Old phase shifter info?

[Chuck H]

When I was a young teenager (40 now) I bought an old phase shifter at a garage sale. It looked like an MXR product with a compact orange case and cursive black lettering, but it didn't say "MXR" on the front. It had a single knob and a foot button. All it said was "Phasor" or "Phazor" I can't remember which. I know about the DOD vintage pedal, but I have never seen one with cursive writing or that didn't have DOD on the front. So it looks different. Unless the oldest model was as I described?

It dissapeared sometime in the next couple of years, due to theft I assume. All I remember well is the tone. It sounded great. I have always hoped to run across one sometime but that hasn't happened. So I'm wondering what the hell I had. Anyone know about it?

TIA

Chuck

[Suburbanite]

I seem to remember coming across an old mxr copy called "Phazer 9" can't remember the maker, but it was nigh on identical, hope that helps

[Robert M. Martinelli]

Hi Chuck,
I'm in my mid forties now, and I clearly remember myself assembling my first set of FXs, I used to own some MXR Fxs as well, and the MXR Distortion + was the first effect I modded back then ( I was 14.....geez.... ). I'd bet what you had was an MXR "Phase 90" - actually MXR was building two models, the 90 and the 180, Suburbanite seems to remember the name of the copy included a "9" so it could have been a copy of a "Phase 90".

AFAIK the schematics are still available on various web sites, so you could build a clone easily enough.

Hope this helps

Best regards

Bob

[Chuck H]

Thanks guys. I have to assume I've gone insane and my memory is not as it should be. Because I can see the pedal in my head as clear as if it were right in front of me. I've been seeing the same image since I owned that pedal. It was orange, one knob, one foot button and the only writing on the front was the word "Phasor" in black cursive. No DOD or MXR. I suspected MXR only because of the cursive writing. But DOD did make an orange "Phasor". But it has "Phasor 201" and "DOD" on the front. Other DOD Phasors were yellow IIRC. So I suspect this was an early model of either the MXR Phase 90 or the DOD Phasor 201. I just wish I knew which and what the differences might be between that older model and the ones with the later markings.

Chuck

[oc disorder]

Some Orange Phasers (The ross one is not working and on e-bay)

[Chuck H]

Thank you for the pics. I have looked at every orange phase shifter I can find by now with no luck. But...I did read about a vintage effects collector that felt very fortunate to score an early 70's DOD Pasor 401 "with the script logo". The 401 was the "Phasor" in the orange box with a single knob. I have to think that must be what I had. I'll probably never see one, but I'll get a later non script logo model and see if it sounds like I remember. Figerers crossed. Thanks guys.

Chuck

[Mark Hammer]

The odds are very good that, regardless of brand on the label, it was very very VERY close to the Phase 90. May have used different transistors, but used essentially the same design. I will also note that, while nowhere near as frequently as E-H,

Would it sound as good as you remember if you found one of the same brand for some ungodly price on E-bay? Not likely. First, matching of FETs in a phaser is critical to the quality of sweep, and it is reasonable to expect pedal-to-pedal variation even within the same brand. So, you might get lucky, but the odds are you won't. Second, our impressions of how something sounds when it is the first time we've heard it, without any expectations, often form a rather rosy memory. It often happens that people finally get to hear something they remember fondly from "back in the day", and it just doesn't have the zip or magic that they remember. Keep in mind our expectations during the 70's were VERY low, and the types of limitations we would tolerate were considerable.

[Chuck H]

Thanks Mark. All very good points. I did have the pedal long enough to have A/B'd it with other players pedals. Mine always whooped a$$. I think thats why I don't have it now, if you get my meaning.

But can I even expect it to sound as good as the one I had??? Probably not. And thats too bad. I always hoped that by identifying the pedal I could reclaim that effect. But hope springs eternal. So I'll have to get one anyway and see.

Chuck

[Mark Hammer]

I just noted a chunk of my post was missing. It should have said: "I will also note that, while nowhere near as frequently as E-H, MXR also inserted undocumented 'design changes' as they found things they could either live without, or needed, or simply liked better. So, sometimes when you manage to actually find a pedal from that era, it may not live up to your expectations because it isn't exactly the same pedal. I had two original MXR Envelope Filters, and there were several component changes between the two issues, even though I have never seen a schematic making reference to those changes."