Electro-Harmonix Small Stone - Analog.Man Mods

I am a phase junky and I always have a phaser on my board. Always. After a lot of research I decided to upgrade to an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone version 2 - one of the classic '70s phasers.

If you include the new Nano series I think there are five versions of the Small Stone and #2 is supposed to have the warmest circuit. I found one on eBay for $75 in very good condition. As advertised, it had a very lush and warm tone - unlike any other phaser. But it was a H-U-G-E tone sucker. It really cuts the higher frequencies and even at low volumes you can hear it sweeping - even when it is not engaged. If ever there was a poster child for true bypass this pedal is it. But the tone was so good I didn't want to give up on it - even though there was a noticeable volume drop when engaged.

So I sent it along to Analogman for his true bypass, volume and feedback mods. It's guys like Mike that enable you to have your tone and crank it. An adjustable trim pot is added to the circuit so you can easily set the engaged volume to taste. The Feedback mod tones down the squeal and feedback with another trim pot when the "color" switch is up. On reflection, the volume mod is essential, but the feedback mod didn't do much for me so I would suggest not bothering with that and saving yourself some money. I also had a red LED added so you know when the pedal is engaged - a huge oversight by the EH designers.

All in all, these mods bring an already great sounding vintage pedal up to modern day specs and usability levels. Customer service from Analogman was also excellent - I had the pedal back within a week. It now reigns supreme as my go to phaser on my main board with it's deep, rich and chewy tones. Love it.

Product Review: Maxon Phase Tone PT-999

Even though phase is one of my favorite effects, I was not 100% happy with the two units I had: the DOD FX20 from the early ‘80s and a version 2 Small Stone from 1977. The DOD is an excellent low priced unit, but lacks the fidelity and clarity of higher priced, boutique units. The Small Stone delivers a classic phase sound heard on countless ‘70s songs, but it is a huge tone sucker. One of these days I will send it to Analogman for a true bypass mod, but before I invested any more money into it I wanted to see what else was out there.

In addition to the Dunlop MXR Phase 90 reissues at around $120, I also looked closely at the Mojo Hand Nebula, the Retro-Sonic Phaser and the Maxon Phase Tone PT-999 – all around $150-$175. All of these seem like excellent units and any would be a good purchase, but because of the volume control and true-bypass feature, I think the Retro-Sonic would be my first choice. I missed out on a couple of used Retro-Sonic pedals on eBay, but by chance I managed to snag a used Maxon Phase Tone PT-999 in mint condition for only $55 including shipping. A pretty good price for a $150+shipping pedal when purchased new.

This is a super simple unit with one speed knob. It comes in a strong metal case and the unit is very light – lighter than similar Boss pedals for example. The switch is easy to engage and there is no audible sound when turning it on and off. It beats the MXR reissues in the feature department as it has a handy on/off LED and takes a Boss-type 9V power supply. It’s an attractive looking pedal in a matte blue color and the unit is made in Japan, which is always a bonus these days when a lot of manufacturers are moving production to China.

Sound wise this is a very sweet four-stage phaser. It is quite transparent and extremely smooth. Unlike the Retro-Sonic it is not true bypass, but to my ears it does not adversely affect your tone although it does take off a little high end – almost like it adds some compression to your signal. There is a slight volume drop when engaged, common to many phasers, but it is nothing serious and I can live with it. The speed control has a wide range and you can get usable sounds at either end of the dial and at all points in between.

What I really like about this pedal is it does not add distortion to your signal – a classic feature of the MXRs. Some people like this and can live with it; I do not, so this pedal gets bonus points from me. According to the marketing guys at Maxon, “The PT999's FETs (Toshiba #2SK246) are carefully sorted and matched by hand to produce the smoothest phasing sweep possible with low noise. Unlike other phasers, the PT999 runs negative feedback of the signal to each phase-shifting FET for less distortion.” I would agree with that.

Compared to the DOD FX20 and Electro-Harmonix Small Stone it is much clearer, more subtle and more refined. It works equally well with clean or gain channels which is another big plus - to my ears many phasers sound great clean, but struggle with gain. The DOD FX20 does provide more depth and complexity, in part because it has Speed and Regeneration controls, but the sound is darker and muddier compared to the Maxon. The Small Stone can also get much more extreme, but that’s not an effect I use.

Overall, I really like the Phase Tone. So much so that it has found a place on my main board. This is my first Maxon pedal and I am very impressed. One of these days I may still try out the Retro-Sonic if I can find a deal on a used unit, but for now the Maxon PT-999 deserves its position as My Main Phase. I really like playing with this unit and often have to convince myself to turn it off. But you don’t have to take my word for it as the PT-999 has also received a Guitar Player Editor’s Pick Award.

Specifications

Input Impedance: 500K Ohms
Input Jack: 1/4 inch standard phone jack
Output Impedance: 10K Ohms
Output Jack: 1/4 inch standard phone jack
Output: 1
Controls: Rate
Switch: Normal/Effect
Max Input Level: 0 dBu Noise (IHF-A) -80 dBu
Speed Frequency: 0.2 Hz 14 Hz
Power Supply: 9V Manganese dry cell battery (S-006P) or special AC adaptor
Power Voltage: DC9 V (Battery) / DC10 V (AC-adaptor)
Current Consumption: 12 mA (9V) / 14 mA (10 V) AC Adaptor AC210N (option)
Input: AC120V Output DC9V/200 mA Center - / Sleeve +)
Dimensions: (whole) 70 mm (W) x 112 mm (D) x 55 mm (H)