Best Bass Phaser Pedals – Shifting Your Tone

Want fat, sub-aqueous notes? Sonance of unfathomable depth? Then you need to get yourself a bass phaser pedal. Even better, these effects will spice up the timbre in just about any genre out there. To put it simply, phaser pedals allow you to push the limits within the sound confines. You are able to tread sonic heights you thought unattainable with your symphonic creations.

In this section, we redirect your attention to the best bass phaser pedal models available in retail today. Below is a review compilation of some of them, in our humble opinion, top-rated models in the industry. Let’s jaunt through it.

4 Bass Phaser Pedals We Recommend

EBS D-Phaser Bass Phase Shifter

What’s good: Resilient, versatility, compact construct.

Not so good: Pricey.

They say never judge a book by a cover and in this instance, I couldn’t agree more. Despite it’s extremely compact built, the EBS D- phaser is one of the best of its kind.

It is not only versatile, but it also allows you easy navigation through its controls to create your desired sound.

Unlike most other bass phaser pedals, this one brings you a triple-phase effect package. With its low, high and wide phase effects, you can easily mold your sound regardless of its origin in the musical timeline.

From classical seventies to today’s fresh, funky bop, it lets you fully manipulate whatever you have on your plate.

Aguilar Grape Bass Phaser

What’s good: Gig saver by-passer, very user-friendly.

Not so good: Hardly worth its price.

For a phaser that runs on all analog tech, the Aguilar Grape phaser might just shock you with its potency. The analog factor gives this device one tremendous advantage; its output carries unique crispy clarity. It maintains a heavy thump all through giving the sound a totally new dynamic.

Its steel chassis houses two control knobs; the rate control knob and the color control knob. The former function lets you alter the degree of modulation while the latter indicates the sound’s thickness.

Other than that, its gig-saver bypass feature is amicably a genius addition to the package. Finally, it’s important to mention that you can either power the device externally or using a 9-volt battery.

Additionally, this 24-bit digital pedal packs an analog sound like none other. Hi, Lo and Off controls give you exclusive access to the resonance effect. In a nutshell, with this model, you are able to control every single one of its parameters; this gives you that very sound you wish to attain.

MXR M101 Phase Pedal

What’s good: Timeless, versatile.

Not so good: Rather plain; lacks versatility.

If you’re like me and you like to keep things simple, you’re bound to love MXR M101. This humble package hardly does much; however, it does what it does to perfection. From a company with a 4-decade reputation transcript, this little fella is nothing short of impressive.

Its analog tones are both incredibly lush and clean. It is fine-tuned to give off a pleasant amount of depth; even so, it maintains a gentle sound that gives it a pretty relaxed vibe.

Its 4 stage sound phasing allows it to swell on the effects to produce a rather detailed sonance. Finally, its extremely facile interface makes it user-friendly; navigation with this gadget is a cinch.

Electro-Harmonix Stereo Polyphase Phaseshifter Pedal

What’s good: Versatility, full parameter control.

Not so good: Heavily packed control panel; may cause confusion.

Although analog, this Polyphase phase-shifter gives its digital counterparts a run for their money. Its user-defined start and stop ranges make it vastly dynamic

Its users are handed the advantage of total sound stimulation on a silver platter. This Electro-Harmonix phaser comes with one main merit that’s worth a mention; full control panel.

Furnished with phaser feedback, sensitivity effect, depth, and speed controls, there’s no limit to what you can do with this bad boy. Last but not least, its distinct optical circuitry is another reason why its users are able to push this gadget to its limits.

With it, you’re basically able to navigate the top levels of the musical realm.

The “Phase Effect”

All equipment is powered by a concept. In order to understand how any bass effects pedal works, you must first understand its founding notion. When it comes to bass phaser pedals, that concept is the phase effect.

Without all the technical gibberish, the phase effect is simply a slow swirl impression of sound moving in and out of the frequency spectrum. It may sound like the music is moving far away and simultaneously sweeping its way back.

This effect, we must admit, is pretty spectacular. You’ve probably heard the phase effect and not quite realized what you were listening to. All in all, this concept has definitely been a game-changer in the industry.

Bass Phaser: Is it a myth?

Here’s what we think; the bass guitar phaser is real. The truth is, you’re not likely to find too many bass specific guitar phasers out there. However, there are a few – as seen above in our review.

And while this may not be the best of news, here’s a fact that will cheer you up a little. It is possible to adjust a “normal” phaser to create a neat bass effect. With the proper settings, the bass phaser effect can be attained with several normal phaser pedals easily found in the market today. So ultimately, is it a myth? We think not.

What to Look For in A Bass Phaser Pedal

Let’s face it, good sound results require heavy investment in quality tools. With that said, you must ensure your choice, in this case, fits right into your plans. The market offers you an endless string of choices. And that’s mostly a good thing. Unfortunately, not all products out there pack a punch.

Which is why we’ve come up with a few furnishing qualities associated with some of the best phaser pedals.

The knob settings

Prowess requires knowledge. And if you’re determined to create something exquisite, you need to easily maneuver the phaser’s panel. The knob setting on most bass phaser pedals includes the following knob functions: Rate, depth volume, and mix.

Some more complex functions such as form may be found on some top-rated models. In short, smooth comprehension of the knob settings is very essential.

The number of filters

Depending on what you’re dealing with, the number of filters you settle on is very important. Analog phasers will bring you about 3 all-pass filters. Digital ones, however, may pack about 4 or more. To say the least, the more filter stages the merrier. Why? The results pack a much more refined depth.

Nature of signal

Is it analog? Is it digital? Anyone after cleaner tones would be comfortable with analog versions of the device. However, if you want richer, complex and rooted tones, digital phaser pedals are the perfect fit.

Where does a bass phaser pedal go in effects chain?

When creating an effects chain, everything needs to go its rightful post for the best possible production. For most, where to place the phaser pedal is a puzzle; but worry not, we have your back.

This phaser would normally go at the end of the chain, just before time-based pedals such as reverb and delay. Ensure it goes together with effects such as chorus and flanger.

Verdict

I need not say much, bass phaser pedals have a reputation that precedes them. The rich depth they add to music has transformed modern music into something of a wonder. In short, it would be a great addition to any modulation set.

Now that we have laid some of the most basic facts encompassing these devices for you, choosing one for yourself shouldn’t be much of a task. So long as you have a precise idea of what you want, you are bound to find a phaser that suits your needs best.