Dunlop Rotovibe

Easy enough to use but has a lot of tone drain. I had to run it through a looper to get my tone back.

Has a good Hendrix sound when played through a tube amp with a little overdrive. The pedal sounds fine but the tone drain is a big turn off.

No problems, haven't had any with Dunlop in the past either.

I play rock and blues. If it had true bypass it would be perfect.

Intensity knob, chorus/vibrato select, rocker for speed. Can adjust all 3 with your foot.

Not useable unless you add the bypass switch or run it in a loop (www.loop-master.com). It stays turned on and then I switch it on/off in a loop, so no speeding up or pop or whatever. I would NEVER use this as is, with no bypass. No matter how fast you stomp on it, there's gonna be some sound, but even if you're super fast and insist that you can do it, why would you want to have to think about split second timing in order to turn it off? Just spend the few bucks and get the looper.

Sounds great with everything, OD or fuzz in front, or nothing. Very nice chorus sound, with a little OD in front, almost like a phaser. I get a nice Achilles Last Stand intro and The Rover sounds with this.

A huge hunk of metal bolted to my pedalboard. Nothins goin nowhere.

I have had this for a few years now. I was thinking of getting a Fulltone Deja, but why spend all that money when I have something that I consider pretty close to that. I paid $90 for this used (and $30 for the bypass looper) and the Deja runs like $325. So maybe the Deja would be better, but $200 better? I highly doubt that. The same for the Univibe. The "stompbox" component is $220 and the rocker pedal thng is $80, so there's 300 and I don't know how much different that would be, but again, $200 difference in sound? I'll be sticking with the Roto thank you very much

Super easy to use...............The vibe is wat too fast when you kick it in gear, but is easy to adjust on the inside.

I have purchased just about every vibe unit out there.............Paid so big bucks for some of them! I picked this one up on ebay for $90.00.....I love it! Very nice natural vibe sound that can be adjusted on the fly with no loss in volume. Im going to keep this one........It has just the right vibe for me....Nice and bluesy!!

Built like a tank!!!

Never needed them!!

Overall..........I love it! Much better than the other units I have tried.

Although the major complaint on this thread is having to pass through the high speed zone to turn it off, it's never been an issue for me -- if you just put your foot down really quick, the speed-up of rotation is not noticable, especially with the whole band going.

Also, I sometimes use this like a wah-wah pedal -- sounds weird, I know, but try it out sometime. Pump it back and forth like a wah while your doing a solo and you get a neat effect

Having played through various models of Leslies and the Fender version, I've been on a quest over the past few years to find a really good simulator, and in the end, I found out that they were all bad. My friend who has three Leslies, was also looking for the same as crating around a Leslie to a gig is not always practical. He got the rotovibe and we both agreed that the beggest problem was that the amplitude (volume) modulation was too drastic -- more like a tremolo. A real Leslie cab has an extremely subtle effect and is even more complex depending on the room you have it in and the miking technique.

Disgusted, he loaned it to me indefinitely because it just didn't do the Leslie thing. So, I popped it opened and starting experimenting with the two trimmer pots inside -- one does amplitude mod, the other time/pitch mod (chorus/vibrato). I ended up turning down the amplitude mod pot almost all the way and dialed down the other too. In the end, this thing is the most Leslie like of any simulators out there (still not like the real thing, but great for a pedal). I gave it back to him, and now he uses it on a regular basis at the two clubs he plays at

Okay, after doing the mod I mentioned above for my friend, I went looking for one too and after a long search, found one on e-Bay for a "BuyItNow" price of $89 from some dude with 100% feedback. When it arrived, I was all set to pop off the cover and do the same mods that I did on my buddy's. Well, I plugged it in first just to see if it worked and see how "off" it was -- well guess what? It was perfect -- sounded like the one I modded for my bud. So, I thought to myself, "Hey, cool, the dude that owned it before already tweaked the pots!" So, I opened it up to see if he had positioned them similar or close to what I had just done on my bud's new one -- well, another surprise, the pots were near the center mark. Man, go figure. Here's what I came up with though to explain it:

1) the serial number on this old used one I bought is extremely low, like three or four digits, my bud's was bought brand new. Perhaps the first issues of these pedals came preset with the effect lower or components that made the effect more subtle

2) Dunlop has no quality consistancy and every one comes down the line set up differently or with different variations in components that effect each batch differently

Here's the rub, if you want a good Leslie simulator, just buy this pedal, new or used, and if it doesn't sound right to yer ears, just pop off the bottom and start tweaking the pots and I guarantee you'll get a sound that you'll be pleased with. If you're uptight about adjusting it for some reason, draw a little picture of the two pots and the position that each one is pointing before you experiment with different positions, and if for some reason you want to restore it to how it was, just reset the pots back to match the little picture you drew.

Hope that helps

Somewhat easy, could be designed better overall. Of course the "it speeds up right before shutting off" is a major design flaw. Some may not care, but for some it ruins the whole purpose. Also, always, always got a faily noticeable 'pop' sound when switching either on or off. That's not good either, I greatly prefer silent switching. Adjustments with the trimmer pots can help with the sound, so that's cool. The switch that changes from Chorus to Vibrato is so tiny that its tough to kick into effect at just the right time, you can miss it pretty easily.

I already mentioned the 'pop' when switching on and off. I don't know if this results from using AC adapter instead of a battery, or what. I have all high quality neutrik and planet waves cables, so its not that.

The Chorus sound is awesome! So thick and warm and smooth. People who don't think the chorus on this sounds great need to check their heads! It is almost phaser-like. One of the best chorus sounds I've heard. Great for solos, I never really even used the speed control, not something I care about personally. I don't think the speed control sounds that good, really. And the vibrato is shit. The vibrato on my $25 Marshall vibratrem pedal kicks its ass. But the chorus is awesome! 10 for the chorus, blech for the vibrato, annoyed buy the 'pop' and eventually sold it for that reason. I'll say 8 overall. The people saying there are no good sounds in this pedal received a dud, no doubt. They should exchange and hear a real one before posting a bad review.

Seems quite well made, I didn't have any physical problems with the pedal, but I never really put it through its paces. Feels very solid.

no idea

Overall, hey, I sold the thing for $5 more than I paid for it. I do miss that phasery chorus though, haven't been able to replicate it since, but I've found other things that I like just as much. I didn't really need to speed control, its bulky and heavy, and makes a noise when engaging and disengaging. If it has just been a chorus pedal, with that great thick sound, I would never have sold it. Its a really cool pedal overall, looks nice, pusling LED, speed control probably advantageous for some. Just wasn't exactly what I wanted. It is a great pedal in its own right though. Everyone talks about Hendrix and Wylde and Trower in relation to this pedal, and that's all good. But other more obscure artists employ it as well. Such as Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine, one of my fave. guitarists. You can hear this pedal on the 'Loveless' album in a few places, to nice effect. If you're interested, you should try one out, it may be worth it. They're not too $$$, and you can always re-sell if its not your thing.

This is where i am torn on this pedal. It is very easy to use. It is setup just like a wah pedal, but you need a lighter touch because the switch is not on off like a wah but a momentary switch. With this said i did not like the fact that you had to turn it on and off like a wah. the speed gets fast when you turn it off and on. This is a bad thing if you want the effect off or on when you are still playing. Having a decent knowledge (and voiding any warranty i had) i decided to mod the pedal with an auxilary switch. Make sure you like the pedal before doing anything like this. With this mod i love this pedal now. So with the mod i will give it a 10, stock it gets an 8.

With my ts-808 clone and this pedal i can get the sound hendrix used on angel. If you listen at the beginning the univibe is slow and right near the end he speeds it up to get a really fast rotating sound. Now this pedal is NOT a univibe, but it can capture that sound really well. It is more like a cross between a phaser and a chorus with a speed control all wraped into one. With the mod i mentioned abouve the vibe side is much cooler to mess with. On held out chords and notes i can switch it on and mess with the speed a little and get a cool effect. To fast and not so good though. I definatly don't use the vibe as much as the chorus side. The chorus is where this pedal shines.

It built really well. The only thing that bothers me is there are alot of electronics in there. Which means there are a lot of things to go wrong. I have had this pedal for about a month and it has been flawless. I think it would be fine to gig without a backup. Besides who is going to go out and buy two?

Overall this is a good pedal. I didn't like the switch setup, but i took that into my own hands. Who knows maybe they will mod it like i did some day. Anyway for the money you can't beat it.

No problem.

It does sound good.

That is where the problems might start. Yes, it is metal and it is "built like a tank", but welding is not the only aspect we're talking about. Mine is having problems with electronics. I might have overloaded it with a wah that was earlier in the chain - but that shouldn't cause trouble. Whatever the reasons were, it blew: the chorus mode turned into bypass, the vibrato mode produces no signal at all. I don't have the opportunity to ship it all the way to California to have it repaired, and, having read the reviews on Dunlop customer support, I don't want to. Does anyone know, what the problem might be and how to fix it? I'd be grateful then, if you let me know. My box is: radostno_chto(at)pisem.net

Never dealt with them - and probably never will. They're too far.

I'd be very pleased with that pedal, had it worked. I need mostly clean retro guitar sound for the music I play (the other part of the sound being samples and synths) and Rotovibe is fine at that. I've been playing for 15 years, professionally for past four, and use a Gibson LP, Fender Strat or a Danelectro U2 ->MXR Eq6 ->Dunlop Crybaby ->MXR Dynacomp ->TS-9 ->Danelectro Tremolo ->Rotovibe (out on the bench now) ->SMB delay (a skilled Russian man makes those) ->whatever amp the venue has, mostly Twins. Will most likely switch to NI GuitarRig for giggin'.

easy.
its the same sliding pedal as a crybaby, the switch is softer. its got a button for selecting chorus/vibrato and an intensity knob.
maybe the only problem one can find is that switching the effect off will force you to modify the speed of the effect cause its the same switching as a wah so you have to roll the pedal all the way up to the switch causing the speed to increase.
personally i dont give a shit.

i play with les paul-crybaby-rotovibe-octaver boss-tremolo boss-jcm800 split chan. head+cab

i bought this effect caus e i love the use zakk wylde makes of it in the pride&glory album, that was my input. and i love this thing to death. i use it often, on slower tunes to create a particular feel and with distorted sounds too, it gives a great tone, even for solos, its really particular.
i almost use the chorus mode exclusively, i go rarely on vibrato mode. and i always keep the intensity control at max, so the effect is more prominent. the speed control its really fun too mess with.
its completely silent, never had any problems with my unit.
just one thing: dont buy it if youre after a leslie simulator, this is different and has its own character, and thats why i love it.

ive had a crybaby for almost 10 years now with no probs (well i changede the on/off switch but i must say i abuse it), this rotovibe for 2 years and they are built the same. so im pretty sure its gonna last.

never dealt with dunlop

i really love this pedal, i would definitely buy another one if it was missing. it fits with my style/band, we play rock'n'roll, our own stuff&covers in the likes of gn'r, ac/dc, aerosmith, stones, black crowes. and it goes great with my setup.
its my favorite pedal along my crybaby.
i think all vintage rock lovers will like it.

No problems at all - just click on and play...

I bought it second hand and I think it's an older model.
I don't mind that there isn't a battery case and a BIG PLUS is the REPLACEMENT RUBBER FOOT glued inside the pedal !! (you know you always lose these things sometime...)

The pulsing LEDs are great.

The only reason I give it a 9 rating is that you have to adjust the speed down from maximum after you've switched it on because it's pushed all the way down - but generally that's no problem for me cause I rarely switch it on/off during one song.

I rarely use the vibrato but the chorus is GREAT!

I use it with a strat or a Les Paul through a Marshall 5210 50W combo.
It just sounds MARVELLOUS... you NEED this if you want to play Pink Floyd (Speak to me) or Hendrix (Little Wing), just to mention a few.

It's not noisy at all and the intensity knob is cool, too.

Additionally, you can further adjust the sound with the little potentiometer inside the pedal! Give it a try!!

You can't break it. Never.

The adapter plug didn't work when I got it (second hand) but I can't blame the pedal when some idiot plunges in more than 9 volts...

Easy to repair.

I think this pedal is suitable for any kind of music ... I play blues and rock as well as psychedelic stuff and it just fits perfectly! I couldn't do without it!

I play a Les Paul, an Epiphone Casino and Squier Strat through a Nobels DT-1 distortion and a Dunlop JH-1 wah pedal into a Marshall 5210 50Watt combo or a small Ibanez 10Watt. Also a Kustom 40W but it's crappy, I'll sell it.

If it was stolen I'd get it back and beat the thief up.

Very easy to use.
Anyone can figure out how to do it...

It is not a univibe, but it has its own character.
Some love it, some hate it.
I have this pedal for more than 2 years and i always had trouble getting used to its special "univibe approach"...

The setting i played the most was in the "chorus mode" with the intensity rolled off and at the slowest speed.

This really fattens the signal, especially when it comes from thin sounding single coils.

Day after day i got sick and tired of its tone and i removed it from my rig.

...till i read somebody's review on this website.

And here's the story:

The first time i had to open it to replace the battery,
i noticed the two little "trimmer pots" which were sealed with silicone glue.
Ever since, i always wanted to tamper with them but i was affraid that i would damage the pedal.

When i read that it is harmless to do it, i gave it a try...

Adjusting the trimmers i managed to eliminate what was annoying
me in this pedal's tone.

After my tweaking, the vibe sounds more phasey and generally it got more towards the vintage side.
It did not become a univibe, but it got closer.
I believe anyone can experiment to find a more convenient tone for them.
On the other side, i think this will void warranty, but mine has expired anyway....

This change has put the pedal back to my rig and "postponed" my craving for a boutique univibe clone...

By the way,
Warmoth-Fender strat or Epi DOT 335 Ltd through FD-2 (through rotovibe...) on Fender twin reverb.

Solid rock.
No chance to break it...

Never had to deal with them.

IF YOU DON'T MIND, TRY THE TRIMMER POT TWEAKING.

IT REALLY CAN GET YOU CLOSER TO THE TONE YOU ARE AFTER.

HONEST PEDAL WHICH CAN GET BETTER.