Mesa Lonestar Special 1x12 combo - Relay switching

prsaxeman

Member
If anyone has the Lonestar Special 1x12 combo (50/100W switchable, 2 channel amp with Solo boost), I contacted Mesa this morning to ask about relay switching and it's all good. Just tried it with a TRS-TRS cable and it works great, nothing blew up and I don't have to sell a kidney to buy a new amp or FX8. However, I am having snags getting any sort of constant pattern going here.

Given, this is not earth shatteringly important or significant, but if you do have this same amp, at least you now know you're good to go with Relay switching, especially if, like me, you have been dreading this moment more than your teenage daughter bringing home her first boyfriend.
 
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If anyone has the Lonestar Special 1x12 combo (50/100W switchable, 2 channel amp with Solo boost), I contacted Mesa this morning to ask about relay switching and it's all good. Just tried it with a TRS-TRS cable and it works great, nothing blew up and I don't have to sell a kidney to buy a new amp or FX8.

Given, this is not earth shatteringly important or significant, but if you do have this same amp, at least you now know you're good to go with Relay switching, especially if, like me, you have been dreading this moment more than your teenage daughter bringing home her first boyfriend.

I have a Lonestar classic myself and I've been wondering the same. I spoke to Ron from RJM and he told me how to setup a Switch gizmo to use chan switching, reverb and the solo function. Can I just use the FX8 to use all 3 functions?
 
I have a Lonestar classic myself and I've been wondering the same. I spoke to Ron from RJM and he told me how to setup a Switch gizmo to use chan switching, reverb and the solo function. Can I just use the FX8 to use all 3 functions?

Paul

The guy at Mesa told me that I should be able to control both channels (Clean and Drive) and the Solo function. I would only think that we can do a choice of one the following: 1. Clean, 2. Clean plus Solo boost, 3. Drive, 4. Drive plus Solo boost, although I had 3 different things going on dependent upon whether I had the Relay Block disengaged (bypassed), engaged (X) or engaged (Y).
I'll have a play and see what I can get.
 
Paul

The guy at Mesa told me that I should be able to control both channels (Clean and Drive) and the Solo function. I would only think that we can do a choice of one the following: 1. Clean, 2. Clean plus Solo boost, 3. Drive, 4. Drive plus Solo boost, although I had 3 different things going on dependent upon whether I had the Relay Block disengaged (bypassed), engaged (X) or engaged (Y).
I'll have a play and see what I can get.

I've been having a play and it looks like it can switch everything. I have 2 relay blocks added to my preset, I can control the solo function from one relay and the reverb from the other. Scenes would work the same way I'm guessing just select what you want on tip, ring or both which would switch chan 2 and the solo function from one relay.

Although the reverb is on via the amp it shows as off on the FX8 and vice versa. I guess its the way its wired. If there was an invert function that would be cool. You get them on the RJM stuff. It should all work with scenes as well.

I'm gonna have another test when I get my other snake which has an extra TRS tail on I'm sure it will work though. Looks like I don't need my RJM Switch Gizmo at all now. That was a mistake buying that. Oh well my fault.
 
I've been having a play and it looks like it can switch everything. I have 2 relay blocks added to my preset, I can control the solo function from one relay and the reverb from the other. Scenes would work the same way I'm guessing just select what you want on tip, ring or both which would switch chan 2 and the solo function from one relay.

Although the reverb is on via the amp it shows as off on the FX8 and vice versa. I guess its the way its wired. If there was an invert function that would be cool. You get them on the RJM stuff. It should all work with scenes as well.

I'm gonna have another test when I get my other snake which has an extra TRS tail on I'm sure it will work though. Looks like I don't need my RJM Switch Gizmo at all now. That was a mistake buying that. Oh well my fault.

Well I'm baffled, because it doesn't seem to matter what I set on the Relay page (Tip, Ring or Both) there aren't any constants or set patterns to what the Mesa is doing. I'll set Tip and step through all the combos (Bypassed, X, Y), then Ring (Bypassed, X, Y) then Both (Bypassed, X, Y) and although I can get every combination (Clean, Drive, Clean with boost, Drive with boost) there is no repetition or set pattern, I'm really confused. I'm using a TRS - TRS cable.
 
Please can you help me to connect the Mesa Lonestar to FX8 with cable ad program the relay switching ?
I'm new with this pedalboard and i need you explain me stap by step the procedure.
Thank's
tony
 
Did you read the manual? It looks pretty straightforward. Select SW (middle position) on channel select. 1 single TRS controls the channels. No relay, will be one setting, tip one, sleeve one, both one? perhaps, but it certainly won't be random.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/media/User Manuals/LoneStar-10w.pdf

Read your manual. Read it again. If you still don't understand, do some more research, and read it again.
 
I think I asked you to drive me step by step to control (channel and solo) of mesa lonestar through FX8.
as I said I never used the digital unit and does not know any procedure.
If I had thought the manual clear enough I would have done alone.
So if you want help me to do this will be appreciated.
 
For me it looks like Relay 1 on the FX8 TRS to the channel relay on the lonestar (TRS). I think the solo boost is just a ts -> ts, you could plug that into relay 2. So stereo cable relay one to channel switcher, probably no none = clean, ,tip = something, relay = something
relay 2 - none = no boost, tip = boost.

The manual does cover this clearly. See page 14 of your manual.

BTW I don't have a mesa Lonestar, and have never seen one, so i'm entirely basing this on the manual, which does tell me exactly what I told you. I do not know for sure if this is correct, but you should be able to figure it out by using 1 relay at a time, get the channel switching working, then do the boost as another channel. You theoretically could use a TRS insert y cable for the boost, leaving another free relay control, if the mesa has another controllable relay (reverb perhaps?)
 
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