The following post is a guest post by Joshua Zalegowski. If you are interested in guest posting, please contact me!

MXR Phase 90

Over the years I have seen over a dozen different variations of MXR’s famed Phase 90 phaser pedal. The most common request was to replicate the tone of the original “*script logo*” Phase 90 from the early 1970s. That specific model had set the bar high and was highly sought after. Over the years the Phase 90 had gone through many changes and recently MXR decided to reproduce the original design. MXR’s CSP026- better known as the *’74 Vintage Phase 90*- appears to be a nearly identical copy of the original vintage model. The construction techniques are entirely different from MXR’s other current Phase 90 models which use PCB-mounted switches and jacks. MXR states that this model has a hand-wired board which is not something you’ll find in most mass-produced pedals. This new model continues to use the same style jacks, switch, potentiometer value, and even circuit board of the original. Since we know that the reissue is basically a clone of the original the question is how does the original pedal with aging components compare to the modern day replica.

The video posted shows an original MXR Phase 90 from the earlier years of production on the left and the* ’74 Vintage Phase 90* reissue on the right. Both pedals had a DC adapter jack, true bypass switch, and an LED installed. These modifications do not change the tone of the pedal when activated and in no way would skew the results of this comparison. I’d also like to preface this by saying that you should always trust your ears. If one sounds better, brighter, warmer, clearer, or just makes you want to play then by all means that’s what you should purchase. Give both pedals a listen right now if you haven’t done so already and continue on as I discuss my take on the differences.

My first impression was that the reissue was a bit clearer in the high end of the audio spectrum. If one were to describe the vintage model as more organic and natural I would absolutely agree. The rise and fall of the sweep varied slightly between the two pedals; the vintage model having a bit more “swagger” than its reissue counterpart. The overall differences were subtle and I would have a hard time picking a preference.

The Differences Explained:

I mentioned that the reissue is nearly an exact clone of the original and I meant it. While the circuit boards appear to be the same there are two key differences with the components used on them: 1. The original uses carbon composition resistors while the reissue uses precision metal film resistors. Carbon composition resistors are often attributed to being a mythical source of tone in vintage amps. In this application it’s more likely that the loose tolerances of carbon composition resistors paired with forty years of degradation caused their resistance to drift a bit from their original value and thus change the tone.

2. The reissue claims handmatched FETs while the originals were either not matched closely or neighboring components drifted over the years. If the FETs were not closely matched to one another then the sweep would not be smooth and linear. This would explain the asymmetrical “swagger” heard in the video when demonstrating the original model.

The *’74 Vintage Phase 90* reissue is far more accurate to the original than other Phase 90 pedals made by MXR. Unfortunately it seems MXR stuck to the vintage theme and left out true bypass, an LED, and even a DC adapter jack! For information about the modifications pictured above and other Phase 90 mods please check out my website: FXdoctor for pedal modifications

The model used for comparison purposes: MXR CSP026 Vintage 1974 Phase 90

-Joshua Z.
FXdoctor

About the author: Joshua Zalegowski is the owner/operator of FXdoctor located in Boston, MA. For more information about FXdoctor, please visit their website and check out their Facebook page. Additionally, please view the FXdoctor interview.

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Yesterday I posted about the Strymon blueSky Reverberator, and this morning I came across this interesting shimmer shootout, where tubescreamer (andrew stephen othling)  compared the Strymon blueSky, Empress Superdelay and Line 6 Verbzilla. This shootout was only comparing the “shimmer” effect where it almost sounds like there is a keyboard behind what you’re playing. Very atmospheric and something that could be used to create some pretty interesting sound-scapes.

I didn’t think this was a fair comparison with the Empress Superdelay. I mean the Empress is an amazing pedal, but I don’t think it was pulling off the shimmer like the Verbzilla or Strymon. I think a Eventide might have been good to fill that slot. Overall, I still think the Strymon came out on top between the three. What do you think? Let me know by posting a comment below.

Pedals featured in the video:

Strymon blueSky Reverberator
Empress Superdelay Vintage Modified
Line 6 Verbzilla Reverb

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Yesterday I posted the “Andy and his 16 fuzz pedals video“. This was a great video where Any plays a single riff on guitar with 16 different fuzz pedals. You should definitely check it out. But what about the bass players?? Here ya go, Andy did the same demo but with bass. This is a great way to how these various fuzzes alter your tone. I’m sure there is a tone or two that will work for you.

Here are the fuzz pedals shown in the video:

Top Row
Chunk Systems Brown Dog
Chicago Iron Octavian Plus
MXR Classic 108 Fuzz (M-173)
Dunlop Fuzz Face
Guyatone Mighty Micro Torid Fuzz
Sovtek Big Muff

Middle Row
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Reaper
EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Fuzz
Barge Concepts BB Jr.
ProCo Rat2 Distortion
ZVEX Fuzz Factory

Bottom Row
Red Witch Fuzz God
MICA Fuzz
Maestro Fuzz-Tone
Euthymia ICBM
Ashbass FUZZ-brite

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Andy from StompBoxSonic.com (which is a great site by the way – you should definitely check it out!) took on the daunting task of quickly comparing a bunch of fuzz pedals. He doesn’t do any adjusting, just plays a simple riff through each of the pedals to give you an idea of what they’re all about. He also used the same guitar, mics and amp throughout the process, to eliminate some variables. It’s pretty cool hearing the different characteristics. Some are bright, some are dark, some are nasely, etc. There is quite an assortment of fuzzes in there. From common fuzz to some pretty obscure boxes. Fun stuff.

Here are the fuzz pedals shown in the video:

Top Row
Chunk Systems Brown Dog
Chicago Iron Octavian Plus
MXR Classic 108 Fuzz (M-173)
Dunlop Fuzz Face
Guyatone Mighty Micro Torid Fuzz
Sovtek Big Muff

Middle Row
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Reaper
EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Fuzz
Barge Concepts BB Jr.
ProCo Rat2 Distortion
ZVEX Fuzz Factory

Bottom Row
Red Witch Fuzz God
MICA Fuzz
Maestro Fuzz-Tone
Euthymia ICBM
Ashbass FUZZ-brite

Any fuzzes you wish were included? Personally, I would have liked to have seen the Fulltone ’69 in there.

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A few months ago, I wrote a community question asking what the best delay pedal is out there today. There were tons of responses and great suggestions on what people thought about a great delay pedal. Yesterday, @BooDooPerson let me know (via Twitter) about a great video his friend shot at Taylor Barefoot’s studio. This video is a great little boutique delay shootout of some awesome pedals. Two different riffs, with similar settings. Same guitar (1959 Strat) same amp, same mic so you can really hear the differences.

Below are the pedals in the shootout:

• Moog MF-104
• Empress Superdelay Vintage Modified
• Dr. Scientist Sunny Day Delay
• Way Huge Aqua Puss
• MXR M169 Carbon Copy
• Toneczar Echoczar
• EHX Deluxe Memory Man Reissue
• Diamond Memory Lane
• Hughes and Kettner Replex
• Roland SRE-555

Here is the video by Tibbon.. great stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts on this! Post your comments below.

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Since I’ve been on a overdrive kick as of late, I wanted to find some ccomparison videos of some popular overdrives out there today. It always seems that gearmandude is giving me what I need to hear when it comes to these shootouts. He is extremely thorough and pushes these pedals in ways that you get to hear what they’re all about.

He created two videos (part 1 and part 2) featuring the Barber LTD Overdrive, Fulltone Fat Boost, Fulltone OCD, Maxon Reissue OD9 and Maxon OD808. Part 1 is with Telecaster and Part 2 is with a Les Paul.

Here is Part 2 with the Les Paul

Barber LTD Overdrive can be purchased at Fat Tone Guitars for $119.95
Fulltone Fat Boost can be purchased at Fat Tone Guitars for $126.65
Fulltone OCD can be purchased at Fat Tone Guitars for $135.15
Maxon Reissue OD-9 can be purchased at Tunnel Vision Music for $150.00
Maxon OD808 can be purchased at Tunnel Vision Music for $135.00

Remember, if you like reading about these pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

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