pedal with your eyes closed. Few stompboxes have the heft of a Radial device, and it instills a lot of confidence in the Vienna’s roadworthiness. Though the somewhat busy graphics and a control set that includes a slider switch, four knobs, and two footswitches makes the pedal look complicated, it’s actually very straightforward and easy to use.
One footswitch engages the effect, while the other switches between the pedal’s two modes. Two knobs are dedicated to each mode, which, like most chorus or vibrato effects, enable control of modulation depth and rate. The slider switch moves between Normal and Turbo settings, which affect the intensity of the modulation.
The Vienna’s dual-mode circuit is designed around NOS Panasonic MN3007 bucket brigade chips from the early ’80s, which gives the pedal a genuine analog chorus pedigree. But you can’t use a 9-volt battery to power the Vienna. To get this unit working, you’ll need a standard Boss-style 9-volt adapter.
Quiet and Clear
I explored the Vienna’s many modulation options using a very clean combination of a blackface Fender Tremolux, a Danelectro Hodad 12-string, and a Rickenbacker 330 run through a JamMan so I could evaluate the Vienna’s dual-mode setup. On its first channel, I dialed in a very mellow, slow chorus and on its second, a fast and deep setting.
Playing a mid-tempo, shoegazey set of arpeggiated chords suited the slow setting perfectly. And the Vienna added a pleasing, hazy swirl that gave the chiming tones of the Rick and the Danelectro a little more body. Once I’d looped the pattern, I kicked on the second channel and added some droning, fast chorused leads over the top. Even in the fairly busy sonic environment I’d just created, the liquid, and delightfully queasy, rotary speaker-like sounds popped out of the mix in brilliant detail.
Switching to the Turbo induced even stronger, more radical modulations that sounded especially demented over the slower loop when I kicked on a Rat I put in front of the Vienna. Even driven with the super-hot Rat-tortured signal, the peaks and sweep of the Vienna’s chorus—often evocative of tape warble—remained intact an detailed.
Radial is famous for their very quiet circuits. And their expertise in creating them for use in acoustic instrument preamps and DI boxes pays off in the Vienna chorus too. The inherent quiet of the signal means you can afford to create more radical modulated environments without losing picking nuance or the sonic qualities of other pedals in a muddy sonic whirlpool. And needless to say, the exceptionally quiet nature of the Vienna makes more delicate and subtle applications of the effect a delight.
The Verdict
Like any Radial box, the Vienna is a top-quality piece of gear that’s built to handle the road, the stage, and the studio. The pedal’s dual-mode design also makes the Vienna a very flexible effect. You can create everything from a lazy, watery rhythm to radically pulsing and acidic leads in the same song on the fly, without changing any settings. And with a circuit this quiet, it’s a pedal you can use with confidence in almost any musical context—especially those calling for a touch of rotary speaker mojo on the cheap or something far more surreal.
Buy if...
you need a sturdy, quiet, roadworthy chorus that can move from subtle to psychedelic with a single stomp.
Skip if...
you can get by with a less flexible digital chorus.
Rating...
Street $159 - Radial Engineering - tonebone.com |
| Tone Games 2010: 30 Stompboxes Reviewed | Next in MODULATION: Tortuga Effects Martini Dual Analog Chorus and Vibrato |
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
STREAM / SHARE / PURCHASE HERE.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
