Ibanez BPL Bi-Stage Phaser

3 knobs and toggle: speed, width, feedback--the toggle is for one of the two stages. easy.

I have a very basic set-up: Strats through Fender amps, vox wah, blues driver, and this phaser. Some times a big muff, sometimes an ibanez delay...I play in a cover band that does a VERY wide variety of 60's-80's hits. My previous phaser was the mxr phase 90, which is pretty much the standard. I have no complaints with it, whatsoever, it's just that this one is sooooo versatile. It has a bit of a midrange or almost vocal quality to it at certain settings and with certain rhythm guitar techniques like muted picking or skank picking that lend itself very well, to more groove-oriented music, such as disco, funk, reggae/dub, etc. It does not have quite the bassy or warmness that the phase 90 is noted for, but for somelike me, this phaser really does the job.

it eats batteries like an insatiable pig. One battery per 4 hour cover gig. Use the AC adaptor.

For a wide variety for genres it's great. Specifically, if you are a rhythm guitarist who grooves all night (with AC power). This phaser could really be your thing...

3 knobs (Speed, width and Feedback), 1 switch (stage 10/stage 6), 1 footswitch (on/off). Super easy. Just twist the knobs till you like how it sounds, which shouldn't take too long at all.

Not noisy at all. I've used this with a variety of guitars and amps and it sounds fantastic. It has two stages of phase and they both sound completely different. Its almost as if they were eq'd differently. I like it myself. This is more versatile than most phase pedals I've tried. I bought it over the phase 90 and phase 45 by mxr because this one has more possibilities.

Made of hard metal. Eats the battery like mad, so I plug it in. I would use it without a backup, i mean...it's just a phaser right?

never tried, but I've never had any bad experiences with any Ibanez products.

I play rock music and this sounds fantastic. I love Ibanez pedals especially the 9 and 10 series pedals and I would certainly look for another one if this was stolen.

I feel like the knobs on here are pretty straightforward. Switching between stages is fairly easy. One problem is that it eats batteries and I have had ongoing issues with the 9 volt battery wires, probably as a partial result of haivng to mess with it so much. I would use a power supply if I could find the right one.

Great sounds in both stages. I have been using this between my telecaster and my Fender Stage Lead 212 for a little more than 6 years. It is not noisy at all, and is non-existant when switched off. The effect is perfect for the dub reggae sounds that I love (especially with some heavy reverb and a little delay here and there). It's pretty easy to get some phasing that sounds like the lead guitar in Bob Marley's Live at the Lyceum album, or in some of Steel Pulse's records. It also sounds really good for lead playing clean or with distortion/sustain. Sounds fantastic for lead with a fast, subtle delay behind it, or with a ton of gain and an octave effect.

I gigged with it for a few years and intend to do so again with my new band. As long as the batteries weren't fizzling out it was pretty good. I occasionally had some minor issues with it not switching off or on every time I stomped on it, but overall I'd say it's fairly reliable.

Never tried

As I mentioned before, this is a great pedal for reggae, as well as for rock or funk. I love the way it sounds and when I was having some power issues was unable to find another pedal with a sound I liked as much as this one for my style of music. Luckily I was able to solder it back together, so it is now back in my rig.
I have been playing for about 10 years and also have a Boss GE-7, Big Muff Pi, Danelectro Tuna Melt, Digitech XP-100, and DOD TR3R.
I just mainly wish I could find a better/more reliable way to power this thing. It has definitely improved my music and I don't know what I would do without it.

Very easy to get an excellent phaser sound out of it. Three knobs for feedback, speed, and width, and a switch for 6 or 10 stage phasing. Mine did not come with a manual, but it is not difficult to set up.

I am using this with a Gibson Explorer through a Grate GLX65 amp. Effects that I am using include a Boss CE-2, Morley PWA, Ibanez TS7, Ibanez DE7, DOD FX64. The Ibanez BPL does not as large of a sweep as a Boss or MXR, but it is still very nice. The 10 stage phasing option is more defined than 6 stage. This works excellent with a warm overdrive (i.e. Tubescreamer), as well as the clean channel on my amp. Very quiet when not in use.

The switch for 10 or 6 stage phasing is a little touchy, and does not always want to switch modes. Sometimes it will not even activate the phasing effect. If you fix this problem, it is a very reliable pedal.

I have never dealt with Ibanez.

This is an excellent pedal, but I purchased it because it is an older 80's phaser pedal. I just wanted to add an older Ibanez phaser to my collection. I do enjoy the sound of this pedal, but if I really wanted an excellent phaser, I would go and get a Boss or MXR. Nevertheless, this is a good phaser.

It's easy to get a good phase sound out of this, though the width control doesn't quite give the super-deep sound that, say, an MXR Phase 90 can give. In addition to the "speed," "width," and "feedback" knobs there is a switch for 6 or 10 stage. 10 is a little more intense than 6, though I can't say exactly what it means. If I want to switch between the two stages, I have to bend down and use my hand. It would have been cooler to add the ability (like some BOSS pedals have) to footswitch between the two.

I'm playing a custom Music Man silhouette with HSS EMGs into a Boogie .50 caliber.
The pedal is pretty quiet, even in bypass.
Like I said, this pedal doesn't go over the top, it just has some really, sweet, really quiet phase sounds. I prefer to keep it switched to 6, with the "feedback" turned down pretty low.

I believe that this is a 9 series Ibanez. Like most Ibanez series, this one is pretty rugged and can take a beating. I'd take it on a gig without a backup.

I have never dealt with Ibanez support, though their Web site kind of sucks--they don't cover any of their older products.

I play many styles: rock, funk, folk, country, metal, punk, disco, muzak... I've taken to using this pedal instead of my detuned chorus--it just sounds sweeter.
I've been playing for about 20 years, and I've owned way more gear than anyone has a right to. In my professional opinion, this is a solid piece of workhorse equipment.
If this were stolen or lost, I'd probably go for an MXR Phase 100--if I could afford it.
I love this unit's silence and its solid, sweet tone.