Lovetone Doppelganger Phaser/Vibrato

Another quick note here, since some reviews have been posted which refer to (and take issue with) my earlier addendum that the Dopp can't sound like a "deep 70s phaser" a la the Small Stone or bi-phase or what have you.

I just want to say my Dopp is an older version and doesn't have the Super Slow LFO mode or the Square Wave switch. So i can't speak to the newer models, but I can say that having since acquired an EH PolyPhase and a couple of different Univibe Clones (the best of which is a Sweetsound Mojo Vibe--KILLER sounding unit), I stand by my earlier assessment. As one reviewer notes here, the Dopp is like a refined Univibe, and as anyone who has played through a Univibe can tell you, the "phaser" setting on a Univibe sounds completely different than other famous phasers like the Small Stone or Phase 90. The Dopp sounds much more like my Mojo Vibe than my PolyPhase, and no matter where i set the knobs, I can't get that super swirly 70s sound out of the Dopp. You can still get a host of amazing sounds, and the previous reviewer's point that the Dopp can imitate a TON of sounds for a little more than the price of a good Univibe clone is valid. I mean, the Mojo sounds utterly incredible, but it's a one-trick pony. If I could only have one phaser/Univibe type unit, the Dopp would be it, but since I have a variety of different modulation pedals, I feel like I can speak knowledgably and say the Dopp can't do it all. Then again, maybe the Super Slow LFO function would help capture some of the sounds on those old records...

The point remains this: the Dopp is dead quiet and can be totally transparent or thick and "effecty." You can't say this for too many phasers, and the great ones it can't imitate (Small Stone, etc.) are tone-suckers which impose their sound on your signal at any setting. The Dopp wins for versatility and sound quality for sure, but if you need the sound of "Wading in a Velvet Sea," get yourself a Small Stone.

True to Lovetone's philosophy, this box does what normal Phasers do and takes it so much further. That said, it's much more complex than your run-of-the-mill stompbox and as such, requires a sophisticated user with a sense of adventure.

It features knobs to control two independant LFOs, Span (which controls depth and the center point for the sweep), Colour (which is a very subtle tone generator), and Blend which is exactly what it sounds like.

The various switches and chicken-head knobs take care of activating the Phase, switching between single or double LFO, bringing the LFOs in or out of phase with eachother, determining Bypass style, setting sine (actually this might be a subtle saw-wave) or square wave, and a special switch that creates very slow LFO 1 sweeps.

With all of this stuff, you'd think it was ridiculously complex. Yes and no. Yes, there are many perameters and each one does a huge change to the sound with only a small change in position. However, the controls make sense once you've played with them a bit and the manual (after a couple careful reads) is extremely helpful. It becomes intuitive (and much easier to anticipate) as you become familiar with the controls. All in all, it has a steep learning curve with a very worthwhile and flexible result.

Believe it or not, this effect is being used in a rig for a saxophone. I run an AKG clip-on mic into a transducer, then through a series of other Lovetone pedals, an EHX Memory Man, and then into a PA. The chain looks like this currently:

EHX Microsynth (for octaves) -> Lovetone Meatball -> Lovetone Cheesesource -> Lovetone ? -> Lovetone Doppelganger -> EHX Memory Man

Obviously, I love Lovetone. Why? Quite simply, they provide so much color and style to your sound and don't contribute anything negative. Being a horn player, I can't accept anything fuzzy or buzzy creeping into my signal. A little light hum doesn't have the same charm as it does in a rock set-up. The DG comes through providing a clean, warm sound with the ultimate in transparency.

Just a warning though...take the time to figure out everything before you hit the stage and write all of your settings down. You'll never remember where everything goes without a guide.

I've had this unit long enough to feel confident in it's design. It's clean, well built, and solid. I would and do use it without a back-up simply because no-one I know can afford more than one. There are sturdier designs but I have faith in this one.

Whatever you've heard, and whatever they say on the boards, Lovetone's guys are beautiful cats. Vlad was very quick and patient (and enthusiastic) in all of his responses and I've been working with Dan (at www.dinosaural.com) on all sorts of things in regard to my unique situation. He's been very patient and extremely helpful in getting my rig off the ground. It would be an understatement to say they stand behind their work.

I'm a sax player of 17 years who has played in a lot of different groups...everything from jazz groups, to fusion bands, to rock quartets, to funk-infused jam bands (most recently Octopotamus in Boston <- shameless plug). When I decided I needed to take things really out sonically, I started trolling on the boards here. Once Lovetone got in my radar and I got to sample the sounds trapped in each box, I got hooked and now there's no looking back. I would be crushed if someone swiped my Lovetones but I'd buy everyone of them again in a heartbeat (after selling my legs for the necessary cash). This pedal, and all of theirs for that matter, are works of art and they've allowed me to enter worlds I never thought existed.

One last thing: all you Lovetone users out there...I encourage you to e-mail me to swap settings and tricks. I'm convinced that I've only tapped the surface of these things. If you have any of these guys, I know you probably feel the same.

This pedal is pretty tricky and at first off it struck me as being nothing that special. Only over time (2 years +) have been able to relize its potential for my sound. The two LFOs (low frequency oscillators) rates (which can be controlled via footpedal) plus the respective span controls, phase control, blend control, colour (resonance) control, phase mode, vibrato mode, and (for the updated version) ultra slow option for LFO1 and square wave LFO1 all interacting can produce a million different tones, but being able to tailor so many aspects of the sound is a double-edged sword for sure. It seems to me that since the unit is capable of such extremes, it requires very specific tweaking to even produce what is in essence the "same" sound from two different instruments. I would recommend reading the manual as thouroughly as you can because there are certain things with this pedal that are unnexpected. For example, the colour control (I believe this corresponds to "depth" control on other phasers) only affects the low frequency side of the pedal, but it is mentioned almost as an afterthought in the manual. In the end, there is no substitute for good old experimentation and this pedal really does deliver just about everything Lovetone says it does, in my opinion, it can just take awhile to get the sounds just right.

OK, here is the part everyone wants to know - "WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE????" I use the Dopp with a variety of instruments, including a knock-off strat, Carvin LB75 bass, and a Fender Rhodes electric piano, and often times use it in conjunction with my Lovetone Cheese Source dual-distortion pedal. I usually run any of these insruments into my homemade (mostly) blackface specification Fender Showman. As for noise, unless you run this thing on full colour and span, the only way to tell its on is to play something.

Obviously, I am giving a subjective judgement and I am not helped by my lack of experience with other analog phase units. However, I have had this unit for several years and I am further helped with a fair amount of knowledge (and an almost fanatical interest) in the workings of analog electronics. As far as I can tell this unit is an extremely evolved Univibe, as it uses the same optical sensor (photocell) method of phasing that the Univibe employs and the Univibe was also a phase/vibrato. I should caveat that I have never played a Univibe, but I am very familiar with Hendrix's use of the effect as well as other players (Trey from Phish I believe has used Bob Bradshaw's univibe unit for quite some time). The Univibe similarity gives this pedal a watery/spacey sound on almost all settings, which I believe gives it the edge for lending subtle texture and depth to otherwise flat sounds. Vibrato mode excels at this, and I really love the vibraphone effect it can give, very chill and airy, and mighty tasty on electric guitar or the Rhodes. The square wave setting gives an extra chunky sound, with almost a gate/trem sound on vibrato setting. Most of the sounds that I like on this unit are on lower colour and span settings, and often out of phase if I'm only using LFO1. I am starting to like the funky wah-wah tone you can get with LF Span to the max, especially on bass.

Others have mentioned it, but I must reiterate that the span and colour conrols are *very* sensitive. Also, you must consider that out of those three controls, LF span and colour are directly linked, whereas HF span is solely responsible for the sound coming from that side of the pedal (HF span is tricky, sometimes the sound will disappear when you crank it, but reappear at about halfway down). Running high colour and span settings on the original range of speeds will sometimes produce a muddy/chunky or wobbly/detuned effect, so the addition of the ultra slow LFO expands the usefulness of this pedal significantly. The original range of speeds for LFO1 was just a little to far on the fast side, especially if you want a thicker, "whoosh"-ing sort of phase tone.

From what I can tell at least one review here suggests that the thick whooshing phase tone is just not possible with the Dopp and I would like to take issue with at least some aspect of that statement, but also hopefully in the process I will give you a clearer picture of what the Dopp actually sounds like. As I mentioned before, I believe that this pedal can do all that Lovetone and the glowing reviews from their website say it can, but it does all of these different things with its own character, which I believe to be very much Univibe. Chorus, phasing, and vibrato are all there, and even though the controls are sometimes tempermental, I feel that you can get awesome quality versions of each of these effects on many different settings, but you usually have to fine tune your first attempt at any particular sound. It ultimately *cannot* sound, at least on faster settings, exactly like a small stone or a phase 90, which I believe (guess) have different circuits with more phase stages (???). Also, from what I can tell, the thicker "whoosh"-ing phase sound only comes through clearly with ultra slow LFO1 (I like it at 3/4 speed) driving both sides in phase with the colour, span, and blend all past 12 o'clock, phase mode, of cour

I bought this new and I've relied on this and my other Lovetone equipment in gig situations without a backup, even allowing them to (unintentionally) recieve some abuse here and there, so I'll probably keep on using this unit in gigs without a backup, however I must add that I feel it is critical to limit smoke (and idiot) exposure for expensive gear like the Doppleganger that is analog and has numerous switches/jacks. I'm continuosly surprised by the number of musicians who take smoke exposure for granted. For me, I put stuff like the Dopp in its case ASAP when not in use.

Of course, if I could afford it I would get a backup, but thats not likely to happen soon. In the end I'm confident that Lovetone's solid steel construction is adequate and short of spilling liquid all over it, I think you'd have to try pretty hard to kill this thing. Nonetheless, I will be vigilant ...

Ahhhh, thank you Vlad (main customer contact) and Dan (chief designer), you guys have done it right!!! You deal directly with Vlad or (now) Dan whenever you deal with Lovetone. Many (including myself) have been a little nervous about damaging our precious Lovetones and being screwed, because even though they have a 1 year warranty on new purchases, they have sometimes come off as not interested in repairing used stuff and, last year, they appeared to going away forever. In hindsight this is probably due to the fact that they were so busy for so long, running a small operation and all. Now there is Dinosaural, Dan's business which is dedicated to servicing Lovetone products, and so it would appear that even when Lovetone is gone there will be someone to service Lovetones. Yea!!!

However, on the issue of upgrades, I would very much like to see Dan add an upgrade so that the earlier units can become the final version of the Doppleganger (as he currently does for their Wobulator). It is unfortunate, but the unit I am reviewing is not technically mine anymore; I have sold it to a guitar playing friend and occasional bandmate who has let me watch over it for a little while. The ultra slow LFO in particular gives a completeness to this pedal that none can match, IMHO. I think I will ask Dan about the possibility of this soon ...

I play all types of music. I was trained in classical piano young (and through high school), studied trumpet in primary school, jazz trumpet and french horn in high school. That is when I began playing string instruments, starting bass and guitar both about 7-8 years ago. Rock and electrified music in general is more of hobby for me right now; currently, my main gig is an acoustic bluegrass/string band. I still am quite serious about playing rock and electrified music, its just on hiatus for the time being.

Hendrix is one of my first loves in rock music, so naturally when I heard of Lovetone I was drawn to this pedal, the Big Cheese, and the Ring Stinger (though octave fuzz is a very small part of its sound). I think Lovetone designed all their pedals to work very well with each other, because the Cheese Source I own sounds awesome with this pedal, as does my Ring Stinger.

I have already mentioned some units that I would consider (somewhat) comparable to this one, though I guess I forgot the Mutron Biphase, which is perhaps the holy grail of phase pedals, though difficult to find with both expression pedals. I would certainly look into other (cheaper) pedals if disaster struck the Doppleganger. I dearly love the wide pallete of colors this box can provide, but they are expensive and can be tough to get a good sound out of sometimes. Still, this box is not so complicated that its impossible to use live, and the dual pedal facility puts this unit in the same class as the Biphase .... and no other phase unit! Considering the ridiculous prices Biphases can capture at auction, I'm perfectly content with seeking out another Dopp if I really needed all that it can offer, like the dual pedal facility. Still, for overall rating this pedal is not quite a 10 and really not a 9 either, I wish I could give it an 8.5, with a mint Biphase ($$$) being a 10, if they sound as good as I imagine they do.

this pedal isn't as easy to use as it looks. the 1st LFO sweeps low freqencies and the 2nd LFO sweeps high. understanding this and getting the best sounds out of the doppelganger can take a little while

the sound quality on this phaser is (i think) unmatched by any other phaser I own (moogerfooger and infinitphase mkII) which are pretty crucial phasers. the lovetone is extremely smooth and the phasing can be kind of subtle (but still totally present). mine has the slow LFO and square wave LFO switches. the slow LFO is really cool and can add great movement over some delays or something. the moogerfooger would be almost as good sounding as the lovetone if it had a mix control.

I haven't had any problems but this pedal is not as study as a lot of cheaper pedals. because these things are so expensive realiability kind of becomes an issue. espacially with lovetone out of buisiness and all. occasianlly I will step on the vibrato switch and the LFOs will just freeze, if I step on it again it usually starts back up. this has happened 2 maybe 3 times.

I can't really see there being much support since lovetone is no more. although they are reissueing meatballs and cheese sources so i think so maybe they're comin back.

this thing sounds great, but costs wads of cash and has no kind of warranty that kind of makes takes away from the rating as does questionable reliability. musically there is no equal to this pedal if this thing were built in a metal enclosure by a company still doing buisiness it might have a 10.

This is really an addendum to a post I submtted a few years back. I'm basically writing to clarify a few things and to admit that I was overzealous and a bit ignorant in my original post. After shelling out $350 for this thing, it stands to reason that I would slobber all over the place and sing its praises to the Guitar Heavens, but a few years spent as its companion have chastened me a bit. Now to the point: it's not "easy" to use. You may not be able to dial in the sounds you want immediately, or, more importantly, EVER. I lost a notebook which had my favorite settings in it a looooong time ago and I haven't had the patience to sit down and figure them all out again, so obviously, it's a complicated beast. One LFO, two LFO, in or out of phase, spectral or true bypass, and the damn Hi-Freq spanner is so subtle I'm not sure whether it does anything or not! But I stand by my initial statement that most settings on this bad boy sound great, so forget about the sounds in your head, TWEAK and PLAY.

This is where the Dopp shines. It doesn't suck your tone like a Small Stone (which I also own). In fact, in the Spectral setting (NOT True Bypass), it colors your tone in a positive way, making it sound slightly thicker more Hendrix-ian. (I know that's vague, but the English language does a poor job of describing sound--I guess it makes your tone "thicker" and cuts the hgih-end a bit, if that helps.) NOT NOISY, ever, as far as I can tell. Can be SUPER SUBTLE with the Color knob turned down, or annoyingly powerful with the same knob up and the Low-Freq spanner cranked wide open. (Gets that auto-wah sound someone else here mentioned--glad he found a use for it because I haven't.) Now here's the catch, and the reason I'm writing this addendum to my previous post. I initially stated that this baby can do it all--"the deep, milky swells of the Small Stone, the watery sheen of the Phase 90"--etc etc. HORSEshit. When I wrote that, I was suffering from youthful delusion and pure ignorance. Back in '99 I didn't know a Small Stone from a cow's teat, but I can tell you this: the Dopp cannot simulate/produce the classic phase tone heard on records by the Smashing Pumpkins, Heart, Phish, and about a million others. Nine times out of ten, that's the Small Stone at work, and the Dopp simply can't get that deep and swirly without sounding "honky" or "edgy" or "rough." This is a bummer, because I absolutely LOVE that sound, and my Small Stone cuts my guitar's volume like Jack the Ripper on a bender, and is thus unusable except for bedroom-based psychedelia. Anyway, I'm not discounting the Dopp. It's an incredibly lush, studio-ready, rugged, badass piece of gear. I have also become quite enamored of its Vibrato mode over the past year or so--VERY Univibe-ish, and if tweaked properly can add gorgeous harmonic thickness to both clean and distorted tones. And I should mention that the Dopp handles lead playing and single-note lines very well, which is an advantage over most phasers. In short, the Sound Quality is still top notch but buyers should know that a lot of those deep phased sounds from classic records can not be achieved with this pedal. And now that these things are no longer made and prices are getting ludicrous, that's an important thing to know. I've got a Polyphase on the way and I'm hoping it will provide some of the deep phase vibe I'm looking for without killing my tone the way the Small Stone does. If so, I'll probably place the Dopp on "Univibe" mode and let the PolyPhase take care of the rest.

Had it for four years and had no problems. I don't gig much, but it's still seen a lot of travel time, plus spent months in the care of reckless friends, and never failed to perform. Others have had problems with Lovetone gear though, so it's a toss of the die, from what I can tell. (I don't think I'd gig with it, only because I can't afford to lose it... these things are getting scarcer by the day!)

They were plenty helpful back in the day, but they've since folded and I hear lots of horror stories. If something breaks, you'd probably have o consult a local techie rather than Lovetone.

I've been playing for roughly a decade. I play mostly jammy, improvisational psychedelia, with an emphasis on interesting SOUNDS. I own too much gear, but The Dopp is a keeper. It's the most versatile phaser ever, even if it can't do everything. It reacts extremely well with other pedals and enriches whatever tone you've already got going. (In contrast, a Small Stone will impart its "signature sound" on anything it touches--not a bad thing, but that's the difference.) No matter how broke I get, no matter how dire the consequences, I will not part with this pedal (a lesson learned after I sold a Swollen Pickle back when Way Huge was still in business, telling myself I could simply replace it in a few months... HA! You all know how that story ends). If it were stolen or lost, I would start bombarding Mike Fuller with emails, "politely" suggesting that Fulltone make a True Bypass phaser borrowing from the old EH and Mutron designs. That's the only thing I can imagine that would sound better than the Dopp (and it'd be a lot safer to gig with). I think this pedal will be a collectible someday, but more importantly, it helps me make better music NOW. Would be a ten if it weren't for the price and the fact that Lovetone is AWOL.

Not at all difficult to learn how to operate...if you have a manual. the learning curve on the basics is low, but the curve on the pedal overall is enormously steep. even after 6 months of ownership youll still find new sounds in it.

i give it an 8, because i had a manual. w/o it, id give it a 5.

ive owned 2 different doppelgangers, a '96 and a '02. the '96 had power issues, but the '02 works flawlessly. when i first bought the doppelganger, i was disappointed w/ my purchase, but after reading the manual a bit and playing around w/ it for a few hours, i was completely sold on it. best phaser ive ever heard, hands down. theres none of that harsh, metallic digital sweep noise coming out of this pedal. the earlier pedal seemed to affect the tone a tad more. your original guitar tone will really shine through on the revision. the '96 will completely drench your tone w/ modulation. i prefer the latter. the tone is crystal, switching is clean and no unwanted buzzes, pops, clicks...

but where this pedal achieves some of it best results is on low colour settings, especially in vibrato mode. its a fantastic way to fatten your clean tone. you wont even notice a difference when youre playing, but when you turn off the dopp you'll be able to tell immediately that something is missing.

lovetone pedals are very tempramental. i have had 2 bum lovetones (out of 5) and have heard of more than a few others having problems w/ them. the pedals theselves seem sturdy enough for studio and bedroom playing. i dont know if id gig w/ it.

ive sent 3 emails to vlad in the past year, got one reply. shouldnt really expect too much, though.

the perfect phaser.

Altough the Doppleganger has a bevy of knobs and switches staring back at you, it's really not too hard to decipher. More complicated than the average phaser, yes, but not as complicated as a their flanger, filtering device and ring modulator. The double sided, single sheet manual which comes with the Dopp is straightforward and explains the functions adequately.

I use the Doppleganger with a 65 Fender Jazzmaster and a 91 Charvel Surfcaster played thru a 65 reissue Fender Twin Reverb. The Dopp is dead quite, which is a rarity amongst phaser pedals. The Doppleganger has two modes vibrato & phaser. But what really makes the Dopp stand out is it's dual LFO's and out of phase capability. Used in conjunction with distortion or fuzz and a foot pedal to vary the LFO1 rate, the vibrato section of the Dopp nails the stoned funk sounds of Hendrix's Band of Gypsys. Also in vibrato mode, I like to roll off the colour (resonance) knob and play clean jazz lines. Doing this gives a subtle movement to the notes. Most of my use with the Doppleganger is in the phaser mode. Tight 70's clean phased funk rhythms come naturally to the Dopp. Using the Dopp in conjunction with Lovetone's Big Cheese fuzz pedal, I tried to capture Ernie Isley's over the top phased fuzz tone of "That Lady". I couldn't quite mange to get the synth like sounds which Ernie got. With the LF span knob panned full on, the Dopp's LFO has a very deep wah like sucking sound, which can work well with the funky side of things, but doesn't sound that great for your garden variety lush pahser sounds. Tweaking the colour and LF span (low frequency ocillator depth) knobs will help create more woosh. When playing in ambient or psychedelic styles, I like to use the out of phase function and/or dual LFO mode. To me, this is where the Doppleganger earns it's high price. While these functions get lost and blurred in the funk, they can replicate all sorts of pharmaceutical induced states when used in droney, textural and minimalist music. Seriously, you can get seizures by concentrating on the dual LFO pulsing out of synch with each other. LFO2, which is the high frequency LFO, is very, very subtle, so subtle that I never bother adusting it's depth from full on. The richness of the Doppleganger's LFO's can be best experienced by setting up a drone, via E-Bow, on the E or A string and subtly manipulating the various knobs. I've been able to nail the phasing sounds, which Sonic Boom achieves on his Experimental Audio Research, Phenomena 255 CD. I also like to use the Dopp in my Big Briar Moogerfooger analog delay's external loop. Since the Dopp primarily works the lower frequencies, It's easy for the Dopp to self oscillate, which in turn causes the delay to distort in a wonderful Gyorgy Liget 2001 way. The two foot pedal jacks are for contolling LFO1 and LFO2 rates. I use a Boss FV-50 volume pedal, but for some reason, the full sweep (about half of the Dopp's rate knob range)only works with the rate panned all the way to it's fastest. Adjusting the rate knob further left, the lowest rate still remains the same. So with the knob settting at halway, there is no sweep capability with the foot pedal. LFO2 is too subtle for me to use the foot pedal. Oh, one last little Dopp feature, is a true and spectral switch. On the true setting your signal remains in the circuitry path, which enables you to vary your tone via the colour and blend knobs. Evidently this very subtle feature was inspired by some of Hendrix's effects, which created the same type of tonal shaping. Truely a feature for the most hardcore Hendrix freaks.

The only problem I've encountered with the Dopp, is a weakened output signal. This rarely happens and is rectified by reconnecting the various jacks or switching the unit on & off. Since I'm strictly a hobbiest, my Doppleganger hasn't seen the stage, but it seems sturdy enough.

I've dealt with Lovetone in regards to one of their other pedals and they were extremely helpful.

Prior to my purchase of the Doppleganger, I owned a Boss Super Phaser pedal. The Boss pedal is a good solid phaser with 6 and 12 stage phasing capability. It's a bit noiser, has a lot less sound sculpting capability, but has a good modern phasing sounds and at less than a third of the price of the Doppleganger, probably a more sensible choice for anyone looking for good phaser sounds. Like all of Lovetone's pedals, the Dopplegager takes some playing around with, as well as miximg and matching with other effects, to fully understand it's capabilities. What first struck me about the Dopplegagner is it's decidedly old school vibe . The Dopp doesn't have the lushness associated with phasing sounds from the past twenty years. But the Doppleganger also doesn't overtake your natural tone like other phasers. It works organically with the sound source. This is the greatest difference, I found between the Doppleganger and the Boss pedal. Since the price difference between the Dopp and other phasers is quite large, I wouldn't recommend straightforward rock and funk players making the Dopp plunge. Buy a Boss Super Phaser instead. Musicians who are interested in more outre styles, such as, the minimilast sounds of La Monte Young and Steve Reich, will love this pedal. The gorgeous sounds which you will be able to get from the out of phase and dual LFO settings are to my knowledge unavailable on other phasers. Your financial setback will be worth it. My only knocks against the Doppleganger are it's lack of a higher phase staging capability and lack of ability to achieve slower rates. These above two features are stunnigly available on Big Briar's phaser, but the Big Briar doesn't have dual phasing or a vibrato mode. No phasing pedal available has everything.

Takes a bit of adjustment of the ear to get used to how the twin LFOs work. Once you've got it you get a feel for how it will sound with the Low LFO set low and the High set high and vice versa. Compared to Roger Mayer unit the adjustments seem far more logical whereas on the RM unit you feel like you are having to tune the circuit yourself to make it work. I like the fact that you can turn one of the LFO's off with a footswitch.

The Univibe connection seems to have been played down, yet when you look inside it seems that it is a very similar circuit. More importantly I don't use my original Univibe anymore as this is more than accurate enough and without the unwanted brightness of the RM unit. I didn't like electronic vibrato before I bought this unit and this unit has done nothing to change my opinion, although at least you can minimise the pitch change so that your instrument doesn't actally sound terribly out of tune.

This is where things go wrong. It's a '98 unit which I bought from a guy who said he had never used it. Well that was a great cover because when I got it it was completely useless. It would bang when knocked or if the amp was set too high and one of the pots was not working properly. I had to take the pot apart and also resolder the back of the PCB before the dry joint was cured to remove the banging sounds.

I have emailed Lovetone twice about the above, how to get a manual, and how to get a new pot and have received nothing. Yet when I enquired about new products I got a very rapid response.

According to my experience I cannot recommend this product. It sounds good but it is also expensive, even used. At those prices one expects high quality. I've had lots of effects and don't recall ever experiencing this kind of failure. Furthermore I cannot imagine being left without support after such inconvenience. If the problem is with me buying a used product then Lovetone is making a huge mistake. What very often helps drive demand for a product is a healthy used market. This company seems to have great designs but I'm wondering if their marketing model has been thought through well enough. It certainly seems strange that they don't sell through dealers, yet charge a lot for the products. As for the low life that sold me the unit .........

Not the easiest pedal to use but easier than a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe. I bought it used and I didn't have a manual. After spending a little time with it I was up and running.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years. I play mostly noise pop and
vintage rock, surf, country etc. For amps I use Marshall and Fender reissues, Hiwatts, Orange and Sound City. For guitars, it's American Fenders and Hamer USA.

I was looking for a couple of great phasers to replace my Vintage EH Small Stone and my reissue MXR Phase 90 so I bought a Mooger Frooger and a Lovetone Doppelganger. The Doppelganger sounds great and with all of it's footswitching functions a good number of sounds can be accessed live. You can do a lot with this pedal. Traditional phaser sounds are only the tip of the iceberg.

As far as which one sounds better, the Lovetone, or the Mooger Frooger, they're both great, but the Mooger Frooger edges out the Lovetone slightly in the sound department.

For versatility, again they are both great and offer way more in the way of sonic experimentation than any other phaser, but the Lovetone takes this category in my opinion.

Seems pretty reliable. I'm not sure how well the rivets (hinges) that hold the unit together will hold up over time.

Well when I e-mailed them about buying a new unit they answered my e-mail very quickly. Since I e-mailed them about buying a manual for my used unit they have been less than prompt in replying. It's been a little over two weeks and despite the fact that I sent 2 e-mails I have yet to hear from them. In contrast, when I sent an e-mail to Big Briar about a manual for my Mooger Frooger they sent me a FREE manual very promptly.

The Lovetone Doppelganger is a great sounding and versatile pedal. Sure you have to sell your children on the black market to be able to afford one but it's totally worth it. Get one NOW!

Complicated, yet fun! Does what everyone says it does, pretty much. Like most of the Lovetone stuff, it takes a little while to understand what's going on, but then it's easy to dial in what you want. With the 3 footswitches you can have as many as 4 different settings available without turning a single knob.

It's very quiet. You can use it in a subtle way or make yourself sick with the warbles. I've never been much of a vibrato fan until I got this pedal. It's more "musical" sounding than others I've heard. Cool Radiohead and U2 tones available. It's also cool being able to set the 2 lfo's to different speeds. Sounds very nice. With a Meatball, I can also get some cool organ-like tones from a guitar. Sweet.

Here's the bummer. I had to send the first one back to be replaced. It took a while with overseas mailings. Since I have a Meatball and had a Cheese Source that have never given me problems, I think this just a fluke.

Vlad was very helpful with the prob and paid for all the postage to fix it! Great service.

All the Lovetone stuff is VERY well thought out. Tons of options and great sound quality. I have a lot of boutique gear (S.I.B., Crews, Crowther Audio, Menatone, Z Vex, Vintage Technology etc.) and the Lovetone stuff is in a league all their own. I only give it a 9 since it's really pricy, but it's still worth it if you really want something different.

Most of the things are stated in the reviews below already. At first you'll need about 30minutes of tweaking to figure the main things and to be ready to dial in what you are looking for. The depth not only adjusts the sweep broadness of the phaser but also drives the unit a bit harder, so a very slight and pleasant overdrives occures. You can also control the amount of resonance of the phasers filtering which makes it really versatile *in front* of an overdrive/dist. pedal (sounds like some sort of mild Wha whith the resonance further than 9 'o clock). However, normally you would patch it in almost as tthe last piece in your effect chain, to give your sound some depth and liveliness. All in all, after getting it to know, very easy to use, live and in studio.

It is extremely quite like all the Lovetone gear. In fact you can also use it as a studio effect device (I lent it to a friend of mine once who wanted to mangle his drum loops with it and was really pleased). For my guitar play I use it almost only in phaser mode, because it makes the guitar sound so much deeper, funkier and gives you that certain attack when playing clean to slightly overdriven, that lets you cut through without annoying everyone. Also - as stated above - it can dispend the need for a Wah sometimes if properly adjusted. I have it almost always on (though it's good to know that it has true bypass - but who needs it?) because you can turn it down to be almost unhearable - but when you switch it off you know that something important is missing. This pedal can take you from an very mild and lush deepening of your sound to some extremely bent sounds but you'll probably end up using it in the civilezed range even if you are into extreme sounds. I play everything from ultra-clean glass-funk to the most broken-up farting-kraut-rock to slow-riff industrial-waste metal... the Doppelganger is with me. For those of you who like comparisons: it has a much wider range of sounds than an MXR (my previous phaser pedal) and is more defined than an EH SmallStone.

Have it for about 8months now - and it did never let me down. However, the housing of the Lovetone Pedals is a bit strange - quite big and made of comparably thin welded steel. But most other effect pedals are made out of aluminum and therefore need to be thicker. Everybody else told me that Lovetone pedals are really reliable though they feel a bit like a big box full of air.

Vlad @ Lovetone is quite helpful and responded to all my emails within a few hours (!). He will also keep you informed about new products that are about to come and he even does not bother to ask after some months if you are satisfied with his product. I feel, they do care.

I'd buy it again. Its a secret behind a 'happening' tone, something that can juice your sound up without letting everybody know 'Now I have dialed in another effect!". If you are sometimes wondering why some recording always sounds a bit deeper and more powerful than you can get with your setup, chances are that they used an UniVibe or something similar - like the Doppelganger. I cannot confirm - like others did - that you can duplicate an UniVibe but who cares. Its great for funk, it works a treat in front of a good overtone-sensitive overdrive, it lends your guitar some of jimi's soul - what more can you expect? Well - you can always whish for more, can you?

I bought this pedal used from rudys music in NYC (rudys has some good stuff, but you will pay!!) after i had purchased a big cheese from Lovetone. at the time i purchased the cheese, Rudy's was no longer selling Lovetone (direct only), so the salesguy (no longer there) says, "ah what to you want the Dopp for? Go buy a biphase, its the same thing!!". Mind you a month earlier this same guy was extolling the virtues of all loovetone pedals and he uses them every night in his rig. I preface my review with this experience because: Lovetone pedals are NOT EASY TO USE. That is, its not easy to use relative to Boss or VooDoo Labs pedals (plug and play). It is, however, easy to get sounds out of this box that you wouldnt have ever known to ask from your basic stomp fare. That said, i dont want to see anybody ripping this pedal because they couldnt get that Kurt/one knob/chorus/Nirvana tone. You have quite a few options to play with, as there are two LFO's (HF & FH), speed and depth for each, a color knob which is kind of an EQ(??), CV input for rate control of each LFO, phase switch, and phase/chorus stompswitch. If i missed something, my bad, as i'm writing this at work from the top of my head.

If you havent gotten it already, this is another pedal that's not for "bedroom level"(?????) weekend warriors. Ive had this box for 2 years, and i find you get the full effect and full aubible benefit of this box with your amp set clean and turned up .this pedal has the ability to dirty your sound up all by itself, but again you need to turn up. Turning the color knob will clean up the tone if you want sparkly clean lines . If you really want distortion use a fuzz in front or behind (i use a Fulltone '69 pedal with a RMC 3 Custom wah in front of that). With a setup like this and the expression pedals hooked up (passive only!!), you can cop a pretty decent univibe phase/chorus or a cranked Magnatone vibrato. Currently i run this behind my Wobulator and sinc the speed to get a stereo vibrato sound. Each LFO modulates in its respective frequency, high freq and low freq. Its actually possible to comp a bass note at one speed and depth and fret high notes at another. This makes rhythm playing a real treat.

Ahh thats where these pedals shine. These boxes get used by me and my band. to get similar sounds i would have to break out the Bi-phase, the Uni-vibe and the Gretsch Tremofect. Granted each of these boxes probably does what it does better than the Dopp, but at a Jam or a Gig , you cant beat the sturdy construction, battery operation and the fact that theyre still made eases pedal theft. worries. Another thing is the controller option. If your expression pedal breaks - get another one. Try that with a Bi-Phase!!!!

Once again theres nothing "easy" about Lovetone. All thier pedals are made AND sold in England, which means you have to call overseas and order the pedal and arrange to be home for delivery, as sometimes the fed-ex guy will hit you for customs duty. And thats if you have a credit card ! If not, you have to convert your currency to punds sterling via bank check and send it registered mail and still arrange to be home for delivery with yet another 50 or so bucks just in case. I opted to pay the extra 40 dollars for fed ex just so i could track the package and schedule delivery, which took a day and a half. Regular air mail takes about a week. WHEW!!! But once you get the gear you're set, Vlad guarantees these pedals for a year and answers all e-mails himself. As yet, ive had no problems, but i sleep well knowing theres a person behind the product

Some people say i have gear aquisition syndrome, but i feel each effect has its own inegrity and soul. These boxes with the flip top and trippy/tasteful color scheme inspire me to play old songs in a different and better way. Also, knowing that i can leave the "good" stuff at home inspires my playing as well. If your one of those rare players that can actually play, these boxes wont stifle your playing style just because you like to play all six strings. I play and have some of the old EH chorus/phase boxes, and they "effect" my tone a tad much for soloing or anything other than chord vamping. With the Dopp your guitar tone actually gets through, so you can step out with that fast scalar run and not have a detuned, phased pile of junk single note tone. This box, as are the others ARE expensive ($400.00 new)but theyre even more EXPANSIVE!! Well that ends my first review for HC. Please email me if you want to talk about the other effects i have.

Well, this category is sort of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you've got control over so many parameters that you might think it difficult to dial in the sound in your head. You've got single- or dual-LFO operation, a rate knob for each LFO, a span knob for both high- and low-frequencies, a selector for in- or -out-of-phase LFOs, a footswitch for Phaser or Vibrato modes, etc etc. The reason I still give it a ten however, is that there is NO BAD SETTING. really, even if you dont immediately find the sound in your head, all the other noises you stumble across on your way there are so good you won't even care. this thing is SO DARN DEEP its sick!

Like all Lovetone stuff, the Dopp is dead quiet. The effects all sound fantastic, from the musical univibe imitation provided by the vibrato mode to the unbelievably thick swells of the phaser. The dopp is so maleable it can imitate the sounds of any of your favorite phasers- the deep, milky swells of the Small Stone, the watery sheen of the Phase 90, and literally anything in-between. Here's what im running in-line with it: PRS geet --> Teese RMC 3 wah --> Way Huge Saffron Squeeze compressor --> Z Vexx Fuzz Factory --> Fulltone Fulldrive II --> Way Huge Swollen Pickle fuzz --> Doppelganger --> Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man --> Carvin tube amp. It sounds awesome with all of these pedals, especially the fuzz factory (bizarre) and the memory man (i think analog delay sweetens up any pedal pretty much).

Ive heard LOVETONE stuff can be shaky, but its usually only when you receive it. I bought this pedal used and the first owner had no problems so I don't expect any either. still, I'll hold off on my rating for now.

LOVETONE are the greatest- they always replied to my e-mails the next day or earlier, theyre eager to please, and they deliver the goods. I really wish more people would buy their stuff and keep them in business. But i guess it's your loss- just don't complain when the company folds their stuff costs megabucks in a few years... I only wish I could have bought this pedal from them, but I'm a poor college student and I buy ALL of my gear second hand- it's the only way.

I can't believe how good this pedal is. I dreamed of owning a dopp ever since I first visited LOVETONEs web-site over a year ago. Believe me when I say I am not disappointed at all- in fact, it sounds better than I'd hoped, and that's saying a lot. LOVETONE stuff just blows me away- its expensive as hell but it basically packs in every feature you could ever want. For example, both the Meatball and the Dopp have "pedal facility", meaning you can hook up two passiv volume pedals to the in-jacks on the pedal itself and control parameters in real time! Think of the morphing capabilites this would entail with the dopp- your guitar could go from shimmering, hyperspeed phasing to megaslow, molasses tone with the sweep of your foot. My final thought is this: instead of spending $400 bucks on a beat up Polyphase or an early Bad Stone, buy some LOVETONE stuff. It's more reliable, noise-free, and simply ASTOUNDING. Alright, I've ranted long enough- if you've got the bucks, check the dopp out- you wont be disappointed. And if you've got one already and you see this, please send me any choice settings you've discovered, as I'm a little overwhelmed with all the options right now. thanks!

I was just checking over the reviews for this product, as I do periodically for all the guitar paraphanelia that I own. I was disappointed to notice that I still have the only review of this really great pedal. I also realized that I had mentioned a problem in the original, and had never written to speak of its resolution. What a jack-ass I am! After contacting Lovetone about the cut in the signal I was experiencing, they asked me a few questions about the wire connections. I checked them, and had a more knowledgable friend also check them. When I explained this to Lovetone, they told me to send it back. Ten days (if I recall correctly) later I had a new pedal that worked perfectly. I apologize for not posting sooner, and possible misrepresenting the company and their product. The people over at Lovetone are great. Also, let me emphasize that this remains the pride of my pedal arsenal. It is undoubtedly the most versatile, variable, harmonically rich, and trippy phasor I have ever dealt with. So while this may be a year late, thank you to Lovetone.

The Doppleganger is an analog phasor/vibrato unit that has two LFO's. You run them together or separately, in phase or inverted. The vibrato mode is supposedly similar to a uni-vibe (and, according to some reviews, better), but I've never really heard one. It is very subtle. We all know what a phasor sounds like, but this unit is absolutely trippy. Best of all, you absolutely cannot get a bad sound out of this baby. It is unearthly. I would give it a ten except there are so many possibilities- it has 6 knobs, 3 footswitches, and 2 switches- which obviously can get a little confusing. The manual's fairly basic, but in good humor and is pretty informative.

I can't describe the sounds you can get out of this thing- just believe me, it is crazy. Sometimes you forget it's on, because the sounds are so subtle, and sometimes it's so powerful it makes you dizzy. I run it through a crappy amp and guitar (it cost more than the two combined), but it still sounds fantastic. It is dead quiet. Even with everything juiced, you hear nothing when you are not playing, even with distortion.

Well, here's the problem. I just got it today, actually, and although I am in complete awe, it does have a bug. Sometimes when I hit the foot-switches, the sound cuts out, and I have to hit them a few more times to get it going.

I just contacted the company about the problem, and I expect them to be very helpful- they have been so far. It is warrantied for a year anyway.

Buy it again? God, yes. I realize the price is wicked, but it is worth it, and will be worth it in the future. By the way, it has inputs for a foot control for each LFO- which unearths so any possibilities. You never would need another phasor or chorus for that matter, because it can emulate that, too.