Aphex 1401 Acoustic Exciter

Model 1401: Easy to use, manual is concise & clear.
- 4 pots: Low Freq tune & blend, High Freq tune & blend. Mechanical metal Switch i/o with LED.
- Needs a 9Vdc battery, but Clever external power jack input with "universal" +/- 7 to 48Vdc & 5 to 32Vac allowed !!
- DiBox: XLR 600 Ohms out (Box can be +48Vdc phantom powered), ground lift, dry/wet out, passive or active Input bypass.

Very good sounds !!
I play Yamaha LL16 acoustic (with K&K dualPiezzo PU) + Marshall AS100D Amp. This small green box split (patented) the guitar spectrum in 2 variable frequencies parts: rotate the phase & compress the Bass and add to dry, and also separately take only the high harmonics and add to dry.
This give the sound more consistant & "precise", very efficient on my set up (Later i will put AMT or DPA condenser mic instead).
Sometime, I use it with a TC Electronics Chorus.
It can be also used as Di Box, but with some limitations (see below)
(I tried it with some Electric guitars: it does NOT make the same improvments in the sounds !)

- The metal box is OK, the small switches are in plastic (but you dot not need to manipulate them often).
- The big problem with this box is the IN/OUT "clic" audible switching !! (i open the box and tried to change the input (passive)impedance from 10 to 4 MOhms: noted some improvments by it remains some clicks whatever the new value as low as 100K).
- Also, the Active Input buffer attenuate the guitar levels by 12dB (1/4).. and the XLR out signal is at "mic" level. This is NOT indicated in the documentation (only on the pedal itself !)

Never called them.

I play guitar for more than 30 years; classic rock,blues, ballads. Also with electric w/Fender US1975 Strat, Ibanez PM120 PatMetheny Signature, MesaBoogie MarK IV, Marshall JCM900, vintage 1979'sEH & 1981's MXR stomp Boxes etc..
It's the first of this kind pedal i own: the sound is very OK, but to save cost, Aphex did not made a actually usable Di/Buffer box... I would prefer spend additional 30 $ to have this 2 small modifications !!
As the ACTIVE input Ze= 50KOms, I CANNOT use it for an guitar input (too low): so I have to buy another DIbox to an other manufacturer !

Just bought a used, one but I have had plenty of years with Aphex rack mount exciters. Didn't get a manual but, hey, if you can't figure it out, without one, you're in the wrong business! My unit is a "stock" model, w/o modifications.

Fantastic effect, always the last FX in the signal chain, can't/will not ever perform without Aural Exciters! Add many more $$$$ worth of quality to any sound/amp/P.A. configuration.

I'm using the unit with a vintage, (analogue,) Korg BX3 organ. It has elevated the sound from just a good quality "clonewheel" instrument to where I can't reliably identify the BX3 from my real B3, on recordings! Live, it has given the extra dimension of absolute, pristine clarity to the organ's sound. I'll best describe the effect as "removing the blankets from the front of the speakers."

I've been using Apjex products a very, very, long time, (since waaaayyyy back in the 20th century,) and they have never failed to produce, in any environment, live or studio.

I've been using it, on gigs, for the past couple of weeks and will continue to use it, without a "backup." I'm so impressed with this stomp box, I'm going to acquire a couple of more, for individually treating a couple of mono-synths that I use "live."

I've never had any reason to deal with the Mother Ship.

I've been playing keyboards for many decades, 20+ years professionally and nearly 20 years in semi-pro environments. Many of the synths, produced in the last 20 years, already carry Aphex Exciters, within their respective FX arsenals. My first "recordiing experience" introduced me to the magic of the Aural Exciter and I've been a zealot, ever since. These units are like insurance.....how can you NOT afford to have one?

As early stated, it has improved the sound of my clonewheel organ by a factor of 10, at least. I play Jazz, R&B, Funk, Fusion, Blues and a lot of Latin/Afro-Cuban music. Everybody, with whom I've gigged since introducing the 1401 into the BX3's signal chain, has either commented on how good the B sounds, lately, or has asked me if I've bought something new to play! I think these "educated ears" folks are the best jury to pass judgment on the quality of the effect. In fact, since getting and using the unit, I only want to play 1401 effected organ and no other keyboards! (I'm sure I'll get over this, but its sure gonna be fun, as long as it lasts.)

Any generated sound will benefit from the Aphex process; just when you think you've dialed in the "perfect" sound, turn on the Aphex and see if you don't prefer the effected version. That will be the "acid test" of the unit.

I've used BBEs and Roland/Boss Enhancers but, while very good FX, nothing compares to the Aphex line of Exciters, IMHO.

I was "excited" to see that Aphex had entered into the stomp box world and had been looking forward to trying out a 1401. My ringing endorsement, of the product, is I bought it within 1 minute of putting it through the paces!

Well I'd say it's certainly not just plug & play. You really need to sit down with your system/amp and work with it and you'll be amazed. Once it's dialed in...voila!

I play a James Goodall Parlor guitar with a Baggs Ribbon Transducer pickup and this thing just makes it sing. This guitar has such an awesome acoustic sound that it's been a bit dissappointing when plugged in but this unit really has helped the guitar sound like it does acoustically when it's plugged in. Absolutely zero noise or distortion. I have tried the Baggs Para DI and it doesn't even come close to what this does and it's cheaper to boot.

Just bought it so I don't know but it is very well constructed with a metal encloserue. I'm pretty gentle on equipment anyway so I have no doubt this will last me forever.

I was having a little trouble with no sound using the XLR cable like the guy above and called Aphex and the guy was very helpful in explaining as the manual did, doh!...that you need to push in the "wet" button when using the XLR and that the footswitch is in-operable when using the XLR output. But great guy and I'm sure would be very helful if anything ever goes wrong with the unit.

So far I am totally satisfied. I'm pretty much a strummer and play acoustic solo gigs and I had been thinking about adding the Aphex rack mount Aural Xciter with Optical Big Bottom to my little PA setup but my vocals are fine through it so this has been just the ticket to improve the sound of the guitar immensely. I played a gig last week with it and was just thrilled over the new, full sound of the guitar. Don't believe me? Just turn it off and hear the difference. I couldn't turn it back on fast enough. Probably never be without this pedal in a live, amplified situation again.

Dear reviewers,I might be deaf or may be i bought a lemon but I think you are over rating this unitut... It is not easy to use if you expect it to do what it should do... OK: In my opinion it can not handle line level (via the audio chain or from the mixer) cause it simply distorts... (I insist: mine may be broken)... Anyway, when i use the xrl out it goes dead silent and then have to leave the line position in order to hear it, etc. etc... Forget about the abstract "processs" it does... Yeah! i can hear it improves the signal but not "that much"...

Forget about getting "the artists sounds"... Just want a nice MID SCOOPED tone... And yes, it helps overall, particularly with an amp I dont think "mine" is good enough for recording at all... (Use BBE rack unit instead)... And then it is ugly... So... for doing what it does (an EQ cant do it) I give it an 8... (lucky guy)...

Cant find it reliable at all... Plastic ins & outs... Weird function performing...If APHEX guys have a look at new bbe pedals they'll feel embarrassed for sure... Now if you are so satisfied as many other reviewer are, i will take back my nasty comments... but things will be the same anyway (atleast for myself)...

I play some spanish (flamenco), some steel stringed instruments with and w/o pickups and some specially tuned guitars (G, D, Dadgad)... I have a Taylor and an Epiphone made in kalamazoo long long ago... I HAVE BEEN PLAYING A ZOOM A2 PROCESSOR LATELY (50 BUCKS CHEAPER THAN THE APHEX EXCITER AND YOU CANT BELIVE WHAT IT DOES FOR A DIGITAL UNIT... I'M SUPPOSSED TO BE ANALOG ORIENTED BUT THIS KIND OF THINKS REALLY MAKE YOU WONDER... AS YOU CAN SEE I'M "KIND OF PISSED OFF" BY THE UNIT... BEWARE... TRY ACOUSTIMAX (MADE BY GUES WHO)... CHECK IT OUT AT THE NET... If someone has any advice, i would appreciatte... good playin', peace of mind...

I have to say that the first time I plugged in my guitar (using the handy XLR output) I could instantly hear the difference. That being said, I tried to turn off the effect and the sound didn't change. Long story short, YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF WHEN USING THE XLR OUTPUT. My frustration doesn't have to be yours. I just leave it on anyway, but I wanted to know exactly what I was changing so I used the 1/4" output to a DI box so I could turn it on and off and it definitely helps with your lows and highs.

Ok, on this unit you have just two 'effects.' They really aren't effects but more like enhancements, which is what makes this unit so appealing, you can pull out your lows and highs to match the great mids that most $1000+ acoustic guitars naturally give you. In essence you just get to send the amp or soundboard the sounds that you hear when you sit directly over the sound hole in your acoustic.

The high-end effect is called the Aural Exciter (yes they could have named it something else, but it was produced by guitar people in the 70's, what do you expect). The low-end effect is called the Big Bottom (this is a new addition to the Aural Exciter effect that helps out with the lows, so as you can see things haven't changed for these guys in 25 years). Both have two knobs the first of which is a frequency 'roll-off' so you can choose how wide or narrow of frequencies to enhance. Which leads us to the second knob that simply chooses how much of the effect you want applied to the frequencies that you previously choose.

Now the problem that I have is that it's hard to figure how much this unit really helps me in my situation. I play a Taylor 314ce with Fishman electronics (this is the set up previous to the Expression System). I play worship songs at my church and gig with friends at coffee houses, and in both situations I don't really use much effects. I run a Peterson StroboStomp pedal tuner (see my review on this), BOSS CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, BOSS DD-6 Digital Delay, Aphex Acoustic Exciter (always place at the end of your chain), then to either a PA system or amp. So the problem is that the built-in pre-amp from Fishman comes with Treble, Contour (Mid), and Bass sliders to help pull out the sound that you want. Before I got this unit I had the treble and bass slightly higher than the notch in the middle of the slide, and I left the contour set even. So when I put the Acoustic Exciter in I wanted to make sure I didn't change the guitar but just add the pedal, so I did.

READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE:
I turn the Aphex pedal to right about even (Big Bottom to 5 on the first knob and 5 on the second - Aural Exciter to 6 and 6) with the settings on my Fishman as explained earlier. My friend?s guitar that is simply equipped with the pick up and not the pre-amp has to have it up higher to get the same effect. So in conclusion it really helps those guitars that don't have any adjustments built in, and it just helps those who shelled out for guitars with built-in pre-amps.

This being said, I still recommend any acoustic player to obtain one of these for the simple fact that it will help pull out elusive tones in ANY guitar.

This shouldn't be a problem, a basic pedal with four knobs and a foot switch. Body is made out of medal. So unless you plan on turning it on and off you shouldn't really ever have do deal with it, other than replacing the 9V battery if your not using the XLR input which will run the unit off of a soundboards phantom power.

I called about the XLR issue, thought that I had a DOA unit. But they were kind and answered my lame question. I should have read the paperwork first.

Listen, this has been a recording industry standard for a quarter century. If you play a decent acoustic guitar that means that you shelled out. On top of that you are now looking to perform (why else would you need to amplify yourself just to hear the same thing that's a foot from your head). So given those two assumptions, don't you want your sound to be the best it can be for your audience? There is nothing like this pedal that will help you without altering your true sound. If you have a Fishman pick-up Taylor (I applaud you) or Martin then it could be an option, but not one that I'd skip on. If you play on any other (non-boutique) guitar, i.e. Carvin, Ovation, Gibson, Takamini, etc. this pedal is a must simply because those instruments (yes even the high end models) don't reproduce good lows and solid highs.

In conclusion, there's not much you can do for acoustic guitars and this is one of them that truly helps the instrument be all that it can be. And plus it has a high quality built in DI (your not really planning on turning it off are you?) which could cost you up to $100 and this unit cost just as much, why not just kill two birds with one stone.

AS said below; it is easy to dial in good sounds with the Acoustic Exciter, but I am giving a low grade because of the battery issue. Not only do you have to unscrew the four screws on the bottom of the box, and then cram the battery in while watching you don't pinch any wires, but it isn't easy to put everything back together. I had one screw hole that was VERY tight and I had to work it a bit. The manual is good - and it does have phantom power.

This box adds a nice chime and tightens up the bottom end. I tried it with a solid state amp and it did a fairly good job of making it sound like a (warm) tube amp. My use of the AE has been limited so far - but don't buy it thinking it has a ton of color and tone. It does a great job in enhancing an acoustic - but it will not dramatically change your guitar's sound.

I play acoustic / electric guitars (Gibson Chet SST & Guild Peregrine) through either a Fender Steel King amp (200 watts and a great 15" speaker), an older SWR California Blonde or, occassionally, direct through a house PA. I play rock and have been playing forever. I have a bunch of other guitars, etc... The only other effects like this I considered were the DTAR Mama Bear, the new Fishman box (but they are both more "modeling"), and the Janglebox. The Janglebox is better for electric so I went with Aphex. This is a good box at a nice price, I just wish they had a battery compartment (even if it adds $5 to the cost of the box) - or include an AC adaptor.

The unit, once you understand what it is and what it does, is very easy to use. Plug in, tweak and play. Two knobs (Lo Tune & blend) for the Big Bottom Effect and two knobs (Hi Tune & blend) for the Exciter effect. Takes 9V batteries or external power supply. Has an XLR out (handy for going direct to PA). Manual does a reasonably good job of explaining how to use the pedal, but there are more instructions on the BACK OF THE PEDAL, which is an odd place to put it.

I play in church, where I'm usually the only instrument. I play an Ayers acoustic solid top (Dreadnought model) and that usually goes into a Boss CE-5 Chorus, then into the Aphex and finally straight to PA. While it sounds great just through the Aphex alone, I add a light touch of chorus to thicken my sound because I play solo. Using the Aphex was a real eye-opener. I was always unsatisfied with the level of bass I could wring from my acoustic's onboard EQ, but no more. The highs are bright and sparkly with rich harmonics. I can say that it's produced a marked improvement in my tone and I NEVER gig without it.

When trying to get the sound that I want, I've found that the unit will really MAGNIFY and ENHANCE whatever EQ settings I've adopted on my guitar. If I've set Bass/Mid/Hi EQ to 8/3/9, I'll get a really boomy bass on my E, a fatter A, with nice smooth G's, B's and E's. So I've had to be more even-handed with my EQ and set it to something like 6/3/8 which is better for my heavy strumming. So you can get an unsatisfying sound from this unit if you're not careful (although, even with all knobs maxed, the sound was not unpleasant), but if you spend some time honestly giving it a go, you'll find many useful tones.

I've also recorded with the unit (Guitar > Aphex > Soundcard) and the sound quality is extremely good. Nice quiet signal with the same rich lush bass and musical highs that I hear when playing out.

The unit is also very quiet in operation. Also it says in the manual that the effect is ALWAYS on when you use the XLR out, and is only switchable when you use the 1/4" output. Wonder why Aphex made it that way? I would've liked to have the option to turn the unit on/off (eventhough I would always leave it on anyway).

Well, the unit is built like a tank, and it's one of those pedals that you switch on and never turn off anyway, so it won't see as much of abuse as say a distortion pedal. I've never dropped it though (and I'm not gonna try), but I've gigged with it for 2 years now and it's working perfectly.

I usually run it off a 9V battery, and it's lasted me for ages (6 months running now, with at least 1 hour usage per week). I make it a point to unplug the guitar from the input if I'm going on a break, which switches the unit off.

Never had to deal with them, but they made a great product!

I play contemporary Christian music mostly, but dabble in rock, blues, jazz, etc. Been playing for 15 years, but that in itself doesn't really mean anything does it? This pedal just sweetens my sound. While I love the sound of my guitar unplugged, my onboard preamp isn't the best. Short of spending an additional $500-$1,000 to get another guitar/preamp of better quality, this is the most effective way to improve my acoustic sound. I would definitely buy this again if it was lost/stolen.

It's extremely easy to use and set up. The sounds are great; very natural and one of the best DIs I've ever used. I haven't quite figured out the best settings yet, but that's mainly because I have been using it a lot live in very quick soundchecks since I bought it.

Using it with a vintage Guild F30 with a McIntyre pickup. Not noisy at all. Makes everything sparkle.

It seems awfully tough. Battery life (when not using 48v) seems fine. Good quality pasrts. So far I have been using it without a backup with no problems (knock on wood).

Haven't dealth with the company yet but have a good opinion of Aphex through friends and colleagues.

I play bluesy rock with a soul edge. This is a great match for me and gives my guitar a great presence. I've been playing professionally for five years and own mostly electric guitars and small tube amps.

If this were stolen or lost I would likely buy another or possibly try out the LR Baggs Paraacoustic DI.

I like the quality of this product and the obvious care put into the construction, voicing, and especially the manual. There is a lot of info and you are NOT left in the dark by this one.

I wish it had an adjustable gain control.

Definitely helps me make music and pulls what I love to hear out of the guitar.

I do wish that there was a bit easier battery access and a better battery compartment. I do fear that I might hurt the PC board, as it is exposed and the battery rests right nixt to it. But as I use it with 48v most of the time, this will hopefully not turn into a larger issue...

Overall a good unit. I haven't found much else of this high quality in this price range...

Very easy to use, but I'm still twiddlin' with it. Mostly trying to find the best setting for the Aural Exciter part.

Sound quality is excellent.
Bass: Mainly with my Tacoma Thunderchief fretless ABG (with Ernie Ball flatwounds)
Amp: Acoustic Image Contra combo (set flat). Single 10", 5", and tweeter (turned off). (What a great amp!)
I'm told it sounds like an upright. It really fills out the bottom.

It's very reliable, though I did have a problem with the input jack, which didn't affect playability. See Customer Support for that one.

Customer service is good, when you do it right.
I had a problem with the input jack, which is how the unit is switched on (and battery is in use if you're not using an AC adapter). When I'd remove the cable from the jack, the power light sometimes remained lit, indicating that the battery was in use. For that reason, I always used an AC adapter when I could. The jack was faulty.
I contacted tech support biy email and got no response. I then sent an email to the president of the company, and got an immediate response. The unit was still under warranty, so they gave me an RMA, and I got it back within two weeks of my sending it to them. I'm happy. (You just have to know whom to contact.)
Not a 10, since my initial attempt failed.

I've used the 1401 for about a year.

I play mostly traditional jazz/Dixieland with a group, but I also use the unit with my Warwick Corvette Standard fretless and my MusicYo Steinberger 4-string (which I like a lot). With my Rogue Hofner knock-off (which is a very cedible substitute for the real thing), I generally don't use the unit. All of my basses are passive. The Acoustic Exciter version works fine with my electric basses; I don't need the Bass Exciter, which has a slightly different frequency response on the low end, I think.

I sometimes use a Line6 BassPodXT, though I haven't figured it out yet. It seems that the BassPod is noisy if I place the 1401 in front of it, so I place the 1401 between the BassPod and my amp--no noise. Probably overdriving the BassPod--I don't know.

I'd definitely get another 1401 if I lost this one.

pretty self explanatory. Four knobs adjust the sound. Easy peasy

Like everyone else says this thing shines. It's so expressive its amazing. It makes your guitar sound like it costs twice as much as you paid for it. It's absolutely definitately worth the investment. Just a small warning though, sound guys tend not to really like this thing, cause if you turn up the high cut too much the sound becomes pretty thin, so the sound folks dont really like that. Keep the high cut at a conservative level and you should be fine

I've had this for a little longer than a year now. I've had absolutely no problems with it. I use it pretty much every week at church and it has held up to this point without any problems. The reason I give it an 8 is because the battery life is pretty bad. It's not awful but still it's probably a good idea to run a power adaptor to it.

no problems so I have not dealt with CS

I love this thing. The reason i didn't give it a 10, was because A. The battery life is pretty bad, but mostly because of B. I don't like how the footswitch is deactivated when you use the box as a DI out. If you want the effect off, then you have to push the wet/dry button on the side of the box. This sucks if you play live. I don't understand why they made the box this way. I love the fact that you can knock out two birds with one stone, cause it doubles as a DI, but I don't know why aphex made it so you can't turn off the effect on the fly. I'll be purchasing a boss reverb and compression/sustain pedal so i won't be using the DI out function anymore. But again other than the footswitch deactivation and battery life, this thing is absolutely perfect