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To Source Audio or Not?

pbass6811

pbass6811

Nov 10, 2008
4,408
8,592
Indy, IN
#1
First off, this is NOT a "Is Source Audio any good?" thread. I know, beyond any reasonable doubt, that SA makes outstanding stuff! I'm pretty aware that their customer service is fantastic, and they seem to really listen to what the masses want, within reason, of course. Mostly, this is a "I'm considering replacing a few of my pedals with SA stuff, but the stuff I'm replacing is pretty good stuff in it's own right"...:hmm:

Ok, I've been GASing for some Source Audio gear, mainly the Manta, the OFD, and the Orbital. I've listened to demos & vids and I truly dig all of them. My issue is I'd be replacing some pretty good pedals(I.E. 3Leaf Wonderlove & SS/BS TAFM). I'm not unhappy with either of those pedals, although the Wonderlove is causing me some issues in full band settings-I'm sure it's me, not the pedal. Although I enjoy having a semi-boutiquey board, It's definitely not necessary. The SA stuff looks a bit more versatile, so I'm kind of looking at it from that perspective.

What do you, my brother's(and sister's)from other mother's, think?

Here's the board as it sits right now:
20140304_133206_zps38naxbd3.jpg
 
#3
Dude, go for it... The only SA pedal I have is the OFD, and I'm still in shock at how incredible it sounds. $144 well spent! Does it really have to "replace" something on your board? Dirtwise, I can see having both TAFM AND SA OFD (I have both on my board)... I haven't tried the SA Orbital yet, but it's next on the list, once Prymaxe gets them back in stock. :D
 
#4
I have to agree with seven. I own the pro envelope filter, distortion and just purchased the Manta. I also have the hot hands 3 and the expression pedal. The Manta is like having a blend of the pro envelope and pro distortion that flows well together without a tech degree. I must say I love the detail that SSA puts into their pedals but for the "plug in play" guy, it might be a learning curve. I must say the Manta is a great "Bang for the Buck"! Definitely "Go for it"!
 
#6
The good thing about having the pedals you have are the ability to get a pretty good resale value from them. The Manta is a much more versatile filter than any other filter I've tried. Clean blend, LFO, built in gain and a bunch of different filters. The OFD is just as versatile. The Orbital can cover all of your modulation needs. The only problem is once you get them you'll start thinking about getting the HH3, the Dual expression pedal and then ultimately the Hub and a midi foot switch to change between your 128 possible scenes!!!
 
#7
I say do it dude. Not only does their stuff sound good, but the customer service is amazing! Such nice people. I've thought hard about doing what some have and only going to a Source Audio board, but I have way too many pedals. LOL. Maybe a second board.

Their stuff is legit though and tons of options.
 
#8
I'm glade I did...Although it meant selling more than half my board and spending hours tweaking. I've got the Orbital, OFD, Reverb, the PEQ and will receive the Manta next week. Next is the Hub and double expression pedal...Hours and hours of fun...
 
#9
Go for it, definitely. It´s been two weeks since I received mu Manta and I'm thinking about selling half my board for getting a PEQ, an Orbital plus an expression pedal and a HUB. Those little boxes are amazing
 
#12
My Orbital replaced a Boss PH-2 Super Phaser with mods, BF-2 Flanger with mods, Boss PS-3 (the detune aspects), a MSLP tremolo and my GAS for all conventional types of modulation is gone. Loads of control over lots of parameters that you can really tweak minute aspects if need be to truly perfect the sound you want. I've copped all of my previous aforementioned pedals and beyond. And it sounds natural (unless you don't want it too!). I've owned the MWBD and have tried out the Dimension Reverb, OFD and Manta. The Orbital (for my needs) is worth every penny and would replace it with the same one if something happened to it. Dig the 2 presets,tap-tempo and well everything about it.
 
#13
I have an OFD, a Manta and a Dimension, and all three are phenomenal -- each have replaced some pretty damn nice pedals on my boards, like the TAFM, Xerograph dlx and several reverbs, overdrives and others. I'd say they're all definitely worth checking out.
 
#17
I've asked myself the very same question and I'm extremely tempted by the SA pedals, but have decided to back off for now since I'm by no means limited by the pedalboard I already have. Plus I know myself - if I start down the SA road I will quite soon want every SB2 pedal, the hub, the EQ, the expression pedal, a MiDI pedal, a new pedalboard, a case for the pedalboard ... :)
 
#19
Well, I didn't say "replicate". ;)

To be fair, it doesn't make sense to replace a TAFM if what you're looking for is something that sounds exactly like a TAFM. The OFD gets some similar sounds through the "gated fuzz" setting (I actually prefer this to the TAFM gate mod, as I find it more tweakable and tonal), but the real strength of the OFD is that it also does a bajillion other sounds -- covering the whole spectrum from smooth overdrives to harsh, sputtery fuzzes.
 

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