I just modded my Phase 90.

[Zombiwoof]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

Again - if you are playing out and the difference in the R28 vs non-R28 phasor affects your playing enough that we all notice it, please do me and everyone in the audience, as well as the band a favor:

Stay home and let a real player play. I'm there to be entertained, and watching some tone snob gear head priss and b!tch and piss because mommy didn't put the right pudding in his lunchbox isn't entertaining.

If you can't walk up there and make it work with a Phase 90 right off the shelf, you can't do the job.

I'm sure glad you straightened us all out on what a real man would do!. Yeah, forget any technical aspects of your gear, just get up there and play with whatever crap you are handed, that's what a real musician will do.
The original post was regarding modding a Phase 90, so that's what we are discussing. If you are not interested in such things, just ignore threads like this. Troll posts like yours are only intent on starting arguments, and are not helpful at all to musicians who are interested in all aspects of being a musician, which includes the equipment you use.

Al

 

[Aceman]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

Zombi - I have NEVER said don't worry about your gear.

I have OFTEN said there are people that worry way too much about mystery nuance tonal voodoo that neither they, nor the audience can hear or care about. Yet there are more than enough posts, easily 10-1 by individuals that throw out the unbelievably sad comment about how a little truly freaking minor tonal issue can apparently affect their playing so badly it might impact the audience.

I didn't go there; Others did. I am as much a gear fiddler, pickup swapper as anyone here. And for the record, Astro is more of a player/working musician than most. We give him crap, but when it is time to play, he throws down.

So let's keep our discussions clear:

A) Let's tweak and twiddle and futz and fix all we want. It's fun, it's enjoyable, it does make us sound better, even if only to ourselves.
B) Let's don't make it an excuse for not being a performer. Performers are there for fans, the audience, and everyone else. If you are a performer, you need to be that first.

Troll, seriously? I would challenge anyone to blind listen of a r28, r28 ONLY and full script mods blind listening. I bet 95% of the people could not reliable tell the r28 only from either of the two, and none of them could tell if we were switching them in and out in a band context.

Trolls are fantasy creatures. Science talks and BS walks!

And - my original comment still stands - I think that is a cool mod. Hit it.

 

[ErikH]

I just modded my Phase 90.

Ace, I think you went a little far a few posts back. Sounds extremely egotistical to me.

So if Brad Paisley doesn't like the sound of a pedal right away in his rig, he should stay home and let a real player do the job? You are saying just that because a lot of professionals have their gear modded.

It was not uncommon for Hendrix to have boxes full of crybaby's and fuzz boxes at shows. Sometimes it would take 3-4 changes of each for him to be happy with it. Was he not a real player?

Performing does come first. Absolutely. But if it sounds like **** to you, as a performer, it can be a little uninspiring. You're right, the audience won't care, but players do. To put on the best possible show, having your best sound is a great feeling.

What would you rather play a gig through, a Gorilla 20 watt amp mic'd through a cheap PA or a roaring Marshall half-stack through a state of the art PA? I bet you 10-1 that you'll put on a better performance through the better rig.

And as one who has done the R28 mod NUMEROUS times (in addition to putting together that document), there is a big difference in how it sounds with and without the resistor in circuit. If you haven't heard the difference or done it yourself, try it.

 

[Aceman]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

Indeed Erik - apologies to all. This definitely one of my pet-peeves. Need to not get caught up in the webs of the intarweb!

So if Brad Paisley doesn't like the sound of a pedal right away in his rig, he should stay home and let a real player do the job? You are saying just that because a lot of professionals have their gear modded.

Brad Paisely plays arenas and the sound is $h!tty in any number of them regardless of the quality of gear he brings (which is indeed some choice stuff!). But he brings his A game every night, everywhere.

It was not uncommon for Hendrix to have boxes full of crybaby' sand fuzz boxes at shows. Sometimes it would take 3-4 changes of each for him to be happy with it. Was he not a real player?

He was Hendrix. What's your point?

Performing does come first. Absolutely. But if it sounds like **** to you, as a performer, it can be a little uninspiring. You're right, the audience won't care, but players do. To put on the best possible show, having your best sound is a great feeling.

Hey - no disagreement there. But there is a difference between the audience seeing your performance hurt, being uninspired, and not putting on your best show. I personally like it when I can at least hear myself play. But I have played in situations where I couldn't. Was I happy? Heck no. Was it my best? Absolutely not. Did I try to make it go well - yep. Because it wasn't for me for the most part. And I think that's my point: When the guy is up there to massage his own ego and be tonally self-indulgent, you can tell. (see next post). But as a member of the audience - I am there to SEE the show. I want it tight, I want it to sound good, and I want it to rock. Honestly - If it can't do that with guitar straight into amp, IMO, it can't do it. Doesn't matter if it is Ibanez Tone Blaster or Uberschall, Soundtank pedal or Original Maxon, STock 2010's pedal or ultra-modded boot eek, 490's or hand wound by MJ, or Korean import or Gibson Custom shop.

I often get the sense from comments that it wouldn't rock regardless, but hear a lot of blame the equipment. I should chill on that and not make assumptions.

What would you rather play a gig through, a Gorilla 20 watt amp mic'd through a cheap PA or a roaring Marshall half-stack through a state of the art PA? I bet you 10-1 that you'll put on a better performance through the better rig.

I have seen guys do KILLER Shows through a Digitech RP150 on more than one occasion and do an AMAZING job. I have also seen guys wityh Uber-boards do nothing but fuss and fidget and be as meh as meh can be.

And as one who has done the R28 mod NUMEROUS times (in addition to putting together that document), there is a big difference in how it sounds with and without the resistor in circuit. If you haven't heard the difference or done it yourself, try it.

Noted. And I still say, for the record, no one could tell my Behringer set on Vintage vs that in a band setting, and that half might like the behringer better. ; }

 

[Aceman]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

I really need to realize that we are indeed on a gear board. It will be full of tone tweeters etc.

Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

The first, and most common mod, is to remove the feedback resistor, R28 (24K). This will makeit sound somewhat like the classic script version and pretty much eliminate the distorted mid-boost. If this is not enough, then remove C11 and C12, this mod will remove the pre and de-emphasis (noise filtering).

I've been GASing for a phaser recently, and was looking at the Phase 90. In all honesty, a mid boost and noise filtering actually sounds even better (in theory) to me. It makes the regular Phase 90 an even more likely candidate now.

 

[Securb]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

a gig through, a Gorilla 20 watt amp mic'd through a cheap PA or a roaring Marshall half-stack through a state of the art PA? I bet you 10-1 that you'll put on a better performance through the better rig.

Most blues, jazz and players on Broadway in Nashville play on gear that most people on this board would turn their noses up at. I have seen those guys get amazing tone out of gear that most of us would throw away. And these are yes professional musicians. In my own personal experiences I would have to sometimes play on what ever backline was provided. Sometimes a great amp in other cases a totally abused house amp, you make due with the hand you're dealt. It isn't the gear that made or broke those gigs it was the attitude and skill of the players around me. Unless the amp was broken it was a non issue.

 

[dystrust]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

I've been GASing for a phaser recently, and was looking at the Phase 90. In all honesty, a mid boost and noise filtering actually sounds even better (in theory) to me. It makes the regular Phase 90 an even more likely candidate now.

This is exactly why I went with the EVH. Both script (or at least close to it) and block sounds in one box with the push of a button. For a bit more $$$, the Retro Sonic will do all of this and more.

 

[Zombiwoof]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

I've been GASing for a phaser recently, and was looking at the Phase 90. In all honesty, a mid boost and noise filtering actually sounds even better (in theory) to me. It makes the regular Phase 90 an even more likely candidate now.

I think you should really just try both types, the later block logo type with the feedback circuit (the early original block logos didn't have the feedback circuit) which is what the production Dunlop model is, and the true script circuit (the handwired Dunlop MXR custom shop model, the Whirlwind, and the others mentioned), and see which you like best. Try the EVH one also, which is a sort of compromise that has pretty much both sounds. The main difference in the versions with the feedback circuit is the extra "swishiness" (which is hard to describe, you have to hear it) that is really accentuated when used with high gain or distortion pedals. Play through them the way you usually would, either with a clean or distorted sound, and pick your poison. We can talk about circuit differences all day, but you have to hear the difference to understand it.

Al

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

At the same time it's $80 plus 10 minutes of extra modding versus $130 for the everything already done. I'll save $50 and do it myself. But I understand your argument too.

The script with led is $99.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

The script with led is $99.

Yeah. I don't remember what site it was but somewhere it said $130. I'll have to go through the different retailers and find it.

 

[Zombiwoof]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

The script with led is $99.

There's confusion with the Script reissues, because Dunlop first came out with a Custom Shop script reissue, which is basically a regular Phase 90 with the modern construction and the R28 mod, and later came out with the true handwired Script reissue, which costs more. That's probably the one the other poster was quoting the price of. In my case, I got the Whirlwind Orange Box, mint in the box with papers, from Ebay, for half the price of any of the more expensive pedals. That's the way to go, IMO. So many people buy a new pedal, decide it isn't what they want, and put it up for auction while it's still new. I've gotten most of my pedal collection that way, and most of them in new condition, and a lot cheaper than new. On Ebay, I just save a search for the pedals I'm looking for, and wait for a good deal to come around. They send you an email of listings whenever a pedal you are searching for goes up for auction

Al

 

[xntrick]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

So how did the mods work out for you?

 

[astrozombie]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

At the same time it's $80 plus 10 minutes of extra modding versus $130 for the everything already done. I'll save $50 and do it myself. But I understand your argument too.

this.

my version is the older board version.

I mean to say it's not like an old boss pedal on the inside.

I clipped r28 and some caps, the sound improved amazingly! if it had more wobble it would be a good univibe copy.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: I just modded my Phase 90.

Blasting through a half stack in a noisy club do you really think anyone is going to know the difference, really?

Yes. I'm the frontman of a blues/rock trio. There is no other main source of what the general public perceives as "melody" except for our voices.