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.

easy 4 knobs. rate depth and feedback. more feedback a sharper phasing sound.
the last knob works with the gating feature ( intil part).
it sets the level where the phasing effect starts or stops
based on the signal volume.

great analog sounding phaser. nothing over the top. good bread and butter phasing sound. can go noce and slow or pretty fast.

metal case, though thin. seems strong enough. sort big in size.

close out from musian's friend. good deal for $34. if you need
a phaser sound in a user frendly box, this one seems good.

Hello Again:
I'm the guy who did the "one year review" just below this one. Or maybe by the time this gets posted my other review might have been
bumped down a few. There are just a few other things about AC Adapters that I meant to add in the other review and forgot to. Those being that I tried a whole bunch of AC adapters before I found the one that worked without huming - the Danelectro DA-1. Among the ones I tried were a Boss AC adapter that was specifically designed for thie purpose. About the only one I didn't try was the Ibanez AC109. That was because I didn't have access to one to try before I bought one. On a whim, I even tried a Labtec AC adapter that had the correct ratings. In case you aren't familiar with Labtec, they make
speakers for computer systems. All these other adapters worked fine with the units that they were specifically made for. But like my buddy I mentioned in the other review said, the Dano Adapters seem to be the way to go if you can't find anything else to work without huming.

Happy Playing!

Just over a year ago, I did a review of this pedal here on this site. So, here?s my one-year update.
In the original review, I said that I really liked the fact that it is a true Analog Phase pedal; and that it is in an all metal housing and would take some abuse. That is all still true. However there are a few inconveniences that anyone buying this unit should be aware of:
1) It has no numbers by any of the control knobs to allow you to write down any settings that you want to save for future reference. I didn?t think that would bother me at first; but it did. So, I took a permanent fine tipped marker and made very small dash marks at the 7, 9, 12, 3 and 5 o?clock positions. That helps a lot.

2) The other problem that IS NOT so little is that it eats batteries. This isn?t a major problem at home. However, when I?m playing out someplace, it seems to have an annoying habit of the battery going dead at the most undesirable time. This is even after having put a brand new battery in the unit before I left home figuring I?d be safe ? NOT !!!!! So, this was why I gave up on using batteries with it ? that and the fact that I don?t own stock in Duracell or Energizer!

3) An even BIGGER problem was that it took months to find an AC adapter that worked with it. The adapter that Akai indicates is available through their dealers is NOT ? at least not with the three dealers that I checked with. I even sent 2 e-mails to Akai asking if I could buy it directly from them. They never responded to either.
My local music store once was an Akai dealer and stopped selling their stuff because Akai would not return even their calls.

One alternative that I came up with was to buy a universal AC Adapter at Radio Shack that was in the required milliamp range. The milliamp rating for this pedal is very low (30 ma), unlike most pedals which are 200ma. I?ve also wondered if maybe this 30ma number is a typographical error in the owners manual. The Radio Shack adapter works. BUT you?ll get a lot of hum with it through your amp. This is acceptable if you?re playing at average or loud volume levels; because you don?t hear the hum. However, if you?re playing at lower volumes and/or planning on doing some recording with it - forget it!!

A BETTER ALTERNATIVE is the 9 volt Danelectro ZERO HUM DA-1 AC adapter. I have a buddy who I haven?t seen in a few years; as he lives far away. I saw him a few weeks ago; and he?s an effects pedal ?junkie?. He uses that Dano 9V. adapter for many of his pedals and has no problem. So, I bought one (they?re only $10). I figured I?d give it a try. At this point I didn?t care if it fried the pedal. If it didn?t work, I was planning on buying the Danelectro Phase pedal, which I really like as well. THE GOOD NEWS was that the Dano pedal did work. In fact, it works like a charm; and I get no hum at all through my amp.

These inconveniences might be part of the reason that this unit is selling so cheaply. I believe it lists for $150; and I haven?t seen it selling for more than $50. If you can deal or work with all the above issues, then this is still a good pedal for the price; and the analog quality is quite good.

So, because of these inconveniences and that it does not have numbers near the control surfaces, I give it an 8. Without these "problems" I'd give it a 10.

Sound quality is very good; as indicatd here and in my pervious review.

No problem - it's built like a truck! As long as you don't jump up and down on it,it should last a long time.

Non existent. Sent them 2 e-mails and got no response.

I'll give it an overall 8. Without the previously mentioned issues
getting in the way, I'd give it a 10. It's still the best Analog Phaser on the market for the money!

Very easy to use. Depth, Speed, Feedback controls, plus sensitivity control for the touch feature of this phaser. Manual was pretty basic, but you really don't need it.

It does what an analog phaser should...rich sounding phasing, not harsh. I play either strats or teles, and this phaser sounds great with either guitar. My amp is a Fender Super 210 ( tube amp) and the phaser sounds very warm. It is a 4-stage phaser ( like the MXR Phase 90 ) so you aren't going to get a super swooshy sound ( no color switch, like the Electro Harmonix Small Stone ) but it does what I want it to do. It sounds very much like the MXR Phase 90, but more flexible due to the additional controls. I like the touch sensitivity feature, which works well. You can get a very slow phase sound, and the fastest speed sounds pretty good, but could be just a tad faster, to get into univbe territory.

I've only had it a few days, but it seems pretty well built. The case reminds me of the Ibanez tone-lok series units, though it is a large case. The input jacks are metal. The footswitch is the standard external switch ( like the MXR Phase 90, etc.) and has a fairly light spring in it, so you don't have to push too hard.

I play Jazz or Classic Rock ( Hendrix, Zep ) and this pedal is a great match. Iv'e been playing over 30 years, and have owned MXR Phase 90's ( original and re-issue) , Small Stone ( original), Boss PH-2, and I currently own a Guyatone PS3. If it were stolen, I would definitely try to replace it...at $34.95 (closeout), it is probably the best phaser value on the market today. It is very easy to use, and the touch sensitivity is a great feature. It could use a color switch for a deep phase sound, but I can live without it. It definitely is a much warmer sounding phaser than the Boss PH-2, and is very musical.

Four knobs, one switch to engage it, and a threeway toggle for the touch feature, easy as pie.

My set-up is:
b-bender tele, vox wah with true bypass, digitech whammy, marshall compressor, inteliphase, two boss od3's one light drive, the other just over half gain,, digitech rds1900 delay, ibanez dd100 delay, lexicon lxp1, boomerang, all into a boogie mark iii comto. This is the most versital and lush phaser I've owned, and I've had them all, mxr, EH, electra, line6, you name it. The only one that could touch it is the Maxon pt999 but even that falls short. I was looking for a univibish type of phaser, and a friend convinced me to check this one out. I would reccomend it to anyone who wants a transparent high quality phaser.

Looks reliable enough, and the components all look well soldered in there.

My band plays a mixture of 70's covers, and impro based jazz/fusion,sort of a tribal tech type of blend, and this is one of the pedals I can't do without. If I had to have one effect, I think this would be it, it really adds a new dimmension to my playing.

The unit is a stomp box, hence almost by definition easy to use. You have one step-on button that turns the effect on and off, 4 rotary knobs, and a 3-position switch for the "touch phaser" (about which more later). Rotary controls are mostly typical for a time-based effect: depth, speed, and feedback, with the fourth -- touch sensitivity -- unique to this box. The manual is sparse, but really, all you need to do is listen to a sustaining note while you turn a knob; either you'll figure out what the knob does pretty quick, or you're deaf. If the latter, stop testing the device and see a doctor immediately.

I use this device with harmonicas and keyboards, and with tube guitar-oriented and transistor keybvoard-oriented amps. It's a good solid phaser; it makes a lot of different sounds depending on the settings, the control is precise, and it sounds very good on top of both clean and distorted sounds. There's no MIDI, so you can't sync to MIDI clock, but it's a stompbox, so you can't demand that. There is little or no noise short of very extreme settings.

The touch phaser is a really terrific feature, one I haven't had on a phaser before. Essentially, you can set up the device so only notes that are hit harder, or softer, than your touch sensitivity setting will be phased. So, for example, you can set up the box so that hard notes go through without phase, and soft notes (or chords) are phased. The result is what sounds like two different instruments, both available instantly just by varying your touch. I wish more effects worked like this.

Like all the Akai stuff, it's got a metal case. I'd gig without backup.

Never dealt with this part of the company.

I play a lot of different styles of music, from completely acoustic to all-out electric; you can hear extensive samples (though none with this device) at www.hunterharp.com/freemus.html. This device is very usable for lots of the electric things I do. At the price I paid, I consider it a bargain, and would certainly replace it if lost or stolen.

three knobs for the actaul phase controls, and a knob and a three way switch for the touch sensitivity thing. i don't really use the touch sensitivity, but it's great for changing into the phaser by just picking harder if you set it correctly, so you don't have to stomp the switch, which is good if you have to engage another effect at that same instant.

sounds great, though it isn't exactly completely transparent. i play it through a guild s-100 and a hot rodded strat through a marshall dsl401 tube amp, and it likes to cut some of the low end out and boosts the high end some. with a traditional adapter with no volt regulator or anything to give it clean dc power, it can give some noise, but not much for an analog. though it eats batteries like anything...

very reliable, the caseing is galvanized steel, so i'd say it's pretty tough...the only thing that i would worry about is something breaking the knobs off, but if you have a pedal board case or something, that isn't a problem. i would gig without a backup.

never called them...

uh huh...

This is very easy to get really nice, fat, gorgeous, analog sounds out of. I have no use for the "intelligent" part of it...the touch sensitive feature. I just leave that off.

I play a '79 Les Paul KM through either a '66 pro reverb, '65 bassman, or '64 Gibson Falcon. The phasing is lush, thick, and beautiful, and it's not overly noisy. You can set it anywhere from a dreamy, slow phase shift to ridiculous warbling. It'll do a fair interpretation of a flanger as well.

Maybe it's just because it's do darn big, or maybe it's not made out of metal, but there's something about it that tells me that if I were to put all my weight on it, it may not function afterwards. I don't know if that's true or not, but it seems sorta flimsy compared to the effects pedals I have that are built into Hammond boxes. I'm going to give it a 5, because even though it may very well be built like a tank, to me it just doesn't feel like it.

n/a

If you're playing ANY 70's music, you need a decent phase shifter, and this is one of the nicest sounding ones I've ever heard. There are only two things....well, three things that bug me about it. It's as big as a '74 Dodge motorhome, it chugs batteries at a blinding rate(recommend adapter!), and I have no use for the touch sensitive feature, which is probably the main reason that the thing is so damn big. Other than that, for $40, I got a very sweet sounding, analog phase shift pedal with true bypass. How can you beat that?

Three standard controls: Depth, speed, feedback. There's also a touch sensitivity feature (slider + knob) that enables you to dial in a phase that activates according to your picking level/dynamic. I normally don't use this feature, but when I HAVE messed around with it, it has seemed a little frisky.

Using this with a strat and Fender solid-state amp (Attention all "professionals": Enter snide comments here). I like the way the guy before me stated it -- this truly is a polite sounding phase -- never blatantly over-the-top. It's a four-stage phase, so it's great for classic rock stuff -- Some Girls-era Stones, Aerosmith, etc. Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold"? It's in there (I've messed around with it a little on bass too). I'm a big Sonic Youth fan, and you can dial in some of Lee Ranaldo's sounds from A Thousand Leaves and Washing Machine too (I think he used an old Mutron for those albums).

My fav setting is Depth @ 2 o'clock, Speed @ 9 o'clock, Feedback @ max. Very syrupy, watery, etc., without being over the top. Great for spacey picking or funky rhythym chords. As the guy before me said, I also wish you could get a slower speeed out of it. Was looking for that really slow David Gilmour phase, and it doesn't work well with this unit. At speeds below 9 o'clock, the phase is barely noticeable regardless of depth and feedback and seems to have tracking problems. Doesn't do the rotary speaker thing to my satisfaction either, but then again, that wasn't what I wanted to use it for.

I'm running the pedal straight into the amp; it doesn't add appreciable noise. Haven't had any problems with footswitch clicks either. The pedal dosesn't seem to like having distortion after it, so I use it on my clean channel with a Rat in front of it. My effects setup is as follows:

Rat -> Tech 21 wah -> Akai Intelliphase -> Korg delay -> Boss Tremolo

Seems solid. Used a battery for a few days before buying an adapter, and it didn't suck it dry -- and I played through the pedal A LOT during that time.

FYI -- This pedal has been discontinued, I believe, hence the fabulous sale at zZounds.com.

I truly enjoy this pedal, especially for the price I paid. I would have gladly paid more, despite it's few shortcomings. I play rock music, and the Intelliphase has been a great addition to my sound.

simplicity itself. knobs and a switch.

excellent. signal-to-noise ratio MORE than adequate for an analog pedal.
this is a very "polite" phaser. more on that later.

a tank.

called Akai on several occasions. great help each time.

for the price i'd rate this an absolute TEN. it is a very POLITE sounding phaser. there are NO extreme settings here...no "over-the-top-ness"...not that THAT is a bad thing. it adds a nice variance to tone. the "touch" setting is VERY nice (ex....play a few hard chord strums using a delay pedal.....no phasing sound at first..THEN as the delay echos into silence the phase kicks in.....pretty cool. CONVERSELY the phase can effect ONLY the heaviest of strums or chords played on your guitar..muting itself on the delicate passages). i reckon you could just stomp ON/OFF a normal phaser to achieve the same effect,..but at least with this pedal you can "dial-in" the point that you want the effect to start/stop and not worry about it as you play. pretty nice. the phase SOUND itself is pretty run-of-the-mill. the only GRIPE i have is that i wish the oscillating could be set to a SLOWER rate. perhaps i'll crack it open and see if i can tweak it. i paid $39.99 for this pedal. for THAT price
it is the DEAL OF THE YEAR. for $100 (or more) you could probably get a nicer pedal,...but..for $40,...i think i like this thing.

This is a pretty bog-standard analog phaser--fiddle around with the depth, speed, and resonance knobs and you can get a good variety of classic phase sounds. I'm using this with bass; I primarily bought it to get the classic Anthony Jackson sound (think the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" or Al DiMeola's "Flight Over Rio"), but it's possible to get some cool Tony Levin-type sounds going. I'm eagerly anticipating trying this out with the MTD Kingston fretless I'm getting later in the month. I've also tried it with a friend's PRS McCarty Hollowbody guitar and Polytone Megabrute amp (he's a jazzoid) and gotten some surprisingly funky sounds out of it, given the setup.

The touch phase setting is tricky. I think it works a lot better with passive electronics than active, since I like to run my onboard preamp very hot (hotter signal off the jack->lower gain necessary at amp->less noise). I have gotten some pretty tweeky sounds out of it, though--but I'm not a noisemonger so I doubt I've used the unit to its full potential.

I'm using this with an FBB 5-string bass (go to fbbcustom.com and look at "Completed Projects," mine is #1046-01), an EBS Fafner head (the older 440-watt model without the DI output), and an Aguilar GS-410 (for gigs) and Eden CXM-110 (for practice and rehearsal) cabinet.

There is virtually no noise with the effect engaged, and in bypass mode it's dead silent. You've got to love true bypass. I wish more companies used true bypass; a properly wired true bypass switch is noiseless (no pop), which makes FET-switching stompbox manufacturers' claims dubious at best.

The phase sounds are always classic: rich, chewy, and noticeable. (This is a 4-stage phaser, by the way. Look elsewhere for the modern, smoothed-out 12-stage sound.) The touch-sensitive phasing can be a bit difficult to notice, but that's an issue of my technique and my equipment more than anything else. What matters to me is that I can cop the Anthony Jackson or "Strangehold" sounds no problem, funky Tony Levin sounds are somewhat attainable, and most importantly I can get my own cool tones out of it.

I have not gigged the unit--my studies and my tech-support job have eaten up enormous amounts of my free time, despite my excessive gear acquisitions in the past six months. I will not speculate on reliability until I have. I have confidence in the unit, though, as the switch does not feel cheap and the metal casing feels reasonably solid.

I have not dealt with Akai yet, nor do I plan to.

I play dark rock music in fiddly time signatures and with dissonant/exotic harmonies for jazz geeks who like to shake their butts from time to time. My biggest musical influences are all of the eras of King Crimson (Tony Levin is my hero), pre-_Dark Side_ Floyd, the Eno-era Talking Heads, and Berlin-period Bowie, but I'm also into classic hard bop, freebop, and modal jazz--Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Mingus, Monk, McCoy Tyner, early Ornette, and of course Miles and 'Trane. I wouldn't use this in a straightahead context, but for the music that I make--best described as "evil jam band"--it's quite appropriate.

I've been playing bass for three years now; I have expensive gear partly because I'm willing to eat ramen and Hot Pockets for a month so I can finance a gear purchase. (College is also a lot cheaper if you don't drink.) I've only been in a couple of pretty lame bands--a progressive metal band that went nowhere and an Allmans-wannabe jam band with the name of "Yermom" (yeah, they were that bad)--so I don't consider myself a pro, or even a semi-pro, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just an enthusiast who loves playing bass.

If this were stolen, I would buy one again in a heartbeat. Even though I'm not an effects whore and this is in no way the core of my sound, it's still pretty damned cool. It gives me a spacey vibe that has aided my creativity. I had tried the Boss and EHX phasers before and was not impressed; this is a much higher grade of stompbox.

Pretty intuitive, standard rate, depth, and effect level controls. The main unique feature is the threshold control, which is described in earlier reviews.

I'm actually using this for bass. Like other Akai stuff, they were smart enough to design it to handle low frequencies, so tracking is impecable (no problems with a dropped tuned D, haven't tried it yet on five string though).
Now, for actual sound, this thing is wicked! I've tried boss phasers before and although they track fine, they don't even come close to the analog warmth of this unit. Combined with my bass overdrive pedal this cranks a great, almost synth like, sound (somewhere in the realm of God Lives Underwater or Depeche Mode). The only misgiving I have about the unit is the max level of feedback still seems fairly subtle for bass (as a opposed to some other phasers).

Looks solidly built, but it still is begging to see some live action.

Haven't dealt with akai yet (the need isn't present). Zzounds was speedy with my order though (no complaints there).

For what I paid, this pedal far exceeded any expectations. If something ever happened to it, I'd be more than willing to pay the original price tag (around 100 bucks). One of the best investments I've seen in effects, and at this price it won't break the bank.

This is a true Analog Phase Pedal. I got a great sound by just plugging it in straight out of the box. I've been playing for 37 years and have heard a bunch of Phase Pedals, Analog and Digital.
I'll take this analog unit any day. The 4 control buttons are straight forward ans easy to use. The only objectionable thing I've found so far is that when using the "Hard Touch - Soft Touch" feature, there seems to be a little delay before it kicks in.
This can be a little anoying. It also could be that I just haven't "mastered" its use yet. So, that's why I give it a raining of 9; otherewise it would get a 10.

My main amp is a Fender 50 watt Princeton Chorus. I'm using it with 2 guitars at this time: A Fender American Strat and a PRS Santana. The unit sounds great on all settings and is not noisy at all

It should be very reliable, as it's built like a truck. And short of having it run over by a truck or leaving it out in the rain, I don't think that there is much that will hurt it. It has an all metal housing; and it's BIG. It's about twice the size of a Boss or DOD pedal. It measures in at 5.5" Wide by 7" Long by 2.5" High.
I would definitely gig out with it without a backup.

Haven't had to deal with them yet.

I've been playing for 37 years and play a little bit of everything.
I'm really happy with the sounds I can get from this unit. I use it on songs that were recorded with a Phaser; and I'm also using it with good results on a bunch of songs that, as far as I know, were not recorded with a Phaser. A perfect example of the later is on "Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel. You can get the swirly echo effect Billy uses on the electric piano; and this sounds with great with both guitars. I didn't buy the poweer supply for it because I wanted to check it out first. But now I plan to get the power pack.

Anybody looking for a great Phase Pedal at a great price should really check this one out. It listed for $149 and zZounds is selling them for $39.95 plus shipping. This is a closeout price; Akai must be coming out with a new model. Don't think too long about this; because at that price they won't last long. This one is definitely a "No Brainer".

4 knobs. Turn them. It's that simple. No bells or whistles, save for the "hard touch, soft touch" modes. True bypass, too.

AAAHHH! Now we're talking! I actually did not like this unit when I first unpacked it. It's HUGE!!! At least twice the size of a comparable Boss pedal. And when I plugged it in I didn't think the effect was pronounced enough. So I went to my local Guitar Center and bought a Boss PH-3, with all its programs and flashiness. Let me tell you, I couldn't get a natural, vintage sound out of the PH-3 to save my life! It was so digital and tinny! So I went back to the P1 Intelliphase and switched it on... WOW! What a difference. The Akai is so warm and natural sounding. It is an analog unit, which definitely makes all the difference. It leaves the natural sound of your guitar (or whatever) completely intact. The Boss, on the other hand, completely gutted the sound of my guitar and made it sound as though the effect was being played over the phone, long distance, from Jupiter! Anyway, this is a long and rambling way to say that the Boss went back and the Akai now has a permanent patch of realty on my floor. I love it!

Very sturdy, made of metal. Very big, though. You'll be surprised at its size. I have no doubt it will last.

Dunno...

This is a superb analog phaser, that delivers such a warm, natural and pristine sound, you'll be spoiled to ever listen to another digital phase again. I ordered this from zzounds.com for an unbelievable $49! If they still have them, do yourself a favor and grab one. You won't be disappointed. If you don't know how natural a phase can sound, you'll be happy with your Boss. But I will never use one of those again, knowing what it SHOULD sound like.

not hard at all to use... the soft/hard threshold needs to be played with, but it's all very intuitive

I had this pedal for 2 days and returned it, after some serious testing. it's not BAD, but it did not at all have the versatility that I wanted. I play a mix of electronic/noise/samples, and I tend to run a lot of people with a lot of gear through a live mix on stage, and I wanted something that would go from a throbbing, spatial crawl to a rapid stutter, and this isn't it. it also didn't give the depth that I was looking for. I'm sure it would be fine if you were looking for a good standard phaser sound, but if you are looking for a phaser that will add something a little different I wouldn't pick this one. I went and got the moogerfooger 12-stage phaser, which is AMAZING, I can't imagine a phaser outdoing this one. spend the extra money. it's sooo worth it.

I did not have it for long enough...
seemed sturdy enough.

no contact

I would only reccomend this phaser to guitarists who want a decent standard phaser sound, don't care about stereo, and think the touch sensitivity would be useful (I don't play guitar so I couldnt' get that feature to do much for me) if you play anything beyond that, esp. electronic music, I would look elsewhere. (and I will reiterate, spend the $300 and get a moogerfooger)

Your standard phaser with a few extra features. "touch sensitive" mode allows the phaser effect to be triggered with either soft or hard picking. You can set the threshold nob to fine tune exactly at what strengh picking the effect comes in. This feature is a little confusing at first (not found on any phase pedal i've heard of other than this), but aside from this, the unit is extremly easy to use with Depth, Speed, feed Back and touch sensitivity knobs. I got a brilliant sound straight off in the demo booth at the store. The manual doesn't say much, just what knob does what, e.t.c, turn power off before replacing battery.....(yawn). It just states the obvious, with no sample sttings. Cos of the slightly tricky to use touch phaser mode, im giving an 8

Epiphone lp - Boss ds2 (distortion) - Electro Harmonix Big Muff (fuzz) - Marshall valvestate 102r, With the intelliphase in the effects loop. No noise whatsoever emitts from the pedal (o.k, just a teeny amount while in the fx loop). The fx from the unit always sound very high quality and are very pleasing to the ear, although I tend to stay away from the "bubbly" high speed phasing, but if thats what you want the phaser for, it sounds great. I tend to use high depth, slow speed settings with different amounts of feed back to get a subtle, swirly Smashing pumpkins sounds, which it nails perfectly. I know they used a small stone, and i actually bought this pedal after comparing the two, and I preffered this for its greater versitility (e.g,3 knobs against 1 knob and 1 switch, plus the "touch phaser" mode). And I was buying a phaser purely because of the pumpkins. Also, the small stone seemed to muffle the sound a bit (i know its supposed to be very warm like that, but it was a bit too much for me). Anyway, the sounds from this phaser are incredible. Just remember to put it in the fx loop, so your amp's distortion gets that "wwwwwwwhhhhhhhoooosssssshhhhhh" sound! 10!

Hey, its brick, pedals dont come much sturdier. I am going to gig without a backup, however i'm not sure how long the batteries last yet, so always take a spare. (i really need to get a power supply for my pedals one of these days). 9 cos of the battery thing, could be 10 after I see how long they last.

Dont know, not worried, shouldn't have to worry in the future

This pedal does everything a phaser should do, and then some. If you set the threshold correctly, you can bust out some hard power 5th chords and then lighten up with some swirly phasing, without touching the switch! great stuff, although I dnt use that feature much. Great for anything pumpkin related, without the disadvantages of the small stone. I've been playing for over 1 year now, and am beginning to get a collection of stompboxes up (stay away from those little multi-fx buggers!). If stolen (highly improbable) i would either buy it again or something else just for the hell of it (this isnt the only phaser on the planet, y'know). Great pedal, everything you'd want from a phaser, and the price isn't too high for this sort of quality in construction, sound and features. It helps me make music, as effects can change the way you think about a certain riff, chord progression, etc. I love this pedal. 9.

Standard phasing controls, no problems. Speed, depth, and feedback. The only new knob is the touch control, which presents no real difficulty, just a matter of setting your threshhold.

I love this pedal... it has become my favorite phaser, and one of those heartwarming "I'll never switch to rack gear" sounds I can't get enough of. Set low and slow, the warm, rolling, lush sound is beautiful.

There is audible "pop" when I hit the switch, though, and this doesn't bother me too much, because if I'm laying down a phased part, it tends to be phased through the whole of the song.

The threshhold will set it to only phase the soft attack notes, or only phase the hard attack notes, dependinding on how you set the switch. This is a neat feature, but I never seem to use it...

Nice heavy box... Phase and delay are my choice effects, and I carry this thing into battle without a backup. It doesn't show any signs of failing

Sounds great...