Pigtronix EP-1

Ease of use is a two-part answer. As a simple rotary phaser, easy as pie, but flexible and with a bunch of sweet spots for various purposes. Sure, it takes a while to get to know the difference between green light and red light--one is additive, on subtractive, and the difference is subtle but audible.

To get the envelope part dialed in takes some more effort but is well worth it, 'cause that is the novel part of this pedal.

The MARV mod, which mine had (alas, I did say "had" not have, for mine is gone) was much more interesting to me in theory than practice. It allows you to use the LFO and enevlope simultaneously, but I had a hard time finding effective setting for this. It seems inescably brighter in MARV mode and it was very difficult for me to get the env to sound how I like it.

It is not an easy pedal, per se, but that's because it is extremely versatile and powerful, while still being an entirely organic analog sound.

Excellent sound--excellent phasing, and the envelope follower is the killer for me--a whole range of beaituful env. sounds available without sounding like Jerry Garcia--just play a lot with different resonance and intensity settings. You'll be tempted to use this pedal more than you probably should.

It is lush, snappy, weird, all kinds of things.

Can't say--seemed excellently well built.

David answered a few questions promptly.

I traded mine for a very noble purpose and I miss it terribly. I'll pick up another one, most likely with no mods.

This device is more complicated than standard stomp box effects pedals, but if you like tweaking knobs and experimenting with analog devices, this thing can deliver loads of different sounds.

The manual is pretty helpful for getting started and to understand how the controls function.

I had the Marv Mod (great), the Up/Down switch Mod, and the Resonance Boost Mod.

The rating of 6 is not a reflection of a bad pedal, just that it has soooooo much to offer, that it's not easy to quickly dial in a GREAT sound. You can get decent sounds pretty easily, and in fact it's rather hard to make it sound bad.

I use mainly a Carvin DC135 and a 78 Gibson "The Paul" into a Fender Hot Rod Deville or a Pignose G40V or a Marshal DSL 401. Other pedals include a Dunlop JH1 Wah, Fulltone Fulldrive II, Vox Valvetone, Yamaha UD stomp.

The Pigtronix can get all kinds of cool swirly sounds, from Univibe to swooshing phaser to Leslie. The expression pedal jack makes this unit quite useful. Plus you can dial in the Envelope Follower to get some delightful quack envelope filter type sounds.

The sound seems to distort quite a bit at the really low and really high ends of the sweep spectrum. It's not like extra noise, just kind of farty, especially at the low end of the sweep. That's my main gripe about sound quality with this unit. I'd give it a 10 for sound if not for that.

Purchased direct from Dave Koltai. When it arrived the pedal did not work properly.
Symptoms:
1) When using the EF the sensitivity would suddenly not be enough to trigger, even if I adjusted it to maximum.
2) The LFO would just stop moving. The LED pulses with the rate/speed of the LFO, but it would just stop. I could get it to start moving again if I moved the knob, but it would keep stopping.

Cause: The expression and trigger jacks were corroded. Dave Koltai suggested that I spray it with DeOcit, which did the trick.

Also, the unit arrived with worn out and slightly damaged (scratched/knicked) knobs, as well as several very minor blemishes on the case (knicks/scratches/scuffes).

It would list as good/great condition as used, but for new it's way under par. The knobs and case don't affect the sound at all, but paying well over $300 (with mods and shipping) I didn't expect to receive something that wasn't in a reasonably pristine factory mint condition.

I also didn't expect to have to spray the jacks with DeOxit. Seems like the slightest bit of quality assurance could have been done while they were installing the Mods. I was told that it's a very common problem.

I believe they should be treating these at the factory, or switching to another type of jack, if it's a common problem. Beyond that, being that it was also modded, Dave should have taken a second to ensure that this common problem wouldn't occur on THIS pedal while he was doing the mods.

This leaves me unsure of how reliable this product really will be. I've been buying pedals for 20 years and never had any problems like this.

I have mixed feelings about this. Dave was very responsive when I first contacted him to buy the pedal. Talked on the phone for a while about the different mods and he explained a lot about how the pedal works.

The pedal took just a little longer than expected to Mod, but nothing I couldn't handle waiting for.

When the pedal arrived I noticed the "worn" look right away, and sent him an email before even trying it. I mentioned that the pedals don't really affect the sound, and I'd be happy with a T-shirt or some kind of schwag as a consolation gift on good faith.

His reply was only "I can send you new knobs." Not, "I'm sorry, I had it in my hands and can't believe I let it go out like that" or "Please accept my apologies. I WILL (not 'can') send out new knobs right away". I had hoped for a higher level of customer service.

Then when I encountered the functional problems, I emailed again about the symptoms, and how I should approach troubleshooting, and what the return policy was if the product turned out to be defective.

His reply to that was "This is a common problem that is easy to fix.
Get some DeOxit D5 and spray it into the "trigger" and "expression" jacks. ... My return policy is that you should clean the jacks with DeOxit."

This bothered me. It seemed to imply that he wasn't offering to accept a return of his faulty product. If I would have pushed the issue, he may have indeed allowed me to return. But he told me that he doesn't have a return policy because nobody has ever returned a tricked out modded pedal.

I thought that given two instances of poor Quality Assurance on his part, it would at least warrant some kind of apology. He was available, and communicating with me, but didn't seem at all surprised with the problem, or the least bit embarrassed that a product with such obvious flaws went out to a paying customer.

Even more surprising (and disappointing) was that I went out of my way to be very civil and calm about these problems, yet he still seemed a bit annoyed or bothered by all of this. At that point I just asked him if I was annoying him, he said I wasn't and that I had every right to be annoyed with these problems, but it seemed a bit forced since I asked him, and still never any apology for sub-standard quality.

I'm not one to complain (I've never sent food back at a restaurant) but in this case I couldn't accept a faulty pedal, and I was quite friendly and respectful in trying to resolve the matter. I know that many people would have reacted much harsher.

I spent a lot of money on a pedal. I like it. But I just can't give good ratings for the customer support. Sorry Dave, you seem like a nice guy and this pedal is cool, but customer service is important to me. (I gave a good rating for sound)

I play reggae, funk, soul, and rock. Been playing 20 years. If it were stolen or lost, I'd consider replacing it, but would also shop around for other pedals.

I do like the sound and variety of cool options it provides, even stock without any mods.

I wish the resonance control was separate for the LFO and EF.

I compared to the Emma Dicombobulator, Mutron, and many other cool, unique, and boutique envelope filters. I ended up being interested in the phaser, though I was originally looking for a smoother and warmer envelope filter.

I choose it because the initial price is moderate, and the mods are fairly priced, and it's packed with features.

I think it can help make great music. It might get in the way with the wrong settings, or in the wrong place of your signal chain.

Basically, this pedal isn't hard to use if your not a total newbie in effects. Considering that you have to use the Resonance and Intensity knobs for both the EF and the LFO, MAYBE you could have problems getting a good sound for both. Since I'm using mainly the Phaser, I don't have that problem anyway.

The Manual and also Pigtronix' Homepage is very helpful, so you shouldn't stumble over great problems.

I'm using the pedal with custom build Les Paul type guitars; running in the serial fx-loop of my H&K Triamp MKII.

Sound quality is excellent!

What I wanted was basically a low speed, moderate phasing, and I got it. You can also of course go for a faster, fatter sound and anything inbetween if you want. With the character knob and the Invert button you have enough options to fiddle around and find the sound you really like (Pigtronix also offers a few mods).

The Envelope follower, well, I use it from time to time, and it's a nice addition, but I mainly got the EP-1 for the Phaser. However, sound quality is also great.

The whole unit is not noisy or anything, has true bypass, does not change the volume when engaged (which my old Boss Phaser did and I absolutely hate that!) and sounds good with both clean or distortion (which was a big point for me).

You also have the possibility to trigger the effects by an external source, which might come in handy, but I haven't tested it yet.

Anyway, since almost nothing deserves 10 Points, I'm giving a 9 for the full package.

It looks very well built and I'm not expecting any real problems. There
was a little something:

Seems the external trigger inputs had been corroded (look above, I don't use them) and the unit, from time to time, stopped working, well, stopped shifting because it waited for a trigger input which never came I guess.

I emailed David, and he replied shortly with the solution just to treat the inputs with corrosion cleaner and run a jack in and out a few times, and I think the problem is gone.

I don't know if the unit arrived this way or corroded in my practice room. To be true, I never had this sort of problem with other gear, but I don't blame them. Bad luck, I guess.

Anyway, I think you really can depend on the EP-1. No need for a backup. Seems to be solid stuff.

Wished they hadn't used an 12V AC Adapter, though. Of course certain electronics need higher and/or AC voltage, but if this thing breaks, it will probably be a little harder to replace than your average 9 or 12V DC, especially before a gig. Oh well ...

I emailed Dave once before buying and once after I stumbled over the little problem (look above). Both times he replied quickly & friendly and could help me out. I think you can't go wrong with this company and I hope they keep up the good work !

I do mostly something like Alternative Rock. Female fronted, melodic, heavy and unique stuff (at least I hope so hehe). Since I'm the only guitar player I'm always looking for ways to fill the space and the EP-1 is just perfect for that.

Nowadays, I own a few other, little higher priced stompboxes, and they fit in well with the EP-1. I said mostly goodbye to Boss a while ago when I realized that most of their stuff, well, doesn't really suck but isn't really the best around either...

To make it short: 9

Because the Envelope Phaser has six knobs and three buttons, there are a vast array of options so it's not necessarily a plug and play pedal. I had mine modded with the MARV switch as well which added to the multitude of decisions in how to use the thing. That's why I gave it an 8. If you've used pedals then just messing around with it will give you an idea of what the possiblities are. The manual is also extremely helpful so read it.

It sounds awesome. I got it mainly to get that Garcia envelope tone and it can do it. That is mainly what I used it for. The phaser was more difficult to dial in the sound I was comfortable with and switching between the envelope and the LFO wasn't always the smoothest of transitions. Still I mainly used it as an envlope follower. I traded mine for two reasons: (1) I got an Emma Discumbobulator and (2) the Envelope Phaser boosted my signal when engaged too much for my tastes, especially in conjunction with overdrive or fuzz. I wasn't dissatisfied with the tones, just the added boost to my signal. I prefer to have the effect kick in and have the volume stay at unity gain. The Discumbobulator does exactly that. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from getting this cool pedal. Most people probably won't care as much about the boost in volume. That said, it does make an incredible fat boost.

Pigtronix pedals seem to be well built and if not, read below.

David Koltai is available and helpful and stands by his product. I sent my EP-1 to be modded and talked with him a few times. He even replaced a Disnortion that had a defective OD switch.

The EP-1 is a very cool and funky pedal and I loved the tones, especially the envelope. I used it a lot for a while and traded it because I got a good deal, I got an Emma, and because of the volume boost described above. I'd have kept it if I hadn't run across the Emma. Peace

Easy to use, but spending time with it and using different combinations of knob setting will allow you to see just how versatile this unit is. I like the fact that I can dial in just a little bit of the phase with the intensity knob.

Very quiet and smooth. Warm sounding envelope. This is great while recording, it does not overpower the notes or chords you are playing. This is a very deep pulsating phase.

I have personally spoken to Mr. Koltai and he is passionate about his effects.

I'm a phaser nut. I have many phasers. This one sounds different than the others I have. It
is versatile and cost effective when you consider it can be an envelope filter, phaser, vibrato and a fat boost.

The pedal is very intuitive and offers a great amount of usable tones. The controls, LED???s, and switches are placed at a good distance from each other. As a result, changing settings is fairly simple.
The pedal offers an expression pedal jack which makes changing the LFO speed very simple.

I play a Baker Guitar through some effects into a Reverend Kingsnake.

The sound quality is top notch. It is true bypass, doesn???t affect the tone, and doesn???t produce any noise. The phase inversion switch really broadens the soundscape of tones this pedal is capable of. The envelope follower isn???t overdone like some digital pedals on the market. The phaser really fattens up my tone and sounds good at any speed.
I???d recommend using a volume pedal to run a line into the trigger.
I agree with other users: this pedal can be used as a fat auto-wah in a pinch.

I???ve never had a problem with the pedal. It is built very well.

I???ve never had any problems. I called David Koltai about an expression pedal and he helped out a lot. I am confident that if I have any problems or need any mods done, it will be easy to sort out.

I play jazz, classic rock, and funk. I have played guitar for 11 years.

Koltai is right: this pedal is ridiculously funky.

It???s nice to know that I will not need another envelope filter or phaser in my guitar playing career. The expression pedal and trigger inputs are brilliant features and the sound is very warm and subtle. I would also recommend checking out the many mods that Pigtronix can install.
Get this pedal.

Simple, Versatile Controls. You could figure it out without a manual, but the manual does have some useful tips in it. No digital B.S. Just Straight up fonkyness

This is one funky little box. My setup is: Reverend Slingshot Custom->EHX Micro Synth->EP-1->Fulltone OCD->Boss DD-5->Dr. Z Mazerati 38 Senior 1x12 Combo. The box produces not only useable, but great sounding tones at every setting, and thousands of phaser/envelope filter textures are available with the marv switch that you can get for 45 dollars at the factory. I use it to play funk and hip hop lines, as well as some marvin gaye stuff and trippy massive attack type lines mixed in here and there, and it fits the bill perfectly.

I don't have a back up, and i gig with it, so i would have to say that yes, i would use it without backup. however see below

About Six months after i got it, i blew the input chips out. I e-mailed pigtronix they emailed me back the next day and told me to send it in. they had it fixed the day they got it, put a marv mod on it, and sent it right back. they were always fast to answer my e-mails, and dave koltai is a cool guy on the phone.

Great for Funk. Been playing for 5 years. i don't know what i would do without it. well, I would replace it probably right away, but there would be a ten second period where i would be inconsolable. A great tool to make great fonky, trippy music with

it is easy to get good sounds from the the ep-1 right out of the box, but it takes a little tweeking to find the sweet spots and find the settings you like. the manual is helpful too. the main thing is that the resonance and intensity knobs work for both EF and LFO mode. this can make it tough switching between EF and LFO mode because you have to adjust the knobs to find each mode's sweet spot. the mods really help with this. I have 4 mods with this pedal: marv mode, tron up/down, resonance boost in red inversion, and expression jack input for sweep. i also have an extra 1/4 inch jack in the exression pedal for sweep so that i can use the expression pedal for speed (LFO mode) and sweep (EF mode), which is really cool cause it saves me an extra expression pedal on my board. (Dave said he liked this idea and is doing it to his own EP-1). these mods make the pedal a lot more versatile in helping me quickly change to the setting i want. and i can always switch the mods off if i want the factory setting.

the sound quality is great from this box. i will spare you the time of reading my entire pedalboard setup as you probably dont care, but i use a 335 and a vintage twin. the ep-1 sounds great after some overdrive/distortion especially in EF mode. the thing is so versatile (especially with the mods) and there are so many sounds you can get, it has replaced 2 of my existing pedals (envelope follower and leslie effect). is it also true bypass.
EF mode has great mutron, funky, auto-wah sounds. and i can get great sounds with the expression pedal for the sweep knob. i mainly use tron up, but it is nice to have the option of tron down.
in LFO mode, i get a great leslie sound by being in green inversion with the speed high, character around 3 o'clock, and resonance about 12 o'clock. then to get a bubbly/watery phaser sound, i switch to red inversion (modded to give me more resonance). if i want boths sounds, i switch on marv mode which gives me the best of both worlds.

i have not had the pedal for very long but it seems reliable and built well.

excellent. this is what i love about buying a pedal from a small(er), boutique pedal company. i emailed Dave about doing the mods, and he quickly responded with all the information and left his number. i called him and we talked for maybe 15 minutes about the mods and details, and then i sent the pedal to him. he called me once to let me know how the mods were going and in less than a week i had the pedal back and fully modded. call boss or line 6 and you will probably be on hold.

i play rock/jazz/funk/blues and jam type music and this is great for all of them this pedal is worth the price for the great sounds and versatility and i recommend the mods for the added versatility. i can only compare it to 2 other pedals. i owned the DLS rotosim for leslie sounds which is a great pedal and sounded a little more like a real leslie and the EP-1, BUT having an "authentic" leslie sound is not important to me, the EP-1 still has a great leslie sound, and i wanted the extra room on my board. I have a tron up setting on my line 6 fm-4 and the EP-1 blows it out the water for the envelope follower sound. there was also a large volume increase on the line 6 when i engaged that effect. overall the EP-1 is a great pedal.

Very easy to use, because it is a pleasure to tweak.
Extreme positions (min or max) are always very interesting ! They can achieve VERY special different sounds.
The manual and online tips and helps are just great !

Very good sounds from this amazing pedal.
I sold all my other chorus, phaser and vibes, and I only keep this one.
You can get very classic tones, as long as very specials and musical new ones

Very reliable, very well built, & perfect packaging!

Nice, reliable and very available on email, even on sunday ! Thanks again David !

I love it, it suits every thing I play.
I own many gear, it tops my list, along with my RMC3, and my Whammy II.
Thanks again !!!

The sounds are amazing & pretty easy to get. The manual is spot on, very helpful and doesn't come off as technical or dry at all. I was looking at a Qtron+ or Meatball because of the fx loop, someone recomended this so I tried it. Exactly what I wanted.

I'm using this for bass. Modulus Q5 most often. I had Mike Gordons wet tone on the 2nd half of "Free" in 10 min of use. "Down with Disease" came next. then I started emulating Stanley Clark stuff. The sound is just amazing. I use a EB volume pedal to split the signal with the tuner out going into the trigger in of the EP-1. Then the reg out of the VP thru an octaver and distortion into the EP-1. This way the trigger isn't effected by the other FX. End result is a fatter synth bass tone then you could imagine. I don't know how usefull the LFO will be down the road. interesting sounds but I use it for the Envelope Fliter primarily. dead silent when not on. No added noise when engaged.

Solid hand built USA technology at it's finest. Doubt this thing will ever die.

I've sent a few emails to Pigtronix to inquire about Mods. Never had to wait more then a day tops to get a response. Very friendly company.

I'm into jam bands these days. There's alot of music out there that we just need to figure out how to channel. If this sucker got ripped off I'd get another in a heart beat. I've tried many others but this one fit the bill perfectly for only a little more $. Very musical pedal. I do kinda wish it came with an Up/Down switch, but Pigtronix does offer that any many other Mods for short money.