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Phaser Volume Question

lakedmb

lakedmb

Nov 15, 2009
425
3
Upstate, South Carolina
#1
So, I have been looking at the Electro Harmonix Small Stone and MXR Phase 90 to add to my pedal board. With either of these pedals, is there a problem with the volume dropping?

I have not had the time to go demo either of these pedals and probably won't for a couple of weeks. At this point I haven't decided between the two and it seems, based on searching old threads, that people are split between the two.

Thanks guys.
 
#4
I had the MXR Phase 90 Script.

It had a wonderful tone but in my opinion it was very pillowy in attack once it was put into a mix. I think more guitar oriented.

I'm thinking of trying the MXR Block Phase 90. There's a good youtube demo that samples both side by side and the Block version is louder and a bit more aggresive.

I have no idea as to a comparison with the EH you mentioned but my 2 cents is to go with the Block version instead of the Script if you are looking at MXR

Here's the clip I was talking about:


From what I understand the MXR EVH Eddie Van Halen model has the block tone as well as a switch to shift into the script sound so you get both.
 
#6
I haven't and I've always wondered what the difference was.

I had gone with the Phase 90 over the Phase 45 simply because the 45 was a handwired reissue but didn't have an AC plug so it meant being dependant on batteries.

I have no idea what the tonal differences are if any.

Back in the 70's I had a pedal that I simply loved. It was a Phaser by Maestro and was built in the shape of a wedge with the dials as large wheels on each side so you could control it with your foot while playing.

The 2 dials were "Speed" and "Balls"!!!! I thought that was classic!!! :D

Anyway .......... I was using an Acoustic 370 back then and the phase sound would make a huge swish that could be heard really loud through the reflex cabinet when you weren't playing .... but in the mix it was great! the other pedal of the day back then was the MXR Phase 45 but both were completey battery driven.
 
#8
It's not so much of a "volume drop" as much as the Phase 90 is not a very "pronounced" effect on bass. That's one reason I moved mine. At home it sounded awesome, but live it just got lost if you're look for a real extreme phaser tone, which if you want your effects heard, they don't need to be buried.
My Boss BF-2B flanger sounds great and doesn't get lost in the mix, even tho it's a flanger. The Boss Phasers I've tried don't get lost either, nor the HBE.
 
#11
I just got my mid 90's phase 90 back today from a friend and was a/b testing it with my small stone nano. The ss does seem to boost the volume a little and with the color switch flipped seems to add a little bass to the sound. The phase 90 seems not to change the tone as much but just add phase effect and seems like it will be a more usable effect. The ss with color switch off the phase is very shallow and with it on it's almost too much. I will know better tomorrow I am taking both of these to band practice to see how they sound in a band setting.

rockstarbassist said:
It's not so much of a "volume drop" as much as the Phase 90 is not a very "pronounced" effect on bass. That's one reason I moved mine. At home it sounded awesome, but live it just got lost if you're look for a real extreme phaser tone, which if you want your effects heard, they don't need to be buried.
My Boss BF-2B flanger sounds great and doesn't get lost in the mix, even tho it's a flanger. The Boss Phasers I've tried don't get lost either, nor the HBE.
Click to expand...

I noticed the phase 90 wasn't very pronounced also, until I opened it up and adjusted the internal trimpot. Now it sounds great.
 
#12
You might want to check out the Retro-Sonic phaser. To my ears, it's a dead ringer for the Phase 90, but it has a volume control to let you keep your effected level the same as your direct signal (assuming that that's what you want...). Of course, you can also use it to make your phased tone significantly louder or softer, if desired. I've found that the perceived output volume of the phaser seems to change slightly based on the type of tone (clean, dirty, overdriven, etc.) that I'm putting in, so the level control is a real plus.

The Retro-Sonic can be a little more subtle than some other phasers, but with the depth knob at max, it nails the classic Phase 90 tone I was after.
 

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