It's synonymous with the likes of Gilmour, Hendrix, and Van Halen—to name just a few. The addition of a phaser to a 'board is almost guaranteed to step up one's game in the hypnotic tone department. Here, we've gathered 10 phaser pedals for subtle to space-age modulation experimentation.
WAY HUGE
Atreides
Inspired by a 1980s mini-synthesizer, this "Analog Weirding Module" was designed to deliver growly sub-octave, expressive vocal envelope, swooshing phase, and gnarly fuzz sounds.
$199 street
jimdunlop.com
IBANEZ
Phaser MINI
Offering a variety of sounds, from subtle texture to deep saturation, this analog Phaser was dreamt up to retain the clarity of dry signal, even when set to the highest effect intensity.
$119 street
ibanez.com
PIGTRONIX
Moon Pool
This 4-stage analog phase shifter and tremolo has independent speed controls that change the rate of one or both of the effects in either direction, corresponding to how hard you play.
$179 street
pigtronix.com
MSL
Night Witch
This combo fuzz and ramping phaser is the company's take on the Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser, housing a circuit that's been modified and updated for today's pedalboards.
$300 street
mslpedals.com
WARM AUDIO
Jet Phaser
Boasting the same control set as the like-named original from the '70s, this phaser was created to drum up gentle modulation to distorted phase-drenched cacophony.
$199 street
warmaudio.com
MXR
Phase 90
From delicate, spatial shimmer to full-on high-velocity swooshing, this well-known orange box has been a mainstay for many thanks to its distinctively warm modulation.
$79 street
jimdunlop.com
SVI SOUND
Techno-FA
This mini-sized optical phaser can be switched between 2- and 4-stage phasing, while its four controls (frequency, range, depth, and bright) fine-tune modulation that ranges from vintage to modern shift sounds.
$169 street
svisound.com
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
Small Stone
Whether you're after a rotating speaker effect for blues, adding seasoning to your chicken pickin', or a jet-plane swoosh for metal, this phaser was built for sweeping shifting with liquid transparency.
$71 street
ehx.com
WALRUS AUDIO
Lillian
This multi-stage pedal is packed with a wide array of analog-phaser goodness to dial in, from slight amounts of movement from your dry signal to all sorts of unheard phase/vibrato combinations.
$199 street
walrusaudio.com
SOURCE AUDIO
Lunar Phaser
Offering three styles of phase modulation (vibe, classic, and multi), this MIDI-compatible pedal also synchs with the company's Neuro mobile app for an extensive list of downloadable algorithms.
$149 street
sourceaudio.net
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Celebrating 10 years of Revv & 5 years since the release of the G2, Revv is debuting V2 circuit revisions of the G2, G3, & G4, implementing new designs for more tone in 3 little pedals, in a limited edition colorway.
The Revv Amplification 5th Anniversary G-Series V2 Lineup features:
- 3 Fresh Flavors of Boutique Canadian Tone - G-Series pedals are sonic recreations of 3 of Revv’s boutique amp channels used by Nashville session stars & metal touring artists alike.
- The Standard, Redefined - V2 circuit revisions are based on the Generator 120 MK3 Rev. B & incorporate new design elements for the most tube-like response & tone ever.
- Limited Edition - Exclusive new colorway featuring a black enclosure w/ custom graphics, embossed Revv badge, & color-coded knobs.
- Find Your Sound - The G2 is a powerful & versatile overdrive capable of everything from touch-sensitive boost to organic vintage stack tones, taken from Revv’s Green Channel.
- High Gain Clarity - The G3 utilizes Revv’s legendary Purple Channel, a tight & responsive high gain tone perfect for drop tuning & cutting through any mix.
- Fat Solo Tones - The G4 is based on Revv’s thick & saturated Red Channel, the ideal sound for chewy crunch, modern rock wall of sound, & liquid sustaining solos.
- Made in Canada - 100% analog circuit w/ top jacks, true bypass, & 2 year warranty.
Revv’s G-Series pedals have a street price of $229 & can be ordered immediately through many fine dealers worldwide.
For more information, please visit revvamplification.com.
Revv G3 Purple Channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal - Anniversary Edition
Hats off to Carmen Vandenberg of Bones UK, our celebrity Question of the Month respondent.
Guest Picker - Carmen Vandenberg, Bones UK
The cover of Soft, Bones UK’s new album, due in mid-September.
A: My favorite method these days (and to be honest, from when I started playing) is to put on my favorite blues records, listen with my eyes closed, and, at the end, see what my brain compartmentalizes and keeps stored away. Then, I try and play back what I heard and what my fingers or brain decided they liked!
Bone UK’s labelmade, Des Rocks.
Obsession: Right now, I am into anyone trying to create sounds that haven’t been made before—bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White, and our labelmate, Des Rocs! There’s a Colombian band called Diamanté Electrico who I’ve been really into recently. Really anyone who’s trying to create innovative and inspiring sounds.
Reader of the Month - Sam C. Schiff.
Sam spent endless hours trying to learn the solo Leslie West played on “Long Red,” off of The Road Goes Ever On.
A: The best way to learn guitar is to listen to some good guitar playing! Put on a record, hear something tasty, and play on repeat until it comes out of your fingers. For me, it was Leslie West playing “Long Red” on the Mountain album, The Road Goes Ever On. I stayed up all night listening to that track until I could match Leslie’s phrasing. I still can’t, no one can, but I learned a lot!
Smith’s own low-wattage amp build.
Obsession: My latest musical obsession is low-wattage tube amps like the 5-watt Fender Champ heard on the Laylaalbum. Crank it up all the way for great tube distortion and sustain, and it’s still not loud enough to wake up the neighbors!
Gear Editor - Charles Saufley
Charles Saufley takes to gear like a duck to water!
A: Learning by ear and feel is most fun for me. I write and free-form jam more than I learn other people’s licks. When I do want to learn something specific, I’ll poke around on YouTube for a demo or a lesson or watch films of a player I like, and then typically mangle that in my own “special” way that yields something else. But I rarely have patience for tabs or notation.
The Grateful Dead’s 1967 debut album.
Obsession: Distorted and overdriven sounds with very little sustain—Keith Richards’ Between the Buttons tones, for example. Jerry Garcia’s plonky tones on the first Grateful Dead LP are another cool, less-fuzzy version of that texture.
Publisher - Jon Levy
A: I’m a primitive beast: The only way I can learn new music is by ear, so it’s a good thing I find that method enjoyable. I’m entirely illiterate with staff notation. Put sheet music in front of me and I’ll stare at it with twitchy, fearful incomprehension like an ape gaping at the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. I’m almost as clueless with tab, but I can follow along with chord charts if I’m under duress.
The two-hit wonders behind the early ’70s soft-rock hits, “Fallin’ in Love” and “Don't Pull Your Love.”
Obsession: Revisiting and learning AM-radio pop hits circa 1966–1972. The Grass Roots, Edison Lighthouse, the Association, the Archies, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds—nothing is too cheesy for me to dissect and savor. Yes, I admit I have a serious problem.
