which phaser? ehx mxr or ebs?

rob_thebassman · #1 12-15-2010, 03:42 AM

been thinking of gettin a phaser and can't quite make mind up, i've found these 3 really good

ehx small stone - nice smooth phase
mxr phase - sounds like a nice wide phase
ebs - can go from smooth to extreme but costs a bomb!

which should i go for?

Plays_For_Dog · #2 12-15-2010, 04:11 AM

I have the MXR Phase 100 and love it. It's soooo smooth and tweakable. It's a pedal I will not sell and has a permenant home on my board. Sounds really killer with a good fuzz too. There's not a lot of videos on youtube of it, especially on bass. I bought it on instinct, and have not been disappointed. This pedal is solid, easy to dial in and built tank tough! Someday I hope to throw a video up, but I've been barely able to get some play time in with my schedule lately. Keep an eye out, I have some free time coming up, so I might get to it then.

WaldoNova · #3 12-15-2010, 04:13 AM

I assume you are talking about the phase 90 by MXR. The ehx and mxr both get a lot of use from what I can see but if your wanting to get a really good phaser for bass you may want to research other options as well. There is the Subdecay Baby Quasar which kind of fits in this price range(and gets a lot of love around here) all the way to the Keely and Pigtronix units which are exorbitantly priced but do alot of different things(envelope phasing) that are really cool. There is a thread where someone has an EP-2 selling for $150 bucks in the classifieds. If I were you I would pick that up quick(I have an EP-2 and I like it!!!!). Alot of clips for phasers on youtube and the wiki here on TB check'em out. Good luck(try running a fuzz or distortion into whatever phaser you get=awesome)

AleemRadunzel · #4 12-15-2010, 06:37 AM

imho i wouldnt pay more than £40 for something you cant REALLY use for more than 4 bars at a time..

in honesty the phase 100 is what you want if tweaking is your agenda,

but the small stone keeps more bass.. and the mxr is a more pronouced. almost trebly..

ItsMichaelYeah · #5 12-15-2010, 07:44 AM

Might as Well go all out.

But I'm very one day to the next with effects. I got a Line6 M9 and am happy with it.

**kenstee** · #6 12-15-2010, 09:35 AM

Actually, I'd vote for a vintage Boss PH-1r. Can find used for around $60-$70US. Works great with bass.

FYI, there are two schools of thought about placement. One school (including Keeley) recos putting it upfront in the chain after the tuner or Wah. The POV being that a phaser is more like Wah pedals than modulation as they cut or notch a frequency that is swept electronically so put it early in the chain. Another school says that it is a modulation like flange, chorus, etc. and belongs towards the end of your chain before reverb/delay. In addition, you would be running distortion, etc. into it which may be appealing. Personally, I run it upfront. But, experiment with both placements, YMMV.

spufman · #7 12-15-2010, 10:46 AM

I think the Small Stone sounds really good in that price range. I'm an end-of-the-chain guy with my Mr. Fazeadelic because *some* things sound bad after phasing, but everything sounds good before. Kenstee is right, move it around in your chain to find your best spot. OD into Phase is a great sound to my ears.

rob_thebassman · #8 01-27-2011, 10:22 AM

i am actually concidering phase 100, sounds good on bass

NortyFiner · #9 01-27-2011, 10:34 AM

I love my EHX Nano Small Stone. Great sound, and the fact that I got it cheap from a fellow TB'er makes it even better.

Jared Lash · #10 01-27-2011, 10:38 AM

The Phase 100 is a nice phaser. Very different from the Phase 90. It's labeled as a 10 stage phaser but sounds much closer to other 6 stagers that I've tried.

The MXR is a classic. I find that it can distort with active basses and has too high a frequency center for me personally but many people rightfully love it.

The Small Stone is darker and thicker and my favorite of the two on bass.

The EBS is a cool pedal but definitely digital and you can hear it. That could be a positive or a negative depending on your perspective and the sounds you want.

After trying the Quasar Dlx I can say that if the Baby Quasar had the 4/6/8 stage switch of its big brother and one or two other waveshapes it would be my favorite phasar by far.

Matt Dean · #11 01-27-2011, 10:48 AM

A Baby Quasar that had a 4/6/8 stage switch one or two wave-shapes, would be very attractive to me too.

Regarding what phaser to get depends a lot how you want to use it. For example, I generally use a phaser after dirt, so I use a HBE Psilocybe, which is very good for that kind of application. I tried other fancier phasers, but went with the home brew cause it sounded so good with overdrive/distortion/fuzz.

jlane72t · #12 01-27-2011, 12:57 PM

Love my Phase 90

don't love the low-end suck inherent to most phasers tho.

Headless Llama · #13 01-27-2011, 01:25 PM

I have the MXR EVH Phase 90. I love it.

I also really like the EHX phaser also... Never been a fan of the boss phasers, and I have never tried an EBS.

Plays_For_Dog · #14 01-27-2011, 01:30 PM

I've owned a lot of MXR pedals and some have really let me down. The MXR Phase 100 is NOT one of those. I love this pedal! More tweakable then the 90, but still full of rich, warm, fuzzy phaseing. Built like a nuclear bomb shelter and just purely awesome.

oldbassplayergu · #15 01-27-2011, 01:57 PM

I bought a cheap behringer phaser just to see if I like the effect at all with bass. I have not recieved it yet. but I am leaning in the bass flanger direction. I think it sounds funky-er. I can use the phaser on my guitar board if I dont like it. But my bass buds are split on the stone or the phase90. So both are good buys and solid players. I like my effects cheap and replaceable.

Bassmike62 · #16 01-27-2011, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NortyFiner

I love my EHX Nano Small Stone

+1

Sounds good with my gear. Mostly use it with the Bassballs for a pretty cool sound.

rob_thebassman · #17 01-28-2011, 07:18 AM

small stone sounds good on bass but i think mxr is alot more wider sounding

RCCollins · #18 01-28-2011, 07:22 AM

If you like the MXR 90-type sound, look for a Maxon PT-999 - it has an internal trim for frequency center, and you can get some heavy throbbing bass sweeps out of it

rob_thebassman · #19 01-28-2011, 07:26 AM

atm im looking into the mxr phase 100, seems like theres transparent options

marijn van gils · #20 01-28-2011, 07:35 AM

Can't help you with comparisons, but I'm really happy with my EHX Small Stone: not for tweakers, but cheap, simple and absolutely great sounding. Also, the output volume is perfect to stay nicely in the mix.

It is great to layer with some fuzz or ehx microsynth!

I only keep delay after it (so the repeats break up the phasing spectrum, instead of the repeats being "phased" continuously: personal choice), the rest before.