• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

Proton 4 in the verb.
Not afiliated.
Screenshot_20230721-054301_Reverb.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Romain909
Well, now I’m curious what the other 2 are. Been Jonesing for a Southampton 5th Gear as my next dirt trial for the board.
Nice; I’ve not tried the 5th Gear but I love their Utility Knife.

My other favourite drive pedals are the Damnation Audio MBD-2 and the Nightowl Industries Parabellum v2. I recently picked up an NRG Purrer too, which sounds great, and an Origin Effects DCX Bass. I may have to start keeping a top five. I do love the Vulcan/Vulcan XL though, although it’s a shame they don’t have top jacks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: villegastx
Well, now I’m curious what the other 2 are. Been Jonesing for a Southampton 5th Gear as my next dirt trial for the board.

Nice; I’ve not tried the 5th Gear but I love their Utility Knife.

My other favourite drive pedals are the Damnation Audio MBD-2 and the Nightowl Industries Parabellum v2. I recently picked up an NRG Purrer too, which sounds great, and an Origin Effects DCX Bass. I may have to start keeping a top five. I do love the Vulcan/Vulcan XL though, although it’s a shame they don’t have top jacks.

I love my Fifth Gear. I've had MBD2, Lil Fella, PPB, Parabellum v2, and the Fifth Gear on my board in the past few years. Fifth Gear just works and is in a reasonable form factor. The MBD2 is great but voiced a hair modern for me. The PPB I had didn't have the bias mod, but my wife is putting together a clone for me with the bias knob and someday when she finishes it, I expect it to be great in the loop of my filter. The Fella had a honk with my rig so it didn't last long, but I could see loving it if my desires were more in that direction. The Parabellum was by far the most unique and probably my favorite in terms of raw sound, but it's huge and maybe a little harsher than I'd prefer in the higher ranges than my main gig calls for. But I loved the thing and have thought about getting another to have around when I get the itch, because nothing else I've had scratches it.

The Fifth Gear is bonehead simple and just works for me, and I love that in all pedals except filters. The heat knob even gives it some range into fuzz territory, and makes for a really versatile, easy to dial general purpose dirt pedal. Almost the same way people talk about the SSBS Mini, which I'd love to try out someday. I'm very tempted the let my You're Doom go because the Fifth Gear gets close enough to what I use the Doom for. EDIT - just did this, Doom for trade in the classifieds.

I've been interested in the DCX, too, and would be curious to hear more about it, @Admiral Chew, given the couple of dirt pedals we've had in common.
 
Last edited:
Howdy folks,

planning another custom build in the next few years and like the idea of using as many PNW-local parts as possible. Despite 3 Leaf being very popular on the boards, I am able to find almost nothing about the Anima onboard preamp. No sound clips or anything. Does anyone in here have any experience with it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Romain909
Howdy folks,

planning another custom build in the next few years and like the idea of using as many PNW-local parts as possible. Despite 3 Leaf being very popular on the boards, I am able to find almost nothing about the Anima onboard preamp. No sound clips or anything. Does anyone in here have any experience with it?


So as i understand it the pike anima preamp was made in collaboration with David Segal over at New York Bass Works, its in all of their active basses these days (i have 4) before Dave and his basses i was a devout passive/vintage guy, the preamp is super low noise, very musical and relatively transparent.. no volume change between active/passive when flat and even with things boosted quite a bit things never sound overly hyped.

I highly recommend, also I’d expect nothing less from 3leaf.

Dave
 
Howdy folks,

planning another custom build in the next few years and like the idea of using as many PNW-local parts as possible. Despite 3 Leaf being very popular on the boards, I am able to find almost nothing about the Anima onboard preamp. No sound clips or anything. Does anyone in here have any experience with it?

New York Bass Works use anima preamps ig that helps.
Also, there is this video.
Very zingy. It sounds awesome but it is not my type of sound

 
I've been interested in the DCX, too, and would be curious to hear more about it
I wrote this about the DCX Bass and the MBD-2 a few weeks back in another thread. I can also speak to the Fuzzrocious Li'l Fella: the DCX Bass has a less compressed voice than the Li'l Fella. It sounds more open, more natural if that makes sense? It can't do the same high-gain drive, but it's not designed to and I think it's the better option for low-gain overdrive
 
New York Bass Works use anima preamps ig that helps.
Also, there is this video.
Very zingy. It sounds awesome but it is not my type of sound



Not sure which module is being used in that video but I thought the blue module was supposed to be less modern sounding.
Not sure which module is being used in that video but I thought the blue module was supposed to be less modern sounding.
That’s the Red, and yeah it’s REAL zingy. As I’m primarily a rock/metal player I’d be looking at the Blue, which is supposed to be voiced for rock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fretless Bob
That’s the Red, and yeah it’s REAL zingy. As I’m primarily a rock/metal player I’d be looking at the Blue, which is supposed to be voiced for rock.
I tried both out a couple of weeks ago on a jazz with Lindy Fralin stock-wound split coils and preferred the red module. Both the blue and red sounded good but the red sounded more articulate to my ears. I’m not sure how much of that preference is the use of split coils though as Spencer suggested backing off the bass control a bit when using them, and the blues seem a bit beefier. It’s brilliantly easy to change the modules out though so you can’t really go wrong.
 
My former Darkglass preamp, the Ultra Vintage, does not sound very good to me. But it is very intuitive and can be used as a clean or dirt pre. Handy. But it does not equal the Vulcan XL in terms of tone

Have you tried the Vintage Deluxe (current V3 version)? I've read a review where someone compared both Vintage Deluxe and Ultra and found the Deluxe to sound much better. I have the Deluxe V3 and it's very intuitive to use, has a great EQ (plus the mid frequency switches). It doesn't muffle the tone, or soften the attack like the Vintage Microtubes (the smaller pedal) does (literally my only complaint for that one), it can be much more transparent sounding. I guess the overdrive tone is less fuzzy and grainy sounding than Vulcan's, and more crunchy, but it should arguably be more versatile now at version 3. Just wondering if you've tried it, no knock on Vulcan of course.
 
I tried both out a couple of weeks ago on a jazz with Lindy Fralin stock-wound split coils and preferred the red module. Both the blue and red sounded good but the red sounded more articulate to my ears. I’m not sure how much of that preference is the use of split coils though as Spencer suggested backing off the bass control a bit when using them, and the blues seem a bit beefier. It’s brilliantly easy to change the modules out though so you can’t really go wrong.

I think the red is a more balance sounding preamp overall, I don’t necessarily see one as more or less vintage even though they’re marketed that way.

Just for reference i only played 1963 p bass with flats for about 10 years and didn’t move over to a more “modern” instrument until playing a New York Bass Works bass with the pike Pre, as even though that whole setup has modern accoutrements it still feels and responds in a way that feels familiar to somebody like me.

Like has been stated though swapping the Pre from red to blue is as simple as unclipping one and replacing it with the other.