3Leaf Audio Club - Episode 2

[Admiral Chew]

You bring up a very good point here (which is why I put the disclaimer in my original post), but I had my first mkiii for two years before I found a T16 which knocked it off. I missed the sub switch and scored a Ghost mkiii during last years drop (which actually was the most underwhelming of the 3 and ended up trading it rather quickly). However, staying with your point, my impressions could have varied with the outside weather or my current mood. You’re totally right.

The central point of my post was to try to bring some positivity in here. I know Spencer has made some business decisions that left a lot of us scratching our heads (or rage, lots of rage actually) this year, but I think his heart’s in the right place. I go on his Instagram and see 95% of people complaining on his posts, I see complaints getting shouted in discords, and then I come to this thread and feel like some days I need to go take a shower after reading a few posts.

Coming from someone who has had one of the s***tiest years in recent memory, I feel like the whole world has had one too. Furthermore, I recently had one of the most heartwarming events take place over the last week on this forum. Maybe I’m trying to white knight this year (and this thread), but my only intent is to want everyone to feel a little less miserable. Perhaps give something for others to look forward to? Idk. I’ll go back to my hole though.

I do wish everyone in here an awesome rest of the year though and an even better 2024!

I enjoyed that post. I’m sorry you had such a rough 2023 but I’m glad you had a heartwarming TB event recently and I hope you have a better 2024.

I had a very lucky break on another forum recently and met up with a lovely seller to take possession of this hoard yesterday:

I sold my Enabler recently so was thrilled to get another back and I’m looking forward to playing a PWNZOR, Wonderlove and GR2 for the first time.

 

[Charlie Tuna]

I enjoyed that post. I’m sorry you had such a rough 2023 but I’m glad you had a heartwarming TB event recently and I hope you have a better 2024.

I had a very lucky break on another forum recently and met up with a lovely seller to take possession of this hoard yesterday:

View attachment 5286410
I sold my Enabler recently so was thrilled to get another back and I’m looking forward to playing a PWNZOR, Wonderlove and GR2 for the first time.

WHAT?!? Congrats!

 

[TheDialog]

I enjoyed that post. I’m sorry you had such a rough 2023 but I’m glad you had a heartwarming TB event recently and I hope you have a better 2024.

I had a very lucky break on another forum recently and met up with a lovely seller to take possession of this hoard yesterday:

View attachment 5286410
I sold my Enabler recently so was thrilled to get another back and I’m looking forward to playing a PWNZOR, Wonderlove and GR2 for the first time.

Holy moly!

 

[Admiral Chew]

WHAT?!? Congrats!

Thanks! It’s one of the more unusual purchases I’ve been involved in. No complaints here though!

 

[fivestringgecko]

I had a very lucky break on another forum recently and met up with a lovely seller to take possession of this hoard yesterday

Wow, that's quite a collection of 3Leaf to score all at once, indeed!

5sg.

 

[gh0st42]

I enjoyed that post. I’m sorry you had such a rough 2023 but I’m glad you had a heartwarming TB event recently and I hope you have a better 2024.

I had a very lucky break on another forum recently and met up with a lovely seller to take possession of this hoard yesterday:

View attachment 5286410
I sold my Enabler recently so was thrilled to get another back and I’m looking forward to playing a PWNZOR, Wonderlove and GR2 for the first time.

Holy Smokes!!

Merry Christmas!

 

[Erithon]

To answer your second question first, I’m not going to pretend I know the engineering involved in these guys, but considering ppl are reporting subtle variations across batches, I’m thinking it’s more of how the pedal is tuned rather than actual circuit tweaks (once again, not an engineer, just my hypothesis)

Hmm, I believe only you and Batrachos mentioned it. No one said anything like this after the Miami Octabvre MKIII drop (please correct me if I am mistaken!). Again, you might be right. Indeed, I would expect "subtle variation" between batches and even within batches of hand-built pedals! (Though in this case "hand-assembled" is probably the more accurate term since the circuit boards are printed.) But with a sample size of two this could also be confirmation bias: folks wanting the newest version of something to sound different/better and therefore concluding it does.

But all this is beside the point You wrote "that Spencer seems to be improving his designs" and is "expanding on his already solid pedal lineup." That suggests that you are not hearing a "subtle variation," but a deliberate tweak--and that is what my second question addressed.

You bring up a very good point here (which is why I put the disclaimer in my original post), but I had my first mkiii for two years before I found a T16 which knocked it off. I missed the sub switch and scored a Ghost mkiii during last years drop (which actually was the most underwhelming of the 3 and ended up trading it rather quickly). However, staying with your point, my impressions could have varied with the outside weather or my current mood. You’re totally right.

Yes, I read and quoted your disclaimer because I wanted to understand to what degree it tempered your statement about the differences between the three units you owned. Thank you for clarifying.

The central point of my post was to try to bring some positivity in here. I know Spencer has made some business decisions that left a lot of us scratching our heads (or rage, lots of rage actually) this year, but I think his heart’s in the right place. I go on his Instagram and see 95% of people complaining on his posts, I see complaints getting shouted in discords, and then I come to this thread and feel like some days I need to go take a shower after reading a few posts (crude joke I’m making here).

Coming from someone who has had one of the s***tiest years in recent memory, I feel like the whole world has had one too. Furthermore, I recently had one of the most heartwarming events take place over the last week on this forum. Maybe I’m trying to white knight this year; maybe also give something for others to look forward to? Idk, but my only intent is to want everyone to feel a little less miserable.

Regardless, I wish everyone in here an awesome rest of the year and an even better 2024!

I'm not on Instagram or Discord so I have no idea what those comment sections/server conversations are like. But I do not understand how one can think "his heart's in the right place" when the evidence doesn't support that. The man made his bed and now he must lie in it. The language and style of his communication comes across as arrogant. I could overlook one or two occasions--after all, everyone has days or times when we make mistakes in our speaking--but at this point it's an established pattern. And that's to say nothing of the tied preamp sales or the flawed conclusions about a $600-650 market price he drew from the Icefall auctions. In short, he is in large part responsible for the cloud of negativity that now surrounds 3 Leaf Audio.

That said, I do think there have been posts on here that are immature or nasty. There are respectful and productive ways to criticize a company and at times--especially around the tied preamp sale--this thread has fallen short of that. (Nothing surprising about that, of course; this is the internet.) Plus nothing is black or white: just as Spencer has communicated poorly and, as you say, "made some business decisions that left a lot of us scratching our heads" so too he has done a great job improving the function (304 stainless steel instead of mild steel) and aesthetics (decals that stay intact, fun colors!) of his products, minimizing shipping fees for international customers, and being transparent about future releases. And, of course, the pedals are very well designed. I'm happy to praise him where it is merited, but I'm also going to call out unacceptable communication when I encounter it.

I'm sorry 2023 was a garbage year and I truly hope things turn around for you. It sounds like this past weekend may be the start of such a change. In any case, thank you for bringing such a positive attitude!

 

[MAFbass1992]

has anyone been able to compare the Octabvre mini and MKII? If I get the MKII will it give me the same « punchy » sub octave of the mini or it's closer to the MKIII? The MKIII wasn't my favorite either.

 

[Batrachos]

Did some 3Leaf shoot outs earlier today

Filter settings i generally use: 100% wet, resonance around 40-60%, low mode on low pass. tone knob: goes all over the place

Chromatron: My first 3leaf pedal was actually a chromatron i scored in 2019. I initially used it with an expression pedal but no longer use that function on either big box filter on bass. It could be just my unit but it does not get as bright as any of these other filters, some of the other filters open WAY UP. that being said it is the cleanest, "sterile" sounding of the bunch. not bad but not what i'm currently needing ( i have XD for that) The controls feel very responsive, like turning the knobs really affects something, i find that that to be less true on the wonderlove v2. I love how the controls respond on this unit but I wish it had the juice of the wonderlove v2 and the tone frequency range extended higher

Wonderlove v2: was most recently on my board and of the 4 is my favorite on bass. The low setting is especially juicy on this unit, and the fx loop sets it above the protons. To me the attack and tone controls are not quite as linear/easy to dial in compared to the chromatron but that's more a logistics issue than a tone one. One thing i love about this pedal is the way the filter can retrigger on the way back down and create a bubbly/percolating tone right around this sweet spot in the filter. All of the units i tested except the chromatron seem to do this.

Proton v4: I have the proton v4 in my guitar board normally but pulled it off for some classic A/B/C/D'ing, you know how it is sometimes. This is runner up on the bass. Goes INSANELY BRIGHT on the tone but it's very easy to dial in, super huge and usable range on the lower side too. all the controls work great on this one. not quite as wet/thick in the low end as the wonderlove v2 but still fantastic, and does the bubbly thing wonderfully. I'm planning on getting one to stick on my bass board when i can get the chance.

Proton v3: Initially i figured "hey, this is from the wonderlove v2 era, surely it will just be a smaller wonderlovev2?" well yes and no. tonally it is similar but there is no high/low switch. i didn't check with visual EQ or analyzer but to my ears i'd say the frequency node is placed somewhere in the middle of the two options found on the units that have a high/low option. I feel like it lacks balls on bass for this reason. I ended up loving it stacked with dirt on guitar for a jerry tone. I'm using it for now on my bass board so i could accommodate an old friend back on the board (aguilar filter twin, and yes 3 filters is the right amount of filter on a board)

Octabvre mini:I had this one first for quite a while and it served me very well. I found when comparing this to the mkiii that it does not have as much mid punch as the newer model, and sounds more subby/boxy/hollow. I really like this when 50/50 or just solo sub-octave and no other fx, but that's not a tone i use too much, so this one i'll keep as a studio pedal.

Octabvre mkiii: The mkiii ghost unit works amazing when stacking with fuzz into a filter envelope (IE XD used). I find it feeds the filter in a very responsive way even with dynamic crushing fuzzes. Tracks great, even on open low E it will hold it for a second with a high intensity pluck. I found that my icefall unit does not seem to give me as good dynamic expression with the filter. i've tried compensating with volume and tone changes and it doesn't seem to go away. It feels more meaty and also a little brighter, i think that probably has something to do with it. tonally, i prefer it on some songs where dynamics is less key. but i guess i will be ending up sticking with the ghost unit. can always EQ in post lol. I'm chalking this up to variance between units, not between batches

Family photo op (side note, i really love the colors/style from the wonderlove v2 era):

 

[Erithon]

Did some 3Leaf shoot outs earlier today
View attachment 5287404
Filter settings i generally use: 100% wet, resonance around 40-60%, low mode on low pass. tone knob: goes all over the place

Chromatron: My first 3leaf pedal was actually a chromatron i scored in 2019. I initially used it with an expression pedal but no longer use that function on either big box filter on bass. It could be just my unit but it does not get as bright as any of these other filters, some of the other filters open WAY UP. that being said it is the cleanest, "sterile" sounding of the bunch. not bad but not what i'm currently needing ( i have XD for that) The controls feel very responsive, like turning the knobs really affects something, i find that that to be less true on the wonderlove v2. I love how the controls respond on this unit but I wish it had the juice of the wonderlove v2 and the tone frequency range extended higher

Wonderlove v2: was most recently on my board and of the 4 is my favorite on bass. The low setting is especially juicy on this unit, and the fx loop sets it above the protons. To me the attack and tone controls are not quite as linear/easy to dial in compared to the chromatron but that's more a logistics issue than a tone one. One thing i love about this pedal is the way the filter can retrigger on the way back down and create a bubbly/percolating tone right around this sweet spot in the filter. All of the units i tested except the chromatron seem to do this.

Proton v4: I have the proton v4 in my guitar board normally but pulled it off for some classic A/B/C/D'ing, you know how it is sometimes. This is runner up on the bass. Goes INSANELY BRIGHT on the tone but it's very easy to dial in, super huge and usable range on the lower side too. all the controls work great on this one. not quite as wet/thick in the low end as the wonderlove v2 but still fantastic, and does the bubbly thing wonderfully. I'm planning on getting one to stick on my bass board when i can get the chance.

Proton v3: Initially i figured "hey, this is from the wonderlove v2 era, surely it will just be a smaller wonderlovev2?" well yes and no. tonally it is similar but there is no high/low switch. i didn't check with visual EQ or analyzer but to my ears i'd say the frequency node is placed somewhere in the middle of the two options found on the units that have a high/low option. I feel like it lacks balls on bass for this reason. I ended up loving it stacked with dirt on guitar for a jerry tone. I'm using it for now on my bass board so i could accommodate an old friend back on the board (aguilar filter twin, and yes 3 filters is the right amount of filter on a board)
View attachment 5287405

Octabvre mini:I had this one first for quite a while and it served me very well. I found when comparing this to the mkiii that it does not have as much mid punch as the newer model, and sounds more subby/boxy/hollow. I really like this when 50/50 or just solo sub-octave and no other fx, but that's not a tone i use too much, so this one i'll keep as a studio pedal.

Octabvre mkiii: The mkiii ghost unit works amazing when stacking with fuzz into a filter envelope (IE XD used). I find it feeds the filter in a very responsive way even with dynamic crushing fuzzes. Tracks great, even on open low E it will hold it for a second with a high intensity pluck. I found that my icefall unit does not seem to give me as good dynamic expression with the filter. i've tried compensating with volume and tone changes and it doesn't seem to go away. It feels more meaty and also a little brighter, i think that probably has something to do with it. tonally, i prefer it on some songs where dynamics is less key. but i guess i will be ending up sticking with the ghost unit. can always EQ in post lol. I'm chalking this up to variance between units, not between batches

Family photo op (side note, i really love the colors/style from the wonderlove v2 era):
View attachment 5287406
View attachment 5287407

Nice collection, really nice writeup!

Can you talk about the differences you hear when running the original and the revoiced Doom 2 after the MKIII and before a filter (be in the XD or Wonderlove v2)? I wrote about this back when I explored the different combinations of Octabvres and Doom 2s, but I'd love to hear someone else's experience.

Thank you for expanding on your earlier post by saying that you are "chalking this up to variance between units, not between batches." That's good to know.

 

[Batrachos]

Nice collection, really nice writeup!

Can you talk about the differences you hear when running the original and the revoiced Doom 2 after the MKIII and before a filter (be in the XD or Wonderlove v2)? I wrote about this back when I explored the different combinations of Octabvres and Doom 2s, but I'd love to hear someone else's experience.

Thanks! I really love 3leaf filters, i hope to get my hands on more of the older models over time. I wish i had had the time to setup to record but it just wasn't going to happen with the time i had on hand.

This jade DOOM 2 i got modded for High Gain to go on my guitar rig. When it initially arrived I did briefly compare it to the Ghost DOOM 2, but it was very cursory since I didn't intend to place it on the bass board. So, it wasn't really a super fair comparison of the OG DOOM 2 circuit vs the "2.5". It still works great on bass but I personally prefer how the low gain one works for synth sounds. I actually think when it's not stacked with octave and filter the HG is better as just an "in your face" fuzz, it's a monster.

Thank you for expanding on your earlier post by saying that you are "chalking this up to variance between units, not between batches." That's good to know.

I mean i don't know this for fact, but i mostly say that so people don't go around chasing 1 specific batch thinking it will solve all their pedal problems. it's genuinely such a minor difference no one should ever try to consider it when seeking out a mkiii, but it is an interesting thing to note. Had I not had a Ghost mkiii i would have still preferred icefall mkiii over the mini, and been none the wiser

 

[MAFbass1992]

Nice collection, really nice writeup!

Can you talk about the differences you hear when running the original and the revoiced Doom 2 after the MKIII and before a filter (be in the XD or Wonderlove v2)? I wrote about this back when I explored the different combinations of Octabvres and Doom 2s, but I'd love to hear someone else's experience.

Thank you for expanding on your earlier post by saying that you are "chalking this up to variance between units, not between batches." That's good to know.

Having owned the OG Doom 2 (with the logo issues) and now the newest Jade metallic version, the differences are pretty minor. What I noticed the most was the crossover frequency of the dry signal is higher, so it cuts better in a mix... but it's really minor. Can't confirm what's been reworked in the dirt circuit, but side to side adding a tiny bit of mids made them sound the same. I ordered the new version simply because I was tired of waiting for a new faceplace, which will probably never happen at that point !

 

[Batrachos]

I ordered the new version simply because I was tired of waiting for a new faceplace, which will probably never happen at that point !

Wow, spencer really hasn't rectified that issue yet? I'm honestly a bit surprised and disappointed to hear that. TBF it's a pretty big and costly operation to un-mount all the innards and attach to new face plates if he's doing it himself (500 mkiiis and 300 DOOM 2s), but that definitely sounds frustrating. Did he say he would have customers do the repair themselves?

Side note, does anyone who has a black oxide Proton v4 or has seen one that has the screenprint issue? That one seems to have been spared for some reason as far as I can tell, just curious

 

[MAFbass1992]

I think he mentionned a couple of months ago faceplates were coming, but I haven't made a followup and sold the pedal anyway...

I had an Octabvre MKIII like 3 years ago and received the faceplace, so it's still possible I guess !

 

[MAFbass1992]

Wow, spencer really hasn't rectified that issue yet? I'm honestly a bit surprised and disappointed to hear that. TBF it's a pretty big and costly operation to un-mount all the innards and attach to new face plates if he's doing it himself (500 mkiiis and 300 DOOM 2s), but that definitely sounds frustrating. Did he say he would have customers do the repair themselves?

Side note, does anyone who has a black oxide Proton v4 or has seen one that has the screenprint issue? That one seems to have been spared for some reason as far as I can tell, just curious

And yes, my (long time gone) black oxide proton didn't have issues as well.

 

[stenomattia]

Does it mean that packages handed over to DHL are being passed on and handled by UPS for international deliveries? My DHL tracking hasn’t changed or updated since DHL relinquishing the parcel.

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

Does it mean that packages handed over to DHL are being passed on and handled by UPS for international deliveries? My DHL tracking hasn’t changed or updated since DHL relinquishing the parcel.

That’s funny. I just got an email verification from an Italian retailer with a DHL shipping number indicating that my shipment is to be delivered here in Virginia in four days. Impossible. Then i got several texts from DHL (supposedly) with a link to click onto. Fishy… I wont answer the text link even though the retailer’s email is 100% legit- it is attached to numerous email correspondences with him….Ponderous…

 

[labeledbass]

I know after DHL got my Pladask pedal to me in 3 days (from Norway!) they can deliver to me any day of the week. Good lord..

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

I know after DHL got my Pladask pedal to me in 3 days (from Norway!) they can deliver to me any day of the week. Good lord..

Wow… Thats damn good to hear!…Seems impossible…

 

[Derek Williams]

Wow… Thats damn good to hear!…Seems impossible…

The best part about international shipments is that they can sometimes skip a LOT of ground travel. I was sometimes able to get shipments from Broughton to the UK before people in Canada were receiving theirs.