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

[FZRJunkie]

what about the Phase 100?

has anyone compared old and new versions?

[Burningleaves]

 

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.

 

 

 

 

The BYOC Phase 90' kit is nice and (imo) better than any RI.

[Reauchambeau]

in most cases the vintage will be better than the RI,there would be no RI if the original wasn't so good that it needed to be RI'd.personally I would take a pedal made in the 70's over anything made today unless it's an exact replica,and I mean exact,some of these RI's are just new circuits packaged to look like the original,the MXR Micro Amp for example,what a pos,nothing like the original in design or function,it just looks the same,this is why I just stick to the originals.that said I love some of the new EH stuff,made in the U.S.,the Double Muff is f'kn killer.

[L6Sguy]

 

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?

 

 

 

 

a nice place for "inside" jokes to get tossed around till they're incredibly overdone.

 

a place to buy & sell gear, services, occasionally a copy of "Girls Gone Wild"

 

a place for folks to strut around their gear, a real peacock kinda thing. this applies more to those into the booteek-y scene, often much much more.

 

a place for folks who dont understand the difference between phaser and flanger, and who cannot hear the difference, to get their heads straightened out.

 

a place that more than anything, is about consumerism, flat out.

 

a place to exhibit one's lack of understanding of world events

 

a place to exhibit a lack of understanding the differences between your and you're, affect and effect, etc.

 

a place to learn that one plugs a guitar into an amp, not an amp into a guitar. this is usually followed by learning that Spkr Out is not a good jack to use to feed another pedal/etc.

 

 

 

theres a few other things, but really thats most of it.

[companyman]

If it is the ultimate attainable vintage phaser you seek look into a Mutron Phasor II , huge footprint , but I find it to be the most flexible , best sounding phaser period . Although I have never come across a Mutron Bi-phase , which is the Holy grail of phaser ! JMHO

[FZRJunkie]

 

a nice place for "inside" jokes to get tossed around till they're incredibly overdone. a place to buy & sell gear, services, occasionally a copy of "Girls Gone Wild" a place for folks to strut around their gear, a real peacock kinda thing. this applies more to those into the booteek-y scene, often much much more. a place for folks who dont understand the difference between phaser and flanger, and who cannot hear the difference, to get their heads straightened out. a place that more than anything, is about consumerism, flat out. a place to exhibit one's lack of understanding of world events a place to exhibit a lack of understanding the differences between your and you're , affect and effect , etc. a place to learn that one plugs a guitar into an amp, not an amp into a guitar. this is usually followed by learning that Spkr Out is not a good jack to use to feed another pedal/etc. theres a few other things, but really thats most of it.

 

 

that's pretty funny. And, probably more or less accurate.

But I have faith that there's a few veterans up in here who can provide some useful info and who actually read the OP and can comprehend the actual question (some people have already). Of course, faith is overrated, eh?

[Roy Brooks]

My favorite phase shifter is the 70s Roland Phase II.

[FZRJunkie]

 

in most cases the vintage will be better than the RI,there would be no RI if the original wasn't so good that it needed to be RI'd.personally I would take a pedal made in the 70's over anything made today unless it's an exact replica,and I mean exact,some of these RI's are just new circuits packaged to look like the original,the MXR Micro Amp for example,what a pos,nothing like the original in design or function,it just looks the same,this is why I just stick to the originals.that said I love some of the new EH stuff,made in the U.S.,the Double Muff is f'kn killer.

 

 

my guess is that is the popular opinion. Although, I'm happy with my EVH Phase 90, and would probably take it for it's improvements over an original, even if the original sounded a *little* better -- and I don't actually know how the original "sounds", I've only read of it's shortcomings that have been rectified in various newer versions.

 

same with my Nano Stone, with its zero noise, zero volume drop, and very, very good bypass. Sounds good to me, but I've never played any of the earlier versions. I only have read of the earlier versions less desirable qualities all of which have been rectified in the Nano version.

 

...and, same with the Deluxe Electric Mistress. I had an old one, and hated it due to the extreme noise and volume drop. I suspect the newer ones may not have the exact same mojo, but I also suspect the noise level, volume drop, bypass and buffer issues have been significantly improved upon.

 

But having gotten a new Polyphase and returning it the next day, I'd be interested in the original. However they are completely different in every way, so that's not a fair comparison.

 

Still hoping for a Phase 100 user who has tried old and new. Even though I will probably end up getting a new one.

[Liberty Belle]

 

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!

 

I can only speak of a vintage small stone, its definitely one of the best phasers around (very intense phasing), I cant compare it to the RI but I would bet the RI is probably as good.

[FZRJunkie]

 

My favorite phase shifter is the 70s Roland Phase II.

 

 

while I value each of your opinions and thank you for them, this is not what I am asking...

[L6Sguy]

 

that's pretty funny. And, probably more or less accurate. But I have faith that there's a few veterans up in here who can provide some useful info and who actually read the OP and can comprehend the actual question (some people have already). Of course, faith is overrated, eh?

 

 

 

 

faith, as i understand it, is belief in the imaginary, or, believing as real what is unprovable/imaginary.

 

 

i'd say its very overrated, and incredibly overfunded.

 

 

 

 

but, back to modulation --->>

************************************************

 

 

 

 

i'm one of those "vintage" guys, but not to the complete exclusion of modern stuffs. while i'd suggest an original in almost every case, much of that is based on: if the orig was worth a reissue, then it must be pretty good, and in many/most cases the orig will not be priced that differently from the RI (assuming one can wait for a decent deal). that being the case, why not start there?

 

 

and sure, in many cases its only the housing that looks the same, but at the same time, many "originals" went through many revisions, official or not. EH was famous for building using whatever materials were at arms length, even if that meant replacing a capacitor with a thimble or Ritz cracker for 71 pedals in a run of 100. it didnt matter anyways, the official "next" version would in fact contain two thimbles, and mods years later would make the Ritz cracker a crucial part of the circuit.

 

**************************************************

 

so, i ended up with, iirc, 4 vintage mxr flangers over the last so many yrs, and 2 RI. imho, completely interchangeable (although i never A/B'd any). now while there may actually be flavor and/or range differences between old & new, at least in my apps they were un-noticable.

 

positive vintage difference: none/negligable/imaginary

 

positive RI difference: availability

 

all differences: none, imho

 

note: short of stupid paintjob & unchained preset, EVH & standard RI are the same box

 

 

*******************************************************

 

 

Small Stone :

 

been through a small bunch of russians (couple green, couple black) and US (orig & RI). each one was different in terms of freq response, and i'd wager just a bit diff speed range amongst the lot of 'em.

 

positive vintage difference: none/negligable/imaginary

 

positive RI difference: availability

 

all differences: um, they sound different. a Ross or Maestro (Balls model) phaser, or dod 490, would ultimately be my choice, as they are actually improved versions of the orig Stone.

 

 

*****************************************

 

 

 

 

 

the more i type here, the more i'm thinking: dude, this is pointless. there is no "better," just different, and frankly, if i needed to go through 49 phasers to find that out, then so should you.

 

 

there is no such thing as a bad phaser, or flanger.

 

 

spend less time reading, and trying to organize specs and stats in your head, and just go play some stuff. this place makes it much like a library with an initial entry fee >>> pay $60 for a Small Stone in spam thread. use it, flip it for another phaser. rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat. for all the posting we do here, its words about sounds, dancing about architecture. ultimately, whats better is what works for you, regardless of forum opinion.

[Mind_Riot89]

 

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 agree; I had the same issues.

[Guest Guest]

I like my vintage Ross Phaser and my 1975 Small Stone. More smooth, watery, pleasing to my ears than any current production-model phaser I've heard. Dont' like the Homebrew, don't like the Maxon (at all), don't like the Red Witch (from what I can remember), the EHX sounds pretty good with the Analogman mod, but I still like my vintage one better. And not because it's vintage. I'd much rather play something that sounds great and can be easily replaced. HATED IT when I found out how much better my vintage Fender Blender sounds than the reissues - what if it dies?!

 

Having said that, though, my go-to phaser is the Moog, which is super-versatile especially when paired with a controlled voltage processor. AND I could get another one if anything happened.