Effects Bay

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.

Popularity: 5%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• mxr distortion plus pcb layout
• phaser pedal kit
• phasing effect pictures
• vintage fuzz pedal
• t rex true bypass phaser
• used dunlop univibe
• vintage script logos
• mxr phase 90 dc adaptor mod
• mxr distortion vintage pcb
• mxr phase 90 handwired reissue modification

I’ve seen this happen from time to time.. and now it’s happening again. There is a great deal on the MXR M-101 Phase 90 happening on Amazon right now. The MXR M-101 Phase 90 lists at $150, usually you see it available in the $80 range, but is currently on sale for $62.20 and is eligible for FREE super saver shipping. This is great price to pick up a very classic phaser. At the time of this post, there were only 5 left in stock, so you’ll need to jump on it if you’re interested!

Here is the description of the MXR M-101 Phase 90:

The MXR Phase 90 delivers the classic four-stage phasing sound with continuously variable speed control. The Phase 90 has a fixed regeneration level that adds intensity and sounds great on guitars and keyboards. Uses batteries or ECB03 power supply. The MXR Phase 90 has found its way into many of Eddie Van Halen’s recordings, adding a shimmery velocity to lead passages or a more dramatic swoosh to muted strumming. This phaser is not just designed for guitars; it works well with bass, keyboards and even vocals and appears in all of these guises on Dweezil Zappa’s Z album, ‘Music For Pets’, which hints it is flexible and hip.

Again, the MXR M-101 Phase 90 is on sale for $62.20 at Amazon.com!

Popularity: 5%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• phase 90 kit
• diy mxr phase 90
• phase 90 DIY
• kit phaser 90
• bod400 bass overdrive sale philippines
• phase 90 vs line6 phase 90
• phase 90 regen
• phase 90 pics
• phase 90 mxr music 123
• phase 45 vs phase 90

I just found another Carl Martin on sale at Amazon at a killer price. This time it’s the Carl Martin Two Faze phaser pedal. This pedal normally lists at $407. You usually see it available for $260, but is on sale for only $119.65 at Amazon.com. That’s 71% off of list price for this pedal!

Here is the official description of the Carl Martin Two Faze:

Carl Martin Two Faze is a dual vintage phase shift foot pedal. Designed by Holm Malmquist, to combine the old vintage style phase shifting, with the modern technology’s advantages in improved quality in sound and headroom performance. It has two identical but independent sets of speed controls. Each “Phase shifter” has an LED indicator that lights up when in use and also flashes an indication of the speed setting. The Carl Martin Two Faze has a mono input/output via quarter inch jack’s. The “on” switch allows you to engage or bypass the Two Faze. The “select” switch allows you to switch between the two Phase settings mid song or mid set without having to get down on your knees to alter the controls. The Carl Martin Two Faze is the perfect choice for guitar and keyboards, or as an excellent effect for bass guitar. It is very rich in sound, it’s quiet, and most important of all, does not change the basic sound. The Carl Martin Two Faze has a built in, regulated (+-12V) power supply which enables us to design circuitry of the highest quality with maximum headroom.

I found this video posted by zloykuki that show how it can sound:

Again, the Carl Martin Two Faze Phaser is available for only $119.65 at Amazon!

Popularity: 3%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• Carl Martin Two Faze
• carl martin review
• carl martin combiner
• singapore carl martin where to find
• recent comments[martin]ontheme by
• holm malmquist
• Carl martin two faze a great pedal???????
• carl martin two fase reviews
• carl martin review combiner
• two faze

A couple of days ago on the T-Rex Facebook page, I saw that they posted a cool demo video on the T-Rex Tonebug Phaser pedal, so I wanted to take a closer look. The Tonebug is a new line by T-Rex where they’re offering some really great pedals at a more affordable cost than their standard lines of pedals. Currently there are 5 Tonebugs available (distortion, overdrive, chorus/flanger, phaser and reverb).

Here is the official description on the Tonebug – Phaser:

Where overdrive and distortion pedals give you that great dirty edge, and reverb and delay pedals create space and time effects, a phase shifter adds a dynamic undulating dimension to your sound. Phasers have been around since the late 60s and are instantly recognisable as a signature part of many great guitarists’ sound, including Brian May and Eddie Van Halen.

The T-Rex Phaser gives you everything you need for a gorgeous phased sound using just two simple controls: RATE and DEPTH. And it sounds great no matter which settings you dial in – from a deep, slow rotation to a light, “watery” shimmer.

Two modes
Phaser comes with two modes: Modern and Vintage. Choose Modern for a crisp, thick-sounding phase, and Vintage for that classic analogue vibe.

Here is the video posted by koliok:

You can pick up the T-Rex Tonebug – Phaser for only $149.00 at Amazon.com!

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!

Popularity: 3%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• tonebug phaser review
• tonebug phaser
• t-rex tonebug phaser true bypass
• tonebug phaser reviews
• t-rex effects true bypass
• T-REX ToneBug Board 5
• t rex tonebug phaser review
• T-REX TONEBUG TRUE BYPASS
• are t-rex tonebug phaser true bypass
• t-rex tonebug phaser reviews

I recently just ordered a Boss BF-2 Flanger for a project. I already have an ancient DOD FX75 Flanger.. that sounds pretty crappy, so I wanted to get this older Boss BF-2 which I’ve been hearing good things. The bottom line, I have used a flanger in about 20 years. Never been to big on modulation in general. There was a time in the late 90s I was playing a Phase 100, but that’s really about it.

While I was messing around with the DOD FX75 flanger, I wanted to learn more about ‘flanging’ so did a little digging. When I hear a flanger vs. phaser, they both appear to sound similar. The flanger definitely has more of a metallic harmonic as it sweeps and the phaser has a deeper richer sweep. But what is it all about??

While doing my research I was pretty impressed what I found.. specifically the history of the flanger. The term ‘flang’ references the tape reel’s rim. The original technique of ‘flanging’ was to send a signal to two tapes and slowing down one tape so it becomes out of sync. The engineer operating the tape reels would literally put a finger on the reels to produce the sweeping effect.

This is where a flanger and phaser differs. The reference pages I was reading would use a ‘comb’ analogy. Basically a phaser uses the dual signal similar to the flanger but when combined it would go in and out of phase.. creating peaks and valleys that do not occur in harmonic series. So the comb comparison… flanger has evenly spaced comb filter spacing with even spacing where a phaser has un-even spacing.

I also thought the origin of the flanger was really cool. Apparently it was first used by Ken Townsend of Abbey Road studio in 1966. John Lennon of the Beatles as tired of re-recording dual vocal tracks and wanted a way to double track the vocals without actually singing the parts. Ken Townsend then  did the double track with flang. John Lennon apparently coined the phrase ‘flanging’ while explaining it to George Martin.. and referred to it as ‘Ken’s Flanger’.

The first Beatles song double tracked with the flanger was “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver.

The best thorough article I found was at Wikipedia.

Sorry about going on a little nerd tangent, but I thought it was interesting… and maybe you will too!

Popularity: 4%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• history of flanging
• history of flanger
• history of the flanger
• john lennon effect pedal
• origin of flanging
• origins of the flanging effect
• phaser used by the beatles
• the history of flanging
• tomorrow never knows flanger on lennon voice
• what is a flanger

Browsing through Amazon today, I came across a nice deal going on for the MXR M-101 Phase 90. If you’re thinking about picking up a nice solid and classic phaser, it’s hard to be the MXR Phase 90. Currently on Amazon the MXR M-101 Phase 90 is  on sale for $66.17 which also comes with FREE super saver shipping. That’s 52% off of MSRP. The MXR Phase 90 are selling for $74.43 at Musician’s Friend right now, so it’s a little cheaper.

Here is the official product description:

The MXR Phase 90 delivers the classic four-stage phasing sound with continuously variable speed control. The Phase 90 has a fixed regeneration level that adds intensity and sounds great on guitars and keyboards. Uses batteries or ECB03 power supply. The MXR Phase 90 has found its way into many of Eddie Van Halen’s recordings, adding a shimmery velocity to lead passages or a more dramatic swoosh to muted strumming. This phaser is not just designed for guitars; it works well with bass, keyboards and even vocals and appears in all of these guises on Dweezil Zappa’s Z album, ‘Music For Pets’, which hints it is flexible and hip.

Click here to check out the MXR M-101 Phase 90 at Amazon.

Popularity: 2%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• mxr m101 amazon

I’ve been getting a few questions about the MXR Phase 45 (MXR Custom Shop CSP105 Vintage ’75 Phase 45 Phaser), so I definitely been wanting to bring this up. I’ve also been seeing this thing on a few pedal boards out there. Basically, it’s the little brother of the Phase 90 built in the 70s. It has been reintroduced (in the Custom Shop) and is built to exact specs.  No LED, No power adapter, Matched FETs and all hand wired.

Here is the official description:

The MXR CSP105 Vintage ’75 Phase 45 pedal reissues the rare little brother of the Phase 90 to exacting specifications. With 2 stages of phasing, the Phase 45 guitar pedal offers up its subtle and musical voice via hand-matched FETs and a hand-wired circuit board.

The MXR Phase 45 phaser pedal is equipped with a bypass footswitch and a speed knob. Rotating the speed knob in a clockwise motion results in a faster phase effect, and turning it counterclockwise slows it down. The MXR phaser pedal is powered by a single 9V battery, accessed by removing the stompbox’s bottom plate. Texture your tone without overpowering your sound with the limited-edition Vintage ’75 Phase 45 phaser pedal.

MXR Custom Shop CSP105 Vintage ’75 Phase 45 Phaser Guitar Effects Pedal Features:

* Bypass footswitch
* Speed knob
* Hand-wired circuit board built with original-spec 1975 components
* Original high-quality Switchcraft Input/Output jacks and Carling bypass switch
* Hand-selected FETs, matched to produce deep and rich phasing
* All-analog circuitry for warm analog tone

Here is a video by jimdunlopusa

You can pick up the MXR Custom Shop CSP105 Vintage ’75 Phase 45 Phaser for $99.99 at Musician’s Friend.

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!

Popularity: 3%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• mxr phase 45 review
• mxr phase 45
• mxr phase 45 for sale
• custom shop phase 45 review
• mxr phase 45 vintage
• mxr phase 45 vs 90
• mxr phase 45 vs 90 vintage bypass
• phase 45
• phase 45 1975 oryginal
• phase 45 adapter

Today I wanted to talk about the Electro-Harmonix Classics Flanger Hoax. This is a ‘flanger’, but it’s like no other flanger pedal I’ve seen (I guess that’s the ‘hoax’ part of the name). It has the ability to have frequency adjustable flanging. There are 2 separate phaser sections and you can have them interact together.  This thing can get crazy, or have a classic flanger effect.

Here is the official description of this pedal:

From shimmering static and active phasing to frequency-adjustable flanging, the Flanger Hoax gives you an exciting new palette of textures to create with. Familiar and advanced modulation controls and 3 outputs (direct, blended, effect) let you create endless variations that will do everything from subtly shade to wildly animate your music.

The Flanger Hoax is made up of 2 separate phaser sections-the Fixed Phaser and Swept Phaser-and their associated delay lines. The Fixed Phaser is similar to a traditional phaser, modulated by a low-frequency sine wave called the Modulator. Each phaser circuit is followed by its own analog delay line, each of which can also be independently swept by the Modulator. Each phaser section can be bypassed to access the delay lines without any phase shift. Feedback control allows you to send the wet output of the pedal or the output of the Swept Phaser back into the phaser circuits. 18V power supply included.

* Controls: BLEND knob: Mixes between the effect and the dry signal. The counter-clockwise position is all-dry, while the clockwise position is all effect. The result of the BLEND Control goes out the BLENDED OUTPUT jack
* DELAY MODE switch: Selects between different phase shift combinations for the modulating waveform that sweeps the Fixed Phaser Delay line and the Swept Phaser Delay.
* FEEDBACK knob: Sets the amount of signal that is fed back into both phase shift circuits. The counter-clocker-clockwise position gives you no feedback; the clockwise position yields maximum feedback.
* OFF toggle switch position: All Feedback is turned off, no matter where the FEEDBACK knob is set.
* RATE knob: Sets the frequency of the sine wave Modulator. The available frequency range is from 0.07 Hz (14 Seconds) to 220 Hz.
* SWPT toggle switch position: In the SWPT Position, the output of the Swept Phaser is fed back into Phaser circuits.
* WET toggler switch position: In the WET position, the wet signal (which is at the EFFECT OUTPUT Jack) is fed back to the phaser circuits.

I found this great video by EHX that shows what this can do:

You can pick up the Electro-Harmonix Classics Flanger Hoax for $209.25 at Musician’s Friend.

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!

Popularity: 5%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• flanger hoax
• ELECTRO HARMONIX FLANGER HOAX
• flanger
• ehx flanger hoax
• electro harmonix vst
• ELECTRO-HARMONIX FLANGER HOAX
• Electro Harmonix Hoax
• flanger hoax#
• lflange hoax ehx
• flanger hoax any good?

Yesterday, @3volved mentioned the T-Rex Tremonti Phaser and how bad ass it is. I’m a big fan of T-Rex and honestly didn’t know they made a phaser. This was one is called the Mark Tremonti phaser. Apparently this was developed for Mark Tremonti (guitarist from Creed).

Here is a quick video by TRexEffects where he gets to play it for the first time.

Here is the official pedal description:

The Tremonti Phaser, the signature phase shifter guitar effect pedal brought to you by T-Rex and guitarist Mark Tremonti, gives you everything you could ask for in a modern phaser and then some. From a raw ’70s grind to a 21st-century sophistication, a few simple controls on the Tremonti pedal put you in charge of the entire history of phase-shifted tone.

Warped, swirling, twisted, spacey—it isn’t easy finding words to describe the sound of a classic phase shifter. But the last 30 years of rock music wouldn’t be the same without it, and Tremonti’s signature stompbox delivers. The Stage switch lets you choose between a raw, vintage-sounding effect and a richer, more modern swirl. And the ingenious Bite knob adds a sexy overdrive edge to any setting. Fast or slow, deep or shallow, vintage or modern, the Tremonti Phaser pedal delivers extraordinary-sounding phased modulation that takes your playing to another world.

Here is a great video by Burgerman666 showing what this pedal can do:

You can pick up the T-Rex Mark Tremonti Phaser for $279.99 at Musician’s Friend.

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!

Popularity: 4%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• Tremonti Phaser
• T-REX TREMONTI
• mark tremonti effects
• tremonti phaser review
• T Rex Tremonti review
• T-REX TREMONTI PHASER
• T-rex TREMONTI-PHASER
• mark tremonti pedalboard
• t-rex tremonti phaser review
• rexmark

Last week I received an email asking me about the Pigtronix EP2 Envelope Phaser.  I wasn’t familiar with the EP2, I’ve heard of the EP1, but not the EP2, so I wanted to take a look. I think Pigtronix makes some great gear, and I’ve discussed a few pedals here in the past.  While I was doing some light research on this, I found the perfect video to help show me what the EP2 is all about. Basically it’s a side by side comparison between the EP1 and EP2.

Here is the official description of the Pigtronix EP2 Envelope Phaser:

The Pigtronix EP2 Envelope Phaser guitar effects pedal pours on the special sauce to take your tone into outer space. Accentuating and sweeping through the harmonics of any musical source, the motion of this revolutionary phase shifter can be controlled by Envelope, LFO or a blend of both. The Pigtronix EP2 pedal is a complete redesign of Pigtronix’ Envelope Phaser concept, built on 6 years of customer feedback from the original. The Pigtronix EP2 effects pedal sports sounds and smart features, in a considerably smaller package.

The Pigtronix EP2 guitar pedal makes it easy to dial in monster envelope tones for any instrument or playing style. The envelope in the EP2 kicks it up a notch with a “Staccato” function that is ideal for fast-picking, funk bass and tight rhythm guitar. The Stacatto circuit is an “intelligent envelope” that listens to your playing and quickly discharges the envelope between your notes. This crafty circuit enables incredibly responsive envelope performance, even during rapid-fire playing.

The Pigtronix EP2 pedal’s rotary modulation LFO provides adjustable depth and center controls for fine-tuning the frequency range of operation, from subtle swirls to screaming sweeps with a huge range of available speeds. Another crucial addition to this Pigtronix effect pedal is the “LFO smooth” switch, which automatically reduces the resonance setting when the LFO is in use. This performance-friendly function finally lets you switch between corpulent, Mutron-style quack, and deep, swirling Uni-Vibe sounds with a single footswitch stomp—no knob tweaking necessary on stage.

In addition to its unique voice and interactive modulation section, Pigtronix EP2 incorporates additional control options, including expression pedals for both Sweep and Speed, as well as a continuous blend between envelope and LFO modulation sources.

The Pigtronix EP2 guitar effects pedal retains crucial features from the EP-1 such as true bypass switching, + or – phase inversion and the signature “trigger” input for manipulating the envelope with an external audio source. EP2 guitar pedal runs on 18-volts for maximum headroom.

Here is the video by TheGuacamoleXplosion (by the way, my new favorite channel name):

You can pick up the Pigtronix EP2 Envelope Phase for $249.00 at Musician’s Friend.

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

Popularity: 4%

Incoming search terms for EffectsBay.com:

• pigtronix ep2 review
• pigtronix envelope phaser review
• pigtronix ep2
• pigtronix envelope phaser
• pigtronix ep-2 review
• pigtronix ep2 envelope phaser review
• pigtronix ep2 envelope phaser
• pigtronix envelope phaser ep2
• pigtronix ep-2 reviews
• pigtronix ep-2 settings