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3 Leaf Audio..... no more? (Chromatron vs Proton)

henryjurstin13

henryjurstin13

Supporting Member
Jun 5, 2005
1,471
897
NWAR - 72764
#1
Where's 3 Leaf these days? Tried to email/message several months ago.... no replies. And the website doesn't seem to be working. Did I miss something?

In case anyone knows the answer to my question -- if I own the Chromatron, is there any reason to own the latest Proton? Or, is the latest Proton a stripped down version of the Chromatron?
 
#2
Last i heard, he was having trouble sourcing parts. The site being down is new, i just visited a couple days ago and it was working.
I believe the newest Proton is a stripped down version of the Chromatron. So if you want a more basic version and to save a little space, go for it, but if you like the variety the Chromatron offers, the Proton would probably be redundant.
 
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#3
jdaunt said:
Last i heard, he was having trouble sourcing parts. The site being down is new, i just visited a couple days ago and it was working.
I believe the newest Proton is a stripped down version of the Chromatron. So if you want a more basic version and to save a little space, go for it, but if you like the variety the Chromatron offers, the Proton would probably be redundant.
Click to expand...

thanks.... I really hope to see him continue to produce pedals. The Chromatron is literally THE BEST I’ve ever tried.
 
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#5
Seems strange, but not a surprise? 3Leaf seems to be sought after but so hard to find. Was it always this way? They had been on my radar for a long time but I can't say I was looking for one until the last year or so. I'm glad I got the Octabvre when I did, I don't know if he had any presales that haven't been fulfilled yet but it is surely a tough time to be building pedals when parts are hard to come by.
 
#8
I can confirm that the site was up earlier this morning (around 9:00 EST) but the latest update was from April, mentioning challenging personal circumstances.

I certainly hope this isn’t indicative of something more serious. I’m a huge fan of 3leaf products.

Spencer - if you’re reading this, know that the Talkbass community is pulling for you and wishes you the best.
 
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#9
A while back you could buy 3 Leaf Audio stuff through Prymaxe so it's not like they always were rare. If Spencer really did close shop that's a real bummer. 3 Leaf Audio products are great quality and usually have some pretty killer tones. He mentionned tough personal circumstances on the website, so I hope everything is alright. He used to post here quite a bit, it would be surprising if he went completely out of business without any word, here or somewhere else.
 
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#11
Last time I heard from him was late February, I've been trying to contact him via email and social media messages with no luck, today I sent him another email and his address was refused as unknown. The Facebook page is still up but hasn’t been updated for more than a year now.
 
#13
I grabbed the latest proton on reverb a few months ago. It’s awesome. I watch them, and they do pop up on there, but they sell in less than a day, often for 125% of the original price. Would love to try a doom 2.

curiously, I was seeing a lot of his pedals pop up used. Which sometimes I think I’d a bad sign. But on the other hand, if some people had a 63 Jazz they’d sell that because it wasn’t a good fit for them.
 
#15
Killing Floor said:
I have an Octabveblahblah or whatever. Love it.

But of all the boutique pedals I own I’ve never seen a company try so hard to go under. Sorry but true.
Click to expand...

I think Spencer kinda cornered himself by having specially made enclosures and knobs and such.. That's definitely a problem when supply chains are as disrupted as they are now.

I also think rehashing the same ~3 designs is not a great idea if you're looking to grow. Maybe he didn't really want to make others effects than filters.. Great products though. I still love my GR2 all these years later.

The bad blood with DG probably didn't help either..

Perhaps we're jumping to conclusion too fast. I hope Spencer's alright at least..
 
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#16
Dr Greenthumb said:
I think Spencer kinda cornered himself by having specially made enclosures and knobs and such.. That's definitely a problem when supply chains are as disrupted as they are now.

I also think rehashing the same ~3 designs is not a great idea if you're looking to grow. Maybe he didn't really want to make others effects than filters.. Great products though. I still love my GR2 all these years later.

The bad blood with DG probably didn't help either..

Perhaps we're jumping to conclusion too fast. I hope Spencer's alright at least..
Click to expand...

DG?
 

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