Super Fatman or Wonderlove

MilkyMcMilkMilk · #1 10-07-2012, 07:54 PM

$280 what would you buy,
WMD Super Fatman or 3Leaf Audio Wonderlove?

I'm a fan of 3leaf, I own the Proton and it's great.
It's simplicity is part of it's greatness. But i owned a GR1
It didn't really do it for me, however it is actually a really nice pedal. I've never tried the GR2, not sure how much different it really is than the GR1.

But the WMD has so many knobs and switches, seems hard to get more sounds out of anything other than that pedal.

HolmeBass · #2 10-07-2012, 08:06 PM

If you really want control(s), check out SubDecay's Prometheus.

DannDubblewe · #3 10-07-2012, 08:40 PM

WMD has a few issues that either really bug you or don't, mainly the intense popping sound from the toggle switches/rotary when changing them while the effect is engaged, the hiss older circuits produce (apparently the newer ones have an updated circuit with less noise) and the tendency for the envelope to "fart out" or distort. All those aside it's an insanely good filter pedal.

I moved from that to the Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe which has fewer controls but CRAZY amounts of versatility in the control's sweep. Both are intensely good. Also, haven't tried the Prometheus but have heard ggrreeaatt things about it.

sillyfabe · #4 10-28-2012, 08:53 PM

BUMP! Curious on this as well as I've been looking at both (might have to just get both!)

NedZ · #5 10-29-2012, 04:37 AM

The thing that bugs me with all these filter pedals is that none of them has an output volume control while, due to their very nature, they need to deal with peak issues. For me, as simple as it is, such a control would make the difference.

Btw, if versatility is what you're after, Prometheus DLX should make you more than happy though it is out of your price range and still lacks the volume control! :s

Spencer! · #6 10-29-2012, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NedZ

The thing that bugs me with all these filter pedals is that none of them has an output volume control while, due to their very nature, they need to deal with peak issues. For me, as simple as it is, such a control would make the difference.

The Wonderlove has an output boost control.

phangtonpower · #7 03-13-2013, 11:21 PM

Since the wonderlove has been out for a while now I want to bump this thread for opinions for people that have had a chance to use both.

MSUsousaphone · #8 03-13-2013, 11:36 PM

I know not of these pedals.....but the Robot Factory Brain Freeze is sechs in a box.

phangtonpower · #9 03-14-2013, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSUsousaphone

I know not of these pedals.....but the Robot Factory Brain Freeze is sechs in a box.

I did really want a meatwad, but is Robot Factory still around. I tried contacting mario a few times, but no response.

bongomania · #10 03-14-2013, 04:09 AM

Mario's lack of communication is a recurring problem. By recent accounts he is still in business, and there are at least a couple recent happy customers; but you're not the first person to wonder if Mario fell off the face of the earth.

I have a custom tremolo by him that is amazing.

phangtonpower · #11 03-14-2013, 04:30 AM

Unfortunately he's had nothing for sale on his website or ebay for a while, so the meatwad is out of the question for now :/ The wonderlove is temporarily out of production, but at least Spencer keeps people updated.

Anyone with input for the other two pedals?

**mjac28** · #12 03-14-2013, 04:34 AM

The pedal business seems to be extremely tough? I'm retired and I know business so I would love to get some of these pedal makers under one roof and take care of the small stuff so they can go wild with creativity make great products and keep the customers happy. I love Fuzzroucious and Darkglass they seem to have fiqured it out.

phangtonpower · #13 03-14-2013, 04:41 AM

Sounds like your the man to bring them all under one roof since your retired mjac

I built a wooly mammoth clone and one of my friends here in Japan suggested I start a pedal business, and I was like "NO!".

**mjac28** · #14 03-14-2013, 04:59 AM

There are so many brilliant people out there who just can't handle the business end of things and they fail and it's a shame because all of us suffer. The boutique pedal business is tough and profit margins are slim it only takes one or two missteps with the public and you are out of business.

Spencer! · #15 03-14-2013, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phangtonpower

Unfortunately he's had nothing for sale on his website or ebay for a while, so the meatwad is out of the question for now :/ The wonderlove is temporarily out of production, but at least Spencer keeps people updated.

Anyone with input for the other two pedals?

The Wonderlove is in production - I'm just having trouble finding a new finisher. Parts are on the way with the finish TBD.

Matt Dean · #16 03-14-2013, 11:42 AM

I can't say much about the Fatman, but I'm loving the Wonderlove.

bludog · #17 03-14-2013, 11:46 AM

One of the best features of the WL (and the GR2) is the effects loop. Sounds great regardless but the added functionality of the loop is amazing.

HolmeBass · #18 03-14-2013, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannDubblewe

WMD has a few issues that either really bug you or don't, mainly the intense popping sound from the toggle switches/rotary when changing them while the effect is engaged, the hiss older circuits produce (apparently the newer ones have an updated circuit with less noise) and the tendency for the envelope to "fart out" or distort. All those aside it's an insanely good filter pedal.

I moved from that to the Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe which has fewer controls but CRAZY amounts of versatility in the control's sweep. Both are intensely good. Also, haven't tried the Prometheus but have heard ggrreeaatt things about it.

I have to agree with this assessment of the Superfatman. I would add that the way frequency center and range are both organized into presets on the "mode" selector switch is a bit limiting. It would be nice to be able to specify frequency center and freq. sweep range (around that center, or perhaps starting freq) separately.

Beyond those specific issues with the WMD, and I think even more importantly, different EFs just sound different. I have not been able to cop the sounds my Proton makes with the WMD, nor get the Proton to do what the WMD does on the EF side (of course the Proton doesn't even have an LFO for 'out-of-envelope' modulation).

I guess what I am trying to say is that the difference in sound between different EFs is probably greater than the difference in control affordances. Just like fuzz each pedal has a certain tone-home (or with EFs, a family of tone homes, one for up sweeps and one for down sweeps) that you're either going to like or not, regardless of controls and manipulation.

I am going to pass on the WMD myself, even though I've gotten some cool sounds out of it, it seemed to take a lot of tweaking and I've had a number of near-misses, in terms of things that sounded great on their own but didn't really come through on stage. The reality is that I could see another player finding the WMD to be exactly his perfect EF. So in the end- I am not offering much help! Lol.

MilkyMcMilkMilk · #19 03-14-2013, 03:39 PM

I was able to get the Superfatman in a good trade. Definitely love that pedal.
If I didn't have 5 other filters I'd want a wonderlove too. But at this point it's just getting unneedingly excessive

tlaubs · #20 03-14-2013, 08:44 PM

I've had both, but stuck with the wonderlove. There's some things I miss about the fatman (seems like it can get a little more wet and a little deeper), but I like the wonderloves loop and more quite operation.