Small Stone 4800

I'm using mainly a Gibson LP with Bareknuckles VHII and a Musicman Axis supersport into a custom Van Weelden amp. guitar > Strobostomp > MSD Wah > looper >> Small Stone Phase shifter >> Nova delay > amp Warm, open sounding. have tried several phasers, but none come even close.

It's old. But has never let me down.

one color switch, one speed pot. Have modded it with a 3pdt switch to add a status led. I have the early 80's reissue. No manual needed

never had to use it.

I've been playing for almost 20 years by now and this is the fist pedal I owned. Got it from my uncle. It's been on my setup ever since. So would I replace it it if got stolen? YES!

This is the best phaser i have ever heard in my life. I put an eight because i haven't really heard anyother phasers besides boss. I have a Gison Epiphone with a DOD FX13 Gonkulator right before it and after that i like to keep the rest a secret. If you didn't know the gonkulator combines an atonal ring mod with distortion. If i put my ring mod on along with a octave similar device, which changes pitch with an expression pedal and only one signal  can create all these sounds that sound alot like ufos taking off or somthing as heard on live performances of vitiman (Incubus). I'm glad i bought this phaser because one i currently have dosen't have as much color as this. If i did the same thing with a boss it just sounds like ure jumping up and down playin guitar this one make a warm sound almost like some phaser bootsy colins would have. Don't go for a boss this thing can get so much better of a phase. Also on the right settings if you turn of the color on a high rate it sounds like a chorus/vibrato. Don't settle for a parallel boss pahser, use this baby!

The things huge the only thing i would ever be worried about is if the button got stuck or somthing. I would use it without a AC just because it sounds good enough to and i dobt it break unless you ran it over a couple times

This has one knob two settings how much easier can it be. Mine came with no manual because i bought it used at a used instrumen store. It took me less then thirty seconds to understand it.

I haven't had any problum with it

wetaher you want a warm sexy phaser or an incredibly intense one with a sound of it flying away it's the best. With no distotion on it you can make it sound very zen and earthy with a delay thrown after it (Nice to Know You: Incubus). I gave it a nine only because no phaser is perfect but this can sound like more then a phase almost like a light flang a chorus or rotary. If you want a sound like it's floating away in space this dose it. My Gonkulator is right before it and it totally loses the distortion for a bit which sounds incredible for funk. If your a hardcore metalhead or like noise breaks in songs you probebly think this is bad for your style. Guess again it can also get super speedy roatry if you add a flager and a expression octave before that you can get the sound of spaceships taking off it also goes good with any synth not just ring mods. So if your into abrasive stuff this is easly the best i've ever heard. That dosen't mean get a boss so it sounds earsplitting because you can easly hear the vox and this does the same and more. Weather you want a funk pahse metal phase noise break or techno phase a watery phase or a beautiful harmonic moaning zen phase this does all of those and probably more i forgot to mention. The nine is because nothing beats a sound floating away in space but next to a huges and ketter rotary this is the closest you'll ever hear.

Very shimmering, dreamy and warm sound. It has the standard phaser hiss in some frequencies during its sweep; most phasers has. Ignore it, take it as it is, because it is part of the game (like the little noise in a Wah pedal). As soon as you kick it in your guitar sound gets warm and creamy. In my situation, it gets kicked by some humbuckers and a pushed into some MesaBoogy tubes of an old Boogie .50. I thicken it and cream it even further with a little, sniff of Chorus. Sometimes some delay with a little muffled highs. The boogie is set for some noosy sound with accentuated highs. Works nice to this pedal. For the distortion sounds, I put the phaser in front of the distortion, to mask it a little, making it less obvious or prominent. But that is purely personal taste. The distortion sifts very nicely. Definitaly a nines worth. The only downside would be the lack of a depth or mix control. (Esp. the last one would be valuable for my setup, to fine tune). Compared to a PSK or a MXR 90, it is smoother and more subtile. The MXR 90 has a stronger more prominent, almost mechanical sweep. (Nice for riffs). Unfortunally the 90 has the tendency to clip very easily, which is very annoying when playing without distortion. Compared to Boss, it is far more superieur, but less flexible in is options. Although I found the Small Stone better appliable for more styles of music. Strange? No, I didn't like the Boss PH-series at all. Some old Ibanez phasers sound a little similar, but miss the warmth of the Small Stone a little. Reissues? I didn't even want to try, after all I read and heart about those. Far more organic sounding than most digital cousins.

It has proven to be reliable, but I must put some remarks. First of all I now own two, both really old ones. The oldest pops like hell when switched, but both are used in a switcher system, which means I leave their own switched on at all times. So no popping anymore. Still a downside in the design of course. You can fix it with some small soldering. Same goes for the tone sucking; a small mod will get ritt of that. (www.firebottle.org or www.geofex.com) Second point is the battery performance. Both now work solidly on adaptor power. The oldest is in pretty bad shape. There is no seperate door for the battery, just a clip to catch the battery in. You need to open the complete housing to replace it. The other one has a battery door, and holds up much better. These are better off in a drawer of a 19'' rack. Not very ethical, but it better for them. The inside looks like it's home made, in both pedals. If you know your way around here, you probably want to improve the reliability by replacing parts like the battery holder, the jacks and maybe some wires. They didn't dy on me, but they are only worth a seven here. Once improved, they might last a lifetime, even on the floor.

One switch marked "Color" and a pot marked as Speed. Color enormously intensifies the effect. Must be some kind of feedback/repeat increase. You will need to play while searching for your setting. I only found one that I really liked (color switch down (= off), low rate).

EH? Are you kidding? The original people infolved are most likely no longer available for comments or help. I would suggest to move around in the DIY areas on the net, and maybe seek up a really good insider repairman. I wouldn't bring my pedals to a simple supermarket Music Instrument Shop, so they would accidently kill the only fevered patient. ;-)

I used it for Indie/Alternative Rock. Fits in very nicely. I would definately try to find an original '70/'80 again, to give it a follow up. In parallel to the MXR stuff, the originals may have their problems, but they sound better than most reissues. Sad but true. Small stones are easy to get, if you look a little further than just around the corner. In Hamburg in Germany, I accidently ran into two in a single guitar shop (since I already have two, I left them for someone else). Worth buying around €75-€100, second hand.