I have 8 univibes and tried many more....this is consistently my fav. It has a top end sparkle the rest lack. Many univibes lack high end at all. JHS unicorn also a nice unit but so far I think the MXR is best. The 1 thing it lacks is an expression pedal jack. I'd also like to see stereo outs as modulation effects are best in stereo (and because I have a stereo rig). I hear in THIS vibe and no other a bell like quality which really makes my ears feel like heaven. I will also check out the vintage vibe setting on my mobius soon which I expect to like (stereo as well) but not sure it can top the MXR but we will see. Personally, my opinion on vibes is that which vibe is best will depend on the guitar, pickups, pickup position, amp and the song needs. For that reason I keep several vibes on my board and will eliminate some if in time I find I've had no need for that particular unit. The MXR will be permanent unless something sonically equal comes out with stereo outs and exp jack
Thanks for your great review and playing. Also thanks for the info you gave in the video description. This is an awesome pedal. Managed to pick one up, new old stock, recently at a clearance sale. I think some of the so-so reviews have been from people who don’t understand the impedance aspects. I too did not know this but always play straight into the pedal, hence it sounds fantastic. Again thank you.
Which commercial external foot pedal can I use for speed manipulation with the VV+... Do I have to use both of the inputs to / from at the back of the VV+ or will the use of one of the to / from be feasible?
I'm very late to the party, but thanks for this review, and thanks for including a selection of low gain tones. So many reviewers get stuck at the high gain end, forgetting that so much of the character of a gain pedal can be heard in how it breaks-up. Cheers.
saw Earth live a few years ago, Dylan Carlson was using one of these - sounded unbelievably good, completely immersive. His unique style was a big part of that though.
I just ordered one having never owned a compressor. Did I make a good choice? I always had good luck with MXR. Boss, not so much. I got it so that my tap harmonics will sound as loud as freted notes. Thanks in advance.
They call it “ Color”. Turned clockwise it adds treble and clarity. Turned counter clockwise it becomes darker. This may be the single biggest key to this pedal. I have owned one for years, and have long had my favorite settings, but this pedal has a hundred great tones. Like some others here have said, this is far and away the most versatile pedal I own. It does every single thing that any other pedal does from Boost, to Overdrive, to Distortion, to Fuzz, and never misses a beat, it is truly amazing. For what it’s worth, for my fav settings, I set the Color at about 10 o’clock, the Distortion about 2 o’clock, the Heat about 4 o’clock, and the volume wherever, but usually below 11 o’clock. But as said, there are a ton of great tones to be found by screwing around.
I have one of these magic-like tubes from an Olympic stereo from 60s. I think they used it to monitor the b+ load on RF or IF stages similar to shadow meter, rather than audio output, but it can do a lot of things.
I like your demo. Too many roided pretty boys showing off lately, not enough ppl who just show me what the pedals do. I am afraid that I need this.. I wanted one since they came out.. and Boss pedals (slicer) are cool, but they often restrict the pass through to the normal guitar spectrum sounds. Anyway, I’m gonna get one ordered this Wednesday after work. I’m in love.
The thing about these pedals is the compressor part of the chain, that so many forget about. You can see it on the block diagrams. Most never emulate that as well, so the sound is never the same as the rack units. They leave out the compressor. It's not a function you could ever select, it was just hardwired into the signal path.
I've been through the gauntlet of tube driven OD/s. I had all three Tube Works at one point. I loved them. I once talked to builder over the phone who called me back at work. Then came Tonebone. It's ultimately better. No one appreciates it it seems. Perfect bluesy Eric Clapton crunch to Zep tones to die for. I tried parting with it. Bought the Classic. But the Hot Brit is TO DIE FOR!!
