Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie SV280 Vibrato

Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie SV280 Vibrato

True pitch-shifting stereo vibrato pedal

by Phil O'Keefe

From 1957 until about 1962 the Magna Electronics Company built what many people still think is one of the coolest amps ever made - the Magnatone 280. In the company's original form (the brand was revived in 2013), they achieved a notable degree of success building guitars and amplifiers in Southern California from the late 1930s until the mid 1970s, but arguably what they are most well-known for is the unique and glorious-sounding vibrato that some their amplifiers, such as the 280, featured. Designed by Magna engineer Don Bonham and called F.M. (frequency modulation) Vibrato by the company, this was a true pitch vibrato, and in the 280, it was coupled with a stereo amplifier and produced a sound far different than the pseudo-"vibrato" effects found in other competing amps of the era. Big Tone Music Brewery's Maggie is designed to replicate the sound of that vibrato, but in pedal form that can be used with any amp. The question is - how close did they come to achieving that goal?  

What You Need To Know

• Based on the pitch vibrato circuit from the vintage Magnatone 280 amplifier, the Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie SV280 is an attractive-looking pedal with gold paint and Magnatone-inspired black-colored graphics that are easy to read in all lighting conditions.

   

• The Maggie measures 4 3/4" D 2 3/8" H x 3 5/8" W.

   

• The Maggie's input, output and power jacks are located at the top of the pedal, which means you don't need space to either side of it on your pedalboard to accommodate plugs. The input is mono, with a standard 1/4" jack, while two jacks are provided for the pedal's output. Use the right output jack when running the pedal in mono; a small toggle switch on the Maggie allows you to set it for mono or stereo operation.

• Maggie isn't "pseudo stereo" with the second output a mere inverted-polarity clone of the first, but true stereo with completely different signals coming from both jacks. In fact, in stereo mode with two amps, the pitch in one amp will be rising while the other side is dropping. Try getting a normal chorus or vibrato pedal to do that!

   

• Running the pedal in mono mode with two amplifiers connected results in the same signal in both amps. You can also connect it to a single amp with two input jacks or two separate channels and use the stereo position on the toggle switch. This will also result in a mono signal, but one that sounds different than using just the right output alone, with a doubled speed from the two out-of-sync LFOs running into the same amplifier.

   

• The controls on the Maggie are quite basic and super-easy to understand and dial in. Just like the vibrato circuit on the amp, there are only two knobs. The knob labeled Speed adjusts the rate at which the pitch modulation bends the notes up and down. The Intensity knob adjusts how far the pitch swings oscillate, with greater pitch deviation occurring at higher settings.

   

• There's considerable range in both controls. With the Intensity knob fully counter-clockwise there is no effect, but the depth of the vibrato sweeps and the audibility of the effect increase as you turn it up from there. Max it out, and it gets so deep into the deep blue sea of pitch shifting that you may hurl your cookies. The Speed knob offers similar range, and can go from extremely lethargic to hyperactive depending on what you dial up.

   

• The Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie SV280 is hand-built in Richland, Washington USA. Construction quality is top-notch, with through-hole components instead of SMD, and clean soldering throughout the pedal. All of the knobs and jacks are panel mounted instead of being soldered directly to the circuit board, which should also increase reliability and the pedal's longevity.

   

• There are four trim pots inside - two for the left channel and two for the right. Users should not adjust these; they're set at the factory for optimal performance.

• Power is supplied to the pedal through a 2.1mm center-negative jack, located at the top of the pedal. Internal 9V battery powering is also possible, and a battery came pre-loaded in the review unit. No power adapter is included, but Maggie worked fine with my 1Spot and a variety of 9VDC wall wart power supplies.

   

• Switching is true bypass and uses relays; a yellow LED illuminates when the pedal is active.

   

Limitations

• There's a very slight amount of distortion present in the Maggie's sound. It's minimal and really only audible at all when you crank the knobs up high. To be clear, this isn't analogous to running a dirt pedal or anything like that, but much more subtle. Many users will probably never notice it.

   

• There is also a bit of a brightening of the basic sound when compared to the bypassed signal. Again, this is also very slight and subtle.

   

• Any time you run two amps in stereo the potential for ground loops and hum is increased. Always make sure both amps are properly grounded, and use an inline transformer to kill the hum - never disable or "lift" your amp cable's AC ground plug!

   

Conclusions

When it comes to stereo vibrato, this is as good as it gets. Don't be mislead by the "vibrato" label on your classic Fender amplifier - it's  a misnomer for the amp's tremolo circuit, which is definitely not the same thing. The Maggie isn't a volume-modulating tremolo, but a much tricker circuit that provides true pitch modulation. The two effects can sound vaguely similar when used sparingly, but are actually quite different. Push the levels of the two up loud enough to where they go beyond their more subtle ranges and the differences are readily apparent.  

This isn't a sound you can capture with a chorus pedal either. Chorus pedals double the signal with a delay and then modulate the delayed signal with an LFO and then mix it back with the unprocessed dry signal. Even a chorus with a dry-killing "vibrato mode" can't match it. Unlike a regular chorus/vibrato where the signal is modulating in one direction at a time (sharp then  flat / sharp then flat), the Maggie responds like the pitch vibrato on a vintage Magnatone 280 amplifier, with one side swinging upwards in pitch while the opposite side's output simultaneously bends downward. In stereo this pedal is incredibly cool sounding, and it nails the sound of the vintage amp's onboard vibrato. There's a magic to true pitch vibrato that traditional chorus pedals can't match, and the Magnatone vibrato - and the Bigtone Music Brewery Maggie - takes that even further with its seductively mesmerizing sound. It's great in mono and indescribably good in stereo with two amps. Short of a Magnatone amplifier, this is the best pitch vibrato you'll probably ever hear, and for lovers of the effect, it's the holy grail - and highly recommended.

Resources

Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie ($229.99 MSRP, available direct from Big Tone Music Brewery)

Big Tone Music Brewery's product web page

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Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.