:0 to 1:35 - Various Chorus Settings
1:36 to 2:11 - Vibrato
2:12 to 2:50 - Phaser Only
2:51 to end - Chorus/Phaser combo
RatingsPros:Subtle-to-strange modulation effects with lovely lyrical voices. Seamless composite effects. Option for expression pedal control of speed and depth. Nice build quality and design. Cons: Placement of speed multiplier footswitch makes fast switches tricky. Street: $319 Jam Pedals Ripply Fall jampedals.com
| Tones:  Ease of Use:  Build/Design: Value:  |
It’s taken nearly my whole guitar-playing life to warm to chorus. But I have always been a phaser fan. Chalk it up to being a psychedelic-era Beatles nut from the minute I could hear, perhaps. But I have always loved phase effects’ ability to transform a simple song or phrase into a mind scramble. Another personal aside regarding phasers: They helped me learn to love chorus—quite accidentally—when I borrowed an engineer’s Boss CE-2 for a session and placed it upstream from my Small Stone. The two textures together were intoxicating, strangely complementary, and despite my inclination toward deranged modulation, just as magical in subtle doses as in extreme applications.
Given all that, I approached Jam’s Ripply Fall—which combines the company’s excellent Ripple analog chorus, its Waterfall analog phaser circuit, and a ring modulator—with great enthusiasm. It offers fans of demented sounds copious compound modulation textures. But it also excels at shimmering, complex chorus and phaser weaves that mimic throbbing Uni-Vibe textures and enlivens leads and chords with classy aplomb.
Ways to Color
Though it’s not especially complex, the Ripply Fall is a feast for the eyes. And while the topically hued enclosure might evoke a souvenir t-shirt from a Maui holiday circa 1989, the layout of the multi-colored knobs and LEDs (which align with the shifting color of the fish graphic) is thoughtfully executed—effectively dividing the pedal into three segments, each dedicated, more or less, to the chorus, ring modulator-like chorus speed multiplier, and phaser effects. As on Uni-Vibes of old and other chorus effects, there is also a vibrato switch that transforms the chorus channel into a wobblier pitch-shifting mode.
The phaser and chorus effects have dedicated bypass switches on the left (blue) and right (yellow) sides of the pedal. The twitchy chorus speed multiplier is activated via its own dedicated footswitch in the center of the enclosure. Each effect uses a very streamlined control set. The blue speed knob modifies the rate of the phaser effect. The chorus section, meanwhile, features depth and speed controls. The chorus/vibrato switch is situated between the chorus speed and depth knobs. A second toggle between the phaser and chorus rate controls switches the chorus effect’s intensity. There are also jacks on the left and right sides of the stomp that can be used for expression pedal control of the speed and depth, respectively.
Inside, not a fraction of an inch is wasted. The enclosure is packed to the gills with the circuitry that helps the Ripply Fall work its modulation magic. It couldn’t have been an easy enclosure to lay out, given the dearth of extra space, but it is flawlessly executed.
Wobble World
As weird as the Ripply Fall can get—especially with the speed multiplier in the mix—Jam tuned each effect with a sense of musicality, and even subtlety. The chorus tones and modulations are warm, watery, and gorgeously contoured. And it’s easy to imagine the welcoming, shimmering waters of the Agean, not far from Jam’s Athens home, being a subconscious influence on these textures. In more pedal-specific terms, the Ripply Fall’s chorus evokes a very nice vintage Boss CE-2 or CE-1. Fans of Johnny Marr and Robert Smith’s immersive ’80s modulation tones will find much to love here. Though to my ears, the Ripply Fall chorus sounded even warmer, rounder, and perhaps less sterile and angular than those classic Boss units. Boosting the intensity and depth levels induces convincing Leslie effects—especially at higher modulation rates.
The vibrato effect is understated, but more characterful than the vibrato settings on many Uni-Vibe clones and choruses, which often seem like a grudgingly executed afterthought. Slower speed and heavy depth settings lend a crystalline wooziness to chord arpeggios with more than a hint of vintage Magnatone amp wiggle as well as touches of cool vinyl record warp and tape oscillation.
By itself, the phaser is rich and lyrical but a little more subtle and less vowel-y than a vintage Small Stone or Phase 90. Peaks are softer and the phase cycle is less whooshy overall. MXR’s more sedate Phase 45 might be a more apt baseline for comparison. While the phaser may fail to impress heavy-handed phase users that dig effects like a Small Stone’s intense color settings, it’s never overbearing, and its relative subtlety enables the phaser to work seamlessly with the chorus side of the effect. Together they are a thing of beauty. Uni-Vibe comparisons are most appropriate when the phaser and chorus are used together. And while the two effects together don’t ape a Uni-Vibe to the letter, they create a unique, immersive and inviting take on the texture.
The Verdict
To many ears, including mine, the gold standards for analog chorus and phase were formulated years ago in the shape of the Small Stone and Phase 90, Boss CE-1 and CE-2, and Ibanez CS-9. But if the Ripply Fall doesn’t better those pedals by light years, it certainly offers many refinements and reflects a design mindset geared toward coaxing the more lyrical side out of each effect. The results are lovely and truly musical individual and composite modulation effects.
Vox’s Valvenergy Tone Sculptor
I spent a day workshopping ideas in my studio using just the Vox Valvenergy Smooth Impact compressor and Tone Sculptor EQ, and a dash of amp tremolo and reverb to taste. In the process, I produced more arresting sounds than I had heard from my guitars in many days. There were radical direct-to-desk-style Jimmy Page/Beatles distortion tones, sun-sized, cosmic electric 12-string, Bakersfield twang that could burn through crude, and many other sweet and nasty colors. Most decent EQ and compressor combinations can achieve variations on all those themes. But the Smooth Impact and Tone Sculptor also reveal interesting personalities in unexpected places.
The individuality and energy in the Vox Valvenergy pedals is attributable, in part, to the Nutube vacuum tube used in the circuit. Though it looks little like a vacuum tube as most guitarists know them, the thin, wafer-like Nutube is, in fact, a real vacuum tube like those used in fluorescent displays. Fluorescent display tubes have limitations. A maximum operating voltage of around 40 volts means they aren’t useful for bigger power tube applications like a 6L6, which has an operating voltage of about 400 volts. But it can work quite well as a preamp tube in concert with an op amp power section, which is how the Nutube is used in the new Valvenergy pedals, as well as older Vox products like the Vox MV50 and Superbeetle amps.
Valvenergy Tone Sculptor
When you think about “cinematic” effects, you likely imagine big reverb or modulation sounds that create a vivid picture and feeling of space or motion. But narrow, hyper-focused EQ profiles can evoke very different and equally powerful images. Radical EQ settings can add aggression, claustrophobic intimacy, and stark, explosive dark-and-light contrasts more evocative of Hitchcock’s Psycho than Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.
Any of these moods can be summoned from the Valvenergy Tone Sculptor. Six sliders cut or boost 10 dB frequency bands spanning 100 Hz to 5.6 kHz. A seventh slider cuts or boosts the master output by 12 dB. This platter of options might not sound like much. But you can use these seven controls together to very specific ends.
“Radical EQ settings can add aggression, near-claustrophobic intimacy, and stark, explosive dark-and-light contrasts.”
For example, bumping the high-midrange and the master output produces narrow cocked-wah-like filter sounds with enough push to produce extra amp overdrive—effectively turning the Tone Sculptor into a buzzy, almost fuzz-like filter effect. But unlike a wah, you can carefully scoop high end or add a spoonful of bass to blunt harsh frequencies or give the tone a bit more weight. You can also broaden the palette of an amp/guitar pairing. I matched a particularly trebly Jazzmaster bridge pickup with a very hot and toppy Vox AC15-flavored amp for this test—a recipe that can be spiky on the best days. But with the Tone Sculptor in the line, I could utilize the same sharp, fuzzy, and filtered Mick Ronson wah tones while shaving some of the most piercing frequencies.
EQ pedals exist on many points along the cost spectrum. And at $219, the Tone Sculptor lives on the high side of the affordable range. Does it offer something less expensive models can’t deliver? Well, for one thing, I found it relatively quiet, which is nice whether you’re shaping toppy high-contrast effects or performing more surgical adjustments. And the sliders feel nuanced and nicely tapered rather than like a dull axe with a few basic frequency notches. But in many situations I also liked the color imparted by the circuit—generated, presumably, by the Nutube. “Color,” in audio terms, is a broad and subjective thing, and one should not necessarily expect the warm, tube-y glow of a vintage tube Pultec. Still, the Tone Sculptor has many forgiving, flattering qualities—typical of studio EQs—that enable fine tuning and experimentation with more radical and creative applications of the effect.
Valvenergy Smooth Impact
As with the Tone Sculptor, the Smooth Impact’s use of Nutube engenders certain expectations. It’s easy to surmise that because Smooth Impact has a vacuum tube in the circuit that it will behave like a little Teletronix LA-2A leveling amplifier. That’s a big ask for a $219 stompbox. On the other hand, the Smooth Impact exhibits some appealing characteristics of studio tube compression. At lower compression levels, it works well as a thickening agent—adding mass without much additional noise. And at higher compression levels it can sound snappy, crisp, and tight without feeling like you’ve bled every trace of overtone from your signal.
The Smooth Impact’s controls aren’t totally atypical. But because it lacks some familiar features like variable attack and release, yet is more complicated than a 1-knob DynaComp, you have to trust your ear to navigate interactions among the controls. The most unfamiliar of these is the 3-way vintage/natural/sag toggle. The first two are defined by preset attack and release settings: Vintage is slow attack and long release, and natural is the opposite. The sag mode’s compression is more like what you get from tube saturation, and it’s useful for adding thickness and complexity to a thin amp tone at modest compression levels.
Though the vintage and natural modes certainly have a different feel, they don’t always sound worlds apart. And like the sag mode, the thing they have in common is the way they enrich lifeless amp output at low to medium compression, with a bit of grind from the tube gain and a little extra makeup gain from the output. At the most aggressive settings, the tube gain can get a little crispy. And really crushing the compression can flatline your tone without adding much in the way of extra sustain. These are limitations common to many compressors with similar features. But unless I was chasing very ultra-snappy Prince and Nile Rodgers fast-funk caricatures, I enjoyed the Smooth Impact most in its in-between ranges, where mass, mild, harmonious drive, and low noise showcase the pedal’s sometimes studio-like personality.
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trio’s latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PG’s Chris Kies.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with D’Addario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harrington’s backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, there’s less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harrington’s Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why he’s got so many. You’re going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLÖN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slöer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harrington’s beloved Line 6 DL4—his desert-island, must-have pedal—along with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.
Announced at the 2025 NAMM show, Cory Wong’s new collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man scratched an itch—namely, the itch for a humbucker-loaded guitar that could appease Wong’s rock-and-R&B alter ego and serve as complement to his signature Fender Strat. Inspiration came from no further than a bandmate’s namesake instrument. Vulfpeck bassist Joe Dart has a line of signature model EBMM basses, one of which uses the classic StingRay bass body profile. So, when Wong went looking for something distinctive, he wondered if EBMM could create a 6-string guitar using the classic StingRay bass body and headstock profile.
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II ReviewErnie Ball Music Man StingRay II ReviewDouble the Fun
Wong is, by his own admission, a single-coil devotee. That’s where the core of his sound lives and it feels like home to him. However, Wong is as inspired by classic Earth, Wind & Fire tones and the pop-punk of the early ’90s as he is by Prince and the Minneapolis funk that he grew up with. The StingRay II is a guitar that can cover all those bases.
Ernie Ball has a history of designing fast-feeling, comfortable necks. And I can’t remember ever struggling to move around an EBMM fretboard. The roasted maple C-shaped neck here is slightly thicker in profile than I expected, but still very comfortable. (I must also mention that the back of the neck has a dazzling, almost holographic look to the grain that morphs in the light). By any measure, the StingRay II’s curves seemed designed for comfort and speed. Now, let’s talk about those pickups.Hot or Not?
A few years ago EBMM introduced a line of HT (heat-treated) pickups. The pickups are built with technology the company used to develop their Cobalt and M-Series strings. A fair amount of the process is shrouded in secrecy and must be taken on faith, but EBMM says treating elements of the pickup with heat increases clarity and dynamic response.
To find out for myself, I plugged the StingRay II into a Fender Vibroverb, Mesa/Boogie Mark VII, and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Wong’s preferred live rig). Right away, it was easy to hear the tight low end and warm highs. Often, I feel like the low end from neck humbuckers can feel too loose or lack definition. Neither was the case here. The HT pickup is beautifully balanced with a bounce that’s rich with ES-335 vibes. Clean tones are punchy and bright—especially with the Vibroverb—and dirty tones have more room for air. Individual notes were clear and articulate, too.
Any guitar associated with Wong needs a strong middle-position or combined pickup tone, and the StingRay II delivers. I never felt any significant signal loss in the blended signal from the two humbuckers, even if I could use a bit more midrange presence in the voicing. The midrange gap is nothing an EQ or Tube Screamer couldn’t fix, though. And not surprisingly, very Strat-like sounds were easy to achieve for having less midrange bump.
Knowing Wong’s love for ’90s alt-rock, I expected the bridge pickup to have real bite, and it does, demonstrating exceptional dynamic range and exceptional high-end response that never approached shrill. Nearly every type of distortion and overdrive I threw at it sounded great, but especially anything with a scooped-mid flavor and plenty of low end.
The Verdict
By any measure, the StingRay II is a top-notch, professional instrument. The fit and finish are immaculate and the feel of the neck makes me wonder if EBMM stashes some kind of secret sandpaper, because I don’t think I’ve ever felt a smoother, more playable neck. Kudos are also due to EBMM and Wong for finding an instrument that can move between ’70s George Benson tones and the hammering power chords of ’90s Blink-182. Admittedly, the nearly $3K price could give some players pause, but considering the overall quality of the instrument, it’s not out of line. Wong’s involvement and search for distinct sounds makes the StingRay II more than a tired redux of a classic model—an admirable accomplishment considering EBMM’s long and storied history.
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II Cory Wong Signature Electric Guitar - Charcoal Blue with Rosewood Fingerboard
