Vintage vs. Reissue Phasers / Flangers - how much difference is there really?

[FZRJunkie]

for the same models of vintage and reissue, how much difference is there really?

 

what is the positive vintage difference for each (ex: more woosh, more organic, more sparkle, or just completely different unit altogether)

 

what was actually made better in the reissue (ex: bypass, buffer, noise, volume drop, high end, low end, wall wart vs. AC cord if so and how so that matters)

 

and for each difference, say negligible, tiny, little, noticeable, big, huge, or something like that

 

Phase 90, all 5 versions

Phase 100

MXR Flanger/EVH re-ish

Small Stone (incl Nano) all 32 versions

PolyPhase (way different beast nowadays, eh?)

Electric Mistress

Deluxe Electric Mistress

FL-9

other

 

Me? I returned a DEM with AC power cord cuz it was so freakin noisy. I've heard the newer reissues with wall warts are far less noisy. I like my FL-9 reissue just fine. My EVH 90 seems fine. My Nano Stone seems fine. I've never owned the original versions of these last 3.

 

Am I a dunce? Am I missing out on some genuine wooshy goodness?

 

You tell me now!

Okay go Joe!

C'mon let's go!

[FZRJunkie]

eh wot?

no one likes me thread then is it?

(sniff sob)

[gambit]

i'm not sure that there's enough collective experience to answer those questions as you put them..

 

but essentially, those phasers and flangers you mentioned are all still made with analog circuits, probably not massively different to the original, but there will always be difference.

 

the only comparison i can make it my DOD 201 Phasor vs the modern Nebula - the DOD lets less high frequencies through and doesn't go as slow or as fast as the modern clone.

 

you would think those are downsides.. but i kept the 201 over the nebula despite those things. for me, the 201 rolling off highs is a good thing for a nice mellow 2 stage vibey phaser. and the sweet spot on the rate is certainly not at the extremes of settings, so i have no need for stupid crazy or slow (i prefer 4 stagers for slow rate sweeps)

 

essentially you might be missing out on some mojo. or you might avoid some annoying issues. its subjective as always.

[jorhay1]

bought a phase 90 in the 90's

 

threw it away

 

does that help?

[bluesfralins]

vintage guys are always going to tell you they sound better than new even boutique

 

personally i think thats bull{censored}, theyre almost always better than the reissue, but its all preference, and each vintage and boutique pedal has its own flavor, and distinct characteristics

 

go play um

[FZRJunkie]

good example gambit

jorhay, that's freakin funny

 

guys, I can't play em all, and I know it's subjective, and I'm not 10 years old

 

I know each person prolly can't answer for all examples, maybe one or two? and if enough people reply it might help someone sift through the myths and hype or info-gather on what might actually be true

 

or have I missed the point of this effects forum?

[Destructobot]

 

Get yourself a coralfange & deja vibe , and be done with it ...

 

 

 

 

Yuck. Are you a fulltone employee?

 

 

 

Just try whatever and use what sounds good. I've gone through a ton of phasers and my 70's PT-909 Ibanez happened to be my favorite. The maxon ph-350 and EH stereo polyphase were also very good.

[FZRJunkie]

 

Just try whatever and use what sounds good.

 

 

Yes, no {censored}, of course, bloody well right.

 

It's just that this is a forum is all, and I thought I might utilize it to gather opinions on vintage vs. reissues for the same model, first line in my OP. Perhaps I don't know what forums actually are.

[bluesfralins]

 

Yes, no {censored}, of course, bloody well right. It's just that this is a forum is all, and I thought I might utilize it to gather opinions on vintage vs. reissues for the same model , first line in my OP. Perhaps I don't know what forums actually are.

 

 

no ones trying to give you {censored} man

 

but to sum up vintage versus new

there's just too many factors and too many possibilities

 

if you want a comparison

on vintage to new, boutique to vintage

 

my 80's ad9 kills the reissue

and i like it better than the homebrew mimic II that i had

 

but once again

its same argument

 

my friend who has over 20 phaser pedals says his vintage stuff kills

i think some of the newer boutique stuff sounds just as good and its more versatile

 

i recommend trying out the Homebrew Psilocybe

its not too pricey, and the guy at Rocker Guitars in San Francisco swears by it and he knows his {censored}

 

http://www.proguitarshop.com/product.php?ProductID=936&CategoryID=22

theres a video to check it

[orange addict]

iv got an origional mxr flanger and its sex, its a tad more subtle than the evh or the other reissue, it dousnt over power your tone but still adds delicous dolops of jet engine roar. it is buffered and does slightly impact on tone so i have isolated it in an effectes loop inside another loop so that i can true bypass switch it in and out. only anoying thing about it is the massive AC power cord that comes with it. and i put a bright blue LED in it aswell for better view on a dark stage.

 

versus the reissue thay both offer a different palet of sounds, i have AB the mine and the evh, and mine wins in tone department but it needs a seperate loop because its bypass is interesting, and also the cord is not that great, plus the evh looks better, but then again you could buy the normal one and not the evh because you dont need the wanky paint job and the little button.

[FZRJunkie]

 

my 80's ad9 kills the reissue

 

 

that's all I'm askin for. That sorta thing. And yeah, that older pink Ibby pedal is hard to beat.

 

Same question re: vintage/reissue Phase 100, etc. I'm interested in that one. The Psylocibe is on my try-on-sight list.

 

I know there are folks who like reissues of a certain model better than the original. Me, my playing, and my wallet are wondering why. I expect most will say the vintage version of whatever pedal is better, though. Me, my playing, and my wallet are wondering why. Out of 5 versions of Small Stone, somebody's gonna like the 3rd version best. Hope that person shares why.

 

I'm 40, playin 25 years, tried lots of stuff, but not all of it.

[FZRJunkie]

Thanks Orange Addict!

 

I agree. I liked my old gray MXR better than the EVH, too. Sounds like for all the same reasons as you.

 

OT, but do you have any thoughts on the Tiny Terror combo?

[machine gunner]

Ya' just gotta use your ears and try not to buy into the hype. I had a 70's Small Stone that sounded weak to me compared to the modern big box version which sounded great save for the volume drop. Also love the reissue DEM- no volume drop or noise w/ mine compared w/ the older versions. Then there's my '80 Boss CE-2 that destroys the modern Boss chorus'. Vintage certainly doesn't always mean better, but sometimes they are...

[FZRJunkie]

 

Ya' just gotta use your ears and try not to buy into the hype. I had a 70's Small Stone that sounded weak to me compared to the modern big box version which sounded great save for the volume drop. Also love the reissue DEM- no volume drop or noise w/ mine compared w/ the older versions. Then there's my '80 Boss CE-2 that destroys the modern Boss chorus'. Vintage certainly doesn't always mean better, but sometimes they are...

 

 

some say the Nano is the best Stone, some say it's the worst. I dunno.

 

Do you mean the DEM re-ish with the power cord or the wall wart? The one I bought was supposed to be a reissue but it had the AC cord and it was the noisiest pedal ever-Ever

[machine gunner]

 

some say the Nano is the best Stone, some say it's the worst. I dunno. Do you mean the DEM re-ish with the power cord or the wall wart? The one I bought was supposed to be a reissue but it had the AC cord and it was the noisiest pedal ever-Ever

 

For me the nano is the worst, and I've owned six small stones- trebly uneven sweep and just doesn't capture the warmth of the big box versions. A lot of people love it though, so there ya' go. I just got rid of the Maxon PH350 and I'm going back to a small stone or maybe even some kind of Phase 90. My DEM is the newest version w/ the adapter and I've never noticed any noise w/ it.

[jorhay1]

i have two dem's with the power cords

 

so noisy i thought they were broken

[FZRJunkie]

 

For me the nano is the worst, and I've owned six small stones- trebly uneven sweep and just doesn't capture the warmth of the big box versions. A lot of people love it though, so there ya' go. I just got rid of the Maxon PH350 and I'm going back to a small stone or maybe even some kind of Phase 90. My DEM is the newest version w/ the adapter and I've never noticed any noise w/ it.

 

 

good info, thanks

I've heard the same thing from people about the newest wall-wart DEM = no noise. Man I sure wanted to like that one I got...

 

looks like I'll be getting the new Polyphase tomorrow - high hopes there

 

and I think I want to look into Phase 100s after that. Tradin and hustlin, no money

[machine gunner]

good info, thanks I've heard the same thing from people about the newest wall-wart DEM = no noise. Man I sure wanted to like that one I got... looks like I'll be getting the new Polyphase tomorrow - high hopes there and I think I want to look into Phase 100s after that. Tradin and hustlin, no money

Cool, I'd like to hear about the Polyphase. I was supposed to be trading for a Option 5 phaser a few weeks ago, but the guy backed out at the last minute- really wanted to try that one

[jgs61]

I mentioned it before, but I would seriously get the Stereo PolyPhase. It can do all the phasers you listed plus more. The Maxon PH-350 sounds good too, but I haven't played it. From my experience with several of those phasers, the vintage ones will sound different but not very much. The PolyPhase is the only one that is drastically different.

 

I've got nothing to say about flangers because I hate them and never use them.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

I've owned both vintage and reissue versions of the EHX Polyphase, Small Stone, Electric Mistress, Deluxe Memory Man, and Big Muff Pi.

 

Vintage Small Stones have popping issues with the switch, and the rate knob jumps from slow to fast rather abruptly compared to the version 3s and the reissues. Tonally, they are pretty much the same, though I find the version 3s to be a hair stronger in the blend.

 

Vintage Electric Mistresses are quite different in tone from the modern reissues, IMO. They have more high end and less low end, they run on 9v batteries, and they use the old Reticon chips. I own an 18v, a 9v, and a 1979 Deluxe, and all 3 had some noticeable differences in tone and behavior.

 

The Polyphase you already know about. Completely different animal.

 

The Deluxe Memory Man units have a lot of variation which I won't go into here.

[FZRJunkie]

 

I mentioned it before, but I would seriously get the Stereo PolyPhase.

 

 

yep, that's the one I'm gettin!

[FZRJunkie]

 

Vintage Small Stones have popping issues with the switch, and the rate knob jumps from slow to fast rather abruptly compared to the version 3s and the reissues. Tonally, they are pretty much the same , though I find the version 3s to be a hair stronger in the blend.

 

 

are you including the Nano, also?

[Armitage]

It doesn't matter "how much" they're different, it's a matter of how they sound to you. You may very well like the newer tone better.

[FZRJunkie]

 

It doesn't matter "how much" they're different, it's a matter of how they sound to you. You may very well like the newer tone better.

 

 

Let me see if I have this straight. I join an effects forum and ask people their opinions on effects, and the response you give is, "Why are you asking us?"

 

What is the point of the forum then, just so I know?

[valvestate]

I've owned both vintage and reissue versions of the EHX Polyphase, Small Stone, Electric Mistress, Deluxe Memory Man, and Big Muff Pi. Vintage Small Stones have popping issues with the switch, and the rate knob jumps from slow to fast rather abruptly compared to the version 3s and the reissues. Tonally, they are pretty much the same, though I find the version 3s to be a hair stronger in the blend. Vintage Electric Mistresses are quite different in tone from the modern reissues, IMO. They have more high end and less low end, they run on 9v batteries, and they use the old Reticon chips. I own an 18v, a 9v, and a 1979 Deluxe, and all 3 had some noticeable differences in tone and behavior. The Polyphase you already know about. Completely different animal. The Deluxe Memory Man units have a lot of variation which I won't go into here.

 

There ya go... EHX master of HCFX!

 

I also need more information about the Nano Small Stone Vs. the Big Box Small Stone... aside from the volume drop.

 

Good informative thread!!