Electro-Harmonix Lester G User Manual

LESTER G

Deluxe Stereo Rotary Simulator

Congratulations on your purchase of the LESTER G stereo rotary speaker cabinet
simulator! The LESTER G uses the finest rotary speaker simulation available
today, and comes with a variety of deluxe features. Stereo outputs provide a
lush, realistic effect. Tube-emulated overdrive is available with the DRIVE knob,
and speaker mix can be fine-tuned with the BALANCE knob. Switch between
adjustable FAST and SLOW modes for an accurate reproduction of a classic
rotary speaker cabinet’s speed adjustment. An expression pedal jack allows for
fine tuning of the rotation speed with an expression pedal.

The Lester G also features a compression circuit that adds lush sustain to electric
guitar. Using the compressor, the LESTER G provides guitarists with the fat, full
sustain of an organ, to get the most out of the rotating speaker effect.

– CONTROLS –

VOL Knob – Controls the output volume of the LESTER G. As the VOL knob is

turned clockwise, the output volume increases.

SLOW Knob – Varies the speed of the rotating speaker effect when the LESTER
G is in SLOW mode. Turn the SLOW knob up to increase the rotation speed in
SLOW mode. When in the center position, the rotation speed in SLOW mode is
an accurate reproduction of a real rotary speaker cabinet’s slow speed.

FAST Knob – Varies the speed of the rotating speaker effect when the LESTER
G is in FAST mode. Turn the FAST knob up to increase the rotation speed in
FAST mode. When in the center position, the rotation speed in FAST mode is an
accurate reproduction of a real rotary speaker cabinet’s fast speed.

ACCELERATION KNOB – Controls the rate at which the LESTER G transitions
between FAST mode and SLOW mode. As ACCELERATION is turned clockwise,
the rate of change increases. When ACCELERATION is at maximum, the rotating
speaker effect changes from FAST to SLOW mode almost instantaneously. At the
minimum position, the speed change is very gradual. When in the center
position, the LESTER G changes speeds at the same rate a real rotary speaker
cabinet does.

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BALANCE Knob – Controls the mix between the simulator’s low-frequency rotor
and high-frequency horn. Turn the BALANCE knob clockwise to increase the
volume of the horn and decrease the volume of the rotor, yielding a brighter
sound. Turn the BALANCE knob counter-clockwise for a darker sound. Set the
BALANCE knob to the center position to reproduce the natural acoustic balance
of a rotary speaker cabinet.

DRIVE Knob – Controls the amount of overdrive, simulating the tone of an
overdriven rotary speaker cabinet’s tube amplifier. When the DRIVE knob is set
fully counterclockwise, the overdrive effect is bypassed. As the DRIVE knob is
turned clockwise, the amount of overdrive increases.

SUSTAIN Knob – Controls the compression effect. When the SUSTAIN knob is
set fully counterclockwise, the compression effect is bypassed. As the SUSTAIN
knob is turned up, the amount of compression increases.

ATTACK Knob – Controls the amount of attack when using the compressor. As
ATTACK is turned up, the attack time of the compressor increases, resulting in a
more prominent initial transient when a note is plucked.

SQUASH Switch and LED – Selects between two modes of compression:
NORMAL and SQUASH. The SQUASH mode is a compression mode with a higher
compression ratio, resulting in a more dramatic effect. The LED above the switch
will light when you are in SQUASH mode.

BYPASS Footswitch and LED – This footswitch selects whether the LESTER G
is in buffered bypass mode or effect mode. When the LESTER G is in effect
mode, this central LED is lit and pulses between green and orange at the speed
of the low frequency rotor oscillation.

SPEED/BRAKE footswitch – This silent footswitch selects the speed mode of
the LESTER G. Tap the SPEED/BRAKE footswitch to switch between FAST and
SLOW modes. Press and hold the SPEED/BRAKE footswitch for at least half a
second to enter BRAKE mode. See “Operation and Description of Modes” on
page 4 for more information on the speed modes of the LESTER G.

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– CONNECTIONS –

INPUT Jack – This ¼” jack is the audio input of the LESTER G. The input

impedance is 1MΩ.

MONO/L and R OUTPUT Jacks – The LESTER G has true stereo output. The
two ¼” output jacks are labeled MONO/L and R. Connect these jacks to two
separate amps or inputs on a mixing board. If using the LESTER G as a mono
effect, we suggest you use the MONO/L output. The output impedance of each

jack is 220Ω.

EXP Jack – Plug an expression pedal into this jack to control the LESTER G’s
rotation speed. See “Using an Expression Pedal” on the next page for more
information on how to use the expression pedal.

The EXP input jack accepts a TRS expression pedal connector or a Tip-Sleeve 0­5V control voltage input. The expression pedal should ideally use a 10k
potentiometer with linear taper. It must have the wiper connected to TIP and
toe-down connected to RING. Some manufacturers’ pedals do not conform to
this convention and require a special cable/adaptor to swap RING and TIP.
Suggested Expression Pedals: EHX Expression Pedal, M-Audio® EX-P, Moog®
EP-2 & EP-3, Roland® EV-5 or Boss® FV-500L.

9V Power Jack – Plug the output of the LESTER G’s supplied EHX9.6DC 200mA
AC Adapter into the 9V power jack located at the top of the LESTER G. The
LESTER G requires 100mA at 9VDC with a center-negative plug.

– OPERATION AND DESCRIPTION OF MODES –

The LESTER G has three principal modes of operation: FAST, SLOW, and BRAKE,
which simulate the three rotation speeds of a classic rotary speaker cabinet. In
normal operation, quickly tap the SPEED/BRAKE footswitch to switch between
FAST and SLOW modes. Set the FAST and SLOW mode oscillation speeds with
the FAST and SLOW knobs. The oscillation will accelerate or decelerate to the
new mode, and the LED will pulse to indicate the oscillation speed of the low­frequency rotor.

FAST mode – FAST mode oscillates at the fast speed of a rotary speaker unit
for a tremolo-like effect. With the FAST knob at the center position, the high­frequency horn oscillates at 6.2Hz, and the low-frequency rotor oscillates at

5.9Hz. Using the FAST knob, the horn’s rotation can be adjusted between 1.55Hz
and 24.8Hz and the rotor can be adjusted between 1.475Hz and 23.6Hz.

SLOW mode – SLOW mode oscillates at the slow speed of a rotary speaker unit
for a chorale-type effect. With the SLOW knob at the center position, the high­frequency horn oscillates at 0.8Hz, and the low-frequency rotor oscillates at

0.7Hz. Using the SLOW knob, the horn’s rotation can be adjusted between 0.1Hz
and 3.2Hz, and the rotor can be adjusted between 0.0875and 2.8Hz.

BRAKE mode – To enter BRAKE mode, press and hold the SPEED/BRAKE
footswitch for at least half a second, then release it. The LESTER G will gradually
decelerate to a stop, and the bypass LED will hold steady at one color. Once in
BRAKE mode, tap the SPEED/BRAKE footswitch to return to either FAST or SLOW
mode. The LESTER G will return to whichever mode you were in before entering
BRAKE mode.

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