Lovetone ? Flanger with no name

as with most things lovetone, you're not going to be able to walk up to this and get what you want. it's billed as vlad's most complicated to date, but the reality is somewhere in the middle. yes, it's a flanger, and yes, it's actually pretty easy to get a flange out of it (i don't know what all these guys below are talking about). but with time, all the subleties start to open up to you. this thing has an amazing amount of depth that really, no other pedal maker can touch right now. it's really two pedals in one, the "time" and "space" sections providing two different, yet complimentary effects. the manual is pretty extensive, and while he trys to simplify it as much as possible, its feature set doesn't lend itself easily to comprehension - i had to read it, use the pedal, read it again, and then start to understand what he was saying. the cool part is that once you do start understanding it, the manual helps you a lot towards figuring out what's really going on.

i use this thing on quite a number of things, from drum machines, to keyboards, to guitars. believe me, your guitar has never sounded so strange. the cool thing is that it actually seems like this was designed for guitars in particular, unlike say, the frostwave effects. while the FW pedals work on guitar, they shine on other things. this thing shines on everything. it's remarkably clean, especially if using the 9v battery adapter, almost to the point of fault. the sound is the most uncolored, clean effect i've ever heard, compared to say, the EH polychorus which sounds like mud compared to this. so the fact that it doesn't have a true bypass (a guess, but the volume knob works when the pedal is switched off, which to me says no bypass) isn't a big deal. the effects on full are nuts but the subltle ones are the ones i keep coming back to.

nothing is indestructable and the fact that it is so expensive is not a plus, obviously. you'd have to factor the shipping time to england plus the cost to replace it into the reliability factor. the pedal itself is very well built, although jacks soldered to the circuit board is never good, IMO. still, i have no great concerns that i'm going to break it. i would trust it on the road, but you better believe i'd be paranoid.

i've only spoken to vlad over email briefly - i bought this used (from robert actually, the first guy to review this pedal). from what i hear, he's great.

the more i use this thing, the more i want to use it. it's extremely versatile, so the steep price becomes more and more justified over time. the ability to sync the LFO to trigger pulse is absolutely vital and is one of the things that really sets it apart. midi sync'ed flange or vibrato is as easy as clocking my roland 606 via a korg mks-80, and then feeding the ? a trigger clock off the toms. i have an ac30 and i was always bugged that i couldn't sync the tremelo. now i do it with this. the pitch is also cv controllable, and although i haven't used this feature yet, i'm sure as heck going to be in the future. i don't use the little light plug at all - it's more of a gimmick than anything IMO. you basically have to hold your finger over it and lift it slightly, so my mental picture of theremin-esque stage effects was way off base. i also use it with batteries quite a bit, i get maybe a good 45 minutes to an hour of solid use out of a battery (rechargable batteries, obviously). honestly, there aren't many features that i could think of that it *doesn't* have; it's the most full featured flanger i've ever heard of save possibly the eventide instant flanger (which i'm really not familiar with). there really couldn't be a different replacement for it, if stolen, so if i had the money, i'd buy another one. it's a solid, vital part of my setup now and i'd miss it if i didn't have it. oh wait, there is one thing that i would change about it. there isn't a mix knob, because i think the architecture doesn't really allow for one. seems like if he wanted to, he could get one in there somewhere, but you can compensate for it in other ways and it doesn't detract much. but overall, this thing is top notch. there isn't a more inventive, better sounding pedal line out there, which is why his pedals go anywhere from $400-$1000 on ebay. at least with lovetone, you get what you pay for, plain and simple.

The Lovetone Question Mark Flanger is a wonder to use. Loads of sounds can come from the QM (Question Mark). Six interactive knobs, 2 switches-Mono/Stereo and LFO select, 3 Stomp switches-Loop-2nd LFO-on and off, optional foot control of 5ms to 50ms Manual delay times and trigger to stop and start LFO sweep can give this marvel many sonic possibilities. Phase, Flange, Chorus and slap delay and sounds beyond
the boundaries of previous time based effects.

In the Lovetone tradition of tone the QM is exceptional. It is of "The Gilded Palace of Zing"(etched on the circuit board) tonally. The QM defiantly has Zing!

I depend on it's sound making capabilities in production and live work. HC says be critical or they won't post a submission but the QM
covers so many bases it's imposible to find something it does I do not like.

Lovetone sells direct. Some Effect Dealers also carry them. I own a bunch of Lovetone pedals and Vlad at Lovetone has been the best in helping resolve any issue very positively. The QM comes with a one year Warranty.

Pump any OD, Distortion or Fuzz and the QM makes it happen. Switching another effect in and out of the QM loop is incredible! Switching an optional Control Voltage into the QM trigger takes it from Industrial to Trance sounds instantly. The QM self oscillates so sounds of a great number of flying things can be morphed on the wing. Never has there been a pedal so worth having for todays music. Zing.....

Although difficult to learn, it is easy to get a good sound out of this. The manual is 4 double spaced pages. There is a lot to absorb. The manual is detailed in explanation of the knobs, and the inputs. Unit has controls for Manual (Delay time) Depth (Modulation of delay) Rate, Gain, Reaction (Regeneration) and Action (Mix level-not blend). Also has stereo or mon output, and fx loops and 9V adaptor, as well as CV pedal input and Trigger/Gate input.

I use a Danelectro DC 59 Pro into a Teese RMC3 wah into the ?Flanger into a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. (I know it's funny the "cheapest" item in the chain is the guitar, but I got a Pro model RI Dano with the adjustable bridge. I've tried many a $1,500.00 guitar, but I am satisfied with the Dano. I also use a Boss DD-5 in the effects loop of the ? Flanger. I just started playing guitar again, and I've got the effects down to a manageable level.

This thing gave me a Leslie sim (Fast-Vibrato)out of the box, after reading instructions, I got phasing, tremelo, chorus, "tuned" pseudo ring modulation, echoplex like delay with the DD5 in the effects loop. I also got some fucked up sounds. The unit self oscillates, it also will take your DD-5 and make it sound like an echoplex, and then beyond that to the point where you are making sounds that would only be possible with a studio tape deck, and some good drugs. And yeah, like the previous reviewer stated, the toughest thing to do is get a straight ahead flange. I had to read the manual 3 times before I could get a flange. But what a flange. This is no $50 flanger.

I've had it for a month. No problems. I'm afraid to take it out of the house, though.

Vlad has returned both of my e-mails within six hours. Suport this company folks. Don't buy cheap-ass pedals, or get raped for an old beat up piece of "vintage" gear. One Lovetone pedal beats 20 Boss or 40 DOD pedals.

I judge my purchases by how I feel when I look at the equipment. I look at somethings and I see a waste of money (and regret). I can't be the only one, look at all of the used gear available everywhere. I look at the ? Flanger, and I smile. I'm glad I bought it. The price is steep, but people are paying $700 for RI echoplexes. People are paying $300 for old shitty EH electric mistresses.

If your choice is between paying the rent (or getting your girlfiend a birthday present) and getting the pedal, pay your rent. But, if you were looking at spending this kind of dough, then do it.

This thing is musical, the choices will seem overwhelming at first, and after a month, I'm still getting new sounds out of this unit. My only bitch, is that I don't think it has true bypass. Although in defense of the unit, I don't think that true bypass is possible, due to the complicated nature of the unit. I could be wrong about this.

I hope that Lovetone remains in business. I hope they make money, so they can follow this up. I would recomend this to anyone. I bought this sight unseen, based on reviews of Lovetone on H-C, as well as their websight (and samples). I also noticed that these pedals do not lose their value when being resold.

I know I gave a bunch of 10's, but I feel they are deserved. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

WOW...this pedal is absolutely deep. If you didnt get the hang of the Ring Stinger, you will just sit and stare at the ?...but, if you're brave enough to dig in...it will blow your mind.

It's Lovetone...you know it's great.
Honestly, I've been pulling every sound I've never even imagined...but I have not yet pulled a straight up flange. Like I said, this box is not straight ahead. The obvious is not obvious...but with the sounds you will get from this box, you wont mind taking the senic route. I really like the hiss that you can dial in...taking the pedal from pristine to lo-fi with the twist of a knob.

I've never had a problem, and I own them all. With all of the buttons and knobs, you could be fooled into believing that the unit is fragile...it's not. I wouldn't drop it off of a building or anything, but I'd gig with it without a worry.

Vlad sets the standard. He has always been helpful, and has often suggested pedal configurations.

I play in a rock band that goes from screaming garage rave-ups to intimate melodic psychedelia. I have been playing for almost 5 years. I own every Lovetone pedal, less the Brown Source in it's original form (though I have a Source Cheese). If the ? were stolen, I'd go broke replacing it. The ? is is going straight into my studio bag of tricks. I love the versatility of the pedal, and it's ability to create completely new sounds. I wish it were a bit easier to understand. I also wish that it came with a power supply for the price I paid. The ? is a serious tone machine. I can see it being the kind of tool that will have people scratching their heads...wondering how I got "that" sound. I give it a 9 because it is over the heads of the average user...and the wallet. I swear by Lovetone effects though, and at the very least, had to have it for the collection...though it will see some extraordinary use.