Recommend a Phaser

sapi said:

Thanks Big Al...
Will the Whirlwind do more subtle phaser sounds like the Hotel California solo, or is a Phase 45 better equipped for that job?

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Big Al said:

Yep! The biggest thing I found is that the actual components used in the originals were not sorted and matched. The tolerance range was greater too, as with everything at that time. Some go together with a magical combination of parts that just sound better, some not so much, but ALL sound good. That classic early MXR stuff is just killer. I bought mine new at the time and wore out quite a few, I also suffered a loss at a gig when some thieving magpie stole my case with all my effects, cables and microphones and I had to replace everything.

We did a lot of research on the Whirlwind Rochester Series and used the specs from a particularly good sounding early script model. I spent days going through boxes of resistors and capacitors sorting out by hand the closest matching examples. The close match also seems to reduce the noise.

I still get moist over the old Phase 100's and that awesome big ass yellow Stereo Chorus Pedal, AC cord and all it is hands down the best sounding chorus I've used. In stereo thru two amplifies it is GLORIOUS!!!! True 180 degree out of phase stereo not a wet and dry type most others use. The Dunlop reissue is nice but does not really come close, IMO and they missed something. I know the bucket brigade is out of production so that may be a factor. I'd love to find a good clone or clean original, mine is roadwork but still has the magic and at the time was the most expensive effect pedal I ever bought. Over $300 in the 70's was expensive!!!

Still, I love them, hometown heroes and all aside, they just were so damn musical. I still have my Distortion+, Phase 90, Phase 100, Stereo Chorous, Flanger, Analog Delay, Envelope Filter, Noise Gates, Micro Amp, Dyna Comp, Limiter, 6 band and 10 Band EQ's and some I might have forgot. Most still have original Boxes and paperwork.

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TxMack said:

...I love the MXR stuff with single coils, but prefer the sound of a full size small stone with my R9...

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Bob Womack said:

One of my favorite recorded phaser sounds is the MuTron Bi-phase set up with the two phasers synch'd and sweeping slowly but one phaser sweeping up on one side of the stereo field and the other on the other side sweeping down. A good example is the intro from "Follow You Follow Me" from ...And Then There Were Three by Genesis. Unfortunately most of the original run of Bi-phase are dead from component failure. A guy offers a circuit board clone but it is pretty expensive to build. The closest I'll probably ever get is the model on my amp modeler.

Bob

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