ZVex Mastotron (Now with added soundclip goodness)

[bobbass4k]

I'm having serious GAS for one of these, does anyone know if they've hit the UK yet? I've checked all of ZVex's UK suppliers and no one has them, I could probably get one from america for the money I'm willing to spend, but I'd prefer to get one closer to home if I can

Edited June 14, 2009 by bobbass4k

[bobbass4k]

Should have probably done a better google search.....found a few around, music ground have them on evilBay for £110, which I thought was pretty reasonable, until I found [url="http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=7859&catid=9&manid=272&quantity=1&product=ZVex+Vextron+Series+Mastotron%2C+New"]this[/url], I'm DEFINITELY getting one for that price, If only I didn't have to wait a week to afford it.......I'll put up some impressions/maybe some sound clips when I get it, with the impedance control and sub switch, this could be a very interesting pedal

[DanOwens]

WANT WANT WANT

I love my Wooley Mammoth but god does it tear everything up!!

Dan

[bobbass4k]

[quote name='DanOwens' post='478098' date='May 3 2009, 10:23 AM']WANT WANT WANT

I love my Wooley Mammoth but god does it tear everything up!!

Dan[/quote]

From comments/clips i've heard it's supposed to be quite different to the woolly mammoth, it's supposedly a little tamer, not gated, but supposedly the bass response is just as good as the mammoth, but the impedance control is what really sold me, my Devi Ever cherry pop is great, but it's a wild fuzz, and it hates my active spector, I actually like the gated synthy attack, but there's only one or two settings that are usable below an open A, so a tamer, well rounded fuzz that likes actives is just what I need

I can't stop talking about this thing.....

Edited May 3, 2009 by bobbass4k

[The Cooler King]

Rose Lane Music have them in stock.

[Dosi Y'Anarchy]

[url="http://www.hotroxuk.com/zvex-vexter-mastotron-11565-0.html"]http://www.hotroxuk.com/zvex-vexter-mastotron-11565-0.html[/url]

[lemmywinks]

Just plugged mine in for the first time (Guitar Village, linky above, £76 delivered)

First impressions? It's extremely good!

With the Sub switch on 3 (full) it has a ton of bass, you can turn the fuzz right up (the manual told me to!) and it's well defined

I used the Impedance knob from totally counter clockwise to about 12 o'clock, any further with an 18v pre and it became less like my idea of a fuzz but still sounded cool and very edgy

What i currently like most about it is that (because of the Sub switch) you can have the tone knob set anywhere and still retain loads of bass in the signal. IMLE with a bass fuzz, even one with a blend control, it's usually a compromise getting the sound you want with one that sits in a mix and cuts through in the right areas. I'm itching to gig this pedal as it promises to deliver the goods in a live situation!

It's also a lot smaller than i expected, about the same size as an EHX Nano pedal

Only negative so far is that the Sub switch is tiny and doesn't feel too sturdy, it's also wedged right inbetween the Volume and Tone knobs so my fat fingers can't get to it without messing these two settings up. Think i'll just leave it on full though....

[woodyratm]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='481147' date='May 6 2009, 04:44 PM']Just plugged mine in for the first time (Guitar Village, linky above, £76 delivered)

First impressions? It's extremely good!

With the Sub switch on 3 (full) it has a ton of bass, you can turn the fuzz right up (the manual told me to!) and it's well defined

I used the Impedance knob from totally counter clockwise to about 12 o'clock, any further with an 18v pre and it became less like my idea of a fuzz but still sounded cool and very edgy

What i currently like most about it is that (because of the Sub switch) you can have the tone knob set anywhere and still retain loads of bass in the signal. IMLE with a bass fuzz, even one with a blend control, it's usually a compromise getting the sound you want with one that sits in a mix and cuts through in the right areas. I'm itching to gig this pedal as it promises to deliver the goods in a live situation!

It's also a lot smaller than i expected, about the same size as an EHX Nano pedal

Only negative so far is that the Sub switch is tiny and doesn't feel too sturdy, it's also wedged right inbetween the Volume and Tone knobs so my fat fingers can't get to it without messing these two settings up. Think i'll just leave it on full though....[/quote]


Any sound clips? This interests me somewhat.

[lemmywinks]

I'm completely rubbish at computer recording unfortunately. I haven't even bothered to set my laptop sound card up yet!

[GЯДИКФЯ]

This sounds excellent. Is a totally over the top sound or can it get those Type O Negative style distortion sounds?

[thisnameistaken]

Shame it can't do gated sounds, it looks like a cool design. Looks like I'm sticking with the Mammoth.

[lemmywinks]

It has more than enough Fuzz for me but is controllable. Not really listened to Type O Negative i'm afraid and couldn't find a good example on Youtube of the bass sound

Had another play with it last night, the square wave to pulse knob is sweet. Goes from roaring to synthy, i like!

[GЯДИКФЯ]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXDBFpOHBE4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXDBFpOHBE4[/url]

From about 30 seconds on here

[bobbass4k]

Just arrived today, and I'm thoroughly impressed with it, the controls make it very versatile, it can do a huge array of sounds, big growly low end, or splatty glitchy squelchy high end. Anywho, how bout some badly taken pics?





I did have a better shot of her insides but it seems to have deleted itself......


The penny is to illustrate how small and inaccessible the sub switch is


Y'know, I think this might be a ZVex pedal.....


Now I'm gonna waffle on about this thing, this is my first ZVex pedal and I had no idea how tiny they are, it's slightly bigger than an MXR box, just on it's side, it's very well put together, the battery that comes with it is a little loose, but i took it out anyway as i run it off my 9v supply, but the controls are what make this unique, so I'm gonna go through each one, full OCD style.

Relax/Push: This is a source impedance blend, which is a miracle for us active players, no more squishy gating where gating doesn't belong, with full source impedance added (all the way to relax), the pedal responds just as it should, setting it elsewhere changes the character

Fuzz: Pretty self-explanatory, this thing doesn't do subtle, so it's range is lot's of fuzz - even more fuzz

PW: This controls the width of the square wave, from a symmetircal, roaring "regular" fuzz on the left, to a splatt, biting glitchy fuzz on the right. Past about 10'o'clock it has a kind of gating effect, at full left there is a bit of noise on high fuzz settings, but past 10'o'clock it's silent with no signal. Some other pedals have this as a texture control

Tone: This actually only controls the treble, so on bass it controls the bite of te fuzz essentialy, with it most of the way left it can do a pretty good scooped muff impression.

Subs: This has 3 positions, 1 is no subs at all, as you can imagine pretty useless on bass, 2 is a little more useable there is some bass there but it's not booming, 3 is where you get the booming. On 3 there is no low end loss whatsoever, as good as every bass specific fuzz i've ever heard. This is the best feature of the pedal from a bass perespective because it just adds or takes away the sub frequencies, doesn't change the characteisticis at all, so unlike other guitar fuzzes on bass, you get the full functionality of all the knobs, not just one or 2 settings.

This is my main fuzz now, it's just so versatile, I've never played a mammoth, but from samples I've heard, this can do a lot of the same things, and it works with actives, for about a third of the price, this is my new go-to reccomendation for a mid priced fuzz. The biggest problem as lemmywinks said is the sub switch, it's so damn tiny and nestled right between the vol and tone knobs, I have spindly girly fingers, so it's not a big ptoblem for me, but I can see some people finding it very annoying

Hmm, that turned into more of a lengthy review than first impressions, oh well, I'll get sound clips up next week when I'm back at uni and should be revising

[lemmywinks]

That's a better explanation than i could muster!

Gigged with this on Saturday (well, tried it for a few bits on a couple of songs as we don't have much call for uber fuzz..... yet!)

It's definitely well suited to bass in a live situation. When you kick it in it sounds exactly like a fuzzed up version of your normal signal (obvious i know, but it's surprising how many fuzzes don't cut it live). Seemed to sit in the same sort of frequency range as my normal sound but adds a lot more clout, in other words it doesn't get lost in the mix at all.

Tons of bass too!

[thisnameistaken]

Hmm. You've just made me wonder if there's a battery in my Woolly Mammoth. I've never looked...

[harvey1-8]

[quote name='bobbass4k' post='487099' date='May 13 2009, 05:52 PM']I'll get sound clips up next week when I'm back at uni and should be revising[/quote]

I'd love to hear some clips if you've got the time.

[bobbass4k]

[quote name='alexharvay' post='492328' date='May 19 2009, 12:34 PM']I'd love to hear some clips if you've got the time.[/quote]

Patience grasshopper...

I'll get some up before friday, probably as a youtube video so you can see the settings and it's easier to upload

Any songs/settings anyone really wants to hear?

[bobbass4k]

Sorry for the delay folks, but I've finally got access to a decent recording PC again, so it's soundclips for everyone!

I apologize for the sloppy playing, i've probably got more caffiene in my system than blood atm, anywho, I've tried to do it somewhat methodically, all the settings are within each sample except for the one being changed, volume was constant throughout all all of them, I apologize if they're a tad quiet/noisy, just using the stock soundcard on this pc (which is actually suprisingly good), a lof of the floor noise you can hear when the mastotron is kicked in is actually inteference form the pc/wireless router/wireless mouse and other gizmos around the pc, just amplified to audibility by the mastotorn, it's not usually that noisy


[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708565"]Soundclip 1:[/url]

Subs: 1, then 2, then 3
Tone: 12 Noon
PW: 12 Noon
Fuzz: 12 Noon
Impedance (Relax/Push): 12 Noon


[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708564"]Soundclip 2:[/url]
This is just my favourite setting, no variation

Subs: 3
Tone: Max
PW: Min (Symmetrical)
Fuzz: Max
Impedance (Relax/Push): Min (Relax)

[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708563"]Soundclip 3:[/url]

Subs: 3
Tone: Max
PW: Min (Symmetrical)
Fuzz: Min, 11'o'clock, 2'o'clock, max
Impedance (Relax/Push): Min (Relax)

[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708562"]Soundclip 4:[/url]

Subs: 3
Tone: Min, 11'o'clock, 2'o'clock, max
PW: Min (Symmetrical)
Fuzz: Max
Impedance (Relax/Push): Min (Relax)

[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708561"]Soundclip 5:[/url]

Subs: 3
Tone: 3'o'clock
PW: Min, 11'o'clock, 2'o'clock, max
Fuzz: 3'o'clock
Impedance (Relax/Push): Min (Relax)

[url="http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7708560"]Soundclip 6:[/url]

Subs: 3
Tone: Min
PW: Min (Symmetrical)
Fuzz: Max
Impedance (Relax/Push): Min, 11'o'clock, 2'o'clock, max

This was with my 9v active, just shows how big a difference the impedance blend makes

Hope these are useful, if anyone wants any specific settings/lines recording let me know and i'll see what I can do, I could even record some samples of my other pedals if anyone wants them, I'm in a bit of a recording mood, theres a picture of my current crop up in the pedalboard thread (except the green stache and cool cat are gone now)

Edited June 14, 2009 by bobbass4k

[Muse_Cubed]

I'm getting tempted now - my current "chainsaw" fuzz is a Blowtorch. I really like it but it's got a little something missing and it doesn't sustain well. This may be a bit more versatile though. Hmm.

[ahpook]

[quote name='Muse_Cubed' post='513199' date='Jun 14 2009, 11:20 AM']I'm getting tempted now - my current "chainsaw" fuzz is a Blowtorch. I really like it but it's got a little something missing and it doesn't sustain well. This may be a bit more versatile though. Hmm.[/quote]

i've spent the afternoon with my mastodon (!!) and to my ears it's got something over the blowtorch.

i'm very happy with it...it's going to sound great with the techno stuff i do. the gated fuzz sounded are fantastic.

[lemmywinks]

Tried this before my MXR M80 last night, they sounded excellent together! Couldn't have imagined a better combination of grind and all out fuzz. Amazingly it sounded controlled and clear too!

I'm thinking this pedal is definitely a keeper, it handles everything i throw at it and takes up a third of the pedalboard space of my Big Muff

[DanOwens]

My Mammoth isn't mine. A guitarist left it with me and emigrated, does that mean I have to buy a Mastotron as well?

Help me Basschat. I can't justify spending money I don't have until some strangers tell me to!!

Dan

[ahpook]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='518754' date='Jun 19 2009, 07:09 PM']Tried this before my MXR M80 last night, they sounded excellent together! Couldn't have imagined a better combination of grind and all out fuzz. Amazingly it sounded controlled and clear too!

I'm thinking this pedal is definitely a keeper, it handles everything i throw at it and takes up a third of the pedalboard space of my Big Muff[/quote]

you're making me wish i still had mr m80 !!

but i agree, it's a great sounding fuzz. the subs are amazing !

[Muse_Cubed]

[quote name='ahpook' post='518730' date='Jun 19 2009, 06:54 PM']i've spent the afternoon with my mastodon (!!) and to my ears it's got something over the blowtorch.

i'm very happy with it...it's going to sound great with the techno stuff i do. the gated fuzz sounded are fantastic.[/quote]


Well, I picked one up on t'Bay for £75...bye bye Blowtorch I think. It's smaller, it's nastier and produces a huge range of chainsaw tones, exactly what I wanted. It's also a little less fizzy and just sounds...bigger than the Blowtorch (which is still a great pedal in its own right).