Pigtronix EP-1

It's easy to get a good sound, just turn it on. To get the great sounds it does take some tweaking, but it's tweaking that's well worth it. It has six knobs: Sensitivity and Sweep for the envelope follower (EF), Resonance, Intensity, Speed, and Character for all modes. The second four controls are somewhat interactive so you've gotta spend some time dialing it in - But don't lose heart, the sound you're looking for is in there somewhere. I'm giving this a high rating for ease of use because I assume people will read the manual before they jump in and start twisting things around.

I'm using this setup: Kelly Strat or a Gibson 335 into --> Ibanez PQ9 --> Pigtronix EP-1 --> Analog Man Bicompressor --> Analog Man SD1/808/Silver --> Stephenson Stage Hog --> Analog Man Mini Clone --> Keeley TR-2 --> DD-5 into a custom deluxe which I love.

First off, the unit is VERY quiet. With humbuckers (my setup is dead quiet with the 335) I couldn't hear any noise other than a tiny bit when it was cranked in LFO mode. -- I must make this comment: alot of people say some units are noisy (when I own them and know they're not) when it's probably their gear that is noisy. That is annoying because you don't know if you can trust the review if they don't state what their noise level is without the unit. Please state that in your reviews everybody! --

Sound "qualities": Rich analog tone over all (a little boost even) -- It has that elusive "chewy" sound that is actually pretty rare. I've tried many pedals that have been renowned for it (I hope we all think "chewy" is the same thing...:) ) and I've almost always been dissapointed. Not with the EP-1.

The Env. Follower setting is great as well. Does exactly what you would expeect it to do. Once you dial in the sensitivity, sweep, and character just right it sounds awesome. I run my compressor in front of it because sometimes the real extreme vowel parameters can get away from you volume-wise.

The phaser sound is killer as well. Again, finding the right settings is key.

I'm giving it a nine because I can't give it a 9.5 - I only say 9.5 because if you got a sweet sound mojo vibe you might get a SLIGHTLY better univibe sound only because that unit is dedicated entirely to that sound. (It is hard to review a unit with so many capabilities!) Honestly, I think it sounds every bit as good as a Mutron III - I love and appreciate great vintage gear, but people make sacred cows out of them. I think that clouds their judgement towards newer products that are made often equally as good and occaisionally better.

This thing seems like it's built like a rock. I've only had it for a month so I cannot comment reliably on it's longevity. -- I have one more bone to pick with reviewers: If you don't know how reliable something is, say N/A. Don't give it a 7, because it might be a 10! You just don't know yet! --

I have met David and Brian both and they are great guys. You can tell right away that David believes in his products 100%. He is very responsive with emails as well. Top notch.

I've played guitar for about 21 years, gigged for 10. I have owned or played pretty much every great guitar or effect out there. You could easily spend about $1000.00 finding two or three vintage or boutique units that at the end of the day would end up sounding exactly like the Pigtronix. So I have to give it a 10 for fantastic value. Also, on a personal note, I've had alot of pedals come and go. I'll get a new gizmo that's fun, I'll stick it on my pedal board, and then it's gone in a couple months because they're just not usbale for most of my tunes. As stylistic an effect that the EP-1 is, it is surprisingly useful in a bunch of different situations, and I already find myself not wanting to be without it! Great pedal. Go get one.

The EP-1 is easy as pie to use considering how ridiculously variable the controls are. I found that by reading the manual and working through the guided tour in the users guide I quickly caught on (groked) to how to use the EP-1 to get a variety of effects. It is not hard at all.....

I have used the Pigtronster on several amps (WeberVST 6A80/15" speaker, Allen Old Flame and Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket) and several guitars (Fender Jimmie Vaughn Stratocaster, Agile AL2500 Goldtop - Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates/neck JB/bridge, Fender Classic 60s Stratocaster). No matter what combination I used it with, the EP-1 never sounded less than great!

This is not a traditional effect and inspires you to set out in new direction, but never-the-less still produces some familiar sounds like both the envelop follower and phase shifter that it is. While it does remind one of a Mutron III (I happen to have one) it does a much better job at responding to a variety of playing styles and allows you to approach the sound of an actual wah wah because it has superior sensitivity. As a phase shifter it can go from very subtle to completely wacky and can be made to closely mimic a leslie.

It is really very hard to turn off! It seems to me that it also conditions the signal into the amp whether it is on or not (this could just be love talkin' here as I think it is supposed to be true bypass!) and when I would unplug it from the amp I was using at the moment, the amp would just not sound quite as good without it.

I believe this to be a very heavy duty unit (you can read the other reviews) and I know that I can depend on it. I would use it without backup, but I wouldn't mind owning a second Pigtron at all! Time will tell and I just have to leave some room in the rating because I have not had it that long!

I have already contacted David Koltai and he has been very helpful and informative. All I can say is that as long as they are in business my impression is that they will stand behind their product 110%. As the EP-1 comes with a one-year warranty, as is the case with most things you place on the floor and step on, I will either find out real quickly how good the support is or will never have to contact them further for the sake of this unit.

I play every kind of style you can imagine except for extended head-banging metal! I tuned to drop D the other night at this alternative place and some young bald guys started buying me drinks! Several nights later I was playin the blues in front of people that were almost as old as me! I've been playing 41 years and own so much other stuff that I would get hand cramps trying to list it all.

If my EP-1 were stolen, I would want to kill. If I lost it, I would buy another one and get drunk. I love this unit so much I will probably buy another one sooner or later, so I would just drunk if I lost the first one!

I really like the quality of sound and how the effect can be dialed in just the right amount without sounding greasy or overbearing. So far I cannot seem to find a bad setting (doesn't mean I won't!). The ability to go between the envelope follower and plase shifter function is unique especially with the invert function; it truely acts like more that one effect. The ability to externally trigger it and control it with an expression pedal just adds even more dimensionality to how it can be used.

As I wrote above, it really inspires me to go in new directions. I have received some impressive compliments since I have been using it and it really has caused me to play cleaner and be more expressive. It is sort of a curse in that I like it so much, I have to make myself turn it off in order to keep from overdoing it and burning out the audience, but hey!

Couldn't be much easier. More of a Fripp type pedal, this is hard to use as a floor unit unless you spring extra for the expression pedal.

Very nice. Very deep, warm phase. Hardly any noise. High quality pedal, if you want the funk, seek this one out. Not quite as good as EH stuff in my opinion, but pretty close.

Never needed. Built like a panzer.

Not sure. I heard good things, never needed to contact him though. He offers a bunch of mods for it, which is very cool.

Excellent pedal, but a luxury for me, so I sold it (lots of people wanted it, lemmie tell ya). Only reason I sold it is because it works best for guitar, it's not the most versatile pedal, doesn't sound anywhere near as good on keys, samples, etc as guitar. I was in my "minimize" mode, so I sold it to someone who would use it more. But if you just want it for guitars, it's well worth it.

Great sounds right out of the box. Analog circuitry equals amazing tone. I thought my setup sounded good before, but with this pedal it sounds much better. The LED lights function as a visual representation of the pedal's effect: throbbing gently with the speed and shape of the phaser or pulsing on and off as the envelope filter takes effect. The knobs are pretty sensitive. There is a wide range of possibilities with this pedal. It is somewhat difficult to get the "exact" settings that you had the other day, but very easy to get new wonderful sounds.

Guild s-100 > ElectroHarmonix POG > VisualSounds Route 66 OD/Comp > Pigtronix > Line6 DL4 > Fender tweed Blues Deville 212. There is some extraneous noise associated with this pedal, but nothing that bothered me, because the rest of my setup is much noiser by comparison. I bought this effect for the envelope filter, but I was pleasantly surprised by the phaser. I had previously been disappointed by the EH Dr. Q envelope filter, and this one blows it and others I have heard out of the water. Beautiful vowel-like wah sounds from each note. Once you adjust the sensitivity and the sweep to the input volume, this pedal is extremely responsive to your picking dynamics.

Well built, with big strong metal knobs.

Heard it's pretty good. Need to get that exp. pedal and the marv mod, one day soon.

I bought this for $140 from woodwindbrasswind online. it was listed as "new b-stock" which means it had been returned or had a blemish or something. i was worried that i would get a banged up pedal, but it was brand new and functioned perfectly. it only had the slightest scratch on the bottom face - so what? i saved $80! Anyone interested in this pedal should definitely invest: you won't regret it. I've made poor purchases in the past, but this isn't one of them. If I could only have one pedal, it would be this one. It sounds fantastic. It even sounds good with the octave generator, when I get bass sounds from my guitar, the envelope filter still kills the competition.

latest version 2005 (the last few batches have had substantial upgrades to sound quality) i have the marv mod (sound very similar to the old eh polyphase---actually much clearer and more controlable)

verry easy to get a GREAT sound from it....had it for two weeks (giged with it 3 times)

but there are so many options and tonal nuances that it could be a few weeks befor i realize really what it can do for me

if you have a few sounds in mind you may have to fiddle for a while with your guitar gain and the peddal options to grab it (i would give it an 8.5 if there was one...........this is not to distract from the pedals features but when there are so many options it is usually harder to find the ones you want)

for live use it would be great but there are so many elusive tones in theis pedal it would do well in a studio enviroment

9.5 if there was one (but i will round up)

true bypass, very rich organic true to natural phase sound, the envelope follower is verry usable i have owned at least 10 good ef peds in the past and then a few that were mistakes...and this one lands in the top two...doesn't have the extreme "blow your speakers" vibe but that is fine with me the pedal is built around the "sweet" spot of envelope filters (can get verry close to some mutron III sounds)

my solo acoustic rig: acoustic git->ross compressor clone (analogman)->boss ps-5 (just to loop quick bass lines->ernie ball volume ped->pigtronix ep1->analogman bichorus->boss dd20 delay->mackie 1202 pro mixer, auxillary out to : boomerang phrase sampler->elecrix filter factory->back to the mackie and then to my bose pas system with one bass unit

the pigtronix allways has enough bass to offer (some really great envelope filters steal bass unless your eq is perfect but when the pedal is off you need to dial your eq and volume in again -with the pigtronix this is not an issue for me

i can nail a great univibe sound- electro harmonix polyphase sound, verry usable envelope follower sounds much like a mutron (better even than my exotics robotalk wich it replaced and could compete with the mooger 101 envelope pedal on "certain settings"- i have a/b tested the ep-1 against the redwitch phaser and though they are not the same (both are quality) the ep-1 is much more versitile and can land most of the same sounds in efo mode (i have also a/b tested it against the mxr phase pedals and it was a no contest for me in favore of the ep-1)............this doesn't say much though as the mxr phase pedals seem to be very inconsistant

seems solid

don't have a backup

damn

dave is a great guy. he believes in his product and i have spoken with him several times befor i decided to take the plunge and buy it....he encouraged me to call him toll free anytime for anything

one thing i should mention to be a fair reviewer is:

he did try to enlighten me on the various mods and features that he could add for additional costs (i went with the marv mod)

i never told him i would do one or the other but he gave me an initial bill with 4 or 5 mods that i never agreed to (wishfull thinking i guess) as a business man i'm shure he wants to sell his product (wich is one of the best pedals i have ever own honestly) but he was a little eager and i should warn ya............i never felt like he was trying to take advantage of me, but i did feel like he was ready to sell me something i may or maynot need

i would give him an 8.5 with my experience with him so far (i'll round up to be nice) i believe at this point he would honor the warranty if something were to go wrong (unlikely)and that the product sounds tits and is built extremely well (verry good design.....a little of an odd shape but well built)

great pedal as i have said i have owned over the years probably 10 envelope followers (most of them were quality) and about 5-6 phasers (can't even remember any more- its been a long strange trip

the ep-1 is not the end all be all but it is (at least for me) the most versitile (and usable) phaser or/and envelope follower i have ever owned

it has replaced 2 pedals on my pedal board and i will no longer consider purchasing a univibe clone as i can "NAIL" a great rotating speaker'esc sound

i am truely impressed with it.....i would deffinately replace it if stolen and that comes from a guy who has owned tons of great botique pedals over the years and loves to try various ones out from time to time

i'm a sucker for new handmade guitar effects.....but i think i will stick with this pedal for years to come

i have 15 years of experience playing and 11 years of experience giging (i try to make my reviews fair and critical....sorry i can't spell)

Very easy to use - impossible to get a bad sound out of it. I had the "Marv" Switch mod added. The Marv switch allows both the EF and LFO to run at the same time which takes it to a whole other level - I can not live without the Marv switch on this phaser - sounds amazing - it gives my guitar a voice. Also had the True Vibrato Mod added which is a great effect as well (I had never heard True Vibrato before) - it's nice to have an additional setting on top of an already huge range of possibilities.

I run a Heritage H-555 into an Egnator Pre Amp into a Lexicon Signature 284 in the Lexicon 210 cab. The sound quality is amazing. I does not color the sound, nor does it get a bad sound at any setting. The level matching between engaged and by pass is perfect. This unit is not noisy - especially with my Humbucker pickups. Socketed OP amp chips makes it upgradeable which I did.

Well built, good switches and knobs - could not be better build quality. Has an AC power adapter which gives it the head room for the excellent tone it has - I have other effects whic run off of AC, so the is not a problem (delux memory man, boss ce-1, ADA flanger...)

Great company - it's wounderfully that the are big enough to make a great product and small enough to offer mods for it. Highly recommend.

This is the my favorite phaser - have others which are cool - ADA final phase, Mutron BiPhase, Bad Stone, but none of them compare - this is in a catigory all it's owe. I have stopped searching for stomp boxes after having found this...

It has 6ix knobs, Sensitivity, Sweep, Resonance, Intensity, Speed, and Character. The Sensitivity and Sweep work with the Envelope Follower and the Speed and Character with the Phaser. It didn't take me to long to get usable sounds out of these pedal but i feel I have just scratched the surface.

I'm using it for bass. I'm playing a Modulus through a ThunderFunk and an Accugroove cab. I got it mainly for the Envelope Follower. It is the best sounding one I've found. Nice Transparent sound that doesn't suck the bass out of your bass.

Very dependable. I would gig with it without a backup.

David is very prompt in getting back with you. I plugged in a DC adapter instead of the supplied one and blew the fuses. He got back to me fast. The king of people you want to do business with.

This the best of the best as far as pedals come. An unbelievable pedal for bass. I search for years for an envelpoe follower that sounded close to what I heard in my head and found it. The Phaser is awesome too.

The Pigtronix EP-1 Envelope Phaser is an extremely versatile unit that has major tweakablity in order to dial in a sweet spot for your particular guitar and amp rig. There is a wide range of sweet spot that translates into goofproof envelope follower, but most likely you will want to tweak the same knobs to use the phaser effect. The manual is self-explanatory, and offers a start-up position in order to get you up and running. The basic controls provide a very phat musical sounding envelope follower, with an envelope phaser effect controlled by the attack signal, and intensity of the effect.

I play two Mesa LoneStar amp heads through two 2x12 closed back cabs, and a Marshall MG50DFX 1x12 combo. The combination of the Mesa 6L6 tubes and solid-state Marshall provides crisp clean and dirty Marshall sound, and sagging crunchy LoneStar. I play a PRS SingleCut through a Fulltone Clyde wah, the Pigtronix, a Peterson Strobo-Stomp tuner, a Fulltone ChoralFlange, and a Voodoo Lab 4-way amp selector. Although the Pigtronix has some noise (it tends to boost the signal somewhat) the unit is true bypass and does not detract from the main signal plugged straight into the amps.

The Pigtronix is unique enough to be used on its own without additional effects, and although I have not used it in conjunction with other pedals, I can safely say this unit is designed to be used without other effects except for reverb, distortion, or delay.

It is not difficult to envision Zappa-like tones with the Pigtronix and a wah at the same time for tone control, although the obvious option to achieve this sound is to buy the optional foot controller from Pigtronix.

Distortion works exceptionally well in or out or the circuit, and the wide range of sweet spot lets you adjust for clean or distorted sound. Chorus, conversely does not work well with the Pigtronix, as two time based effects simply muddy the signal.

Although I had some problems upon first purchasing the unit, (The EF/LFO switch was faulty) the dealer replaced the unit at no additional charge, and without question. The current unit works flawlessy and reliably, and I would be able to gig without a backup.

Although I've never dealt with the manufacturer directly, the dealer replaced the original faulty unit without hesitation, grumbling, or an attempt to direct me to the manufacturer for a replacement. The dealer did want me to check with the maufacturer to describe my problem, but when I said the entire unit was cutting out with the EF/LFO switch, the dealer said "no problem" and replaced it.

I tend to play a bluesy hard-edge rock. The effect is most noticeable for single or double notes, not as pronounced for chords, but still cuts through.

My 30 years of playing have taught me to own the best gear you can afford, and for the price of the EP-1, I would buy it again if it were lost or stolen.

The sweet spot of the unit allows your signal to come through with the punch of the envelope follower, and the phaser effect is controlled by the attack of the note played.

The downside is the sweet spot is not wide enough to not require you to change settings between the EF and the LFO, but the upside is the INVERT switch allows you to add or subtract from your signal, while still providing the EF/LFO effects.

I've heard the EP-1 is compared to the Red Witch phaser, but since I have not heard this effect, I can't compare.

The EP-1 defintely helps you create music by letting you select the intensity and sensitivity of the effect, effectively determining the trigger point of the EF/LFO, while allowing that same trigger point to be spread out over a certain amount of sweep of the EF/LFO. This increases the range of the sweet spot of the effect.

The EP-1 has its own unique sound qualities unheard of in other pedals, so for the individuality of the unit, I'd say this one is a one-of-a-kind in the effects realm.

This unit takes a little time and patience to get to know, but the manual is very useful in instructing you where the "sweet spots" are. Once you have dialed them in, you can start playing around to see which sounds better suit your style.
There is also an instuctional video on the website on how to use the Envelope Phaser which is very useful.

I play it through a Fender Hot Rod DeVille with 4 10" speakers. My main guitars are a Heritage 535 and a Godin LGX-SA. The tone I get with this thing is top rate and it is an incredibly versatile piece. You can get a chewy auto-wah from the envelope, a juicy phaser, or a "Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds" type rotary sound when you increase the phaser's speed. My other effects include an Ibanez tube screamer, a SIB delay unit, and a Vox wah. The EP1 sounds great when blended with the other pedals. The envelope alone with a mild overdrive can nail an array of Jerry Garcia sounds (think "China Cat Sunflower") while the phaser mode at a slow speed with a little delay can give you that "Walking on the Moon" tone from the Police. I can get also a great Hendrix sound alla "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" by using the rotary phaser on high speed and using my Vox wah at the same time.

I have had it since September of 2004, use it everyday, and have not seen any change in performance. Very dependable, and I gig without a backup.

I have one very small problem with it when I first got it (and it turned out it was something I was doing wrong, not something defective with the pedal) and I left a voicemail on the number listed on the Pigtronix website. The dude called me back within the hour and even offered to meet me in person to see the gizmo himself, since he happened to be in the area at the time. It turns out we were able to figure it out by phone, but the availability and patience were unprecedented.

I have been playing professionally for over 15 yeears and the EP1 has become my most commonly-used effect. I play a lot of jazz, fusion, funk, and rock. The EP-1 fits well into all of these styles when used properly. I use it for both rhythm and lead playing about the same amount. When testing out different products, I preferred the EP1's envelope sound to that found in the Mutron. The phase function is better than any of the other phase shifters I tried out as well (I checked out Guyatone and Boss). Since I bought it, about six other musicians I have performed or jammed with have gone out and purchased one after testing out mine. It is the most musical effect in my rig.
The ONLY thing that is a bit of a hassle is that you cannot use it with any generic expression pedal; you must buy the Pigtronix version to go along with it. Nevertheless, this effect is fine by itself and has countless possibilities even if you do not have the expression pedal to go with it.

The Pigtron is amazing right out of the box. The next step is remembering to write down your favorite settings! The possibilities are endless, but repeatedly dialing in your favorite tone is easy.

I find every control knob extremely responsive, creating the EP-1's trademark massive tonal palate. Every milimeter of travel on each knob brings new sounds, so it pays to be precise and move them slowly when exploring.

The color coded LEDs are a big help - they show the mode, speed, and even the shape of the filter you are currently rocking.

The manual is very useful, including a guided tour of how to get several classic effects, as well as options for routing the pigtron and using the trigger input. The website (www.pigtronix.com) also has many suggestions for new tones, as well as plenty of sound clips for inspiration. And the instructional video is an instant classic!

This pedal is seriously deep. So far, I've run my PRS Custom 24 and my Fender Rhodes through it, and it sounds incredibly rich and clean, both through an amp and direct into ProTools.

While in LFO mode, the green setting is akin to silky, throbbing EH Small Stone, while the red Inverted sound sparkles like the Red Witch Moon Phaser. I usually dial in a fairly subtle phase shifted sound, but the noise level is extremely low even when the Intensity and Resonance are all the way up. The volume level coming out of the pedal is very high, especially compared to the Small Stone.

Total bonus feature on the Pigtron: With the Intensity (wet) all the way down - or the Sweep all the way up - the EP-1 is a fantastic clean boost. It sounds great, even when it's not phasing!

The EP-1 seems to be true bypass and is extremely quiet. I've been sending recorded samples through it from ProTools, and the sound quality and level of subtlety in the effect is superior to any phaser I've ever used. The ways in which you can control the envelope by changing the volume of the Trigger are fascinating, and the resonances produced by the EP-1 are very musical.

I admit, I blatantly got this pedal for the Envelope Filter...but the LFO mode has totally seduced me, both for guitar and keys. The EP-1 will do Leslie-like tremelo effects, slow phasing, punchy envelope leads and everything else...plus a million new tones I have yet to explore.

I did find that in the green mode, the phasing can be so deep that running a compressor after the EP-1 helps even out the volume. Either a stomp box or plug-in easily does the trick.

Well, I conducted the accidental drop test onto a tile floor with the EP-1 and its power supply: both made the heavy "thunk" of solid equipment, and emerged with not a scratch. I'd be more worried about hurting the floor.

All the knobs turn very smoothly, and the switches are very heavy duty. The switches are kinda wierd to press with your hands, but that's a small price to pay for the assurance that they won't break.

Haven't had to talk to the company yet!

The tonal range of the Pigtronix EP-1 is so astounding that I simply can't stop thinking about it. I'm hearing the Pigtron in my sleep. To me, it's one of the most expressive and versatile analog pedals on the market. The sound is so vocal and organic that it's instantly appealing and will remain unique for decades. I'm playing jazz tunes, funk, reggae, and electronic music with the Pigtron, and it thrives in every genre.

Ultimately, this pedal covers more ground than three ordinary stompboxes put together - phaser, envelope filter, and clean gain boost. It provides a huge range of original tones, along with stellar takes on many classic EF and LFO phaser sounds, at the flip of a switch or two. It also sounds great when used with ProTools as a piece of outboard gear. Save yourself some money and just buy one pedal - the Pigtronix!