Mooer 003 or 005/015 ?

[Steve-Om]

Hello everyone!

Haven't posted in a looong time (got married, baby, 2 jobs, you know the deal of being an adult ha!)

I come to you guys as I'm very much undecided on which of these two Mooer pedals to get: the 003 based on the Koch Power Tone, or the very well known 005/015.

At one point I thought about getting an AMT P1 since they are selling for around the same price, but I would like to hear what you guys think.

What surprises me is that there are very few properly recorded demos of the 003, and in most cases it sounds, to my ears, fuller than the 005. I'm pretty sure that slapping an OD in front would do wonders (either a TS like od, or something like a ProTone Attack od)

Mind you, I'll be using this as my main live rig for modernish metal / industrial metal, and will be used either to an amps return or with a pedal power amp like the baby bomb.

Looking forward to what you guys think!

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I had the P1/P2 and the 005 and preferred the P2. Had a more aggressive and bigger sound. Although I bet the 015 will be more up your alley.

Also you probably don't hear much about the 003 because Koch aren't too much of a big brand, especially in the metal department.

 

[Steve-Om]

I had the P1/P2 and the 005 and preferred the P2. Had a more aggressive and bigger sound. Although I bet the 015 will be more up your alley.

Also you probably don't hear much about the 003 because Koch aren't too much of a big brand, especially in the metal department.

yeah thats strange. Greg Koch's amps appear to be pretty good from what you could hear via youtube or otherwise.

now check this video out:

at minute 5:54 the 003 does sound very good here. the 005 (17:09) sounds a bit more...trebly? definitely more "modern" if thats the right term. the 003 sounds thicker but still remains a certain tightness and I'm pretty sure adding a tubescreamer type od in front would make it sound much tighter.

Im definitely liking more the 003 than the 005, just because it sounds more like an amp, the 005 sounds more like a solid state distortion (thats not necessarily bad in my book) and more compressed and "nasal" than the 003.

what are your thoughts?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

With the 005, it's probably that cocked wah sound the pedal has. It's what makes it sound so tight but less aggressive. I think you'll like the P2 or the 015 better in that regard. It's not as tight but it's more aggressive.

 

[Steve-Om]

"cocked wah sound" aha! thats exactly what I tried to say

indeed, the 015 sounds more "natural" albeit less tight than the 005 from the get go.

BUT...the 003 still sounds better to my ears than the 015 haha!

am I completely biased or is it truly that the 003 sounds better?? I guess the only option would be to try to get both and see!

 

[Bentaycanada]

I've owned the 005, and I think it's their best model. I've also owned the 001, 002, 009 and 012.

They're all excellent pedals, each with their own distinctive tones.

The 005 just felt insanely amp-like, especially thru a power amp into a 212 cab.

I'd pick another up any day.

 

[Shask]

I have the 001, 005, 008, and 011. I probably like the 005 the best, but it does have a bit of cocked wah to it like mentioned above. I think it sounds like it is already boosted by a Tubescreamer. It depends on your pickups though.... I dont like something tight, like Fishman Moderns into it, because it sounds like double boosted, but with a fatter passive pickup it balances out nicely. The 011 is cool with a boost though because it doesn't have that natural boosted sound to it. I am interested in the 015 also.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

i used the 005 here single tracking and a 100w Celestion IRs in stereo.

have been waiting on the 015 to be delivered and will report back once i’ve played it

 

[Steve-Om]

i used the 005 here single tracking and a 100w Celestion IRs in stereo.

have been waiting on the 015 to be delivered and will report back once i’ve played it

that sounds PRETTY good!

from what I'm gathering, it seems the 005 doesn't really require a boost, unless you are looking for that super attacky sound (dont make me say the "d" word haha)

the 005 definitely sounds good, but there's still that "cocked wah" sound that makes it a bit too nasal for my liking. it does sound tight, tho.

@Bentaycanada thanks for your input! I actually checked your other posts here and listened to your recordings to have a better idea of the sound before writing this post haha

@Shask I'm actually using passives, I have a Hot Rails in the bridge of my main guitar and a pair of Motherbuckers on my second guitar so I believe it should balance out pretty well.

but back to my original question: is there anybody out there that has ever played a 003? I'm surprised most of you have owned the 001, 002, and then jump to the 005, 008, etc

there has to be someone who has owned one!

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

oops. forgot to mention i was boosting with precision drive. fyi

 

[Steve-Om]

oops. forgot to mention i was boosting with precision drive. fyi

interesting... I guess it adds a bit more "wahness" to its sound...

I've been going back forth watching Brett Kingman's review and I still think the 003 sounds better albeit a little less "modern" or scooped. of course you could just roll off some mids or add an EQ after to tweak it a bit

check it out



for the 005...the "cocked wah" sound is definitely there.

this video of the 015 sounds very good, its definitely more "natural" sounding to my ears but still "modern".

 

[gunch]

WHEN IS 019

 

[Shask]

that sounds PRETTY good!

from what I'm gathering, it seems the 005 doesn't really require a boost, unless you are looking for that super attacky sound (dont make me say the "d" word haha)

the 005 definitely sounds good, but there's still that "cocked wah" sound that makes it a bit too nasal for my liking. it does sound tight, tho.

@Bentaycanada thanks for your input! I actually checked your other posts here and listened to your recordings to have a better idea of the sound before writing this post haha

@Shask I'm actually using passives, I have a Hot Rails in the bridge of my main guitar and a pair of Motherbuckers on my second guitar so I believe it should balance out pretty well.

but back to my original question: is there anybody out there that has ever played a 003? I'm surprised most of you have owned the 001, 002, and then jump to the 005, 008, etc

there has to be someone who has owned one!

I think the 005 just already sounds boosted. I dont know if I would call it nasal, but if you dont attach a Tubescreamer to every piece of gear you have ever owned, you may not love it as much because of that.

I just think the 003 isn't known for high gain, so this is probably not the best place to ask.

I am also wondering if there are different versions out there. For example, it is obvious there are at least 2 versions of the 005 out there. One has the VH graphics, and the newer one is just grey and is called Brown Sound 3 instead of 5153. One of mine is older I think, and tends to not have as much volume as the others. I wonder if they have tweaked them over time.