Strymon Lex

112 Guitarist September 2011
STRYMON LEX & TECH 21 ROTOCHOIR £279 & £249
EFFECTS
Tech 21 RotoChoir
ORIGIN: USA
PRICE: £249
TYPE: Rotary speaker
emulation pedal
CONNECTIONS: Standard jack
input and output (mono or stereo
with TRS cable)
CONTROLS: Level, high, low, drive,
position, top speed, speaker sim
switch, bi-amped switch
FOOTSWITCHES: Bypass, fast/slow
POWER: Battery or 9V DC power
from adaptor (not supplied)
DIMENSIONS: 121 (d) x 95 (w)
x 38mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 0.33/0.73
OPTIONAL EXTRAS: None
Rocky Road
01494 535333
www.tech21nyc
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
The Bottom Line
Strymon Lex
We like: Authentic sound;
fast/slow switch; ability to
add expression pedal
We dislike: Access to
secondary functions can
be a bit fiddly
Guitarist says: If you’re
looking for an extremely
natural-sounding rotary
speaker emulation in a
decent-sized stompbox,
you’ll find it in the Lex
Tech 21 RotoChoir
We like: Fast/slow switch;
switchable between Leslie
and vibratone sounds
We dislike: No speed
indication LED; the
unattached battery cover
could well go missing
Guitarist says: Classic
rotary speaker simulation if
you want it but with the ability
to push the boundaries
Verdict
There is no doubt that playing
guitar through a rotary speaker
will give you a multi-faceted
sound with lots of subtle
nuance that is a challenge to
recreate using electronic rather
than electro-mechanical
means. But recreate it we must
if we don’t want to be lugging
huge cabinets around (not to
mention mic’ing them up and
servicing them regularly) and
these two pedals do the job
extremely well.
To our ears, the Lex offers the
most natural representation of
the Leslie speaker sound with a
set of parameters that can
shape the sound exactly to taste
without straying beyond the
boundaries of what the original
is capable of. It’s ideal if you
want to get as close to the real
thing as possible.
The RotoChoir, on the other
hand, has a range of parameter
values that can take the sound
further away from the classic,
though it’s not always pleasant
on the ear, so may appeal to
more adventurous players. As
always, you pays your money
and you takes your choice, but
either of these will provide you
with a practical means of
joining the rotary club.
cabinet’s operation. In fact, it’s
rather difficult to actually dial
in a bad sound.
Tech 21 RotoChoir
Utilising a mix of analogue and
digital technology, the Tech 21
RotoChoir can run from a 9V
battery or alternatively from
a standard BOSS-style power
adaptor. Like the Lex, the
RotoChoir’s two footswitches
offer familiar bypass and fast/
slow functions, but where the
Lex has its extra features
hidden away, the RotoChoir
presents it all to you up front via
a set of six knobs and a pair of
selector buttons.
A Level knob adjusts the
overall output level while the
drive, top speed and position
knobs have similar functions to
the Lex’s preamp drive, fast
rotor speed and mic distance.
Where the Lex has it’s bi-amp
mode and its horn level knob,
both of which can be used to
move towards the sound of a
Fender Vibratone or Leslie that
just has a bottom rotor, the
RotoChoir has a convenient
bi-amped switch. This either
gives you the sound of a
traditional Leslie 122 with the
signal split between the top and
bottom rotors, or the sound of
a full-range bottom rotor as
heard in a Leslie 125 or a
Vibratone. Further variation is
available in the RotoChoir with
high and low active tone
controls, offering both cut and
boost, plus a speaker simulation
switch. This selects between a
sound that Tech 21 says is
“designed with inherently
erratic and irregular peaks,
valleys and notches to give you
that familiar, unique raspy
grind,” and something that’s a
bit more neutral.
Sounds
The RotoChoir’s emulation of
a rotary speaker is convincing,
but where the Lex seems
naturally voiced straight out of
the box, the overall sound of the
RotoChoir is dependent on the
two tone knobs. We assume
that the 12 o’clock position is
the most neutral, although
there’s no notch to mark the
centre setting. Both knobs have
a lot of boost or cut on tap so as
well as just tweaking the sound
to taste it’s possible to dial in
something harsh and spiky. The
drive knob, likewise, has a wide
range of overdrive available
through to a really full-on
distortion. The position knob
for mic distance is also very
effective, especially when
yielding a very pronounced
tremolo pulse at the closest-in
position with the hugely
convenient bi-amp switch
calling up bottom rotor only.
Overall there are some familiar
Leslie and Vibratone sounds on
tap (the manual offers Badge,
Angel and Cold Shot settings
among others) with careful
juxtaposition of the knobs, but
there’s also more extreme stuff
if you want it.
Whereas the Lex has its extra features
hidden away, the RotoChoir presents it
all to you up front with six knobs
The RotoChoir mixes analogue and digital technology
Strymon Lex
ORIGIN: USA
PRICE: £279
TYPE: Rotary speaker
emulation pedal
CONNECTIONS: Standard jack input
and outputs (L and R), Exp pedal input
CONTROLS: Fast rotor speed, horn
level, mic distance, preamp drive, slow
rotor speed, cab direction,
acceleration time, +/- 6dB boost/cut
FOOTSWITCHES: Bypass, slow/fast
POWER: 9V DC power from adaptor
DIMENSIONS: 114 (d) x 102 (w)
x 44.5mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 0.44/0.97
OPTIONAL EXTRAS: Favorite
footswitch (£59.95), expression pedal
MusicPsych Ltd
0207 697 9226
www.strymon.net
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
GIT346.rev_strymon.indd 112 8/11/11 4:28:43 PM