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vintage mutron III

#61
groooooove said:
well, IF there were some around, it wouldent be enough to supply EHX. a smaller boutique company..maybe.
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AFAIK the original 0805s (optos) aren't available any more ... CJ Landry had some for a while. Replacements sound the same to my ears (I have an 0805 that I've compared against newer substitutes).

I think the 'Mutron III still sounds better / significantly different than the Qtron' is all in people's minds. Sentimentality, and all that...
 
#62
I disagree, and for a very specific reason. As mentioned earlier, the components in the original Mutrons will have drifted well out of spec in many cases, which often does change the sound. By way of example, I had an original Mutron III and an original big-box QTron, and they really did sound noticeably different--the Mutron was dirtier, squelchier, and muddier. All qualities that could be reasonably expected from aging electronic components.

I also think the actual slope of the attack and decay varied between them to a small but noticeable degree--whether due to component decay, different specific components used, or different specific values chosen, I don't know--and that envelope response is part of what makes a filter seem better or worse to a player.

On a different angle, agreeing with your "all in the mind" premise, I think when people try a QTron and they don't get the same sound as Bootsy they are disappointed and they figure it must have been the original Mutron III that got him that sound. But as we dedicated effects fiends have learned, there was a whole lot more going on in his signal chain than just a Mutron.
 
#63
bongomania said:
I disagree, and for a very specific reason. As mentioned earlier, the components in the original Mutrons will have drifted well out of spec in many cases, which often does change the sound. By way of example, I had an original Mutron III and an original big-box QTron, and they really did sound noticeably different--the Mutron was dirtier, squelchier, and muddier. All qualities that could be reasonably expected from aging electronic components.
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It's not that they've necessarily drifted out of spec but the fact is back then components had larger tolerances than they today (unless they were using military grade parts) and that over time the components have stabilized somewhere within that tolerance that's far from the value wanted.
 
#65
I should have clarified - except for parts drift / tolerances, and I was talking about an abnormal case of having built a 'new' Mutron III and compared it to a Qtron (with different optos in the Mutron III clone).
 
#67
bongomania said:
But as we dedicated effects fiends have learned, there was a whole lot more going on in his signal chain than just a Mutron.
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im curious..if i wanted to replicate his 3 rig setup, how would i isolate each set of frequencies? ive got 3 bass rigs, (2 sets of markbass heads/2x12" brickhouse cabs, and an ampeg BA210SP 2x10 combo)

i know he had differnt pickups going to differnt rigs, but did he use any sort of crossover?

now if only i could get my hand on three mutron IIIs..
 
#69
My Mutron III just came back from lsound where it was repaired, calibrated and true-bypassed, and I got a chance to use it at band practice today. The thing sounds AMAZING. Definitely better than any Qtron I've heard. Here are my first impressions:

PROS
Sound, ease of use.

CONS
Huge, strange power requirements, gain knob sucks compared to circuits that use a sensitivity control.


I can see why the gain circuit made sense to the designers back in the 70's. Back when true bypass was unheard of, it didn't matter if the pedal boosted the volume of the signal - the boost was never bypassed.

Despite its quirks, it's a great-sounding pedal that's worth the high prices on ebay.
 
#70
I thought about buying a HAZ Mutron reissue to replace my original Mutron lll. The HAZ rep was telling me that the original Mutron lll was made for guitarists not bassists in mind. Now I have both the Mutron lll and a 00Funk on my board quackin for fun
 
#71
Clark Dark said:
I thought about buying a HAZ Mutron reissue to replace my original Mutron lll. The HAZ rep was telling me that the original Mutron lll was made for guitarists not bassists in mind. Now I have both the Mutron lll and a 00Funk on my board quackin for fun
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that's funny - the original mu-tron wasn't made with bassists in mind, but it found application in a wide range of instruments. One of its most enthusiastic endorsers was Stevie Wonder, for instance.
 
#72
Spencer! said:
My Mutron III just came back from lsound where it was repaired, calibrated and true-bypassed, and I got a chance to use it at band practice today. The thing sounds AMAZING. Definitely better than any Qtron I've heard. Here are my first impressions:

PROS
Sound, ease of use.

CONS
Huge, strange power requirements, gain knob sucks compared to circuits that use a sensitivity control.


I can see why the gain circuit made sense to the designers back in the 70's. Back when true bypass was unheard of, it didn't matter if the pedal boosted the volume of the signal - the boost was never bypassed.

Despite its quirks, it's a great-sounding pedal that's worth the high prices on ebay.
Click to expand...


yeah man, the mutron is THE tone. when dialed in its sounds amazing. but that gain knob is the bane of my existence as well.
 
#73
im about ready to go for the one on ebay right now. pending fridays paycheck, i'll see.

the 3leaf is looking like a really nice alternative though. its small, true bypass, gets good reviews around here, doesent need power supply, known for no volume boost..

i should probably find a limiter/compressor to use along with these filters (ill always have an FX25 laying around. love it.) anyone have a specific one they like for this?
 
#75
Here's the list of models I have (I have to add some):
Invalid Link Removed

No real Mu-Tron III, but a few pedals that are very close, like the Univox copies and the Funky Fish.

When I first tried on of those (a Melos Funky Filter) I finally understood the hype. I already had a Q-Tron, but those are different (sweep & resonance).

The Multivox Big Jam SE-2 Spit Wah is really good too, the Q-Tron has less resonance (I think) and the Ibanez/Maxon AF series have a different (tighter?) sweep.
 
#77
Here's the short list from my website:
Limiters: the Aphex 661/651, Maxon CP9 Pro+, Pigtronix Philosopher, Alesis MicroLimiter, Guyatone BL2, Demeter Compulator, new version of the FEA, Ashly DPX/CLX/CL series, and Symetrix 501 all do a pretty good job of cleanly limiting big signal peaks, although the only ones I'd call "really great" at limiting are the Aphex 651/661 and Ashly DPX/CLX.
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#78
Spencer! said:
My Mutron III just came back from lsound where it was repaired, calibrated and true-bypassed, and I got a chance to use it at band practice today. The thing sounds AMAZING. Definitely better than any Qtron I've heard. Here are my first impressions:

PROS
Sound, ease of use.

CONS
Huge, strange power requirements, gain knob sucks compared to circuits that use a sensitivity control.


I can see why the gain circuit made sense to the designers back in the 70's. Back when true bypass was unheard of, it didn't matter if the pedal boosted the volume of the signal - the boost was never bypassed.

Despite its quirks, it's a great-sounding pedal that's worth the high prices on ebay.
Click to expand...

I owned an 1979 Mutron III (w/pwr cord) that I never liked the sound of. Recently it was LSound(ed) and it did sound much better than originally...but to me, still didn't sound as good as my EBS, so I sold it to Markjazzbassist.

Now....since you are the creator of the great GR and now have this "amazing" vintage III in your grip, will you recreate it for the rest of us?
 

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