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swirly stuff
TC Electronic SCF
A true classic - the SCF has been around for ages, and in some respects it is still unbeaten. They used to market it as being studio-quality effects in a pedal, and I think it is still true. The chorus is lush, without being overpowering. And as you can set the amount of chorus relative to the dry signal, you can get as 80's (or not) you like. I got this on eBay UK (as it is mains-powered, buying one from the US wasn't an option), with a UK mains plug. I ended up replacing the mains cable completely, to get a slim molded euro 2-prong plug on there.
It did come with a problem, though - it made every pedal after it pop loudly when turned on/off... I measured for DC leakage on the output of the SCF, and to my amazement found close to 6 volts! I replaced all DC blocking capacitors, but that didn't help. In the end, I was able to get it under control using pull-down resistors on the output jacks... I did contact TC support about it, just asking if it was something they'd come across before. I got a reply basically saying two things:
We don't provide DIY support.
We don't have any techs around who know these old pedals.
Huh? Well, in their FAQ section, they do mention adding 1M resistors to the output jacks to stop it popping when using an external true bypass loop box, so... But in my case, as the voltage leaking was so big, 1M resistors didn't do much. I had to go far lower than that...
Still, it is the best chorus pedal I have ever owned... with the "intensity" (mix) knob set around 2, I get just the right amount of chorus for clean playing, without it being overbearing if I happen to step on the pedal during a solo. Awesome stuff - and I haven't even gotten around to trying the Pitch Modulator setting out...
Ibanez CS-9 stereo chorus
Bought cheap from Estrad (now 4sound Stockholm) – I came into the store one day, saw it in the used fx bin and said “I’ll take it”. 400 SEK later I walked home with a great chorus with a bonus – it boosts your signal. Apparently Ibanez didn't compensate for the fact that it adds a detuned, wobbly signal on top of the original one – making the sum louder. A cool, but not very discrete chorus. I'ts perfect for scaring people when used together with the TS-9 (slight od) - when you want to add impact; just step on it, whack out a couple of open chords and watch the audience go "WTF is that!!!?" The pedal is a silver label, made in Japan with serial # 290719 - whatever that means... Oh, and I've ruined any vintage value it had by modifying it to true bypass... Since I won't be using it that much (the '80s are over, after all), I wanted to be able to have it sitting on my board without adding anything to the signal.
Boss Dimension C
I got it used from Musictoyz when I had a Police episode – it was a period with lots of cover gigs (wedding parties and 40/50 year birthday parties). Naturally, we'd do some Police numbers, and as this was Andy Summers’ main chorus during the later Police years (ok, it was actually the rack version, the Dimension D, he used, but hey...) I just had to get it. It cost me an arm and a leg, but sure enough, set it to mode 1 and you can play “Roxanne” all day… Great chorus, but maybe a little cold for general use. It positively excels when used in stereo, though – the dry signal sits undisturbed smack in the middle with the chorus wide to the sides. If I used two amps in stereo, the DC-2 would be the king of the pedalboard. At the moment, it spends most of its time in the box (which, btw, is its original purple box, complete with the sheet of Boss stickers and broschure inside
). Blue label (made in Japan), serial # 71 21 00.
Note: You can hear the two chorus pedals above in a side-by-side comparison (together with a Boss CE-2) on the soundclips page! Click here, why don't you?
MXR Phase 90
This is a recent Dunlop reissue model that I bought through eBay - no special story there. Ok, I've modified it for true bypass, which isn't that easy to do (more on that later). I've also made the phasing a bit smoother (via the age-old "script" or "R28" mod), as well as deeper and more like a Uni-Vibe. It's not a proper 'vibe, but it's somewhere in that region. It works really well in front of my overdrive pedals, for those Hendrix-y moments... You can read about it here (click the pedal for soundclips) - my pedal is modified to Stage 2 specs.
Removing the feedback resistor (labeled R28 in the modern reissue pedals) brings the circuit closer to the original MXR script logo pedals' specs. But not all the way - the script logo pedals had a different circuit altogether. But it's as close as you will come, without buying the MXR 1974 Vintage Phase 90. Don't be fooled by the "custom shop" Phase 90's that has adapter jacks - they are simply EVH phasers in a vintage-looking box.
Anyway, modifying the modern Dunlop/MXR reissue pedals for true bypass isn't as easy as it seems - the existing switch is soldered directly to the circuit board. In order to fit the new 3PDT (triple pole, double throw) switch needed for true bypass and LED control, I had to make a cutout in the circuit board and fly wires to/from the proper positions on the pcb. Not really a beginner's job, I admit - there are circuit traces on both sides of the circuit board, and you can't cut all of them off. But it was fun to break out the Dremel and cutting discs... Also, the regular blue 3PDT switches used by just about everyone on the DIY and Botique circuit are actually slightly too big for this pedal, and do not leave enough room for the battery. In my pedal, I was able to partially solve the problem by replacing the battery clip for a smaller, neater version. I'm also looking into different types of switches that might solve this problem.
Roland Jet Phaser AP-7
This pedal was given to me, together with an old DOD 270 A/B box, by a close friend who stopped using it when it broke down somewhere in the '80s. It is a bit beat up and rusted, but after afternoon of tinkering it was up and running. The Jet modes still don’t work properly – I think the “jet level” pot is busted – but the regular phase modes are dreamy. To my amazement it had a factory installed DPDT switch, and was wired for true bypass! Plus it has a fast/slow stomp switch, and when you change speeds, it ramps up/down like a leslie… It stole a bit of gain when kicked in, though, so I set about raising the output gain. I did, and in the process the whole effect became much more vibrant and defined. The gain went up just a tad too much, though, so I'll eventually have to put it back on the workbench to tame it just a bit. I don't use this pedal live anymore, but it will sometimes make an appearance in recording sessions. You can hear it in action here.
Ibanez PT-9 Phaser
I got this from a guy in California, from who I was originally only going to buy a used Boss Blues Driver. I noticed that he also were selling this '80s phaser pedal, and the "what-the-hell" reflex kicked in. So I simply said "what the hell", and had him send me this one as well. It's a little scuffy, and the switch seems to be... erm... shall we say 'less than 100% trustworthy' (it's a nine series Ibanez - what else is new...). But in general it's a quite decent phaser. Not nearly as refined as the TC, and nowhere near as thick, wobbly and organic as the Jet Phaser, but still - not bad at all. It's a cool gadget to have around, and may well end up on the pedalboard, due to its middle-of-the-road character - after all, if I can't find room for more than one phaser on my main board, I might just go with the one that seems to cover the most ground. I stole its bottom plate to fit the TS-9, and of course then decided to use it anyway... So, a little work later, I had fabricated a bottom plate for the PT-9 and fitted a 3PDT switch (wired for true bypass). It never stops...
Korg G4 Leslie simulator
I have a real leslie cab (Fender Vibratone), but felt there would always be moments where I wanted the sound but couldn't find room on stage for the real thing. Dave Fox of Foxrox Electronics kept raving about the Korg G4 - an older leslie simulator - so eventually I caved, and located one via eBay Germany. It cost me 120 € + shipping, but that's ok - these puppies go for way more than that in the US... It's not a permanent fixture on the pedalboard, partly due to its size and partly because I sometimes actually bring the real deal to gigs. Instead, I keep it on a separate pedalboard together with a true bypass loop box, and simply patch it in between the main board and amp.
Anyway, the G4 was introduced in 1994 as part of the ToneWorks line, and does a great impression of a Leslie 122/147, complete with the frequency hole between the horn and woofer - a feature of the original that is often overlooked. I won't go into too much detail here, but the crossover network in a Leslie cabinet splits the signal to the horn and woofer at 800Hz, while the horns' frequency range starts at 1000Hz... This mismatch is a vital part of the leslie sound - it's what causes the horn to growl so nicely (due to it being asked to reproduce frequencies it can't handle), and it also leaves a "hole" in the frequency response around 800Hz. The G4 mimics this perfectly, plus it has a "Drive" section to capture the fat, growling sound of a tube power amp being asked to do more than it's capable of. Not bad at all.
My only real gripe is the "bypass" and "drive" switches - I'm having a hard time figuring out why they're there... The "bypass" switch only bypasses the actual leslie sim - the speaker simulator, should you use it, will still be active - and the input/output level section is always active, regardless of bypass state. So why is there a bypass button, if it doesn't actually bypass the unit? Also, the higher you set the Drive control, the higher the output volume gets, and the only way to compensate for this is to turn the output level down, which means that the G4 will be too quiet when you aren't using the Drive (or when you use the bypass switch)... This is a little annoying, frankly, and you end up setting the level for one of the sounds (Drive in or out) and never switch between them. So why is there a footswitch for the drive section? Anyway, it sounds great - different than the Vibratone, obviously, but still great. Hear it at the soundclips page.
Danelectro Rocky Road
This one is quite an oddball... What ever possessed Danelectro to include a leslie/rotating speaker simulator in their line of mini pedals is a mystery - considering how small that market must be - but there it is. I had been wanting to try it ever since I first heard about its existence, but wasn't able to locate one. The Swedish importers - probably realizing its limited market appeal - choose not to import it. In Germany it costs around 70-80 EUR - almost cheap enough to take the plunge and buy it unheard, but not quite... There was no way for me to know how well it did its job, and the reports from users were very varied. To be more precise, some of them were utterly useless, since it was rather obvious that the person writing actually doesn't seem to know what a leslie is supposed to sound like. Here's just one example from the user reviews section at Harmony Central:
Sound Quality: 1
Why is there a chorus on this thing? Why can't you turn it off? Kind of made the whole thing worthless. I already own a Milkshake Chorus that sounds tons better.Doh - that's what a leslie sounds like on the slow speed... On leslie cabs, the slow mode is actually called "Chorale", and it was no doubt that sound the inventor of the first chorus pedal tried to replicate... Anyway, the slow sound is only half the story - actually it's even less than half. Lots of people seem to think you can get a good leslie sound from a standard chorus pedal, just by setting both knobs near max. Well, you could call that "leslie", but only if you ignore one of the most important features of a leslie - the speed changes.
Anyway, enough ranting. I finally got my grubby hands on one, when a friend went to the US on holiday and was kind enough to bring one home for me. Musician's Friend had them on sale, so it ended up costing a mere $20... Now, that's a bargain, if I ever saw one! So what's it like? Well, I'm utterly amazed at how well this little thing does the single-rotor Leslie 16 / Fender Vibratone sound. As opposed to other - more expensive - simulators, this one doesn't allow for the "horn" and "woofer" to spin at different speeds. Instead, when the Rocky Road spins up to speed, the whole frequency range accelerates uniformly - just like a Vibratone does. This is probably more due to design limitations than any specific goal set by the design team, but it still places the Rocky Road in a class of its own. The other simulators I've tried - H&K Rotosphere, Korg G4, Voce Spin etc - are all very good at sounding like a woofer/horn type leslie (122/147), but this is the only one that even gets close to sounding like a Leslie 16 / Fender Vibratone.
Now, to the bad points. First off, the pedal has a nasty volume boost, even with the "drive" knob at zero. Including a small amount of overdrive can help you get closer to the real sound, but this is way too much. Especially since there's no provision for setting the output volume compared to the bypass level. Unless you plan on keeping the pedal active at all times, the pedal needs to be modified. Luckily, there is a relatively easy mod here, which you can do yourself if you feel confident enough. If not, you can take it to someone to have it done - it shouldn't be too expensive. It is definitely worth it - after the modification, the output level is at unity gain when the "drive" knob is at zero. If you need a little more push to your leslie, just give it a little drive. Why Danelectro chose to ship the pedals the way they are - and continue to ship them this way - is beyond me.
Another drawback is the miniature plastic casing - it is so small, that hitting the switches with any sort of accuracy requires one to take off their shoes, using the big toe to prod the switch. I'm not joking - that's the only way I've been able to work it... And even with the shoes off, the switches need a good prodding to actuate, which means that you can't be 100% sure the thing is actually going to change speed (since there's no LED to indicate speed status). I'm already looking at ways to rehouse the circuit into a bigger, sturdier box.
But all in all - if you are looking for a decent single-rotor leslie sim, it does a fine job indeed. Thumbs up for Danelectro! Now, can we have it in a bigger box, please?
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