Members Surrealistic Brillo Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Holy {censored}, that's one hell of a phaser pedal. I can't belive I haven't tried Red Witch products before. Are all their pedals this awesome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnalogJunkie Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 they are as awesome as the klon is nothing like a timmy and vice versa:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Coach Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Ty Gerhardt Are all their pedals this awesome? No, the fuzz god is underachieving. The moon phaser is sweet...but I can't get past that huge bass cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members varialbender Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 I've got the Moon Phaser. It's popping right now, and Ben offered to take care of that, but I'll probably add the resistor myself after I'm done procrastinating. It's a great phaser. From what I hear, the Fuzz God is not a favorite. The Pentavocal was apparently great, but still seems to take a back seat to the Semaphore in terms of popularity around here. I wonder how the Empress will be received. So far it's getting some pretty good reviews. I don't know of too many hype choruses around here, so maybe this one will take the spotlight for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SilverPlated Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Ty Gerhardt Holy {censored}, that's one hell of a phaser pedal. yes, it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by varialbender I've got the Moon Phaser. It's popping right now, and Ben offered to take care of that, but I'll probably add the resistor myself after I'm done procrastinating. It's a great phaser. From what I hear, the Fuzz God is not a favorite. The Pentavocal was apparently great, but still seems to take a back seat to the Semaphore in terms of popularity around here. I wonder how the Empress will be received. So far it's getting some pretty good reviews. I don't know of too many hype choruses around here, so maybe this one will take the spotlight for a while. I have the RW Moon Phaser and the Fuzz God. I haven't heard that the Fuzz God wasn't a favorite, but did read a couple negative reviews in that it wasn't what people expected. To be honest I haven't spent enough time with it to accurately describe how it differs from other fuzzes and/or if those things that set it apart from the normal fare - make me love it for being different - or just annoy me for the reason it is different. When you dub something the "FUZZ GOD" I guess you'd better try to be innovative to justify the name. Time will tell -and I will report it here good, bad, or indifferent. That's the problem with reviews - you really need to put a pedal thru all kinds of pups and amp combinations - and add a wah, treble booster, or some other fun pedal in line to see what pedals it likes to be inline with -and then write a comprehensive and thorough review. There's not enough time in a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Brillo Posted July 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Coach No, the fuzz god is underachieving. Bummer...Oh well...I have my fuzz bases more than covered. The moon phaser is sweet...but I can't get past that huge bass cut. I kind of expect some bass cut with a phaser...I didn't find it to be too out of line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Brillo Posted July 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by varialbender I've got the Moon Phaser. It's popping right now, and Ben offered to take care of that, but I'll probably add the resistor myself after I'm done procrastinating. It's a great phaser.From what I hear, the Fuzz God is not a favorite. The Pentavocal was apparently great, but still seems to take a back seat to the Semaphore in terms of popularity around here. I wonder how the Empress will be received. So far it's getting some pretty good reviews. I don't know of too many hype choruses around here, so maybe this one will take the spotlight for a while. Popping? When you switch it? I didn't notice, but I put all my pedals in a MIDI loop switcher and they get left on all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members varialbender Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Ty Gerhardt Popping? When you switch it? I didn't notice, but I put all my pedals in a MIDI loop switcher and they get left on all the time. Yes, it's a problem a few have mentioned. I guess it varies, and with a different set up, it might not pop, I'm not sure. I emailed Ben about it, and he offered to fix it, but I'm a gigging musician and didn't want to part with it, and I live in Canada and just hate shipping things. He confirmed that it was only a matter of soldering one 2.2M resistor, so I figured I'd do it, but I havn't gotten around to it. It's strange, but if I switch it, it'll pop loudly, but then if I switch it again in the next few minutes, it won't pop. It takes a while for it to charge up enough to create an audible pop I guess. So, for that reason, I just pop it before a song, and when I use it during the song, it doesn't do any harm. As for the Fuzz God, I was really wanting to get one, and then read all the reviews. Most weren't bad, but they weren't great either. I think I'd love it if I had one, but there are too many other pedals I need first. Eventually I may buy one and find out for myself. The point of what I wrote is more that some of his pedals are probably great pedals but unfortunately don't get the hype that some pedals do. It seems the comparisons between the Semaphore and the Pentavocal were pretty close, and that it was more of a matter of personal taste, but sift through all the trem recommendation threads, and you'll find the Semaphore plastered all over the place. The Moon Phaser has great hype, but the others seem to have missed out on that, despite the quality. It's a shame. Just hope that, assuming the Empress is a good pedal, it gets the hype it deserves, and probably will, given the lack of boutique choruses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Arjae Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 The Empress Chorus is amazing. Highly underrated at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Brillo Posted July 17, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by varialbender ...Just hope that, assuming the Empress is a good pedal, it gets the hype it deserves, and probably will, given the lack of boutique choruses. There's a lack of boutique choruses? Off the top of my head I can think of... The Analogman Clone Chorus line (my personal fave) Fulltone Choral Flange Retro Sonic Chorus Ensemble (very nice) The Red Witch Empress The Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus (not entirely boutique, but it compares favorably to boutique choruses). Keeley CE-2 mod. I'm sure there's a few others I'm overlooking, but it seems there's at least a few out there that should be able to satisfy most chorus users as well as make a few converts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members varialbender Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Boutique choruses exist (I'm using a PolyChorus, which is almost concidered boutique on a gigantic scale of production), but there sure aren't many. At least not when compared to other types of pedals. Obviously the numbers aren't even comparable to dirt boxes. As for modulation, the numbers are a lot lower than the currently popular trem and phase pedals in the boutique world. I think there were too many trems released at one point and the Pentavocal missed a lot of attention because of it. However, you'll note that there are very few boutique choruses out at the moment. I don't know of any with a similar set of features, and think that the Empress has the upperhand in this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Arjae Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Take away the vibrato from the Empress and the flange from the Choralflange and they essentially have the same features. I use them both in stereo and that is where the main difference kicks in. The CF does a true stereo split. The Empress has chorus on the right and dry on the left. It creates a very different stereo image that way and I actually prefer it to the true stereo split. The Empress can get much slower than the CF which I enjoy. The Empress has a bright switch whereas the CF has the narrow/wide switch. It is hard to pick an all out winner between these two as I still love the CF but for now, the Empress is on my board as I find it much more inspiring to play. Plus it is much smaller. I have no use for the vibrato so as for the second function, I would rather have a flange but the flange on the CF is pretty weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members varialbender Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Arjae Take away the vibrato from the Empress and the flange from the Choralflange and they essentially have the same features. I use them both in stereo and that is where the main difference kicks in. The CF does a true stereo split. The Empress has chorus on the right and dry on the left. It creates a very different stereo image that way and I actually prefer it to the true stereo split. The Empress can get much slower than the CF which I enjoy. The Empress has a bright switch whereas the CF has the narrow/wide switch. It is hard to pick an all out winner between these two as I still love the CF but for now, the Empress is on my board as I find it much more inspiring to play. Plus it is much smaller. I have no use for the vibrato so as for the second function, I would rather have a flange but the flange on the CF is pretty weak. Cool, thanks for the review.I guess it is fairly similar in features, but I don't see them much the same because of the way they operate. I've tried the CF, and it's pretty tame, and I wasn't interested in it all that much, but the Empress can get you some strange sounds that push the boundaries a bit (from the clips I've heard). I don't think I've heard of too many people using the CF around here either, but then again, not everyone uses chorus. Thanks again for the comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Arjae Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by varialbender Cool, thanks for the review. I guess it is fairly similar in features, but I don't see them much the same because of the way they operate. I've tried the CF, and it's pretty tame, and I wasn't interested in it all that much, but the Empress can get you some strange sounds that push the boundaries a bit (from the clips I've heard). I don't think I've heard of too many people using the CF around here either, but then again, not everyone uses chorus. Thanks again for the comparison. I was only saying the features are somewhat comparable...... not the sounds! Absolutely, the Empress can get sounds that the CF can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DJLantz444 Posted July 17, 2006 Members Share Posted July 17, 2006 Originally posted by Coach No, the fuzz god is underachieving. The moon phaser is sweet...but I can't get past that huge bass cut. What about the bass cut on the Fuzz Factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ben Fulton Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Thanks Ty for your kind words. Glad you dig the pedal. Just to clarify - the Semaphore and the Pentavocal tremolo are different beasts (as i understand it).The Pentavocal sets out to approach the trem concept from a different angle; rather than offering a heap of different wave shapes (which a number of great tremolos, including the Semaphore, do) I wanted to look at the frequency response.Tremolo was the first intentional effect designed for guitar and it came as feature on many of the early tube amps. The amps only featured one wave shape - a sine styled critter. What did vary from amp to amp was the frequency reponse - how bottomy or toppy the pulse was. The Pentavocal offers 5 different responses as well as the bottom control - which lets you dial in how much of the frequency spectrum is included in the pulse. We've always set out to design products that offer unique features not found anywhere else, whilst still being extremely useable - any time you do something different it's inevitable that some folks will dig it and some won't. And that is how it should be. Rock on boys and girls! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members varialbender Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Ben Fulton Thanks Ty for your kind words. Glad you dig the pedal. Just to clarify - the Semaphore and the Pentavocal tremolo are different beasts (as i understand it). The Pentavocal sets out to approach the trem concept from a different angle; rather than offering a heap of different wave shapes (which a number of great tremolos, including the Semaphore, do) I wanted to look at the frequency response. Tremolo was the first intentional effect designed for guitar and it came as feature on many of the early tube amps. The amps only featured one wave shape - a sine styled critter. What did vary from amp to amp was the frequency reponse - how bottomy or toppy the pulse was. The Pentavocal offers 5 different responses as well as the bottom control - which lets you dial in how much of the frequency spectrum is included in the pulse. We've always set out to design products that offer unique features not found anywhere else, whilst still being extremely useable - any time you do something different it's inevitable that some folks will dig it and some won't. And that is how it should be. Rock on boys and girls! Ben Hope I've made it clear that I don't mean to compare the two in terms of sound and features. I'm only speaking in terms of popularity around this forum. I havn't tried either, but from what I can tell, I think I'd love the Pentavocal, as well as the rest of your line. You definitely do things fairly differently: enough to set yourself apart, but not enough to alienate, which is a perfect blend. I think what it comes down to now is marketing, and I think you should put what you just wrote on your website. Your description of the pedal and the reasons for your features make a lot of sense, and I think pushing that aspect of the pedal would do it a lot of good. Especially when you throw in the words *tube amp* I look forward to trying one out (and I'm trying to push a local guy into dealing your stuff ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ben Fulton Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by varialbender Hope I've made it clear that I don't mean to compare the two in terms of sound and features. I'm only speaking in terms of popularity around this forum. I havn't tried either, but from what I can tell, I think I'd love the Pentavocal, as well as the rest of your line. You definitely do things fairly differently: enough to set yourself apart, but not enough to alienate, which is a perfect blend. I think what it comes down to now is marketing, and I think you should put what you just wrote on your website. Your description of the pedal and the reasons for your features make a lot of sense, and I think pushing that aspect of the pedal would do it a lot of good. Especially when you throw in the words *tube amp* I look forward to trying one out (and I'm trying to push a local guy into dealing your stuff ) Sweet as Varial. Thank you for the compliments. Please let your dealer know that if they come on board and mention your handle they'll get free freight. If they're groovers they might feel inclined to offer a finders discount to..... the finder:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Brillo Posted July 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Originally posted by Ben Fulton Thanks Ty for your kind words. Glad you dig the pedal. Just to clarify - the Semaphore and the Pentavocal tremolo are different beasts (as i understand it). The Pentavocal sets out to approach the trem concept from a different angle; rather than offering a heap of different wave shapes (which a number of great tremolos, including the Semaphore, do) I wanted to look at the frequency response. Tremolo was the first intentional effect designed for guitar and it came as feature on many of the early tube amps. The amps only featured one wave shape - a sine styled critter. What did vary from amp to amp was the frequency reponse - how bottomy or toppy the pulse was. The Pentavocal offers 5 different responses as well as the bottom control - which lets you dial in how much of the frequency spectrum is included in the pulse. We've always set out to design products that offer unique features not found anywhere else, whilst still being extremely useable - any time you do something different it's inevitable that some folks will dig it and some won't. And that is how it should be. Rock on boys and girls! Ben Hey Ben! I took the day off yesterday and spent the day with the Moon Phaser and a few of my other favorite pedals...Man, I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. I've been searching for the perfect phaser for a while...I've owned the Lovetone Doppleganger (nice but difficult to get the one or two cool sounds you can get out of it), the Mooger Fooger 12 Stage Phaser (really nice, but a pain to set up), EH Small Stone (decent tone, easy to set up, but the volume drop was a hassle), MXR Phase-90 (easy to set up, hard sound and volume boost) and the EVH-90 (not different enough with the script button on when compared to the Phase-90). In the end, it came down to the Retro-Sonic Phaser, the Maxon Roto Phase, and the Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser...all had what I was looking for, but I liked the sound quality and versatility of the Red Witch DMP. From the minute I plugged it in and turned it on, it had that "WOW!" factor, and pretty much no matter where I turned the knobs I got cool sounds. It's truly a great piece of work...I may have to pick up another for my other board. If I may offer a suggestion...a phaser THIS versatile should have two speed knobs and a footswitch that lets you switch between the two speeds...maybe for your SUPER Deluxe version. Thanks for making such a great phaser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members endo23 Posted July 19, 2006 Members Share Posted July 19, 2006 Hmmm, I was just playing through my Empress this evening and it is indeed a sweet chorus. For comparison, I've owned the Analogman Clone (nice sound but significant volume drop, allegedly rectified in newer models) and the Fulltone Choralflange (sounded too hi-fi and "80s" to my ear). The Empress beats them both, IMO. There's no volume drop, the range of chorus sounds available far surpasses either of the two above-- from very, very subtle to wildly over-the-top (though there's a noticeable amount of white noise on the more wacked-out settings). And most importantly, it's a sweet, musical chorus-- not sterile at all. And while I'm no vibrato junkie, I've found some truly usable sounds in that mode as well. I can also imagine using some of the more extreme vibrato settings to plays Boards of Canada style riffs. All in all, I think the Empress is quite a chorus. The price may seem steep, but compare it to any other boutique chorus with a similar feature set and it's actually cheaper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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