Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter

Pretty easy to switch through the different stages. The best one IMO is the 10-stage, sounds the most like most traditional phasers. The Step Stage is what sets this apart from other phasers.
It may take a bit to find your particular favorite stage and settings.

After A-B'ing this with the PH-2 Super Phaser, in terms of normal phasing, i would give the edge to the PH-2. The PH-3 sounds a tad bit too digital for my taste. Mode I on the PH-2 corresponds to the 10-stage on the PH-3. The best feature on the PH-3 for me is the Step Phaser Stage, which i have used on a few songs in my originals band.
My pedalboard has a bunch of Boss pedals, including both the PH-2 and PH-3. The PH-3 is used soley in the Step Stage. I use the PH-2 for all other phasing. (I use Mode I on the PH-2)

Boss pedals are like roaches....they'll be the only things left after a nuclear holocaust.

Never needed.

If you want to add some weird effects to your songs, the Step stage may be helpful to you. I actually used the step stage from a GT-6 on one of my songs, but when i got rid of it, i bought the PH-3 to play that effect live.
If you just want a more traditional sounding phaser, i would go with the PH-2. It sounds more organic and less digital. The best sounding phaser i've heard is the Small Stone, but i do not have one myself since i'm basically a Boss fanatic. I'll give it a 6 for the Step effect.....and if you can only afford 1 phaser, go with 10-stage setting for other phaser effects.

Very easy to figure out, some people have stated that the tap tempo function was confusing but I found it was simple and effective, no problems here.

I really like the sounds it produces. With each added stage (4,8,10,12) your tone becomes more "chewey". Not as warm sounding as a MXR Phase 90 but the Phase 90 only does one sound and you can simulate the Phase 45, 90 and 100 with the Boss. You can get mild to wild phase sounds with this unit. I'm using an early 80's Tokai Goldtop into a Dunlop 535 Wah - Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - Boss Super Overdrive- DOD Yngwie Pedal - Boss Octave Pedal - Boss Phase Shifter PH-3 - Pearl FG-01 Flanger - Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus - Ibanez Delay - Boss Chorus Ensemble - Yamaha FX500 (mostly for tap tempo delay) into a home made tube amp (EL84 - Class A - Single Ended).

It's a Boss. I've had my Boss Super Overdrive for twenty years, most of it's paint has been knocked off along with a couple of the knobs and I've used it to keep my apartment window open for some time but it works as good as the day I bought it. I wouldn't bother with a backup, when it comes down to it I could live without all the effects and just plug directly into my amp.

Never had to.

I've been playing for over 20 years, I play mostly Rock and it's nice for that. If it went missing I would replace it with another. I've owned a few phasers over the years, it's my fav modulation effect. If you want an MXR Phase 90 buy one of those instead, if you want a versatile phaser with cool sounds buy a Boss PH-3 and if your a Phase Freak buy both. As I said it's not as warm as the MXR Phase 90 but it's a phaser, it's designed to produce cool swirling sounds and this does just that.

Pretty easy adjust knobs as needed. Tap tempo is kind of neat once you get the hang of it.

my setup: Gibson SG Standard->DynaComp->Teese Pic Wah->TS808reissue->PH-3->Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401. This pedal does seem to be noisy, if there is any line noise comming thru my amp it picks it up and you can hear the noise being phased, its really annoying. The sound does get distorted easily and I think the pedal itself adds compression to the sound. This pedal eats batteries like a friggin monster. I got a cheap battery at the dollar store and the battery was dead within 15mins!! But I used a Duracell and that lasted about 2 months. The rise feature is my favorite feature and the step is cool when you set it to a slower speed you can get some pretty trippy sounds.

Yeah i'm sure i could but i would buy the power supply so you dont have to worry about the battery dying. Once that battery starts to die your sound gets distorted as hell and not a usable distortion its like your speaker is broken type distortion.

never dealt with boss

I play classic rock and jam band music. I honestly dont really use this pedal that much. I owned a boss DS-1 (returned it, because my amp had OD on it and bought it because of sales pressure), the DD-6 (returned it, because i couldnt get it to loop without a pause in the loop), i will probably trade in this PH-3 and go with the MXR Phase 100. To be honest with you I really dont care for much of Boss's pedals. I think their Distortiona and OD pedals are probably ok but for other things I would most likely look else where. My advice to anyone looking to buy this pedal or any other pedal is go to a place like Guitar Center where they have pedals from all different brands out and you can try them. I didnt have that luxury and got to try out the PH-3 in Maine and tried the MXR in New York. The sound clips on the website dont do a whole lot to help you either. I hope this helps!

It's very hard to get a good sound out of this pedal. It's not that the controls are counter-inituitive. Not at all. The knobs make perfect sense, and understanding them is fairly straightforward. It's just that the sound is awful.

I am using this (or I will-have-been using this, since I plan to get rid of it as soon as I can....) with a Schecter C1+ (including Duncan Distortion bridge) and a Crate VFX5112. Real tubes in that. The sound in the PH-3 is poor. My DigiTech rp-50 headphone amp has a better phase sound! This is obviously digital. My problem is that my guitar puts out so much output that it overloads a lot of cool phasers. I can't use a Phase 90 or PT-9 because my guitar overloads it. While this unit is versatile, IT SUCKS ALL THE LIFE OUT OF YOUR GUITAR SOUND!!! I'm not against BOSS at all. I've got a CE-5, MT-2, DD-3 and I love them all. But this is one where they've failed me.
The 10-stage sound and the rise mode are probably the best.

Here's the problem: either the effect is too weak to make a difference, or it's too over-the-top. There's no balance, no way to get the perfect combination of phase and distortion. I HATE this pedal, but I'm giving it a 4 because it does offer some cool noise-making modes, and it does have enough headroom not to distort when hit with the Duncan Distortion. CAVEAT: I haven't used it in my effects loop, only in front of the amp. But a lot of other phasers work fine there (MXR Phase 100, Maxon PT999, Ibanez PT-9).

Seems very reliable, and yes (sigh) "It's a Boss...."

Haven't dealt with them. Well one thing that sucks is that if you want to fill out your warranty online, you are REQUIRED to take a cheesy one-free issue magazine offer. No thanks, I'll send in the card instead.

I'm going to get rid of this. It would have been nice if it hadn't eaten all my hard-earned tone when engaged. But that's what it does. I may try the BF-3, or just go back to my MXR Phase 100. When you engage the PH-3, it make you want to stop playing and see why it sounds terrible. All the rest of my gear sounds great. This pedal is a problem. I hate it. It's a particularly ugly shade of green, too, worse than the Maxon SD-9 I used to own. That was cool looking....

Very easy to use, and if you have never worked a stompbox before it comes with the manual that will teach you all about it and give you some cool presets. :)

I have only heard 2 or 3 phasers before so I cant really tell you how it compares to others but I really like the sound. You get so many features out of it, it will never leave you bored. I really like the 4,8, and 10 stage phaser, Im not so big on the 12. The step,rise, and fall modes are cool but the step mode seems a little cheesy at times. I use this along with my wah in my effects chain and I do not get any noise out of it at all. This doesnt boost my signal at all and it isnt trebbly either. Some people might put this pedal down like guys who believe analog effects rule all because of certain reasons, but there isnt really that big of a difference. Sounds Great to me and my friends.

Let me spell this out for you. B-O-S-S .
Even if this thing did happen to break on you it has a 5 year warranty.

Do I need to spell it again?

If you are looking for a phaser and cant make up your mind then I reccoment this. Sounds good and I have no complaints at all. Great buy.

This unit is extremely easy to use. It can take a little while to dial in the exact sound that you want.

I resisted buying this pedal for a long time, because I'm somewhat biased against digital effects. Also I have several great analog phasers in my collection including a script logo Phase 90.

So why bother with the Boss. Well I needed a unit that could offer versatility and reliability. I was looking for a do it all Phase Shifter, and I think I found it in the PH-3.

In the 4 stage mode with the regeneration turned all the way down, you can get a sound quite like the MXR Phase 90. You need to make sure the depth is set to 12:00 o'clock or a little less. Turn up the depth a little bit and it puts you into Univibe country.

If you turn the regeneration knob up to about 3:00 o'clock, this puts you into the category of the EH Small Stone with the color switch set to thick. It also sounds a bit like the Maestro Stage Phaser with the depth turned up.

I didn't find much use for the 8 stage mode, but the 10 stage setting sounds somewhat like a MXR Phase 100, if you tweak the depth and regeneration controls.

The 12 stage mode sounded pretty artificial. I should mention that in the 8, 10, and 12 stage modes, there is a noticeable mid-range boost if the regeneration knob is set too high. I felt that this adversely affects the guitar tone.

As for the infinite rise, infinite fall, and step modes. I found them to be somewhat useful when playing arpegiated chords, but all in all somewhat gimicky.

I have complete confidence in Boss's reliability. Never has a problem

Never called for customer support

Outstanding! I think that Boss really did a good job on this one.
I was really suprised how good it sounded in the 4 stage mode. It is one of the best phase shifters I've heard, and almost sounds analog.

This ease of use category is rediculous. If a pedal is easy to use, it probably dosen't have many different sounds. It's easy enough, OK?

First of all, I'll start by saying that the vast majority of Boss pedals sound terrible. The Dimension C is a great pedal, but what have you done for me lately? I guess the PH-3. Really, I don't like the sterile sound that just about every Boss pedal produces.Fortunately the PH-3 is an amazing little pedal. The 4, 8, and 12 stage modes are the worst phase sounds I have ever heard, and I've heard all the great ones. Nowhere near a Script Phase 90 or a Small Stone. The 10 stage is acceptable, but not great.

The big plus of this unit is its expression, momentary input which allows speed adjustments in real time. If you're not using this jack, you're missing the boat. I use an expression pedal for recording, and a momentary switch for live work. It allows for synching the phase to the tempo of the song, it's really amazing. When you hook up an expression pedal, you can get some amazing tripped out sounds, incredible.

Where this pedal really shines is in the Rise, Fall, and Step modes. The rise and fall have a lot of personality and sound great. The Step function is amazing, I've tried the Digitech X Phaser, and their Step mode sucks in comparison, big surprise, Digitech sucks across the board. The Step mode on the Boss PH-3 is incredible, different from any other effect ever produced. Actually, I believe Boss introdoced the Step Phaser on their SE70 rack unit, which is about the only great sounding rack unit ever made for guitar. The se-70 offere stereo step phasing which is incredible, while the PH-3 is only mono. Nevertheless, the PH-3s step mode is incredible.

Like I said, I'm not a Boss fan, I use Fulltone, Z Vex, Nine Volt Nirvana and Atomic pedals, but the PH-3 has earned a permanent place on my pedalboard due to its unique sounds, and controllability. If you're into trippy effects, this is a must!

Contrary to popular belief, Boss pedals do break down. I've been playing for over 20 years, and I've had at least 5 Boss pedals fail during gigs. when they do fail, generally they will produce no sound at all in either bypass or effect mode. Still way better than Electro Harminix build quality, but nowhere near Fulltone or NVN.

Also, how about designing a true bypass switch for these things, c'mon guys, if Maxon can do it, why can't you?????

Absolutely the worst, Boss couldn't care less if you're having a problem with their products. I've been waiting 3 months for an input gain knob for my studio's GX-700 processor. Shame on you Boss/Roland!

This is an incredible, original effect. I've also tried Zoom's Step effect in the 9030, and it can't compare. This is an incredible deal, lots of great possibilities if you use your imagination!!!

Four knobs, easily adjustable to change the speed, depth, resolution, and type of phase effect you want. Very simple.

My current setup is: Shecter Diamond Series guitar >> Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator >> Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter >> MXR Flanger >> Spider II Line 6 120-watt amp. Good bypass. Doesn't effect sound when off, and the phasing sounds great when on. Many different styles of phasing can be used, like a 4-stage, 8-stage, 10-stage, 12-stage, Fall effect, Rise effect, and Step effect.

Boss makes the best pedals money can buy. Period.

I play lots of different styles of music, but my two favorite bands are Incubus and Pink Floyd, which are both heavy on the Phasers. With this pedal, I could produce any phasing sound I've needed and be completely happy with it. If you are looking for a high quality phaser, look no further.

If you can't figure it out you're a moron.

I'm going to give this an 8. i think the phasing sounds great and there are many sonic possibilities. however i've never used another phaser. the only reason i take off 2 points is because it sucks your tone a bit. i think that when you turn all the knobs to zero your tone should sound virtually the same with the pedal on or off. but you can tell it colors your tone a decent amount.

i'm running this pedal between a gibson explorer and a mesa triple rectifier. i tried putting it in the effects loop but when used after the preamp it sucks all the nice warmth of my tubes. so i use it before the preamp so that the pedal only sucks a little bit of my guitars tone, but the amp still has a chance to warm it back up.

i think the pedal really shines when used with the clean channel and the neck pickup. the sweeps are so smooth and thick.

i've never had a boss pedal go down on me yet.

n/a

you can mimic any kind of song that has a phaser in it to a reasonalbe degree. its not gonna replicate your favorite classics but its a darn good pedal and worth looking into.

Firsty, get a damn FS-5U or whatever it is that plugs into it, this makes the whole thing much much easier. Without this the tap tempo is a mission and a half. The dials are all nice and easy to use. if your confused read the manual, thats what its for!

my setup goes Epiphone SG----> boss sd1----> marshall gv2----> boss oc2----> PHASE SHIFTER (with attatched tempo thing)----> boss ch1----> amp rig whateva ive got at the time. It makes sum lush phasing effect, slight volume drop which is a bit annoying but can be worked around. it has some nice novel effects, rise, fall and step which are funky to play with, the normal phase settings are nice, i like 8 the most i think, duno, theyre all gd. i like it, sounds nice. is nice for playing little riffs that arent too violent, play some shadows through it, should sound nice.

can widthstand a direct hit from a 500 mega-ton nuclear warhead. i would/will gig without a backup, never will it fail me.

no idea

i play a wide range of music, i use this mainly for chilled out things or nice open chords. i seriously have to recommend buyng the foot switch thingy with this, its not vital but i think its a lush bonus. i get nice tones out of this badboy, i think its a gd all round phaser.