vintage mutron III

[groooooove]

If I bought a vintage Mutron III over ebay, would it be worth the extra money to send it straight to Analogman or someone like that to get the caps replaced?

Also, would modding it for true bypass reduce resale value like changing parts out on a vintage Fender? I'm not too fussed because I don't think I'd be selling it anyway but thought I'd ask first.

Joe

these arent as collectable as old fender instruments. i think gennerally it will be worth more if its in better working order- with true bypass, recapped, ext.


has anyone ever used the "micro V" mutron? one just popped up on ebay-

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Musitro...ICS%2BUFI%2BUA%2BIA%2BUCI&otn=15&po=LVI&ps=54

it doesent have many knobs, it might not be too tweakable. real mutron sound, small package? maybe?

 

[bassbmx]

I have no idea but it looks awesome!

 

[Spencer!]

I just snagged an old Mutron III of ebay this morning. I'll poke around inside when it arrives and find its mojo.

 

[bassbmx]

Very cool Spencer! Would be super awesome if you put out a good Mutron clone along side the Meatball clone!

 

[Spencer!]

Very cool Spencer! Would be super awesome if you put out a good Mutron clone along side the Meatball clone!

I've been thinking about it. The Meatball is loosely based off the Mutron, but there are some significant differences in the envelope follower circuit.

 

[groooooove]

I just snagged an old Mutron III of ebay this morning. I'll poke around inside when it arrives and find its mojo.

this is good news

if you find any secrets and decide to clone it, let me know so i dont waste money on a differnt filter

 

[mikeboth]

Very cool Spencer! Would be super awesome if you put out a good Mutron clone along side the Meatball clone!

Just buy a Q-tron already, it's almost identical to the Mutron III. Most of the 'mojo' is in the specs of the optocouplers used, BTW.

 

[groooooove]

Just buy a Q-tron already, it's almost identical to the Mutron III. Most of the 'mojo' is in the specs of the optocouplers used, BTW.

 

[RCCollins]

well it's true, ya know...

 

[Spencer!]

well it's true, ya know...

Then why do they sound different? Does the Q-tron just use different opto's?

 

[RCCollins]

Then why do they sound different? Does the Q-tron just use different opto's?

I'm pretty sure that's a big part of it; the vintage version's precise optos are probably unobtainium at this point

but ya know what? I don't think they sound THAT different. people complain about the q-tron's volume spike, but that's a "feature" of the mu-tron design as well...

 

[groooooove]

I'm pretty sure that's a big part of it; the vintage version's precise optos are probably unobtainium at this point

but ya know what? I don't think they sound THAT different. people complain about the q-tron's volume spike, but that's a "feature" of the mu-tron design as well...

exactly how bad is the volume spike, on either the q tron or mutronIII?

 

[RCCollins]

exactly how bad is the volume spike, on either the q tron or mutronIII?

depends a bit on what bass you use with it, but bad enough that many folks still just expect an envelope filter to require a compressor/limiter.

 

[bongomania]

My dogma (semi serious, semi not) is that the "wetness", "fatness", and "Bootsyness" of a filter is proportional to its resonance; and part of the definition of resonance is that it increases the levels of the sound dramatically at (and approaching) the resonant frequency. I haven't tried the recent Meatball clones, but every other filter I've owned and tried obeys this rule.

Because I like it extra fat, wet, and "Bootsy", I always expect to use a limiter after my filter.

 

[RCCollins]

My dogma (semi serious, semi not) is that the "wetness", "fatness", and "Bootsyness" of a filter is proportional to its resonance; and part of the definition of resonance is that it increases the levels of the sound dramatically at (and approaching) the resonant frequency. I haven't tried the recent Meatball clones, but every other filter I've owned and tried obeys this rule.

Because I like it extra fat, wet, and "Bootsy", I always expect to use a limiter after my filter.

sure - i didn't really get my point across. what i meant was that the q-tron is unfairly maligned for its volume spike. you never hear anybody complaining about the volume spike on a vintage mu-tron...

 

[fightthepower]

I haven't tried the recent Meatball clones, but every other filter I've owned and tried obeys this rule.

I've had the same experience, but I generally like my tone less boosty-like, so while I like the Qtron, I prefer a less resonant filter with control over resonance so I can turn it down for use with dirt.

With the Grinders resonance dimed, its just barely getting into Qtron wetness/volume spike territory- mild compression from my ebs compressor tames it, whereas the qtron was much harder to tame, but of course wetter tone. The 3leaf doesn't quite have the available resonance/wetness or accompanying volume spikes or need for limiting.

As an aside: The 3leaf arrived yesterday, and after a/bing it with the Grinder for a bit, they definitely have their own thing going on a bit. The Grinder and 3leaf sound very similar, but there are differences in the tone and envelope. The 3leaf almost sounds like a Grinder crossed with an fx25, with its drier/barkier tone(when both filters are set with roughly equal resonance), though its not a 'dry' filter. Its different than the Grinder but I like it and I'd like to downsize the Grinder since I have other filters covering most of the non-envelope stuff. I won't make the decision until Ive spent ample time with it, but so far I like it.

 

[Spencer!]

With the Grinders resonance dimed, its just barely getting into Qtron wetness/volume spike territory- mild compression from my ebs compressor tames it, whereas the qtron was much harder to tame, but of course wetter tone. The 3leaf doesn't quite have the available resonance/wetness or accompanying volume spikes or need for limiting.

That makes sense. If the Grinder is an exact copy of the Meatball, then it has just a little bit more resonance with the res control dimed than my pedal has.

On a side note, glad you're liking it! Where did you order it from?

 

[7StringBassist]

I found one today cleaning And Will probably sell/trade it due to I'm not a effects guy

 

[mikeboth]

Then why do they sound different? Does the Q-tron just use different opto's?

You're comparing a pedal that is probably brand new to one that is 30 years old for one thing. I suspect many original Mutron IIIs have parts whose values have drifted significantly in this time.

The Mutron and Qtron sound very, very similar. As I said, no real surprise, as their circuitry is very similar.

I suppose it would be possible to sell another Mutron III clone based on the disengenous notion of it being a 'better' clone than the Q-tron, however that would be misleading at the least ... unless you can score the original optos from 'somewhere'.... and 'somewhere' EH didn't manage to ...

 

[groooooove]

You're comparing a pedal that is probably brand new to one that is 30 years old for one thing. I suspect many original Mutron IIIs have parts whose values have drifted significantly in this time.

The Mutron and Qtron sound very, very similar. As I said, no real surprise, as their circuitry is very similar.

I suppose it would be possible to sell another Mutron III clone based on the disengenous notion of it being a 'better' clone than the Q-tron, however that would be misleading at the least ... unless you can score the original optos from 'somewhere'.... and 'somewhere' EH didn't manage to ...

well, IF there were some around, it wouldent be enough to supply EHX. a smaller boutique company..maybe.

although, that scenario is not likely to ever occur in the first place..