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Author Topic:  Phase shifter
David Cook

 

From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2021 6:16 pm    
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What is the best one for pedal steel?
After hearing Sturgill Simpson"s steel player use it, I am reminded that it probably is a needed tool in the arsenal.
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Dave Mudgett


From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2021 6:58 pm    
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There are many good ones. I personally like and use a stock script logo MXR Phase 45. I have one of the reissues, made exactly like the original one I had 40 years ago but bit the dust 20 years ago. It has a nice swirly sound but is a bit more subtle (and to me, a bit more musical) than the Phase 90 and other more intense units. But most of the classic phasers sound good and it comes down to personal taste. I think it's kinda important to try some out.

Quite a lot of threads on phasers - you'll see a lot of steel players are going for the Sneaky Pete Kleinow phaser sound:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=339730

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=335260

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=307992

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=251309

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=151530

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=229292

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=209817

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=203615

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=192903

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=164168

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=147102

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=127199
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2021 6:58 pm    
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Occasionally, I'll use an MXR Phase 100 pedal, which does pretty well. Cool
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2021 9:11 pm    
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I'm happy with the phaser sound in my Line6 POD XT. It has enough control to give me exactly what I like.
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Mike Bacciarini


From:
Arizona
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 5:28 am    
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I use an MXR Phase 95. ItÒ€ℒs super compact and I can get a couple of different sounds.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 6:22 am    
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As stomp boxes go, the old MXR Phase 90 and the EH Small Stone from the 80s are hard to beat for dedicated phasing effects.

The reissues may be OK, I dunno, I've no experience with the later versions.
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K Maul


From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 6:31 am    
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I use the Phase 95, usually with the 45 setting. I share DaveÒ€ℒs opinion on the subtlety and musicality of the Phase 45.
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Karl Paulsen

 

From:
Chicago
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 6:57 am    
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I just picked up a "Behringer VP1 Vintage Phaser" that I'm very happy with.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VP1phase--behringer-vp1-vintage-phaser-pedal
As far as I can tell it's a straight up Small Stone clone. It sounds great.

I had previously purchased a TC Blood Moon Phaser, which was very tweakable with a wide variety of tones but it overdrives really easy when you're playing more than one note. In the end it was basically unusable for steel.

The VP1 however, stays clean even with chordal playing and really nails the mild musical phaser tone on steel. It's one of those effects where it's almost hard to get a bad tone from it.

It's very affordable and comes in a metal case (unlike most Behringer pedals) but it is the same size and layout as the older Small Stone, so it takes up more space on the pedal board than a mini pedal or a Boss size pedal.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 7:27 am    
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Thanks for the heads up on the VP-1 Karl. I'm looking for a replacement for my old Small Stone. That's the sound I like. This looks like the ticket.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 10:10 am    
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I used the Behringer for a while and it was fine on stage. I had a hard time recording with it, though. It was noisy and not "true bypass".
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Asa Brosius

 

Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 12:47 pm    
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Visual Sound makes a cheap Oil Can phaser that's worked the best for me- the speed and depth controls make it somewhat unique and versatile, and I've never had an issue with psg pickups. Never mind the playing, but here it is on a friend's track from a few years ago with a 70's pp/milkman half/half.
https://youtu.be/Nd9IBPxZ9GQ
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 1:23 pm    
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Asa Brosius wrote:
Never mind the playing, but here it is on a friend's track from a few years ago with a 70's pp/milkman half/half.
https://youtu.be/Nd9IBPxZ9GQ

Great sound and playing, Asa. Cool
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Pete Burak

 

From:
Portland, OR USA
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 3:01 pm    
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Does anyone know what brand/model of phaser Sneaky Pete used?
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K Maul


From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 6:08 pm    
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General consensus is a Phase 90 set on a fairly slow speed.
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Brad Sarno


From:
St. Louis, MO USA
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 6:39 pm    
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One phaser people seem to know was used by Pete was the famous old Maestro PS-1A.

Heptode makes the Virtuoso which is a clone of that one. This might be what you want for some Sneaky Pete phase tones.

https://reverb.com/item/3290891-heptode-virtuoso-phase-shifter?utm_campaign=affiliate_embed&utm_source=js_embed


B
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George Redmon


From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2021 8:23 pm    
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I've tried most of'um. The one i prefer is "The Big Joe Phaser." Put out by the Big Joe Stompbox Company. Mine is a custom version with Big Joes picture on it (pictured on the right side of this section of my pedalboard), and has a slight change in the circuit, to accommodate the steel guitar's hotter pickup. It is just silky smooth. You can virtually eliminate that gawd awful "swoosh" business, like so many phaser's give ya, unless you like that sort of swoosh thing. This phaser just does it's magic.





https://bigjoestompbox.com/products/r-408-phaser
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Dale Thompson

 

From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 6:17 am    
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I prefer the MXR Phase 90. One control knob!
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Mike Petryk

 

From:
Waterford NY USA
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 7:59 am    
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Hi, I've use an older T.C. Electronic TC XII Phaser. It's been a keeper.
Regards,
Mike
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David Cook

 

From:
Florida, USA
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 8:50 am     phaser
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Thanks everyone!
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Jack Hanson


From:
San Luis Valley, USA
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 9:22 am    
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Not a phaser, but the common BOSS RT-20 "Rotary Ensemble" nails the swirly stuff good enough for me.

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Brad Sarno


From:
St. Louis, MO USA
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 9:41 am    
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Also, many phaser pedals can NOT cleanly handle hot steel guitar pickups. The SIMPLE solution is put the phaser AFTER your volume pedal where the signal voltage is many times lower and the phaser pedal should not run out of headroom and distort.

B
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2021 10:23 am    
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I got one of the Behringer VP-1 units coming from Sweetwater. If it sounds anything like the old Small Stone I used in the 80s, I'll be really happy with it. For $35 free shipping, don't see any drawbacks.

I don't do any recording, but I have higher end multi-fx units for that. I also like a stomp phaser for the Waylon thing on guitar.

BTW, the propoganda does list the unit as being true bypass. We'll see.
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Karl Paulsen

 

From:
Chicago
Post  Posted 15 Aug 2021 4:17 am    
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Brad Sarno wrote:
Also, many phaser pedals can NOT cleanly handle hot steel guitar pickups. The SIMPLE solution is put the phaser AFTER your volume pedal where the signal voltage is many times lower and the phaser pedal should not run out of headroom and distort.

B

Very true. However, if you're using an active volume pedal you may still overdrive the phaser. Even with my Hilton backed off a bit the TC Blood Moon still broke up very easily.

Does make me wonder though how it would have behaved with a passive volume pedal.
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Last edited by Karl Paulsen on 15 Aug 2021 4:23 am; edited 1 time in total
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Karl Paulsen

 

From:
Chicago
Post  Posted 15 Aug 2021 4:23 am    
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b0b wrote:
I used the Behringer for a while and it was fine on stage. I had a hard time recording with it, though. It was noisy and not "true bypass".


Good to know about the noise issue with recording.

I wonder if those are a function of the Behringer specifically or a function of the original Small Stone design. I'm fairly certain the Small Stone is not a true bypass pedal to begin with, but I've not recorded with either so I don't know if it is inherently noisy.
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Karl Paulsen

 

From:
Chicago
Post  Posted 15 Aug 2021 4:36 am    
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Jerry Overstreet wrote:
I got one of the Behringer VP-1 units coming from Sweetwater. If it sounds anything like the old Small Stone I used in the 80s, I'll be really happy with it. For $35 free shipping, don't see any drawbacks.

I don't do any recording, but I have higher end multi-fx units for that. I also like a stomp phaser for the Waylon thing on guitar.

BTW, the propoganda does list the unit as being true bypass. We'll see.


Cool, hope it works out for you.

I like mine quite a bit but I'd be skeptical that the VP1 is a true-bypass. Behringer currently claims it is...
https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0355
... but there are also alot of topics on forums about modding it to for true bypass. However, most of those are from quite a few years ago so maybe it has been updated sometime in the last decade?

I bet if you opened it up and posted pics there are folks here smarter than I who could confirm or deny.
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