Like the Univibe sound?

[RichCI]

I'm not going to profess to have tried every version of Univibe clone out there because I haven't; I got lucky and found what I feel is the best one going early on.

 

Foxrox Electronics

 

That's the stuff right there.

 

I have several versions of Dave Fox's Univibe clone:

 

Captain Coconut 2

 

A very early and super rare rackmount Provibe.

 

A very early and also pretty rare Provibe pedal that I bought off of Chris Poland.

 

And the latest - the Aquavibe.

 

All of them sound nearly identical. The differences become apparent when using an expression pedal to control the speed with the Captain Coconut having the most smooth and gradual response. The most practical of the bunch, and the one I use with my band, is the new Aquavibe as it's a relatively small pedal and isn't a collector's item (yet) but sounds the same as the others.

 

What is really funky about Fox's pedal is the way he constructs the circuit for the speed as there is an actual lightbulb with a photo optic cell (like the original) that responds in a way that is more undulating than pulsing for a really smooth sounding swirl. Funkier still is that he uses a thimble to cap off the bulb and cell to prevent any possible outside light from leaking through and messing with the circuit. Very creative!

 

Anyway, I have insomnia tonight and just thought I'd share this with you. The vibe is my all time favorite "swirly" effect and there are some cool clips on the Foxrox web site of how it sounds so be sure to give them a listen.

[80LPC]

Love the Univibe. I just have the digital emulation on my Korg, but maybe one day I'll get the real thing...

[elantric]

I like the one Trower uses

 

http://www.fulltone.com/DV2.asp

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Fulltone/Deja+Vibe+2/10/1

[saturn]

I don't know anything about a geniune Univibe, but I like the effect model on my Boss ME-50.

[Marbles]

How about the BBE soulvibe it has a really nice Robin Trower Bridge of Sighs swirl!!

[milod]

Okay guys... a question from an old man who's more familiar with the "real thing."

 

What really sounds like a Leslie in a pedal?

 

Here's the deal: As a guitarist who loves the B3 sound, a thousand years ago, plus or minus, I ran into a hat-box sized amp with a true rotating speaker. I loved especially that it offered a pedal with an infinite control over speed from stop to its max speed.

 

I didn't guy it. Darn it. Regretted that ever since, and usually my guitar regrets are aimed at trading great guitars for good ones that seemed more appropriate for what I was doing at the time. @#$%@#$%@

 

Later on, I got a Fender "Leslie" that had only two speeds and sounded fine, but it was far too heavy to haul around with any degree of fun since you hadda haul a big old tube screamer along for a gig in order to drive the Leslie. So I swapped it for a now far obsolete keyboard.

 

Now I'm still wanting the Leslie sound. What pedal really has it? Or do any? Remember I'm looking pretty much to get a keyboard B3 sound from a guitar.

 

Listening to the rock lead versions of various "vibe" pedals don't give me any reason to spend a buck since I'm basically playing swing era through the 60s as though on a keyboard by using kinda a "classical guitar" sorta technique. I still have a super vibrato on my big old tube amp that is good for what it is, but that's not a "Leslie" sound either, and the old monster is around 80 pounds or so - too much for an old man.

 

By the way, I've searched the Internet off an on for years and have never seen anything like that "hatbox" on a tripod fake Leslie that seemed perfect in size and weight and did rather well for sound even though it was tiny and didn't offer 2,000 decibels of output.

[RichCI]

Milod, the only pedal that *might* do what you're looking for is the Boss RT-20 and, at least going from the video on the web site, it still doesn't totally nail the sound of a real Leslie and I doubt that any pedal ever possibly could. With a real rotating speaker, there is so much going on - phasing, Doppler effect, reflections from surfaces in the room, what your two ears perceive in stereo, and so on - that it's probably impossible to recreate the exact effect with a pedal that is designed to be used through one or two stationary guitar amplifiers that don't actually rotate.

 

I suspect that what you're describing as a "hatbox" might be the Maestro Rover but I know very little about it.

 

Apparently, Hammond is coming out with a Leslie designed specifically for guitar, but it's going to be a heavy one at around 85 lbs.

[milod]

RichCI, That's IT!!!! The Maestro jobbie.

 

I ended up wondering if the product hadn't disappeared courtesy of "patent infringement" since, when I saw it in a music store, that was the 1970s era of lots of such games.

 

I have no idea how it may have sounded in a saloon, but in the big room music store it was quite good with both an SG and a semi-hollow I pulled off the wall. But that was over 30 years ago, so all I can remember is wishing it had a bit more bottom end.

 

Yeah, I know about the vicissitudes of attempting to reproduce a "true" Leslie sound since there's no way you'll get the sorts of reflected sound and doppler etc... And even the Fender "Leslie" with just one speaker didn't quite get it.

 

At one point I even considered trying to make a speaker box with something like a sewing machine motor and a big styrofoam rotor and a 10-12 inch speaker. Even considered figuring how to get the speaker in the middle of the rotating styrofoam and... Then I gave up on the idea and figured an effects box may work better. But the "effects" reviews and sound samples at web stores seem so @#$%@ out of whack for most of what I like.

 

Seriously, "Ebb Tide" or "Misty" or "Serenade in Blue" need a Leslie. <grin> But my back needs something a lot easier on an old man.

 

That Boss pedal is a lil pricey but... yeah, it looks as if it may be the best option compared to other pedals advertised as offering the Leslie sound. Hmmmmm.

 

m

[deepblue]

I feel qualified to take a shot at this.

I wanted a Leslie sound for years. I tried too many pedals to even remember. H&K Rotosphere, and Boss RT20 were the last two.

They were ok, but no where near what I had expected.

 

So I decided to seek out a real Leslie. As luck would have it I found one for sale near where I live. As soon as I hooked up to the 122 I knew I had found what I had been looking for...I bought it on the spot.

 

No pedal even came close. You cannot get the Doppler effect from a pedal. The sound of that horn swirling and the sound waves bouncing off the walls was soooo cool. The only way I can describe it as "full and 3 dimensional"

Mine is a 1969 model, all tube 40w. I can get some crunch from it too if I push it a little bit. Running in tandem with my Orange is like a psychedelic snack. Or running it alone with an acoustic is the best chorus pedal a guitarist could ask for. Two settings. Tremolo & Chorale. Tremolo is a slow roatation that I like the best. Chorale is a fast spin that has a heavy "whirl" sound to it.

 

 

 

The only draw back?...you guessed it....HEAVY!! 150lbs.

If that doesnt bother you, and you have the means and desire I suggest you seek one out. The older ones are best. The newer ones are solid state and have paper and styrofoam parts. Mine is all original including the 15" Jensen bottom speaker.

 

You wont regret it guys....nothing is even in the same ballpark.

 

[milod]

I guess my only objection to "the real thing" is exactly what you said, Deepblue: Weight.

 

Since the Fender Leslie was just a cab that weighed, I dunno, but my back remembers it as around 80 pounds, and I powered it with a big old 80-pound tube amp (that I still have), at my age I've lost the inclination to go that far unless a paycheck were easily big enough to cover the hassle and buying a big cart, etc.

 

The Fender Leslie did not even have wheels like the big 120 watts tube amp with twin 12s had.

 

OTOH, I'm not sure that except in a saloon the real Leslie sound really works. For example, from a theater stage.

 

After some of the earlier messages here, I think I may just break down and get the Boss pedal. I dunno. I guess I'm leaning that way big time.

 

Maybe it's a matter of age overcoming willingness to strain my back, but if there's a 10-15 percent difference only, even if somebody gave me one of the new Leslie brand guitar amps, I'm not sure the 80 pounds is worth it. I dunno. And for my age, I'm not really in that bad a shape - I just kinda figure I been there, done that with the heavy stuff. Heck, I even have wheels for my current 35 pound amp and multi-effect outfit and wires and...