Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Meatball vs Micro-tron III?
- Thread starter timmerel
- Start date
Patience, dear. I cannot but certainly others have. Imho it you have access to either for purchase at a reasonable price to for it.
It might be tough to find someone who has tried both right now - the Microtron has only been out a few months and only one or two batches have been sold, so it's hard to find, while the Meatball hasn't been in production for some 20 years, so it's *also* hard to find. But I know there are a couple filter-heads around that probably have tried them. Me, I had a Meatball so long ago I can't even remember the sound, but I also played guitar primarily back then.
Two very different filters.
The Meatball is hugely tweakable and offers a ton of options but can be a bit difficult to dial in.
The Microtron has three knobs and two switches but really isn't versatile and doesn't have a huge range of tones. That said, it's sweep is dialed in very well IMO and it sounds great.
In terms of the actual filter tone the two are more similar than different. Both have an inherently clean and smooth sound.
The closest thing to the Meatball today is the Wonderlove which began as a stripped down and simplifed/less extreme Meatball but has been continually evolved.
The Meatball is hugely tweakable and offers a ton of options but can be a bit difficult to dial in.
The Microtron has three knobs and two switches but really isn't versatile and doesn't have a huge range of tones. That said, it's sweep is dialed in very well IMO and it sounds great.
In terms of the actual filter tone the two are more similar than different. Both have an inherently clean and smooth sound.
The closest thing to the Meatball today is the Wonderlove which began as a stripped down and simplifed/less extreme Meatball but has been continually evolved.
That’s helpful - do you have a preference purely in terms of tone? I’ve read that some folks prefer the one tone of the Mutron to any of the variety from the Meatball.
I’ll counter and say the wonderlove sounds nothing like a Meatball. The first version, the Groove Regulator, and the GR2 are fairly similar Though. There isn’t really anything that has the versatility and sound of the Meatball today. There are a lot of good filters out there for sure though. The micro tron is one of them. My favorite filter on the market is the Broughton Josh Wah.
My response was in regards to the comparison? I’ve owned the Meatball a few times. It’s a great pedal. But I dont want you to think the Wonderlove is a good replacement for the Meatball. I’ll duck out of this thread now. Good luck finding someone who has owned both and would be willing to break it down for you.
The Micro-Tron III isn't a Mu-Tron. Swapping the jumper (giving the "Mu-Tron preamp") gets it closer but it isn't the same.
I like the tone of the Micro-Tron and the Meatball so it would come down to usage and also cost and size if those are considerations.
For live use I'd take the Micro-Tron. Just so much easier to dial in and use. For studio use where you have time to fiddle and the nuances are more apparent I'd possibly lean Meatball.
The GR and GR2 (my favorite iteration) sounds (to me) like a Meatball with a smaller sweep range and less possible resonance. The Wonderlove isn't too far from the GR2 though to my ears it sounds "peakier"
That really helps, so thanks again.
What is the difference in tone/ repsponse between Mutron and Microtron in Mutron preamp mode?
