Does your phaser need a separat eq?

[jdh3000]

Do you feel like you need a separate eq engaged when you use your phaser, or does it sound good with whatever your main eq is set on for your main sound?

In either case, which phaser are you using?

 

[LSMFT6]

I’ve run into that problem before, whether it be EQ or master volume.
Never looked back after getting a Source Audio Lunar phaser

 

[bass-shy]

Never had any trouble with EQ being drastically affected by a phaser, and I'm a total phaser dude. I have four of them on my main bass board.

What phaser are you using that is causing your problems?

 

[jdh3000]

Never had any trouble with EQ being drastically affected by a phaser, and I'm a total phaser dude. I have four of them on my main bass board.

What phaser are you using that is causing your problems?

I'm not actually having a problem at the moment... I've been using the dual phaser in a zoom ms60b pedal, but I'm about to get a stand alone.

The phasers in the zoom seem ok, but seem like they can do with a little tone tweaking, which isn't hard since the thing has various eqs in it, and it's convenient since I only havev to hit one switch.

I was just wondering if I got something like one of the MXR phasers how they'd do without any added tonal help.

Thanks!

 

[bass-shy]

I'm not actually having a problem at the moment... I've been using the dual phaser in a zoom ms60b pedal, but I'm about to get a stand alone.

The phasers in the zoom seem ok, but seem like they can do with a little tone tweaking, which isn't hard since the thing has various eqs in it, and it's convenient since I only havev to hit one switch.

I was just wondering if I got something like one of the MXR phasers how they'd do without any added tonal help.

Thanks!

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. Lots of different phasers out there and many of them have very different qualities.

I really like the MXR Phase 90 circuit, especially when combined with overdrive or fuzz. The Phase 95 is a smart choice since it gives you Script and Block logo versions of the Phase 45 and Phase 90 in a solid, tiny package.

It would surprise me to hear that it caused unwanted tonal changes in your rig. The block Phase 90 does have a little presence bump in the midrange that some people don't like, but I think that really helps the phase effect to stand out when you add OD or fuzz. YMMV, of course.

Also, placement in the signal chain will have a dramatic effect on the phase tone when playing with any kind of dirt.

Good luck with your search!

 

[jdh3000]

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. Lots of different phasers out there and many of them have very different qualities.

I really like the MXR Phase 90 circuit, especially when combined with overdrive or fuzz. The Phase 95 is a smart choice since it gives you Script and Block logo versions of the Phase 45 and Phase 90 in a solid, tiny package.

It would surprise me to hear that it caused unwanted tonal changes in your rig. The block Phase 90 does have a little presence bump in the midrange that some people don't like, but I think that really helps the phase effect to stand out when you add OD or fuzz. YMMV, of course.

Also, placement in the signal chain will have a dramatic effect on the phase tone when playing with any kind of dirt.

Good luck with your search!

I believe I'm going to get the phase 95. It seems like it has more options and is small, which I really need.

Thank you!

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

I tried MANY phasers; including the most popular ones and some boutique stuff. Aguilar Grape Phaser is subjectively the best choice for bass, it's fixed on my board. Doesn't need a separate EQ and keeps the unity gain relatively good; IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.

I don't want a versatile phaser, I just want to feed my octaver into it and sound like electric funk. MXR BoD into Grape Phaser does it nicely.

 

[GMC]

In my experience, phasers are the least likely modulation to need further EQ on bass. Most modulation really interferes with your tone and are far far from transparent. But Phasers don't tend to be in the general modulation category.
I use a Source Audio Lunar for 99% of my modulation and it's got a fantastic 4 band EQ that can be tweaked using the desktop editor.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

Do you feel like you need a separate eq engaged when you use your phaser, or does it sound good with whatever your main eq is set on for your main sound?

In either case, which phaser are you using?

MXR phase 95 or an old EHX small stone. Love them both. But only for guitar. Whenever I try to use phase on bass live, it doesn't really sound the way I'd hoped.

Oh, and to answer the original question, I don't ever seem to feel a need to further EQ a phaser pedal.

 

[jdh3000]

MXR phase 95 or an old EHX small stone. Love them both. But only for guitar. Whenever I try to use phase on bass live, it doesn't really sound the way I'd hoped.

Oh, and to answer the original question, I don't ever seem to feel a need to further EQ a phaser pedal.

I always found guitar easier to apply effects to. Bass seems to need more precise attention when choosing and tweaking.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

I'm not actually having a problem at the moment... I've been using the dual phaser in a zoom ms60b pedal, but I'm about to get a stand alone.

The phasers in the zoom seem ok, but seem like they can do with a little tone tweaking, which isn't hard since the thing has various eqs in it, and it's convenient since I only havev to hit one switch.

I was just wondering if I got something like one of the MXR phasers how they'd do without any added tonal help.

Thanks!

Those "digital phasers" are rarely up to par. I have always loved my MXR90, it is a simple analog phaser that does the job perfectly.

When I got mine, in my head I heard "Luke, I am your phaser"

 

[jdh3000]

Those "digital phasers" are rarely up to par. I have always loved my MXR90, it is a simple analog phaser that does the job perfectly.

When I got mine, in my head I heard "Luke, I am your phaser"

That's what I figured. I used used to rely on the zoom for everthng, but I have moved to stand alone pedals for everthing except phaser, now I'm in the market.

The ms60b is a still a good pedal if I'm playing some small gig and want a little something, but I'm getting it off my main board and keeping it just for that.

 

[Shumasonics]

Another vote for the Aguilar Grape Phaser. I had one of the green Russian EH ones from the 90’s. I loved the sound but it would thin out too much at certain points of the sweep and it could get weird in the mix. The Aguilar gives me everything I like about the EH phaser but just always sounds great. 2 knobs, there’s plenty of complexity with everything else, I welcome something that simply works

 

[deepestend]

My issue is really whether it keeps the level consistent. Right now, mine has a slight drop (perhaps perceived) and it's hard to make up on the fly without screwing everything else up.

Still trying to nail down a good phaser to use with my Source Audio Spectrum. There are a few in the user created section, but not a true phase 45, which is my preference.

 

[Col Pruse]

I use the phaser on the Keeley Bubbletron. I've wanted to try others but this one just sounds so thick. Never needed extra eq and sounds great live.

 

[Jxff]

I am using an xblender with a boss ph2, I also have a rat in the loop. I have a full size tc spark first in the chain and having both a 2 band eq on the spark and xblender, I find myself using it more between basses than with the phaser engaged or not. I stray away from heavy phaser, less is more for me, but like the rat with the ph2. Without the xblender, I would be using an mxr 95.

 

[jthisdell]

It would surprise me to hear that it caused unwanted tonal changes in your rig. The block Phase 90 does have a little presence bump in the midrange that some people don't like, but I think that really helps the phase effect to stand out when you add OD or fuzz. YMMV, of course.

It seems to me that the Southampton Utility Knife has a similar mid bump in Phaser mode. Likewise, it seems to make the phase effect a little more noticeable but not enough to worry about.

 

[MCS4]

I was just wondering if I got something like one of the MXR phasers how they'd do without any added tonal help.

In my experience, this generally all comes down to trial and error, particularly when dealing with pedals without a lot of adjustability. Some of them will mesh perfectly with your tone as-is, and others will not. It's helpful to ask around to get an idea of what you might expect with a specific pedal but you really don't know until you try it with your rig.

Personally I would say that the majority of all pedals of all kinds would require some outside adjustment to sound great to my ear, but I have not come across any individual pedal that is so great or unique that I would be willing to use a separate EQ pedal just to make it play nice. So, if a pedal doesn't work great for me as-is, I sell or trade it and try another one of the same type.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Do you feel like you need a separate eq engaged when you use your phaser, or does it sound good with whatever your main eq is set on for your main sound?

In either case, which phaser are you using?

I was just wondering if I got something like one of the MXR phasers how they'd do without any added tonal help.

I use the MXR Phase 90 (block letters) and don’t need any eq adjusting. It does give me just a slight gain boost, but it’s probably not noticeable enough for anyone else besides me to notice. I use the phaser for long held notes and spacey sections. It works great as is!

 

[Frank77]

Never bothered with mine (MXR phase 95), in fact it's one of the most surprisingly plug-and-play/drama free pedals I have. It gets along fine with everything else on my board.