Out of context one could argue that some Phase pedals and Vibe pedals sound the same. Granted they both provide tons of swirly tones and some do a faux Leslie better than others. Still,the vibe and the phase pedal have similar qualities.Eddie Van Halen certainly solidified the potential for phase pedals. The likes of Jimi Hnedrix and Robin Trower certainly used the Uni-Vibe very effectively. So what's the difference.
Phaser, or Phase shifter pedals tend to use transistors and resistors to blend a dry signal with an out of phase wet signal. Vibe or the original Uni-Vibe used a photo resister and lamp to achieve a similar but usually more dramatic effect. In fact, the Uni-Vibe was first designed to emulate a Leslie rotating speaker. While it did not achieve the exact desired effect, it did achieve a sound all it's own
I decided to take my phase and vibe pedals and compare them side by side to demonstrate the similarities and the differences.
Check out the Phase and Vibe pedal comparison and see for yourself what each pedal does.
