The Opti-fet arrived and can tell you I don't regret sending the Cali76 back. They are both great compressors, but the FEA is a step above in my opinion.
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FEA fan club!
- Thread starter bongomania
- Start date
Now a 2 time fea owner with the addition of the dual band comp, I have the de-cl also. Just amazing quality. The dual band is even better than the de-cl, with the ability to control the 2 frequencies my sound have never been better. Thank you Frank!
Thanks for the feedback and support!
-Frank
Don't let all this love blind you to the fact that we still need a FEA Bass preamp PRONTO! With a Growler like boost option.....
I am so seriously right now Frank..... the Photon fuzz with blend all the way up and gain all the way down is unreal as a pre. Add a Growler like boost and we are in heaven!!!!!
I have started using the Photon in a higher gain role, not quite fuzz, more distortion. Even still, a growler boost switch would be amazing here too instead of the octave. It was a dirty always on pre for me for a while there.... what a great circuit.
Ok - seriously - Photon Fuzz owners you have to try this.
- Drive min
- Bite min
- Level to taste - just a little volume bump is what I am doing
- Dry max
- eq to taste
- ANCR min
- octave off
Tell me that isn't one of the greatest preamps you have messed with in a while
- Drive min
- Bite min
- Level to taste - just a little volume bump is what I am doing
- Dry max
- eq to taste
- ANCR min
- octave off
Tell me that isn't one of the greatest preamps you have messed with in a while
I could also do a 125b/top jacks Photon with no second footswitch
All this Photon Fuzz talk is making me want to replace the Grand Tarkin on my gig board with the Photon.
I could also do a 125b/top jacks Photon with no second footswitch
Seriously my only only only beef with FEA is the sidejacks. Top is just so much better for so many reasons. Even the current footprint with top would be a dream. I would rebuy all my FEA pedals if they were reissued with top jacks.
I'm thinking of trading my Opti Fet for a DE-CL. I remember that was the one that I dug the most. I like the Opti, but I feel like it compresses a bit too much of my signal unless I have the gain wide open and the threshold all the way up. It clips really hard otherwise. Plus I never use the side chain option. Honestly, I don't even understand how I'd use it. Maybe I'll hunt down a used one and just have both...
All of the Opti-FET's shipped with their internal warm #1 DIP switch on, so if you want a less colored tone you will need to turn that switch off. Starting with this Opti-FET build, we are now shipping with all of the internal DIP switches off.
-Frank
I just ordered this a lithium powersupply. And I still waiting for it, but I'm posting this because frank ask me to. it's 500ma has a meter read out. can be charged from a generic micro usb.. could be used pedaltrain or other v-spot accessories. like a an iso pump..etc. if is were modded to double the voltage would cool if anyone can do that! the meter show the time it'll power the pedals for, the voltage draw, and percent of charge
Link Removed
Bonus content.
note not a fan of his. or his opinion. it's purely to see who can get through this. and it's a an interest piece for audio nuts.
the point is use to learn. Enjoy(The Big Joe is not in this video)
Link Removed
Bonus content.
note not a fan of his. or his opinion. it's purely to see who can get through this. and it's a an interest piece for audio nuts.
the point is use to learn. Enjoy(The Big Joe is not in this video)
buglen
Brother of Boomertech
Just a quick note: When considering Lithium Ion battery power options, such as this one, please be sure to do some research on the product and manufacturer to ensure you're getting a quality item (speaking in general, not about this particular item). Also, make sure that the power supply you're getting can handle the intended load and make sure that you follow the recharging instructions to the letter. Li-ion batteries are very useful in any portable power technology when used correctly, but bad manufacturer QA (Note 7; hover boards; etc.) or incorrect usage can lead to some pretty scary results.
That has been the public service announcement for the day. Please, carry on!
Woah, I used to think that I was theonly one using the Photon fuzz as a preamp. I had to buy another photon fuzz so that I can have one as a preamp and the other as a fuzz.
Those are my settings.
If I have to take just one fuzz with me, it will be my two photon fuzzes
If FEA decides to do a limited dual photon fuzz pedal I'll buy two drool
So this showed up yesterday. I had taken the last year off from playing/gigging and sold almost all my pedals including my DE-CL and Diamond BCP-1. I did a gig a few weeks ago and was sorely missing having a comp and had been on the look out when low and behold I get an email that I had been on the waiting list for a Opti-Fet. Thanks past self for looking out for me.Frank, this thing is awesome! Thank you!
I'm a bit out of practice from playing and tweaking and at first I thought it sounded too dark then I realized I was running the threshold way too low and once I figured that and dialed in the attack speed I was in heaven. I played with it for a while and then looked up some setting posted way back in this thread and I was in the ballpark but it gave me more info to work with. Absolutely love the sidechain eq. I really like being able to back off the compression on the highs to keep so bite on that top end when playing aggressively. This pedal makes my bass sound so pro and polished.
It adds a nice fattening effect not unlike the Diamond but that pedal always seemed to have a bit of a low and fair amount of high end roll off so the Opti-Fet just sounds bigger to my ear. I always perceived the Diamond to have weird upper midrange boost but maybe that was me...anyway I don't miss that, I like have more top end with the Opti.
Being that I usually like things on the clean side the warmth switches didn't interest me...until I tried them. Again, it sounds great and I'm further impressed. It's so subtle I struggle to describe what it adds but it sort of makes the notes feel a bit more exciting or burly.
The bridge pickup in my J Bass is so much more usable thru this pedal. It gives it more meat, tames the bark and even things out so the top end can come thru. Sounds so much less boxy and more warm and 3D.
Again, thank you Frank for such an amazing product.
I only wish I were wiser about using the side chain. Love my Opti-Fet.
Thank you for the great feedback!!
The warmth circuits in the Opti were designed to distort like the high-gain FET circuit of the original class-A FET output amplifier of the first design. It is subtle, but I feel that it sounds really close to the original 100% class-A FET audio path with the warm switch 1 on. This was my attempt to "Bob Carver" the functions of a different amplifier topology.
-Frank
Thank you for the great feedback!!
The warmth circuits in the Opti were designed to distort like the high-gain FET circuit of the original class-A FET output amplifier of the first design. It is subtle, but I feel that it sounds really close to the original 100% class-A FET audio path with the warm switch 1 on. This was my attempt to "Bob Carver" the functions of a different amplifier topology.
-Frank
Well whatever magic, voodoo or hard work you put into that thing it sounds fantastic.
So far I have settled with running switch 1 on (after fiddling with the different settings for the better part of an hour
). I would be totally happy with it clean I just found I missed that "je ne sais quoi" whenever I turned the warmth switches off. Just more pleasing to my ear when hit it hard or whatever. I wasn't expecting it to be so subtle and was worried it would colour my tone too much. Really glad my curiosity got the better of me. Absolutely loved my DE-CL and have sung it's praises many times but the Opti-fet is such a cool beast. That side chain eq is just too cool.
