The LHZ preamp does exactly what the original 80’s HazLabs did: the EQ was specifically tuned for US Spector® basses. The circuit design is unique in that the initial stage greatly boosts the treble before the EQ stage, and then that boost is removed.
This causes the preamp to generate high frequency harmonic content that acts somewhat like an exciter to bring out more detail, particularly when the EQ is boosted.
The end result depends on your playing dynamics. If you play with a light touch, you’ll likely only notice that the EQ range is very complimentary to the bass. (Particularly if you currently have TonePump or EMG preamp and have been struggling to get the EQ dialed in to get that “vintage Spector” tone.)
If you play with a heavier touch, you’ll find it more responsive to dynamics. It’ll feel like there is a very slight amount of compression on the bass, which brings out the articulation of your playing and the natural tonal characteristics of your pickups. That same compression makes the bass “bite” more when you pluck or pick hard and drive the preamp into the non-linear zone.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?
To be clear: it does NOT sound like a compressor. And it does NOT sound like an overdrive where you engage it and it completely sounds different. It’s a subtle difference (probably why there is so much debate over “the HazLab sound” online!) that highly depends on how dynamically you play.
Your bass will still sound just like your bass: it’ll just have more bite and articulation.
When paired with EMG pickups, the LHZ preamp turns the more affordable Spector® models from “great, but not quite a US Spector®” to being sonically equivalent to the high-end US models.
This is why several international touring bassists using Euros, NS2000’s, Rebops, Legends, and Fortes with the LHZ on tour: They don’t have to risk taking their very expensive US models on the road AND they get the same performance and tone out of them.
The HazLabs preamp (that is only sold in the US basses) is definitely one of the variables that make the US models sound different than the European models, and the LHZ allows players to bridge that gap.
HOW DOES IT SOUND ON NON-SPECTOR BASSES?
In late 2023 we had client put an LHZ in his signature Fender Jazz. While we cannot mention his name due to endorsement agreements, his feedback was that it “brought the bass alive” in a way that nothing else did. Since then, word-of-mouth has led to about a third of our clients are using the LHZ in other models.
Today we’re in Alembic, Fender, Ibanez, Ken Smith, Sadowsky, Schecter, Spector, Steinberger, Warwick, and Yamaha basses. We’re even in several Punisher (Gene Simmon’s signature axe) and Specterbacker (clones of Kip WInger’s custom Spector) basses.
To be clear, the LHZ will not make your bass sound like a Spector. If you put it in a Fender, it’s still going to sound like a Fender. However, the LHZ will still add the same dynamic impact, harmonics, and articulation that it adds to a Spector. It’ll bring out the natural characteristics that are already there, and bring them to the forefront.
This is why the HL-1 HAZard LAMPS pedal has become so popular. Musicians who perform with both Spector and non-Spector models asked for a pedal that would give their non-Spector basses the same EQ curve and impact so they could easily switch instruments without having a significant change in EQ or dynamic feel.