1/2 DRIVE
Like Deep, this LED indicates the 1/2 Drive mode has been selected. Again - connect the TriAxis switch jack to the 1/2 Drive jack on the rear left of the 290. Program it to be activated under the desired preset. When 1/2 drive is activated the 2:90's overall output is reduced by roughly half and you will hear the volume drop correspondingly. Notice that the top end gets a little brighter in a higher frequency and just starts to break up. When listening to 1/2 Drive pushing a clean sound these break-up brights may seem excessive. Switching to a high gain sound however, tells the real story right away! The top end gets softer and the harmonies line up and start to dance. The whole amp gets spongier and feels easier to play. When using 1/2 Drive for giant crunch chords it provides the haze that's hard to beat, especially when used in conjunction with the Deep feature. Half Drive was originally conceived as a way to get more gain from the power section to combine with high gain sounds in the preamp. This works beautifully. There is, however, another great way to put this feature to work that is easily overlooked. Dial up a clean sound from the pre-amp, then increase the front end gain as high as possible without pushing it into full blown distortion ... you know, just to the threshold of distortion. Trigger the 112 Drive to unleash a truly cool and bluesy medium gain lead sound. Darken or brighten to taste either at the tone controls or with the 2:90 presence controls. With an "analog" (non-programmable) pre-amp this becomes a useful "extra mode". With TriAxis many such possibilities await. As we mentioned earlier, engaging the 1/2 Drive causes a volume decrease. This is a possible problem only to non-TriAxis owners. Since the 2:90 was, from its inception, the TriAxis counterpart in a "system" to other pre-amp owners, we now apologize for any inconvenience and hope you make a B-line to your nearest MESA/Boogie Pro Center straight away to hear the TriAxis. To all you TriAxis owners, you will soon find this "could be fault" a truly great feature! You've now doubled all your great programs at lower volumes, great for choruses where the vocal needs to stand out but you want more gain or "intensity". Or you might program the TriAxis Master higher and whip the 2:90 in 1/2 Drive harder for that extra grind when moshing. Whatever your individual application, 1/2 Drive will enhance the 2:90's already toneful nature greatly.
MODERN
Again, this LED indicates the Modern voicing feature has been selected. Derived from the presence shift switches found on our Mark IV amplifier, and the "Red" or Modern Channel of our Dual Rectifier Solo Head, this sound pushes at the boundaries of today's high gain crunch. To the tame and timid, Modern is a scary sound. It is the opposite of soft... it's hard...
hard core aggression. If you love to get way agro with super gained out crunch, Modern will re-focus your attack and clean up the slop. Often times when trying to dial the amount of gain necessary to get the scream and grind... you quickly find the low notes falling apart or becoming too washy. Modern is the cure for "anemic chunk”. It places emphasis on the percussive mids and highs and tightens those flubby lows where they tighten up right at the power section. Modern also provides a little more headroom resulting in a volume increase. When Modern is used in conjunction with Half Drive there is virtually no volume change and the benefits of both are incorporated to achieve more gain, more aggression, more harmonics, more scoop, more attack etc. Then try the ultimate enhancement Deep, Half Drive and Modern! We'll spare the adjectives ... just try it out and you'll see why we think this is the most advanced and easiest to use two spaces of Tone Power on the planet.
