Lighthouse Amplitude Modulating Amplifier The Lighthouse Amplitude Modulating Amplifier is a contemporary take on some of the most beloved tremolo-equipped tube amplifiers of all time. Featuring two tremolo modes, an all-analog signal path, intuitive, flexible controls, and proprietary high-voltage internal power circuitry, the Lighthouse is a sea of tonal inspiration. Not just a tremolo, the Lighthouse is truly an tremolo-equipped amplifier - capable of delivering edge-of-breakup, overdriven pre-amp tones, and everything from heavy, choppy tremolo, to lush, sparkling harmonic modulation. The Lighthouse has two unique modes of tremolo - Harmonic and Bias - as found in various eras of classic tube amps. Unlike other products, the Lighthouse contains a separate, individually-tuned signal path for each mode, allowing them to best capture the sound of their respective style of tremolo. In Harmonic mode, the bass and treble frequencies of your signal are modulated out of phase from one another, giving a lush, vibey sound as they fade in and out. In “Bias” mode, an additional long-tailed pair & push-pull amplifier stage are used to modulate the volume of your entire signal, where the Low-Frequency Oscillator (“LFO”) pushes the amplifier in and out of distortion – just like an old tube amp. The Gain, Presence, and Volume controls act as expected - allowing you to set the pre-amp saturation, overall brightness, and overall output level of the effect. They allow you to dial in the Lighthouse to suit any rig, and get anything from clean, chimey & transparent, to edge-of-breakup, amp-style overdrive. The Tilt EQ and Mix control combine for an array of interesting tonal possibilities. The Mix control allows you to balance the "wet", tremolo signal with the dry, pre-amp tone, varying from 100% dry to 100% wet, with a 50/50 mix at the detent position. The Tilt EQ, which acts only on the wet signal, allows you to darken or brighten the wet signal in contrast to the dry, with a completely flat response at its detent position. The Digital LFO gives you complete control over the Lighthouse's tremolo effect. It features 3 waveforms (Square, Sine, and Sawtooth), rate & intensity controls, as well as two dual-function footswitches for tap tempo and ramping of the tremolo's rate. It also controls the indicator LED, which pulses in time with the LFO's rate, depth, and waveform shape. The right footswitch, in conjunction with the multiplier switch, provides tap tempo. Simply tap the footswitch to the tempo of your tune, and use the multiplier to select between quarter notes (1x), eighth notes (2x), or triplets (3x). Holding down the left or right footswitch enables the ramp function - allowing you to smoothly ramp the tremolo rate down or up, and return to the original setting when released. The left footswitch also toggles the Lighthouse in and out of true bypass when tapped. Combining the two tremolo modes with the three waveforms gives six unique flavors of tremolo. When using bias mode + square wave, you enable "chop" mode, whereby the intensity control varies the duty cycle (the ratio of "on" and "off" time) of the waveform, rather than the depth. This unique control allows you to dial in super choppy trem sounds, or subtle, bouncy, rhythmic pulses that you just can't get with a regular square wave! Like all our pedals, each Lighthouse is proudly hand-assembled in St. John's, NL, Canada, using high-quality, globally sourced components. The High-Voltage Internal Power Circuitry: After 2 years of prototyping and testing, the heart of the Lighthouse is our new, proprietary power circuitry. The pedal accepts any standard 9-24VDC power supply that can deliver at least 100mA of current. That input is internally regulated and boosted into a clean, stable, 30VDC split-rail voltage, which powers the Lighthouse's audio circuitry. This enables the Lighthouse to have super high headroom, and perform exactly the same - no matter what you power it with. The Lighthouse accepts either polarity (i.e. centre-negative or centre-positive) - it handles both just fine! External Controls Controls [Left to Right, top to bottom]: Gain Tilt EQ (wet signal only) Wet/Dry Mix Rate Intensity Volume Presence Wave Switch (Square, Sine, Sawtooth) Mode Switch (Harmonic, Bias) Tap Multiplier Switch (3x, 1x, 2x) Bypass footswitch (hold for ramp down) Tap Tempo footswitch (hold for ramp up) Power Requirements: 9-24 volts DC, center-negative or -positive No 9V battery clip inside. Max current draw: 100mA Proprietary internal power circuitry provides 30VDC split-rail voltage to the Lighthouse's circuitry for high headroom and consistent performance Signal Input Impedance: 1MΩ Signal Output Impedance: 100Ω Top-mounted audio and power jacks Relay-based true bypass switching 100% Analog signal path Digitally-controlled LFO 100% hand-assembled in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador using high-quality components Physical dimensions: 98.5 x 121 x 50mm (3.875" x 4.725" x 1.97") Follow @BennettCustomAudio on social media:
