DOD 401 Phasor

as it's only one knob, hard to say it's not easy, though the internal trim knob is the key to the thing, so in that respect, not so easy, since you have to unscrew the back to adjust it...

i'm not so used to phasers but i like weird sounds. was looking into the mxr phase 90, then saw that the ross orange phaser & this one beat it out in most discerning tests. lo & behold, one was on ebay at just that time!

i play a strat with frailin pick ups. usually through a vibrolux or musicman head. the phase itself is very lush, though there's a slight drop in volume when using it, & i've also found that the trebles are more pronounced, with a loss of bass tone somewhat (mostly on single string picking). maybe that's typical of phasers. . . ? i put it after an analog delay, it sounded awesome.

one of the gents below mentioned the internal trim dial, & to be honest, when i first got it, i thought the thing was busted. "subtle" is an understatement for about 2/3 of the dial's settings. when it's all the way counterclockwise, it sounds almost as if there's no phase at all, regardless of where the speed knob is. i messed with it & found that the middle 1/3 of the dial's range is where the true fat phase sounds are. i like it somewhat pronounced (what's the use of a phase if you can't hear it?!), so just started with the speed at max & messed with the trim until i found the sound i liked best that also gave me the best bass response, then made sure the slower speeds sounded a-ok, too. i like where it is, but the trim knob is the key to this - must be the depth of phase function.

now that i have it where i think it sounds best, this thing is kickin' some ass! if i knew anything about making pedals true bypass or dealing with attaching new knobs, i'd do them both & make this a perfect phaser, but have to give it a 9 because, well, i'm lazy & i want everything to be easy!

mxr-style enclosure but slightly larger & tank-like. solid as a metal rock.

don't even think dod exists anymore

great pedal. a bargain for something from 79 that still works perfectly (knock on wood). thanks again to the harmony central boards & users for helping me find a super-cool and super rare pedal!

one kob,understanding of the theory of relativity helpfull

holy crap! best phaser i've ever heard!and ive used them all.sounds like a cross between a vintage small stone and a phase 90 with no break up + a killer leslie simulation! mine has 1978 pot dates and dod phasor in script writing.much more depth compared to the dod 201.its a 4 stager as opposed to the 2 stage 201.the 401b designation suggests that it was made for bass but it sounds incredible with a strat and no trim pot adjustment was needed.

28 yrs old, nuff said! brick red paint cause its built like a brick!

not needed!

ok , i didnt pay $500.00,but if you added up all the phasers i've been through in 20 yrs it would exceed $500.00![wish i found this along time ago!if you find a 401 or 401b -BUY IT!

Speed.....ON......OFF!

Incredible sound quality. I have used, owned and tried a TOM of phasers over my 44 years and this has risen as the cream of the crop, especially the first issue one. It really is the only pahsoer that I have found that sounds good both infront of or behin a distortion and for both clean and dirty sounds. I has just the right amount of depth and just a touch of feedback but no nearly as much as a MXR Phase 90 (it is a 4 Stage phaser like the Phase 90 but is MUCH more clear and transparent). It does not screw up your original tone but imparts a beautiful lush and transparent phased swirly that is warm, glowing and pleasing to the ear. REALLY one of the best phasers ever!

Made back in 1978 and works like new. Case is thick and heavy. Feels like a rock. Not too many things made like this anymore.

In a word: wonderful. I never get tired of it, it has a lovely sound and it provides me exactly what I want from a phase shifter; not more, not less. This and the (2)stage 201 phasor (think UniVibe) are the best of the best, classics in the best sense of the word. Better than any BOSS, MXR, Ibanez, etc I have tried. The ONLY other phasor that comes close is the Maxon PhaseTone reissue which is what I would get if I could not find one of these.

well, at first i quite confused what this box for, 2 knobs, but the way we to activate it quite hard enuff cuz mine is an old one.

WOW, just like rotating flanger, i could even use it as a chorus or a flenger, combine it with my distortion from my jazzmaster through my fender prosonic, it sounds awesome......... but probably i'll try to buy boss CE-5 instead of this baby. i won't give it 10 cuz i'm sure something better out there...!!!!!

sometimes i use it at gig, but i'll try to get other chorus for my gig
i won't depend on it cuz it hum a lot when i am at my gig...could someone explain bout this

Last forever,.......... it's an old DOD, the guy at the shop always provide me some help !!!

GOd, it's very versatile for flager or chorus, but i'll try boss CE-5
it's such a good pedal for it's price and quality

When i got it i liked the sound, and messed around with it for a while. one day I got curious and started messing around with a mini-pot inside casing. You need to use a screwdriver to turn it, but it greatly effects the sound. I think it would have been nice if they put a knob on the outside for that.

sounds good to me, nice classic phasing. The little potentiometer that i mentioned before changes the sound from subtle to nuts, and does some other stuff too. But I'll let you experiment for yourself if you are intending to buy one or already have one.

yeah, i could depend on it, never died on me, the circuitry looks solid and doesn't fizzle like some of my old boxes.

got it used. This is one that DOD hasn't reissued and I never had to deal with them

I really like this thing. I like its sound and construction, and i like that little potentiometer in there. It's hard to use but a hell of a lot more fun to sue then a knob. I never played through another "vintage" or reissue phaser, but the sound is one i have heard before. I like it for chords and fast speed with the mini-pot a little bit down from nuts for a leslieish sound. I would like to share a very fancy car with a sleeping millionaire, perhaps a Rolls Royce or Mercedes. Oh, you mean about the pedal! It has a reel cool finish that is bumpy and is the same color as catsup, or kechup if you will, if you won't then catsup.