Akai P1 Intelliphase

Simple as hell. The only thing tricky in the slightest is setting the threshold when using the touch sensitivity. I originally bought this pedal with the hope of using this feature a lot, but I ended up liking the sound so much I never want to turn it off. I got it used, so no manual, but none is really needed.

I'm a big fan of modulation effects and I have quite a collection of them. Before I got this, two of my faves were the MXR Phase 100 (great for retro funk sounds) and a DOD Phasor 201 (looks like a MXR pedal....wwaaaaaay better than all that other DOD crap). The Intelliphase is better than both because A) the depth control allows me essentially to adjust the level of effect, and B) it modulates the guitar signal nicely without being too muddy or smeared. With many other mod pedals I've had problems where my guitar sound gets lost in the pedal and gets buried underneath the rest of the band (and I play in a 3-piece!) but the Intelliphase is clean and focused sounding.

I've only gigged with it twice so far, so I can't say just yet, but it seems fairly well built. Not built like a tank, but it could probably stand up to some abuse.

n/a

I've been playing for 18 years and I'm an effects addict. My current setup is Boss TU2 tuner > Intelliphase > Line 6 Delay > Fender Deluxe amp. I've owned a zillion boxes over the years, but nowadays I try to keep it simple and use just a few choice effects. The Intelliphase definitely makes the cut. It looks like it's out of production, but grab one on ebay if you can.

Easy to use except the pedal is a tad large. Got the manual online in .pdf format.

Is noisy - get a clock glitch which is irritating. Not impressed at all with the sound - very bland.

the battery compartment "door" is gone. Stupid design for that one. Using tape to hold battery.

Company website is mediocre, but at least they had the manual.

Do not buy a pedal off of Ebay unless you know exactly what it is and know the sound & specs. This pedal was a disappointment. I've been playing for 40 yrs & have owned a myriad of pedals & gear. I tried some other phasers that i should have gone with. The Ibanez tonelock PH-7 is a good one for the money.

Pretty damn easy. Four knobs, that are easy to figure out.

It is a warm and lush four stage phaser. This thing sounds great. While it may not be as extreme as the studio electronics mod max phaser (probably the best phaser on the market), moogerfooger 12 stage phaser, or the flanger hoax, it is still a very good analog phaser.

Taking this has true bypass and is warmer then your dime a dozen boss phasers, it is well worth the cheap price this can be found at.

Not noisy at all. My amp and effects are...E-H tube zipper>EH DMM>Akai Intelliphase>Fender Stage 112SE. No Noise, just warm fuzzy phaser bliss that sounds good in every circumstance. This is no tone sucker, if anything when this thing is on it improves your tone. Alot of people do not catch on to the fact that analog pedals can warm up your sound just as much as tubes, this pedal is a prime example of this.

This is just for the information of people worried about power supply. The mA on this unit is 30. Which means almost ANY 9V power supply works . Most people do not know you cannot go over with regards to mA, but if you are using a device with basically using a 300mA device with a 200 mA power source will fry the pedal and the power source, but using a 30mA pedal with a 200mA power source will do nothing to the pedal or the power source, in fact you may be able to chain additional pedals. I suggest that the best power source out there is the one spot that visual sound makes which has an 800mA limit. So the person who was looking for a power source just did not know where and what to look for or how mA works with regards to power sources. The Danelectro zero hum is a good choice for this pedal as well, it just depends what you want to use. Taking this pedal has such a low mA rating it can use almost anything.

Built like a rock.

I do noise/shoegaze/post-rock type of stuff. You are probably thinking that I would like a more out there pedal. But the truth be told this pedal is perfect. Modulation is best when it is an effect used in small sublte dozes to make the cleans shimmer and the distorted sounds shine. To much modulation never sounds quite musical. This pedal has a great quality to it that it sounds great no matter how you set the effect. That is rare, a pedal that ALWAYS sounds good. I think only my memory man has a similiar quality. I would say it is probably the best phaser nobody has ever heard of. To bad people did not catch on until it became a close-out find, it may be one of the best analog phasers ever created.

This is a phaser pedal, I think it's very easy to find good settings. The touch-phaser modes take a little noodling to figure out I think but it's a cool setting and was interested in the feature, though I don't use it that often actually. But I like noodling with things like this.

Many classic phasers are 1-knob pedals which I suppose makes them easier but not necessarily better. I like being able to fine tune the effect. The thought of going back to a 1-knob phaser isn't very inviting after using this and being able to control the effect so well. I think most people find something they like and stick with it. I already had a phaser I liked. I was glad I added this pedal, though.

This pedal is very nice sounding. Newer digital phasers give you a lot more wild effects but can really take over the sound. I like those too, but the analog sound here with the Akai is a great fit for subtle dimension. It doesn't take over on low settings but is musical sounding, which is perfect. I ditched my favorite chorus pedal in favor of this phaser instead.

Some might think it's not capable of heavier effects because of the 4-stage design, but it definitely is. You can get some strong effect if you tweak it. More so than a phase 90 mxr, in my experience. I use it in dashes, so it's great anyway.

True bypass so no background effect swirling when deactivated. This is important to some people, like me.

I've had several other phaser, chorus, and flange pedals and this is better than most.

3 years of heavy use and still fine. Time will tell. No concerns.

Fits in well with most all music. Good range. If had a wish then I wish it had a rocker pedal for depth and/or speed. Sounds better than many comparable (less than $100) phasers. I like that it can be very subtle but still present. Sounds very 3D with distortion, overdrive or fuzz in front of it. The analog sounding phasing is much warmer than 90% or so of other digital phasers. This is not a myth.

My favorite feature is the extra controls for fine tweaking, from subtle wash to flangyish sweeps. I like the touch-phase feature too, pretty interesting.

I don't know how I'd replace it if something happened to it because I think it's discontinued. And I haven't seen anything like it elsewhere.

This is just an update since reviewing and owning one for a couple years.

It is easy to use. The touch sensitivity functions are as good as your understanding of how they work.

The manual is decent. No updates for this pedal, and looking at the service manual (I bought the package of schematics and service manuals from Akai) there is no setup procedure internally.

This is a well designed, 4 stage phase shifter. Again, the earliest phasers were 4 stage with even a 2 stage here and there. The Univibe is probably the best known 4 stage phaser.

4 stage phasers aren't as complex and rich as 6,8,12 or 16 stages. However, it is a great sounding, versatile and enjoyable effect and it WILL sound better than nearly any digital phase shifter. The feedback control regenerates some of the signal, making it sound more complex.

I love the touch sensitivity function. HERE'S THE BEST FUN!Use 2 of these in series. Set one for the best slow phasing. Set the other for the best fast phasing. Set the touch sensitivity so the slow phase is heard when playing softly. Set the fast phaser to come in on loud playing.

Now add a fretless bass, or clean guitar and it's unbelievable.

Built like a tank and if it'll hold my 230 lb frame, there's nothing to worry about.

EXCELLENT I bought the service manuals and schematics and can't imagine having to return to Akai for anything except maybe a part. But there's nothing exotic in this pedal so I don't worry.

I am an amp, guitar and effects tech.

Mentioned in another review. This is one of my favorites. Sorrily, it has been bested by my latest phase shifter...a little cheap Danelectro Pepperoni Phaser.

I rebuilt the Dano into an old Morley wah. (A terrible, useless wah that used fishing line to move the internal slider pots instead of Morley's usual optical control)

The new Morley/Dano frankenstein is great. Turn it on. Rock forward for fast, and back for slow. It NAILS 70's phase shifting.

But the Akai is more flexible.

As with any of my equipment, getting it stolen just creates a game for me. I can and will hunt the perp down and I will teach that unlucky skunk not to take what belongs to others. And after this next Wed, I will be able to do that with my brand new Beretta 9mm...a belated birthday present from my girlfriend Tiffany. Now I won't have to borrow her Ruger anymore!

It's amazing what a 9mm slug through the left hand palm of a guitar player who gets caught stealing from Tiff or me!

The screaming, the blood, the smell of loosened bowels seeping through his pants, the shreds of tendons and chips of bone everywhere...Oy Vey Is Mere!

...it's a beautiful thing!

4 Buttons: Depth, Speed, Feedback, Touch Senivity; Injack; OutJack; Bypass Switch; Power In; Mode Switch.
The Touch Phaser is a little tricky to adjust.

100% Analog 4-Stage Phaser! No noise, no huming! Great!
True Bypass. Nice vintage phaseings.

Using it for one year now- no problems yet.
Metal housing. Metal jacks. Metal switch. Perfect!
Minus: Plastic battery cover.
btw. battery: Eats Batteries-use a PSU! (Any 9V DC stabalized(->Important!)will do).
Whole thing could be a little heavier.

Why can't every pedal be like this? Simply Perfect, great sound, good craftsmanship.
Don't want any other. I would get it again.
100% Analogue

Simple pedal. This is a 4 stage phase shifter. The touch sensitivity feature is absolutely great! The manual is addequate

This is a 4 stage phase shifter. This limits the range, intensity and complexity of the effect. Many phasers are 4 stage including the Univibe (a crude, early phase shifter) and all it's modern clones, the MXR Phase 45 and others. Looking for deep, swooshing, jet-like phasing? You won't find it here. You need more than 4 stages for that.

4 stages being said, this is a nice, smooth pedal. Akai included a feedback (regeneration) control to deepen the effect. I like this pedal. It's extremely useful with my fretless 5 string bass. I like the touch sensitive feature set to hard, so it phases on loud passages. With guitar and a touch sensitive, overdriven amp, I use the soft setting so the phasing comes in when I back off the guitar volume to clean the amp up. Crank the guitar, the phasing fades out. GREAT FEATURE!

I use this with several guitar and bass rigs. Does it get the sound of my favorite artists? Who the hell uses phase shifters these days? (discounting the use of Univibes and their clones)

Built like a tank. I use an adapter. It may hum if you don't use a REGULATED adapter, but Boss, and many sources offer regulated, 9V adapters...even Radio Shack.

The woman I dealt with at Akai was a sweetheart and very professional. I bought the schematics and service info for all their pedals.

I play anything and have been in 60's top 40 and psychedelic bands, hard rock bands, country bands, Christian bands, folk, polka, metal...you name it. Nearly anything but classical. I've played since 1967.

If lost, I'd find it. If stolen...heck, no one steals from me anymore. The word got out that if any of my stuff gets stolen, the skunk will get hunted down (I have my ways) and they will have to live with the result of having a 9mm slug going through their left palm...right if they are left handed. It messes up their ability to play and instills a needed lesson. Do I put GPS locatable chips in all my equipment? ...pretty much these days.

I've owned and built many phasers. I like more stages and will add two more to increase the complexity.

This is a nice, dependable, very well designed and build 4 stage phaser. Good Job Akai! Sorry to see the Akai pedals disappear.

As phasers go, this one is very easy to use despite the sensitivity feature. I have found that the sensitivity works well with guitar, however, I am using this pedal mainly for bass and this feature isn't practical with my bass.

No real noise to speak of. I like that this pedal is true bypass. I am using this pedal with an Epiphone EB-0 bass. I love the deep phasing sounds that the bass gets with this pedal, very lush. If you're familiar with Thin Lizzy's "Waiting for an Alibi," then you know how this pedal sounds with a bass. All settings, from a slow sweep to deep ocean warbling, sound great.

Huge box, but rugged. Eats batteries. Use an adapter. I have this hooked up with an old Ibanez wah and an Ibanez Phat Hed on an SKB cheapo pedalboard, and I'm not having any power problems. It is used only in my basement studio, not for gigs.

Never dealt with Akai. I believe this unit is discontinued anyway, which is why all the mail order places are blowing them out for peanuts. I can't believe this box was ever worth over $100, but for $35 it's a steal!

For the change you have in your sofa cushions, you can't beat this phaser (at least for bass, IMHO). Buy one before they're all gone.

I haven't gotten around to trying out the touch-sensitive feature, but in the 'normal' mode you just have three knobs - depth, sensitivity, and speed.

I agree with the reviewer who says this pedal is better than an MXR phaser. I love the sounds. I use the pedal in front of my amp because in the fx loop for some reason I would get a huge volume boost when I turned the pedal on. Well, it sounds better in front of my amp anyway, and there is no boost when used that way.

The case is metal (and quite large). I do not forsee any reliability issues in the near future. I have owned this pedal for several months and have had zero problems.

Apparently these pedals are being discontinued because the stores that still have them are only charging 30 to 40 bucks for them. The best phaser value I've ever seen. If you're lucky enough to find out about these pedals then buy one and you will be forever glad to have found such a great phaser for half the price of an MXR Phase 90.

Very easy to use.

This is the best phaser pedal I've heard or owned. I have previously owned the Line 6 Modulation Modeler, which has two terrible phasers, the MXR Phase 100 which was pretty good, the Boss PH-3 which was okay, and now this pedal which is better than the MXR pedal. It not only sounds better with clean sounds, which is how I use it 90% of the time, but also with distortion it sounds better than any phaser I've heard.

Looks solid, metal housing.

No idea.

This is the best deal ever. For $34.95 this is the best pedal deal ever. Go get one, as they are being discontinued - I got mine from American Musical Supply, and I believe Musician's Friend (Fiend?) also carries them for a similar low price.