The 3Leaf Audio Wonderlove Envelope Filter is an envelope filter stompbox introduced in June 2012 as the replacement for the company's flagship GR2 Envelope Filter. It was announced as shipping at the end of that month, with a preorder price of $2691. Envelope filters track a player's picking dynamics and sweep a filter in response, the same family of effect as a wah but driven by the playing rather than by foot.
Controls and features
No Treble's Kevin Johnson listed seven controls for dialing in the sound: Sensitivity, Attack, Decay, Tone, Blend, Resonance, and Boost1. The Blend control lets a player mix the filtered sound with the clean signal, and the Boost adds level on top, both useful for keeping low notes full while the filter sweeps.
Beyond the knobs, the Wonderlove carries a set of features aimed at pedalboard use:
- An effects loop, for placing other pedals inside the filter's path1
- An expression pedal input, for foot control of the filter1
- A soft-touch relay bypass, with a selectable true/buffered bypass accessible via an internal switch1
The true/buffered bypass choice is made with an internal switch, so changing it means opening the pedal rather than flipping an external control.
Replacing the GR2
The Wonderlove took the place of the GR2 at the top of 3Leaf Audio's line1. The GR2 had been well received: in a 2010 demo for No Treble, Thomas "MarloweDK" Risell called it "a great little pedal that offers a lot of possibilities"2, playing it on a Sandberg California JJ bass with Dunlop Nickel plated Medium gauge 45-105 strings, into a TC Electronic RH450 amp and RS410 cab2.
Of the new pedal, No Treble reported that it "benefits from four years of tweaking the original design and offers the same basic filter sound" as its predecessor, but deeper and juicier1. In other words, the core filter tone carried over from the GR2, refined over four years of development.
3Leaf Audio later introduced the Wonderlove envelope filter, a refreshed take on the GR2's format, announced as shipping at the end of the month and available for preorder at $2693.
The finish
Each Wonderlove wears a Fromel-etched finish with a blue-purple fade, and because the etching process is random by nature, every pedal's case is unique1. A player buying one is getting a one-of-a-kind look as a side effect of how the cases are made.
Videos
Prymaxe
JetCityMusic
Dennis Kayzer
Questions
Is the 3Leaf Audio Wonderlove true bypass or buffered?
The Wonderlove uses a soft-touch relay bypass, and it offers a selectable true or buffered bypass that is accessible via an internal switch. That means a player can leave the pedal in whichever mode suits their rig: true bypass when they want the signal to pass untouched, or buffered when they want to drive long cable runs or a large pedalboard.
Can an expression pedal be used with the Wonderlove?
Yes. The Wonderlove includes an expression pedal input among its features, so an expression pedal can be connected to control the filter from the foot while playing.
Does the Wonderlove have an effects loop?
Yes, the Wonderlove has an effects loop, a feature No Treble's Kevin Johnson listed alongside the expression pedal input and the soft-touch relay bypass when the pedal was announced in June 2012.
What power supply does the 3Leaf Wonderlove use?
The Wonderlove is powered by a 9V DC adapter. No battery option or current draw figure was given in the announcement, so a player should plan on a 9V DC adapter supply.
What did the Wonderlove replace in the 3Leaf Audio lineup?
The Wonderlove took the place of 3Leaf Audio's flagship GR2 envelope filter. No Treble reported the introduction in June 2012, describing the Wonderlove as taking the place of the company's flagship GR2.
Why does every Wonderlove look different?
The Wonderlove wears a Fromel-etched finish with a blue-purple fade, and each pedal's case is unique because the etching process is random by nature. Two Wonderloves will not look exactly alike.
Sources (3)
- 3Leaf Audio Unveils Wonderlove Envelope Filter, No Treble, 2012-06-20
- MarloweDK: GR2 Envelope Filter Test Drive, No Treble, 2010-10-12
- 3Leaf Audio Launches Proton & Wonderlove Filters, premierguitar.com, 2015-10-13
