New or original Mutron?

[Johnius]

An original Mutron recently came up for sale on Craigslist and I've been thinking about getting one of those for a while. In June of this year groooove started a thread on the original Mutron III that was filled with great information, as is usually the case on this board:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=554374&highlight=mutron+iii

This thread covers the highs and lows of owning an original. I'm wondering, has anyone A/B'd the two? Does the modern version tend to get dirty and farty after a while? Ultimately I'm trying to figure out whether to get new or old. I'm also looking for easy to use. Can I get your opinions on this?

Also, you've probably seen the inventor's website where he sells the originals. Does anyone know what happened such that he is no longer part of name?

 

[Jared Lash]

As far as I know Mike Biegel doesn't "sell" Mutrons on his site. But he does direct people to the EHX Qtron because he had a hand in it's design and likely still profits from it.

He sold the Mutron name and now HAZ lab makes the "Mutron III". I don't think it's a bad filter, but it doesn't really compare to the original, which is why that pedal doesn't seem to get respect on TB.

 

[TheMutt]

I've heard and been able to play around with both an original Mutron III and the III+ (HAZ reissue). Generally speaking, they both sounded fine, but the original Mutron had a little more resonance and depth to the filter. Could have been the age of the components, the fact that it was being run off of batteries that may or may not have been dying, or discrepancies in build materials/quality between the two pedals.

In any event, you have to ask yourself if it's really worth it to buy a pedal that may or may not need repair either now or later on down the road, has wacky power requirements, is extra huge, and is expensive for no other reason than that it is discontinued and was used by famous artists.

Personally, I started trying all the clones and clones of clones until I reached the Barge Concepts Grinder. My standard envelope filter needs have been completely satisfied, and I no longer GAS for a vintage Mutron III.

 

[Lindsay]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=554374&highlight=mutron+iii

This thread covers the highs and lows of owning an original. I'm wondering, has anyone A/B'd the two? Does the modern version tend to get dirty and farty after a while? Ultimately I'm trying to figure out whether to get new or old. I'm also looking for easy to use. Can I get your opinions on this?

I have both. Regarding the original Musitronics Mu-tron III: it really IS a great filter, the trouble is they are 35+ years old now and almost any Mu-tron III you may see for sale will require rebuilding - see rebuilding details here:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

and here:

http://www.lsound.com/#Mu-Trom Service

so factor in an extra $210 plus postage each way to your vintage Mu-Tron budget. Bongomania's comments in the thread you linked in the OP were spot-on.

If you see one for sale that has already been rebuilt it will justifiably be more expensive but you may find that the rebuild actually comes at a discount when you do the maths.

RE the Haz Labs version: this is also a great filter. Most of the negative comments you'll read about it are written by people who don't have any significant experience with the pedal and are simply panning it because A) it's a reissue and/or B) Mike Beigel encourages people to buy the Q-Tron instead (he also designed the Q-Tron and didn't ever receive royalties from Mu-Tron sales after he sold Musitronics, so his endorsement may or may not be commercially motivated).

Does the Haz Labs version get dirty and farty after a while? No. The sound of an original Mu-Tron that hasn't been rebuilt is far more likely to degrade with time (the gain of mine would decrease after 5-10 mins).

It’s hard to get a bad sound out of the Musitronics version, so I would say that it is easier to use.

RE A/B-ing the original and the Haz Labs version: A few months ago I intended to post blind sound clips of each and see who picked the original first. I recorded the clips and photographed the set-up thusly:

...but the original was bloody obvious from the sound clips (wetter sounding) and would have been picked immediately so I didn't post them in the end. At the time my Musitronics Mu-Tron was way out of spec and it still sounded better than the Haz Labs version.

The Musitronics Mu-Tron III is a freakishly good pedal – always has been. If you pick one up on eBay for $500 you will probably have to spend another $250 before it can justifiably reside on your pedalboard long-term.

The Haz Labs version is good but not legendary… but then again it costs about the same as the rebuild.

 

[Chris Ramlar]

that's a funky setup! amazing