So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

[TimmyPage]

...please help me, I'm almost considering selling an amp to get this thing.

[jon the art guy]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Yes. Its too expensive. Look into Infanem's Phase Her. They're making them again.

[MatelotFripon]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Go and get it !

[Agileguy_101]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Yes. Its too expensive. Look into Infanem's Phase Her. They're making them again.

Infanem makes killer stuff (I had the Faye Sing for a year plus) but the Faye's Her is like $700. Not saying it's not worth it but it is pricey.

Timmy, I'd go for the empress. It seems like one of those effects that will continue to inspire you months and years after you buy it, especially with the awesome envelope modes and plethora of waveform options.

[Aceman]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Empress is KILLER gear. I was watching a Tremolo for a while until it went of a buck twenty five.

That said - as always; BLIND listening test. An original Ross will go for less than 150. The MXR of Choice is Less than 100. Digitech Hyperphase has a lot of cool stuff….Is it 200 bones better (meaning audibly perfect for what you want/need), I really doubt it.

For that much, it better have a feature that swabs my sack. But I'm not a phase guy. I'd pay stupid amount for a tremolo (owner of a Diaz Tremodillo). To each his own.

[Agileguy_101]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Empress is KILLER gear. I was watching a Tremolo for a while until it went of a buck twenty five.

That said - as always; BLIND listening test. An original Ross will go for less than 150. The MXR of Choice is Less than 100. Digitech Hyperphase has a lot of cool stuff….Is it 200 bones better (meaning audibly perfect for what you want/need), I really doubt it.

For that much, it better have a feature that swabs my sack. But I'm not a phase guy. I'd pay stupid amount for a tremolo (owner of a Diaz Tremodillo). To each his own.

Well how many phasers have envelope following capabilities? That alone is almost a whole separate pedal.

This is one of those pedals that has features that will swab your sack.

The thing is, $350 is near enough Eventide H9/Strymon Mobius money. They won't do all the awesome phaser stuff that the Empress will, but they will do SO much more.

[Chickenwings]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

i generally hold off buying a piece of gear for 12 months to avoid impulse purchases which i don't often need, or keep very long. If i still have to have it after a year, then i go for it.

[Agileguy_101]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

i generally hold off buying a piece of gear for 12 months to avoid impulse purchases which i don't often need, or keep very long. If i still have to have it after a year, then i go for it.

Well that's no fun.

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

I just got an Empress ParaEQ and I can attest firsthand to the quality of their pedals.

Most of the money you are paying for with that pedal is the amount of work that went into the: envelope & tap capability, expression or voltage control, MIDI capability and the 3 stage phaser.

If you aren't going to use those features, then consider getting a more simple pedal... but a high quality boutique phaser will still run you upwards of $179...not really saving that much money by ditching the bells and whistles of the Empress.

As far as price is concerned... people regularly pay over $1000 for vintage MuTron Bi-Phasers. Not one cent of the retail price of the Empress Phaser is overpriced IMHO.

I never use phasers but I have three: MuTron Phase II, vintage Electro-Harmonix Poly Phase and v2 Small Stone. They all have required (or require) work on them at one time or another since they're older than Agileguy_101... I should have just bought an Empress. lolz

[PFDarkside]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

I have a ProphecySound Infinitphase and a Studio Electronics ModMax... So nothing is off the table as it relates to Phaser for me.

Also be sure to look into the Blackout Whetstone, Subdecay Quasar and Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser & HBE Psilocybe.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Empress effects are amazing. I paid a pretty penny for my Maestro PH-1A. 'Worth it' is in the eye of the buyer. If it's worth it to you, go for it.

[everdrone]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

I dont like that pedal. its too rhythmic; I rely on the drummer for that. if its out of phase with the rhythym of the song it will be cool but not somthing you use often. IMO

[p4vl]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

I've heard Phasers that are variations on old phase pedals with an added Wet/Dry knob and they are definitely worth the extra money because they can be subtle, unlike the Phase 90 (I'm thinking of CMATMods, Retro-Sonic, VFE phasers).

But that many knobs & switches, with that pricetag? No, not for me. I would never buy a single knob phaser, and I'm not impressed with lazy OD's that have a single 'Tone' knob for EQ, but you can have too much of a good thing. Endless options are not always a good thing when it comes to pedals.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Don't listen to the haters.
Get what you want.

[Agileguy_101]

Re: So its completely insane to spend $350 on a Phaser right? ..right?

Endless options are not always a good thing when it comes to pedals.

Maybe complicated and option-laden pedals are not ideal for people that like to jam along to AC/DC tracks, but for those of us trying to push musical boundaries they can be fantastic. There's not really another way to give as many options as a pedal like the Empress Phaser than by using numerous controls and features. I have a Strymon Timeline, Mobius, and an Eventide H9 and I find their expansive featuresets only to be a distraction when I sit down to have fun playing with effects. Once I've dialed in some cool settings I just use those to make awesome music.

YMMV