One In A Million Ways To Make The Grade: Part 1: Phasers

[andvari7]

I like a good, straight-forward phaser as much as anyone - I use a type 2 pistol, given to me by none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk himself (it even has Klingon teeth-marks in the butt) - but sometimes what we need is to lose our minds, hence the title. I've had this burnin' yearnin' for a phaser that will take on the Borg - adjustable to high heavens. A Small Stone, of which I have been a user for the past three years, has a knob and a switch. A Phase 90, and all of its many clones (except for the Whirlwind; I believe that if it's from an MXR founder, then it's the real thing), has one knob. The Borg will adapt to those admittedly wonderful pedals too quickly.

What to do, then? A Polyphase? It's a great pedal; very tweakable. A Moog? It's brutally expensive, identical in size to my Moog MF-102 Ring Modulator, and I've never been able to actually find one anywhere. A Lovetone Doppelganger? Sure. That's the one. Never mind the fact that it hasn't been built for ten years, the majority of the units are in Britain, and when you CAN find it, which is almost never, it cost upwards of $80,000,000,000. And, you don't get to try it.

A different, much more obscure pedal than any of the ones mentioned in this admittedly nonsensical thread? Well, that's where you come in, but not without rules.

What are these rules?

1. It should be analog. Unless there's some digital phaser that blows everything out of the water, I prefer analog.
2. Expression pedal input(s) are a must. If they're not standard, or even an option, don't even bother.
3. It has to cost less than my house.
4. There has to be something else I didn't cover, but for the life of me, I know not what it may be.

[Jared Lash]

The Pigtronix EP-2 allows expression control of the the envelope side as a wah and expression control of the LFO for controlling the speed of the phaser side.

The Diamond Phaser has a 2/6 stage switch, vibrato switch (dry kill) and other cool features. And it has expression control of rate.

I haven't tried it but the 4ms Phaseur Fleur sounds good from clips and can be ordered with expression control of rate.

I'm sure I'll think of others.

[air_leech]

the first thing that came to my mind, mostly because of your Star Trek themed post is Tortuga Effects' Standard Issue Phaser:

http://www.tortugaeffects.com/StandardIssuePhaser.html

[FreaqyFrequency]

No Exp. input on the Tortuga.

[beggar98]

Toadworks Phantasm? Not sure if the Trigger input can be used for an expression pedal...

[andvari7]

Originally Posted by air_leech

the first thing that came to my mind, mostly because of your Star Trek themed post is Tortuga Effects' Standard Issue Phaser:

http://www.tortugaeffects.com/StandardIssuePhaser.html

You have no idea how close I am to buy that pedal for that very reason. Sadly, no expression input, and it's basically a two-knobber, as you can't use the two modes at the same time.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by beggar98

Toadworks Phantasm? Not sure if the Trigger input can be used for an expression pedal...

Nope. The trigger input is the same as on the Pigtronix EP-1/EP-2 and I assume the Key Input of the WMD Fatman. Basically it's to allow another source to trigger the envelope of the phasing. I used it with a line in from my drummer's kick drum mic on my old EP-1.

Originally Posted by andvari7

You have no idea how close I am to buy that pedal for that very reason. Sadly, no expression input, and it's basically a two-knobber, as you can't use the two modes at the same time.

The Tortuga looks amazing and it sounds good, but yes at it's heart it is two modded script circuits in one housing.

[beggar98]

How tough/expensive would it be to mod the trigger input for use with an expression pedal? I know nothing about electronics.

[RickenBoogie]

Originally Posted by beggar98

How tough/expensive would it be to mod the trigger input for use with an expression pedal? I know nothing about electronics.

Well, they're two completely different things, but I suppose with some knowledge, just about any circuit could be modified. Also, +1 to the Pigtronix pedals. I had the EP-1, but sold it due to it's large sizr, and odd shape. Would love to check out the EP-2.

[Taylor Livingston]

If you think a Doppelganger is what you want, but you can't afford it, go for a 4MS Phaseur. Very similar circuit, and with the available mods the 4Ms can do things the Dop can't. But, they're both only 6 stages, which IMO isn't going to get you to Skronkville. I would talk to Dann Green (4MS Pedals builder) and see if he'd be willing to make you a Phaseur with the usual 6 swept stages plus 4 or 6 fixed phase shift stages - this will create a much deeper, zonked out and spacy sound, and with an extra LFO and some expression jacks (both are available mods), that pedal would get you farther into weirdness territory than any commercial phaser of which I'm aware.

[Swimming Bird]

Not analog, but it has an expression/tap input, can do crazy space sounds, and costs less than $90 new: Boss PH-3. 4, 8, 10, or 12 stages, rise and falls modes, and a step mode.

By far the least cool of the pedals mentioned, but it's a good device. FWIW, I would take a PH-3 over an EP-1, Small Stone, or Phase 90 any day of the week.

[Mo'Phat]

I'll toss my bias toward the Line 6 M9. Not one, but five phasers onboard, most with more tweakability than just speed. It has two expression pedal inputs, costs less than your house unless your house is an old washing machine box or something...But, it is digital.

Worth the trade for 5 expression-pedal controlled phasers, plus about 75 other effects and a dedicated looper.

My two cents.

[Basshappi]

Of course you could just get a T.I.P. 3rd Hand and have an expression pedal with any FX you wanted to use it with.

http://www.musictoyz.com/guitar/pedals/tip.php

[bigchiefbc]

Originally Posted by andvari7

I like a good, straight-forward phaser as much as anyone - I use a type 2 pistol, given to me by none other than Captain James Tiberius Kirk himself (it even has Klingon teeth-marks in the butt) - but sometimes what we need is to lose our minds, hence the title. I've had this burnin' yearnin' for a phaser that will take on the Borg - adjustable to high heavens. A Small Stone, of which I have been a user for the past three years, has a knob and a switch. A Phase 90, and all of its many clones (except for the Whirlwind; I believe that if it's from an MXR founder, then it's the real thing), has one knob. The Borg will adapt to those admittedly wonderful pedals too quickly.

What to do, then? A Polyphase? It's a great pedal; very tweakable. A Moog? It's brutally expensive, identical in size to my Moog MF-102 Ring Modulator, and I've never been able to actually find one anywhere. A Lovetone Doppelganger? Sure. That's the one. Never mind the fact that it hasn't been built for ten years, the majority of the units are in Britain, and when you CAN find it, which is almost never, it cost upwards of $80,000,000,000. And, you don't get to try it.

A different, much more obscure pedal than any of the ones mentioned in this admittedly nonsensical thread? Well, that's where you come in, but not without rules.

What are these rules?

1. It should be analog. Unless there's some digital phaser that blows everything out of the water, I prefer analog.
2. Expression pedal input(s) are a must. If they're not standard, or even an option, don't even bother.
3. It has to cost less than my house.
4. There has to be something else I didn't cover, but for the life of me, I know not what it may be.

The polyphase really is a great phaser. I absolutely love it (even though I'm probably gonna be selling it soon ) and you almost can't beat it for the price.

The moog really isn't all that expensive, if you're willing to get it used. I see them go for 180-200 from time to time.

The Blackout Whetstone is a Small Stone x a million options, although expression isn't one of them, sadly.

[bassrest]

dunlop rotovibe

[markjazzbassist]

moog for sure. put the LFO out on your ring mod into it and you've got 12-stage bi-phasing.

it's next on my GAS list

[JimmyM]

you'll be back on the small stone within a year unless you get an old roland jet phaser

[Deluge Of Sound]

Actually, after listening to the wiki clips of the PH-3, that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. A nice bit of spaced-out, psychedelic movement that isn't a flanger or a chorus. The minimal price tag doesn't hurt, either.

Just as I thought my board was getting smaller...

[FilterFunk]

One more for the Polyphase! It's analog, it has an expression pedal input, and it sounds a lot like the Subdecay Quasar to me (I used to own one). Personally, I bought it for the envelope mode; it's great to have a phaser that behaves like an envelope filter, but still sounds like a phaser. It's a really nice change from all those Mu-Tron/Meatball clones (not that there's anything wrong with those!).

[RCCollins]

polyphase is a great option with tons of options. if you already own a moogerfooger pedal, then there's incentive to get a used moogerfooger

or you could wait and see what kinds of options the deluxe quasar has