Lovetone Meatball

This effect is not for the bedroom guitar player, If your in a cover band also maybe not for you. More suited to experienced players who create their own music or who experiment in Guitar sound creation. You have to spend time with this effect to get what you want.

sound Quality is excellent is a warm sounding effect with analoge balls reading Earlier reviews its like Voting in an Election some people should not have a Vote, Anyone who gives the a 2 or 3 for sound Quality oviously does not have a clue about Guitar sound and Effects,The Meatball does Exacly what its designed to do and does it with Style.
Ps insert a Tube Screamer into the send and return jacks on the meatball for a ride of your life

No issues anyone who owns one will see the build quality inside perfection and hand build not Chinese mass produced Crap

Full support if needed at lovetone site but whats to go wrong with them

Well Built effect used by the pro s Radiohead and the Edge on Discoteque

Ease of use, forget it. This pedal presents a variety of knobs on the face and very little explanation on how to use them. I agree with the other reviewers saying this pedal is tailor-made for the tweaker. Even the idiot below, who defends it, can't practice what he preaches. READ THIS: You have to constantly turn knobs, this is gets in the way.

I will concede, when it is on, it sounds good, it takes a lot of time to get there. The manual sucks, if they had a website set up for sample settings it would do well.

Boostsy and Radiohead, thats about it for 'stars' These people have a lot of time and money to spend to get it just right. This is not me, you are expected to get it in one take, MAYBE two, then the show is over. Showing up to a gig with an unpredictable product is like showing up drunk to work. READ: Don't do it! The sound is great when it hits, but sometimes it can make bass bomb sounds, kind of like dropping a huge boulder into a water. Again, the numb skull below agrees, yet seems to forget, this is about OPINION not defense.

I have three amps I use regularly: Park 45 top mount, Bluetron and a Tweed deluxe. This covers all the territory I need. sometimes the Meatball did sound good but not in a live setting, sorry, you dropped the ball on this one Lovetone.

Yes, I could depend on it, but I would not take it out to a gig. First, set-ups and changeovers go fast, this pedal weighs me down, two, I am worried the flip-top may break. I would use it in a controlled environment but that is about it, reliability, I am not sure?!?

I bought it used and haven't called the company and now they don't sell anything...wonder why.

In the position I am in, I have to be able to cover a wide variety of musicals styles and quickly adapt to ever changing situations. I should have known better then to but this. I am going to break out an Electro Harmonix q-tron and go from there, it is a lot cheaper, sounds great and easily replaceable. There you go.

This is a rebuttal to the reviews nay-saying the pedal for being a boutique "investment piece" that no player would actually use...


First off...if the number of knobs scares you...don't buy the bloody pedal. It's complex. Get over it. It's really not that bad. Set the Sens. around 1/2 way up, get a low Attack and a higher Decay and you're golden. If it doesn't quite do it for you, adjust away...really subtle turns until you get used to it.

A traditional Auto Wah would be set in the Up position with a Low Band Pass and either a Hi-Mid or maybe a High setting.

...but honestly...don't buy this pedal if you only want a basic Auto Wah. Go get something cheaper and easier to use.

This thing sounds tremendous. It's thick, has a rich, wide sweep and seems to really nail all the sweet spots on my Tele (a Deluxe Reissue with humbuckers) when I'm chugging away.

And I use this pedal nightly...yes...on gigs in front of living audiences. It sits right in the middle of my pedal board with an expression pedal next to it to double as a wah when needed. Its not my favorite wah but its good enough that I won't take up more space on my board for another tone-sucker.

Sometimes I do have to reach down and tweak a knob but it's easy enough to make a change if you know how the damn thing works. Not to mention, move everything in moderation and you'll never be "losing your setting" on this. It's really not as complex as the black-ballers below are saying.

My only concern is that it can generate some ridiculous bass frequencies when set with high Color and Intensity settings. I don't think you'll blow anything up but it can get unpleasant and make all sorts of things buzz in your amp (and skull). As this is easily avoided, I'm not deducting points. Just turn it down a bit if you hear too much boom.

I've used it in live settings for 5 years now...no glitches, pops, crackles whatsoever. Just don't jump onto it and make sure to put it on a pedal board...not in a random bag of gear where everything (even the Boss pedals) gets mashed up.

And for Customer Service, call/e-mail Dan at Dinosaural.com. He's super nice (very direct but that's what I want...don't bullshit around on my dime!). He's a family man though and he does all the repairs himself so relax if he doesn't immediately drop his 3-year-old to work on your glitch.

He gets a 9 because he's a 1-man operation so you might have to show some patience.

As I said...this was a rebuttal because I don't dig people who don't do their research and end up bashing something they shouldn't have bought in the 1st place. I reviewed this pedal back several years ago (the review is a ways down) when most people were still pretty positive. Now that people are saying "it's a tweakers only box" and "no one would ever gig with this" I had to contradict and address what I'm reading.

Let me reiterate...don't get it if you don't like a lot of knobs. It has a lot of knobs and they actually do lots of things. If you're a set-it-and-forget-it kind of guy, there's cheaper and easier pedals out there for you. Hell...find a DOD 440 or a clone. There's only 2 knobs on that one and it sounds great (I know...I have an original which is great on bass rigs).

For my jazz and rock setups, this thing sounds great. Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

As for value...if you're willing to pay this much for an Auto-wah, I'd like to think you want 2 things: Sound Quality and Flexibility. If you wanted a specific sound and you can spend $600+, go buy the original. Don't get someone else's crazy and innovative new design. Get the classic you wanted in the first place. Most of the reason you'll see so many on eBay is that investors bought these things like crazy back when the pedals were getting insane prices ($1000+). Can you blame 'em? I mean, come on...$1400 for a friggin' Flanger? Anyways, now that the boom's gone (probably for good), a lot of them a just trying to recoup their investment. Buy low...sell high...

If you want a Filter unit you can explore and treat like a unique and expressive instrument, this one fits the bill.

P.S.
If you really don't dig it, try a Moogerfooger Low Pass Filter, an Xotic Robotalk or a Frostwave Funk-a-duck. Those are all unique spins on envelope filters that are equally unique and sound great.

This thing is N-O-T easy to use. the manual if you can call it that is te biggest waste of a tree in the history of mankind. There are more knobs and seemingly meaningless settings that only a savant can appreciate (the idiot type) this pedal takes a degree in injuneering to figger out duh...

Well what can I say..sometimes it sounds like a cat getting let out of a plastic sack and other times like you left it in the water. Once...once I got a funky whaka-whaka sound...then I lost it, S%&#t terrible would be an upgrade, at least you can do something with terrible

Jury out, didnt have it too long, turned it around on Ebay, where you see all the old ones ha ha ha ha ha suckeeeer!!!

Seriously, I think it is built well, but tell me when is the last time you have seen one for sale that is not in 'mint' condition. there are NO GIGGING MUSICIANS using these things so at the end of the day it is really hard to tell how reliable they are.

yeah right, there is a reason these are 'sold out' too many complaints I would guess and a terrible used resale value. I called them once and the I think I got the wanker on a bad day, maybe his hand was numb...hummm

I am not one to slag on things needlessly, but really, think about all the hard earned cash you can throw away on just plain worthless items. If you want an envelope filter, look to EMMA or something moog, not lovetone...there is a reason these are no longer produced and it not for the company to get rich, good ideas, bad application keep looking.

There is definately a learning curve, but once you read the manual (5 pages) a couple of times and noodle with the settings, you'll have it down.

The tone of this thing is excellent. There are so many different tones you can coax from it it's really amazing. I love the funky sounds I'm getting. It's the best Envelope Filter I've ever had or tried.

It's built like a tank, i gig with it without a backup.

Vlad from Lovetone is amazing, I have spoke to him many times.

I use this for Funk/R&B type stuff. I get the great P-Funk type sounds and honestly, I just LOVE this pedal. Buy one, you won't be disappointed.

I bought a love Tone after reading the reviews here and doing a bit of research. the sounds on the web site are cool, but the one problem I had when I got it was to try and do it myself. This thing has more knobs than than a witch has warts on her nose, ugh...I got some good sounds out of it but it took me awhile, i haven't used it a lot out of my home because it take a lot of tweaking to make it fit in right. Like any effect thought oo much is a bad thing so I can't always turn it on and leave it on. THe manual was kind of sparse too. IT comes with a page to photo copy, thankfully, and I checked some forums out. there is a lot of info about these things, but you have to sift through a lot to get it right. Maybe some of the other reviewers are more adept at dealing witht his sort of thing, but I found it hard, like one other review said, "it probably suits the tweaker better than the player..." I agree here. I guess Radio head used one of these too, not sure.

I have some old marshalls and Fenders I play, pretty run of the mill type amps, nothing fancy here. I have a princeton reverb, a 2x12 bluesbreaker reissue, and a deluxe reverb. With the Fenders it sounded a bit bright so I had to make some adjustments. It hummed with my marshall, and was kind of loud background hum. I am not sure why this is, the only other pedal that had made this kind of hum was a visual sound jekyll and hyde distortion pedal with tons of gain.

The effects is either really weak or really strong. Again, I wish I could talk to other reviewers who said they got it to sound just right, I had a hard time with this. tiny, seemingly unimportant movements and the thing would go away, or come on too strong. The wah sounds were cool though but I have a pedal for that. There were helpful people of forums too. I hate to spend too much time surfing and not playing but I kind of had to to make it the most of it. kind of an expensive foray into the unknown.

I had the pedal for 3 months now and used it at home, so I guess it works well. I like the way it opens up with the top flipping up. Alos you have to use a power supply with it because it can drain a battery quick, and it farts out. One time I couldn't tell if it was on vecause I was confused by the knobs, I had to look at the photo copy, check the settings, then I finally figured out the battery was kaput. So I bought I power supply and this helped out a lot with the sound, I was surprised. IT looks built well, but the only thing I can compare it too is keeley effects which I love a lot. I think it has a sort of mass produced look combined with a few neat features. The design looks cool.

I have heard that the company is hit or miss. I didn't deal with them, as I think a lot of others haven't either. yet they still give them a '10' That I don't understand. SPeaking to someone on the phone about the product is far different than getting something done about it. I can't really rate this one, so I leave it blank

I like funk, soul, and blues, I thought it would fit in easier, but it was hard. I would like to actually see some one use this thing and take some notes or something. It was hard for me to use this pedal. I have a yellow yeehaw from Keeley, and a nova wah. I run this with a chorus and a leslie some and get some interesting sounds and textures. THe only problem is with the signal loss running through so many pedals. I bought it used on Ebay, and will probably end up selling it in the near future. I has a good resale so I am not too worried about loosing some hard earned dough on it. I wish the instruction had more explanantion or perhaps a book to go with it laid out in sections if you want to do this, try this... I love that it has a lot of knobs and at the same time wish it didn't have so many knobs. If it was loss or stolen I wouldn't get another one knowing what I know now. I see a lot of them on Ebay (all the time) so I would try to get it cheap there if you are considering to ty it out. My suspician is that the majority of people go through a similiar edperience, and sell it after awhile. I didn't have much to compare too direct I don't think there is much out there like it. GEts in the way for me, unless I am trying to record something and then lay it in somewhere, I had a hard time using it live. If you get one, good luck, and be prepared to spend some time with it. Hope this helps.

easy to get a standard auto wah sound. from there it's all experimentation. I have mine set with everything on full besides attack and decay set at minimum. that will get a variety of cool sounds. try playing harmonic chords and let them ring, u will get some wild sounds! switching from hi to mid hi filter gives you that funky sub bass that P-funk was born to play. as for dailing in specific tones (replicating your favorite bass players enevelope tones) it's all about patience with this pedal, because it is certainly worth it!
NOTE: this pedal is not for beginners or plug and play effects users. make sure that before you lay down the money you ahve the patience to work with this pedal. it is an instrument in itself!

I use this pedal with a Modulus Quantum 4 and a Yorkville Bassman 100w, and this thing blows away everyone i play for! It is totally silent and always sounds fantastic. As the manual says it generates serious sub-bass tones so you need an amp with at least 100w. I use this thing to get the sounds of Mike Gordon from Phish and i have successfully replicated the Down With Disease bass line and the Free bass solo down to the exact tones! I have put my friends EH Big Muff through this and it wails! Be careful when putting an octave opedal through the effects loop as even more sub-bass is generated to the point that it could blow out a cheap amp

this thing is light, but could take a beating! i have gigged with this thing tons of times, but keep it far away from drunken audience members! you never know when some guy will take a dive right on to your effects rig!

when i ordered my Meatball, i spoke to Dan Coggins of Dinosaural. he is both friendly and helpful! i asked him a number of questions before ordering the pedal and he was happy to answer everything in detail without going on forever. if i ever run into a problem with this pedal (which is highly doubtful) i know i can count on him!

i play mostly funk fusion, lots of phish, improvisational jazz and this thing never stops amazing me! the price was steep, but when you demand the best, you pay for it! if this thing were stolen i would cry, and then go buy another! i ahve been playing bass intensively for five years and it compliments my Modulus perfectly. bottom line: if you ever have the money in your hands, hand it over to Lovetone and prepare to be amazed!

I don't understand why so many people give it so low ratings here. I admit, it's complicated, there are a lot of knobs to turn, but the manual is VERY HELPFUL so it's not that difficult to get a good (read: great!!) sound out of it.

the best thing to do in my opinion is to choose the settings for the filter section first, and after that you can mess with the trigger section settings.

keep in mind that the trigger up/down switch is the most important feature of the unit, as it let's you choose between the only two sounds which are fundamentally different.

keep a notebook - this might be very helpful

the sound quality in one word: pristine!!! it really is amazing and it became one of the most important effects in my rig.

I use various guitars (5 to be exact - humbucker and single coil)and two custom made amps. the meatball sounds great with every guitar and amp but sounds different with every guitar and amp- just the way I like it.

it's absloutely not noisy and you can match it with every other effect (ocatve, fuzz, delay, distortion,...) to get great sounds, sometimes very weird sounds.

to the people who gave it low ratings here: sorry but I don't agree. I think you need to spend more time exploring the effect. since this thing produces so many sounds it is equally easy to get good sounds as to get bad sounds out of it. with bad sounds I mean: over the top. sometimes this can be cool but most of the times it's not. the key to the solution is the colour knob: adjust it so that the effect get's just a bit more subtle, just not to much (it may produce a lot of bass on some settings and the colour knob takes care of that). Now this effect really shines!!! it makes my sound so much warmer, so much better

keep in mind: you master the effect, don't let the effect master you

it does not look so heavy as a boss for example but it really is reliable, so you can definitely depend on it. I have used it on stage during tours and i never had a problem with it.

since this is such a pricey effect (and such an important effect for my rig) I become automatically more careful. the better for me I guess

Dan Coggins really is a nice guy. Talked to me on the phone like I was a friend, answered my questions, but never became pushy.

a very warm guy indeed

I play funk, jazz and different genres of rock. this effect suits funk and rock (because it ROCKS!!!!!!) and I can find a place for it during jazz sessions, then I get special sounds but the rest of the band seems to like them so that's ok.

I have been playing for 12 years and now I'm a jazz student (3rd year).

What I love about it? everything!!! especially the effects loop and the blend knob (you don't find this two features on other effects very often)

before I bought it, I did a lot of research on harmony-central. but now that I have it and used it I don't regret a thing!

This is a Envelope Filter with a brace of knobs, switches and various jack sockets. These are detaled later and I cannot be bothered to type them twice.

Basically this pedal will work as a lo pass, band pass or hi pass filter. The envelope can be bypassed so it will work as a static filter. This can be tweaked via the resonance control or an expression pedal for 'DJ' type effects. There is an effects loop so that whatever is in the loop is filtered as well as being engaged via the Meatball bypass switch.

It is not easy to use and there is a basic set up point which you do need to use rather than aimlessly sweeping knobs wondering why it doesnt make any wah noises. Here it is

Sens-max
Attack-min
Decay-max
Colour-max
Intens-max
Blend-*

Trigger-'up' and 'full'
Filter-either of the 'dots' and 'lo pass'(right).

NB the three position 'pass' switch has wavy lines instead of letters. Left to right it's hi pass, band pass, hi pass and no wlook at the hierglyphics, it should make sense.

This setting will give you a start point. Now try adjusting the attack and decay and see (hear) what happens. Set them back to the start point and now adust the Hi. . Lo switch, the hi/band/lo switch and the up down switch. You should get an idea of what switch and what each combination of switches does. To get more subtle filtering set the unit back to the start and adjust the colour and intensity knobs also try the 'off' position on the filter.

Now to the jack sockets. Pedal 1 and 2 adjust the decay and intensity via an expression pedal (I have not used this function so no comment). The R-FX Loop-S jacks are the FX Loop (suprise) sockets. You can stick any effect in here and control/process it or them. I personally prefer a delay in the loop, so we'll deal with that.

With a DD3 in the loop you get subtle progressive filtering of the echoes. For example if you set a long delay with high feedback each repeat gets darker in 'up' and brighter in 'down'. Also if you play a note, let it be filtered and play another note the original notes are filtered again.

Final comment in this section. The manual suggests that the unit be powered via a mains adapter and that you try 12v even though the pedal should only recieve 9v. Also please note that earlier models have a 9v+ 3.5mm jack whilst later ones have a 9v - tip 'Boss' type adapter. The current Dinosaural ones are - tip and my 1994 model is = tip. I dont know when the change occurred. I broke my generic adapter and I'll have to get a converter for my One Spot.

It is a difficult pedal to get to grips with and I had to get help from 'Stompboxman' and 'Bieke'-thanks.

The Meatball is capable of some very extreme effects as well as making a digital delay sound 'analoguelike'. It's not exact, I do have an analogue delay, anyway.

With the decay on max it's almost like a phaser. It comes into it's own when blended with other effects, either in the loop or not. If you thought a Fuzz Factory was extreme, run it into a Meatball.

The switch sometimes doesnt operate, I'll have to get it looked at when I started playing live again. It's 11 years old so no warranty.

Have not contacted them.

I bought this as it was a good price and I know I can shift it without taking a bath. As a home recordist, there's so much you can do with it that I'll probably hang on to it.

It will probably suit a tweaker rather than a live player. Who wants t pay $500 to use it twice?

Well its a pedal how hard is it. Coming from someone who uses a lot of pro gear this is a doddle once u get your head into it. So fun to use!!

Absolutley amazing. Forget the review below this thing is the best envelope filter ever, that is why so many great top acts use it. IMO thisthing has changed the way I view tone shaping for life. It sounds sbsolutley incredible and needs to be heard to be believed. I think the guy ];s review below is poor because he doesn't want anyone else to buy it knowing how good it sounds...Well buy one and you'll see why i'm sticking up for it!!

Soild as a tank....gigged and gigged again

have never had to use then which shows how great this thing really is

Amazing...go out and buy one at whatever price you can get...these will soon be even more rarer than they are and people will be selling them for twice as much. Considering theres not that many made in the first place