The box may not be truly tinyābut the Uni-Vibe-style sounds are totally huge.
Deep, luxurious, detailed, and very authentic modulations. Nice attention to detail.
No expression pedal option. Rate wheel not as expressive as treadle.
$399
Sabbadius Tiny-Vibe 69
sabbadius.com
Argentina's Sabbadius is not messing around when it comes to Uni-Vibe-style pedals. Their authentically styled and photocell-driven Funky-Vibe pedals come in five incarnationsāincluding models designed to replicate Jimi's Uni-Vibe sounds from Woodstock and the Fillmore East shows that birthed the Band of Gypsys LP. They also build Funky-Vibes intended to replicate variations built in 1968 and '69.
To this already overflowing stable, they now add the Tiny-Vibesātwo compact (4"x 5 1/8") descendants of the Funky-Vibe that use circuits that are nearly identical to their larger siblings, stuff them in a more compact enclosure, and switch out treadle-operated speed control for a side-mounted rate-control wheel. I had the pleasure of testing the Tiny-Vibe 69. While I'll confess to longing for some of that expression control, particularly because the pedal sounds so much like an original, it was still a real pleasure to get lost in its deep, immersive washes of modulation.
Spirit of ā69
The original Uni-Vibe is a well-studied circuit, and its associations with Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour alone assured that each of the minor differences between the pedal's early iterations would be dissected down to the last solder. Generally speaking, Sabbadius' 68 Funky-Vibe and Tiny-Vibe pedals replicate the circuitry and sound of the original Honey-built version of the pedal, which some aficionados find more intense at certain settings. The 69 pedals (and the later Shin-Ei-built Uni-Vibes that inspired them) are regarded as smoother and a bit more elastic, or "chewy" in the parlance of phase heads. In even simpler terms, you can think of Sabbadius' 68 as "Machine Gun," while a 69 is The Dark Side of the Moon.
If you can find a dealer where you can try all these pedals alongside each other, it would be pretty cool to dig deep into the micro-differences between them. With just the 69 on hand, I didn't have that opportunity. But whether you're chasing Hendrixian highs or slow-burning Floyd-style undulations, the 69 sounds super convincing and, at times, thrilling.
More so than many pedals, the Tiny-Vibe can feel like a collaborator in spontaneous composition, and there's a real, visceral thrill when it happens.
Sabbadius doesn't take shortcuts to making the Tiny-Vibe sound like the real thing. It's a true photocell-driven optical circuit (where modulations are activated by a pulsing lamp and light-dependent resistors). The pedal also runs exclusively at 18 volts, so you'll have to get a dedicated power source or allocate the 18-volt slot in your power supply.
If you've had the pleasure of playing a vintage Uni-Vibe or one of the more authentic replicas (like the Funky-Vibe), you'll recognize the controls used here. An output volume control adds gain that can range to a fat overdriven tone that dovetails well with the Tiny-Vibe's modulations. The intensity control, which has a lot of subtle variation, is also a carryover from the vintage Uni-Vibe, as is the chorus/vibrato switch. The two controls you won't find on a vintage Uni-Vibe are the true bypass switch, which bypasses the modulation and gain entirely, and the cancel switch, which takes the modulation out of the equation and leaves the preamp in the lineāa very nice tone sweetener depending on your tastes.
The Tiny-Vibe is thoughtfully assembled and sturdy. The side-panel placement of the speed knob, and its substitution for expression pedal control of modulation rate, is a design factor you'll need to consider depending on the density and layout of your pedalboard. It's not easy to operate the speed knob when it's situated in the middle of a gaggle of other stomps, so situating it at the right side of a board is key. But even when situated ideally, there is no substituting the functionality, feel, and expressive outcomes of using an expression pedal. If this capability is key to the way you interact with a vibe-style pedal, you may want to consider the full-size Funky-Vibe.
Modā Milkshake
Tiny-Vibe's deep, underwater chorus tones aren't easily replicated with most inexpensive vibrato units or phasers. The optical circuitry and high headroom enabled by the 18-volt power make the chorus tones extra liquid and creamy. Driven by heat from a silicon Fuzz Face-style circuit, the Tiny-Vibe is deeply Band of Gypsys-like. Filthy fuzz textures mesh seamlessly with the phase undulations, and the modulation rarely seems to completely obscure melodic or picking details. It's exhilarating to hear the fuzz shift in texture and harmonic makeup as notes, bends, slurs, chords, and double-stops collide with various spots in the phase wave. Everything from screaming, peaky highs to deep, wavy low-end wash leap to the fore depending on your phrasing and timing. And it's easy to see why Jimi embraced the Uni-Vibe at one of his most improvisational phasesāthere is an organic give and take that occurs when you use the Tiny-Vibe which creates happy accidents and nudges you in unexpected directions. More so than many pedals, the Tiny-Vibe can feel like a collaborator in spontaneous composition, and there's a real, visceral thrill when it happens.
Without fuzz, the 69 just as easily takes on the slow, stony, luxurious waves of Gilmour's parts on "Breathe," and sounds distinctly more elastic than most phasers. The intensity control also enables very pretty variations that can be subtle or dizzyingly deep.
The Verdict
If you're not wildly dependent on the phrasing possibilities derived from expression pedal operation, it's hard to imagine a more satisfying way to get vintage Uni-Vibe sounds. The compact size is a big plus, and the speed wheel is effective, just in a different way than a treadle. There's a very good chance that once you dive into Tiny-Vibe's deep, luxurious waves, you'll be hooked.
Differences between the 68 Tiny-Vibe vs. 69 Tiny-Vibe:
* Sabbadius 68 Tiny-Vibe: Based on the one that started it all, this version is like the early 1968 Uni-Vibe made by Honey UNICORD made famous by Jimi Hendrix. It has a faster speed than the 69 and pulse throb is more intense at fast and slow speeds.
* Sabbadius 69 Tiny-Vibe: Based on the effect made by Shin-ei Companion in Japan in 1969 following the bankruptcy of Honey UNICORD company. The sound is slightly different compared with the 1968 Uni-Vibe. This version was the one used by David Gilmour and Robin Trower in the '70s. The sound is more "round" and warmer than the 68 and because of that it has more chewy sound in CHORUS mode than the 68 version.
The 68 Tiny-Vibe uses the same components and specifications of the old 68Ā“s Honey Uni-Vibe and the 69 Tiny-Vibe version uses the same components values and specs as the Shin-ei 1969 version. The transistors used here are the Matsushita 2sC828 and 2sC539 for the Pre-Amp section like in the original Uni-Vibe.
Each pedal features 3 knobs, which set VOLUME, INTENSITY, and SPEED. It also features 2 footswitches: one of them activates the effect for True Bypass, the other one switch is the CANCEL function that allows you to use the pedal as a Pre-Amp or the original Uni-Vibe effect sound. This means that you turn off the lamp bulb keeping a high impedance in the photocells that gives to the sound a wonderful Pre-Amp like original Uni-Vibe's did in the foot control pedal. It has a BLACK soft Rocker switch that you set the modeĀ“s for "CHORUS" or "VIBRATO" MODE.
The Sabbadius Tiny-Vibes do not use batteries and require an external DC 18 Volt 200mA NEGATIVE CENTER PIN Power Supply. (You can use a DC 18 Volt power Supply with 100Ma, but for best results use DC 18volt 200mA.)
Specifications:
* VOLUME: sets the output volume.
* SPEED: sets the effect's speed in either mode.
* INTENSITY: sets the effect's intensity or depth.
* CHORUS - VIBRATO Mode ROCKER SWITCH: sets whether CHORUS Mode or VIBRATO Mode is activated.
* CANCEL Footswitch: activates the lamp Bulb to swirl the effect or turn off the lamp to use as a Pre-Amp like original Uni-Vibe's does.
* TRUE BYPASS: Premium quality 3PDT True Bypass footswitch to turn the effect ON/OFF.
* Can be powered only with a DC 18 Volt 200mA Power Supply with NEGATIVE CENTER PIN.
* NO VOLUME DROP.
* ON/OFF Red LED for True Bypass Indicator.
* SPEED LED indicator.
* Black Chicken Head Knobs with Crest for 68 version and Creamy/White for the 69 version
* Chewy tone and strong INTENSITY for more 3D Underwater double pulse kind of sound.
* Original 1960s Japanese Lamp Bulb.
* 100% Hand Wired & Hand Weldings.
* 100% analog circuit.
The 68 Tiny-Vibe and 69 Tiny-Vibe carry a price of $399 USD + 50 USD for worldwide shipping and paypal fee included and are available for purchase on sabbadius.com.