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3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

#4,388
peterpalmieri said:
Jez. I didn’t realize they were going for so much. Maybe I should go back to using my groove regulator and sell the Chromatron. I’m kidding
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Yeah...prices got really stupid over the past few months. I don't suppose I can still snag that groove regulator from you cheaply anymore. Super glad I have the chromatron, but do wish I had held onto my original Groove Regulator.
 
#4,389
Naack said:
So like many others, I am waiting for Spencer to have new stock so I can order an Octabvre. My question is this, is this pedal so much better than anything else on the market that it is worth the wait or is there comparable ones that are actually available?
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My question is will people panic buy to avoid flippers and/or buy to flip once new stock is made available? If it's a pre-order there's definitely gonna be drama.
 
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#4,390
Naack said:
So like many others, I am waiting for Spencer to have new stock so I can order an Octabvre. My question is this, is this pedal so much better than anything else on the market that it is worth the wait or is there comparable ones that are actually available?
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There are some upsides of the Octavbre like the sub only switch and having both the OC-2 and Mutron Octave sounds/blend, but I think the real magic is in an OC-2 sub sound. I think the Mutron is a little too honky and not as smooth and Tim tuning is a cool mod but you really have to have a rig to handle it, especially at loud volumes. If you don't need both a subbed out sound and an octaver sound in one song or set, you'd be covering your bases just finding an older OC-2 really. And IMO they sound warmer. I personally have 2 octavers on the board - the OC-2(for the sub sound) and the MXR deluxe BO because I think the MXR does the octaver sound waaayyyy better than an OC-2, as well as doing the octave down sound superbly(but I prefer the original with its quirks), and you have greater tonal flexibility. This comes at a cost of pedalboard real estate obviously, BUT you'll also find both of them for cheaper used than what Octavbre's are going at nowadays.
 
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#4,391
Naack said:
So like many others, I am waiting for Spencer to have new stock so I can order an Octabvre. My question is this, is this pedal so much better than anything else on the market that it is worth the wait or is there comparable ones that are actually available?
Click to expand...

I've had a few: Octabvre MKIII, Boss OC-2 and OC-5, MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and Bass Vintage Octave.

Besides the BOD, I think they all sound similar; only your eyes can confirm the OC-2 sounds better than the others :whistle:

The OC-2 has its issues: volume drop with the -1 octave soloed, a less-than-stellar buffer and the 12v power requirement, all of which can be solved using a looper.

The VBO is top-notch. The first run had noise issues, but Dunlop fixed it. It also tracks better than the OC-2. I'm on the look out for another one, but all those I've tried since have been noisy.

The OC-5 is also spot on if you're looking for the OC-2 sound. I didn't care for the +1 octave or poly mode. It is buffered like the OC-2, but I had no complaints about its buffer. That said, it is digital. I don't buy into the whole analog-is-better, I-can-hear-digital-artifacts or analog-feels-better shenanigan. As petty as it sounds, I sold it because its near-perfect tracking made me play differently. I wanted the glitches. They're rare, but Nantel Musique in Montreal has one left and they ship Canada-wide.

The Octabvre MKIII was disappointing. I was expecting it to track better than the OC-2 given its price, the 30 years since the release of the OC-2 and the fact that MXR managed to do it for half the price with half the size. I heard from someone whose had both that the MKII tracks better than the MKIII; they sold the MKIII and kept the MKII. While I love the dry kill, the switches were annoyingly close to one another.

YMMV, of course.
 
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#4,392
JazzyJacuzzi said:
I've had a few: Octabvre MKIII, Boss OC-2 and OC-5, MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and Bass Vintage Octave.

Besides the BOD, I think they all sound similar; only your eyes can confirm the OC-2 sounds better than the others :whistle:

The OC-2 has its issues: volume drop with the -1 octave soloed, a less-than-stellar buffer and the 12v power requirement, all of which can be solved using a looper.

The VBO is top-notch. The first run had noise issues, but Dunlop fixed it. It also tracks better than the OC-2. I'm on the look out for another one, but all those I've tried since have been noisy.

The OC-5 is also spot on if you're looking for the OC-2 sound. I didn't care for the +1 octave or poly mode. It is buffered like the OC-2, but I had no complaints about its buffer. That said, it is digital. I don't buy into the whole analog-is-better, I-can-hear-digital-artifacts or analog-feels-better shenanigan. As petty as it sounds, I sold it because its near-perfect tracking made me play differently. I wanted the glitches. They're rare, but Nantel Musique in Montreal has one left and they ship Canada-wide.

The Octabvre MKIII was disappointing. I was expecting it to track better than the OC-2 given its price, the 30 years since the release of the OC-2 and the fact that MXR managed to do it for half the price with half the size. I heard from someone whose had both that the MKII tracks better than the MKIII; they sold the MKIII and kept the MKII. While I love the dry kill, the switches were annoyingly close to one another.

YMMV, of course.
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MXR is killing the octave game IMO.
 
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#4,394
Thank you all for the sage wisdom and advice. To be honest, part of me wonders if the reason I want an Octabvre is due to the fact that it is rare and boutique. From your opinions, part of me is thinking I might as well order a MXR VBO for an Octave pedal and then get the Doom 2 when that is available or the Chroma
 
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#4,395
JazzyJacuzzi said:
Yep! I should also note that I agree with you -- while I don't think the BOD sounds all that close to the OC-2, though I doubt you could tell the difference in a live setting, it is a great octave in itself.
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True true - I guess "superbly" was too strong of a word. It does it well, but the VBO does the OC-2 sound much better, and is fairly close. But you're totally right, no way anyone would be able to tell during a live setting at stage volumes.
 
#4,396
Naack said:
Thank you all for the sage wisdom and advice. To be honest, part of me wonders if the reason I want an Octabvre is due to the fact that it is rare and boutique. From your opinions, part of me is thinking I might as well order a MXR VBO for an Octave pedal and then get the Doom 2 when that is available or the Chroma
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Yeah, I agree with ya - it's not worth it. The extra coin would be better allocated for a Doom(which is very uniquely voiced) and of course, the Chroma.
 
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#4,397
I'll also +1 on MXR BOD being a fantastic octaver with many usable tones. It tracked amazingly well and was incredibly light (if weight ever matters on a pedalboard).

Since this is a 3leaf thread: if the dual switches on the Octabvre MKIII are an issue, mini Barefoot buttons certainly help. I'll post a pic of my board with them, later tonight.
 
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#4,398
Naack said:
Thank you all for the sage wisdom and advice. To be honest, part of me wonders if the reason I want an Octabvre is due to the fact that it is rare and boutique. From your opinions, part of me is thinking I might as well order a MXR VBO for an Octave pedal and then get the Doom 2 when that is available or the Chroma
Click to expand...

Frankly I'd get the Bass Octave Deluxe instead of the VBO, for the simple reason that I don't think the 2nd octave down of the OC-2/VBO is really appropriate for bass guitar application. The OC-2 was designed as a guitar pedal, not as a bass pedal, and for a guitar that 2nd octave makes much more sense. Since having it doesn't give you much, it makes more sense (to me) to look for something that gives you something more. I think the Octabvre does this really well.

The reason I'd get the BOD, then, is because it has two voices, but they're in the same 1st octave down. They're just EQ'ed to sound different. Balancing these two voices gives you tonal variety. And the same Mids switch as the VBO, because the BOD is where the mids switch came from.
 
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#4,399
Ricky Caboverde said:
I'll also +1 on MXR BOD being a fantastic octaver with many usable tones. It tracked amazingly well and was incredibly light (if weight ever matters on a pedalboard).

Since this is a 3leaf thread: if the dual switches on the Octabvre MKIII are an issue, mini Barefoot buttons certainly help. I'll post a pic of my board with them, later tonight.
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Ive had good luck with these, if Im engaving octave in a song I switch the buttons, but I mostly keep it like this. You can't tell but they are at different heights as well
20210929_163600.jpg
 
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#4,400
I tried the MXR BOD and VBO and while they sounded good the tracking was not up to task... They glitch a lot when I play fast lines up the neck.

And about the ''tone'' of the Octabvre(s)... Compared to an OC-2, the tone is a tiny bit brighter, but that's not a bad thing. It blends better in a full band context.

I have the MK1 Octabvre and it wont leave my board anytime soon !
 
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