Sound City PS-06 Phase Shifter

easy as pie

This is an update to my earlier submission a year or so back.
The first PS-06 I had was faulty and eventually stopped working. I saw another one on ebay and went for it (very cheap). In between times I bought an MXR Phase 100 (nice & expensive). I also got a Vestafire phaser (again cheap on Ebay). Of the three I prefer the PS-06 much more, so much so that I sold the MXR (reputed to be one of the best, but I didn't like the tone or presets). The Sound City is so much more musical and warm. I am so pleased to have found another one.

I know there are some high quality studio phasers out there that I will never be able to afford and that will sound fantastic (MoogerFrooger etc.) so I am still loathed to give it a 10 rating. But it has to be the best of the compact phaser for the gigging musician I have heard.

This one is still going strong.

What a find, cheap and sounds great. Keep your eye out for one on ebay and get it. You will be amazed at the sound.

Simple. It only has two knobs (which are rate and depth) and with the two you can accomplish overwhelming noise, light soft phase, or anywhere in the middle. These two altering knobs show a very wide range, which is very important if you are, used an all or nothing type of guitar effects pedal. Also has a AC adaption jack. Good sound is inevitable.



* How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
Good sound is inevitable.

* How about Editing patches?
I will ignore this based on analog.

* How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
Purchase used. No manual was included.

* Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?
Honestly, "Huh?? No updates.

Sound quality is beautiful. Again, you chose how much phase you want and it gives it to you.


* What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?
I play this petal with a Sound City 120 running to four Eminence Legend V12 (British tone) speakers and a Oscar Schmidt Delta King OE-30. Understood that my guitar may not be the most expensive but it all sounds beautiful together. Sound City is a terrific company. I've also used this petal with a 2nd generation Sunn Model T that I used to own and play shows with. The sound was almost better in the idea that the Model T gets you some warm, naturally over-driven tones and this just added to the phase effect when fully tuned to C.

* Is it noisy? On what settings?
Overwhelming noise (which is positive) when set to full rate and full depth.

* What amp are you using it with?
Sound City 120.

* Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?
This pedal can do the noise of Lazer Mountain or the smooth phase of a Led Zeppelin make out song.

* Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?
I personally would not put too heavy of over-drive (natural or pedal effect) along with this phase. I think it has a pretty sound and like to keep it that way. In the case of noise, you layer what you can though.

Deffinately not an issue. Solid metal construction with solid, hand wired, specs.

* Can you depend on it?
Mos Def.

* Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Have been, will continue to.

Yet to be an issue but if you open this pedal up, you can see that it is laid out very simply. So if you personally do not have any electronics experience, I'm pretty positive any music shop electrician can figure out any error and correct it.

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
Have not. Internet has positive resources on Sound City products.

* Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
I put in a new 9-volt battery and the petal sounded just as beautiful as before. What a repair.

Overall, this pedal is so solid. Sound quality is a very very warm and full. It is easy to get a great sound out of this pedal and all sounds out of this petal would fit someone's style. AC adaptor jack makes battery power an option. Sound City is just a terrific company from the era of terrific guitar, amplifier, pedal, and other musical electronics. Analog electronics make warm, clear, and full tones especially while over-driven.


* What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
Blues, folk, punk rock, shoe gaze, emotional, experimental, and stripped down rock and roll. This petal fits any of these musical ranges very well. Again, from clear blues to messy noise, this petal meets every angle.

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
I've been playing guitar in bands for approximately 3 to 4 years. I'm a poor college student, when money isn't going towards records, it's going towards equipment. At the same time, when an equipment upgrade is needed, I have to sell off old stuff. I have owned a Sunn Model T, which I played this pedal through and the results were very positive.

* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
Absolutely would purchase this pedal again. I want to own the entire Sound City pedal collection.

* What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
I love everything about this pedal, the warm-smooth tone and the range especially. I very much like the analog construction of it and how sturdy it is.

* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
Yes. The phase with the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser defiantly is the only thing that I've found close to the sound of this petal, but unfortunately, the Small Stone just can't get the exact tone that I like in the way this pedal can. I'd say this is very much only my opinion and the Small Stone is a very solid pedal as well.
Also, the Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter doesn't even stand close to the PS-06. It creates too much of a wavy, watery sound while the Sound City holds a solid phase. It's hard to explain because the phase effect is very watery but if you compared them, you'd see the major differences.

* Anything you wish it had?
I would love to have the rest of the Sound City petal collection. The Sound City SC-01 Stereo Chorus, EC-02 Echo Compressor, FL-03 Flanger, DS-04 Distortion, and OD-05 Over Drive. Ideally, to be a completely sound dork elitist, it would be ideal to have the Sound City PS-10 Power Supply and SCT-600 Quartz Guitar Tuner.

* Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
It gives depth to simplify, which is what I enjoy the most. So it is very helpful when the part that I'm writing demands it and just understanding where it is needed, I can click it off. It is definitely never in the way.

* Anything else you'd like to share?
Sound City is my favorite amplifier and musical electronics company. I consider it to have a better tone for my taste than even Hiwatt, Fender, or Sunn. Matamp would have to be a competitor to the Sound City sound in my opinion.

Very easy to find variety of nice sounds. It has 2 knobs, rate (speed) and depth. The depth offers a wide variety.

I use a Fender Strat into Fender Hotrod Deluxe amp. The pedal has a great sound to it, I am guessing that it is has analogue circuitry due to its age and tone. You can tell when a pedal is digital and this sounds warm and full. It sounds great with an overdrive before it (VOX ValveTone or TubeBlower). It is not noisy at all.

I haven't used any other phaser before so have nothing to compare with, though it sounds a lot better than the Boss phaser I tried in the shop recently.

I got mine second hand (cheap on ebay), so don't know the age. It is a solid little box and looks sturdy.#

The problem is that the effect takes up to 7 or 8 seconds to kick in after pressing the foot switch. You can still hear the guitar as normal while this pause goes on; sometimes it is instant, others it is a long pause. This only happens the first time you plug it in and switch on. After you have been using it for a while it works instantly, many times over. I think there must be a faulty component in it. I would use it to gig but would warm it up before.

NA

Great value pedal. Very nice sound and definately a keeper. I play pop rock and a bit of blues, so it comes in useful in many songs.