I’m only considering buying a Little Phatty. I like the appearance of the Tribute Edition much better than the Stage Edition, and so, I may search for one. What are advantages or disadvantages of one over the other?
The Stage has the latest OS, different presets and an arpeggiator. If its mainly the blue LEDs you like, Guitar Center sells a LP Stage II w/blue lights on ther web site. I like my Stage II, but I do wish Moog would sell the wooden side panels as an aftermarket part - they would look much better than the plastic, esp. when my Taurus 3s are sitting below.
Stage has a USB for Midi, LP only has DINs. Cosmetically, Tribute has wood as mentioned and Bob’s signature superimposed on the back, and a different color scheme in the lights, etc. If you bought it as original, it came with a poster of Bob and a CD containing a bunch of memorial pics and audio, etc.
Capability wise, the Stage has an additional Mod option but I’m not exactly sure how you get to it (likely through a setting). If equipped with the 2.0T upgrade, the Tribute has the same features as far as Arp is concerned and additional memory to match the Stage (to accommodate future versions of code).
I think the Tribute has one advantage over the Stage having to do with the way that EGR works or how pots are scanned or something that I can’t exactly remember of find.
Otherwise, it’s simply that it’s limited edition of 1200 so has that bit of cache’. Mine has both the 2.0T upgrade (running newer code than that now) and CV out. I love it. As much as it’s sometimes regarded as 2/3rds of a Voyager, it’s a different beast of it’s own. I don’t know how anybody can consider cobbling together a bunch of desktop units with a midi keyboard (such as the DSI gear) and be satisfied. Watch Jordan Rudess’s series of 9 (?) vids on the Phatty and you’ll be sold.
(for reference, I have a Voyager Old School also… and a… [wait for it], M3 tonewheel)
-Mike W. from NJ
The Factory upgrade on the Tribute makes the LFO/MIDI Sync option, which is very handy. I am also getting the hang of using the additional CV outs to sync other gear with project tempo.
I saw some pictures somewhere here of someone who modded their Stage II with very nice wooden endcaps.
The Sweetwater Stage II has the CV outs installed.