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FRONT PANEL
One look at the 2:90's front panel probably told you "easy to use" ... right? We think so... but
after a closer look, you notice three small LED's labeled - "Deep, 1/2 Drive, and Modern."
Since the rest of the Front Panel is virtually self explanatory... let us first explain these three
mystery lights. Following the law of "less is more", we decided that what you can't see can't
confuse you. Spin the 2:90 around. See the box in the lower left corner labeled “Voicing
Switch”? These three jacks are connected to the three mystery lights on the Front Panel.
They each activate one Voicing Feature - and a light! All you have to do is connect any "tip to
ground" switching jack to these and you can audition each of these features individually or
combine them for the most radical tone shaping experience you ever heard come from a
power amp. These Voicings are best suited for distortion sounds, but please... experiment...
clean sounds can become great solo sounds simply by triggering one or more of these
features. Before we go into what each of the voicings are and how to use them, a quick word
on Pre-amps - namely the Pre-amp the 290 was designed to power and enhance. TriAxis.
TriAxis, MESA/Boogie's long awaited all tube Midi Programmable Pre-amp, was designed to
control the voicing features of all MESA "SwitchTrack Stereo amplifiers" and the Simul 2:90
Stereo power amplifier. As well as 8 programmable modes and a programmable effects loop,
TriAxis incorporates a switching Matrix of 4 "collector to ground" type switches that appear on
the TriAxis rear panel as four 1/4" mono jacks labeled “Switch 1-2-3-4”. These jacks can be
activated at the Loop/SW key on the TriAxis Front Panel individually or all at once and then
stored under a preset number. Connect switches 1, 2 & 3 to the 290's voicing features and
you're ready to go. Pressing the key toggles TriAxis' FX Loop and Function Switches through
every possible combination of Loop and Switch. When the LED for the desired function
switch lights up in the lower right corner, you may audition the voicing feature on the power
amp you have chosen with the preset you are currently using on TriAxis. The possibilities are
endless. Any type of cable is fine for this switching operation. It need not be shielded signal
cable.
If all this hidden versatility is a bother to you, guess what... YOU don't have to use the voicing
features and you'll still get the best Tone you've probably ever heard out of your rig. But just
in case you ever get brave or you just want to have some fun exploring... read on.
DEEP
This LED indicates that the Deep function has been activated. To trigger this function - simply
connect one of the TriAxis Switch jacks to the 1/4" jack labeled "Deep" on the jack panel at
the left rear side of the 2:90. Program the TriAxis corresponding switch to be on
under the desired preset. You should now hear the Deep function. The low end fundamental
will get lower and "breathier" and the high end will sound warmer and more three
dimensional. The Deep feature enhances both clean and distorted sounds equally, so
experiment to your liking. NOTE: If you are using the 290 with another Pre-Amp and not a
TriAxis, you may use a standard tip to ground switch to trigger the Deep or any of the three
voicing features.
NOTE: MESA/BOOGIE STUDIO PRE-AMP OWNERS: The Channel Switching jack labeled
"Footswitch” on both front and back panels of your Pre-Amp are wired in parallel. Since you
probably need only one footswitch, the other unused jack could be connected to any of the
three voicing features. The logic may not work to your preference ... but there may be
situations where only one feature is necessary and this trick could be applied.
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