Moon Vibe MkII

Description & History

Moon Vibe MkII is an improved clone of the famous late 60s phaser Uni-Vibe. The Uni-Vibe was invented by the Japanese engineer Fumio Mieda in 1968, and consequently manufactured by Shin-Ei/Univox/Unicord. The unusual phasing unit quickly made its way to the rigs of guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, etc.

The original design uses a pulsing light bulb to control seemingly randomly designed phase stages (apparently tuned by ear by Mr. Mieda, as there is no logical order in the part values). Another feature is that the depth of the phasing effect depends on the speed - the higher speed brings more depth, the lower speed makes the phasing go smoother.

Unlike the other phasers, Uni-Vibe(a well-built unit) provides a very prominent, deep and natural sounding effect - nothing like those 70s chemical, disco sounds. There was also a toggle switch mounted on every unit, to swap between Phaser and Chorus effect. The switch was misleadingly marked as "Chorus/Vibrato", where "Chorus" was describing the phasing effect, and "Vibrato" the weird chorus effect.

If you want to hear a real unit (as the eBay prices go over $1500) check out Jimi Hendrix songs like Machine Gun or Angel, or Breathe/Any Colour You Like by Pink Floyd. Another "Vibe album" to mention would be probably "Bridge of Sights" by Robin Trower.
Moon-Vibe MkII is an exact Uni-Vibe clone with some extra features that improve the behaviour of the original units

Original units used by: Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Robin Trower ...
Controls: Volume, Symmetry, Intensity, Speed, Chorus/Vibrato switch
Contemporary trend: pulsing yellow/red LED indicator, speed mod ala Gilmour, internal "brilliance" trimmer, True Bypass switching

Main features

• The quality of the phasing of the originals varied from unit to unit, as the depth of the "heart-beat" very much depends on precise values of the particular parts. That's why i hand-pick the crucial parts for every Moon Vibe MkII unit to achieve the best results.


• Moon Vibe MkII incorporates the true bypass switching (7), where the originals did not have any bypass at all. The original units were fully engaged all the time, and musicians just used the expression pedal to turn the effect down by lowering the bulb intensity. Also, the volume drop that often follows true bypass installation has been eliminated. When you turn the volume knob (1) all the way up, the level of the wet sound will be lauder than the clean, bypassed sound.


• The "Symmetry" control knob (2) lets you set the character of the phasing to your own taste. It adjusts how much the phaser pumps towards the dark and light side of the phase. The "Intensity" knob (3) sets the depth of the phasing. The depth range goes all the way from a subtle waving to a deep "heard-beat" like pumping.


• Moon Vibe features the mod that has been introduced in David Gilmour's unit - the higher speed mod. David Gilmour used the top speed in Any Colour You Like. Instead of the expression pedal (speed control) that was provided with the original units, Moon Vibe has a large speed knob (4) that can be operated by your foot, and gives you better visual perception of the speed selected.


• There is a pulsing LED indicator (6) that visually shows the speed selected. The foot-switch marked "Mode" (5) switches between "Chorus"(= phaser) and "Vibrato" effect, as the original units did. The LED indicator turns yellow when you switch to "Chorus" and red when you switch to "Vibrato".


• Polyester caps are used instead of the electrolytes. They are more durable and keep better sound fidelity. This is not a mandatory approach though, i can use electrolyte on demand.


• When you turn the pedal off, the bulb light is turned down. This clever feature extends the light bulb's life span.

Powering

• The pedal is powered by a 18 or 24V DC power adapter that is included in the package.


• It comes with an extension piece, so you can use it in your country.


• The DC socket (8) is located on the side of the enclosure.


• The polarity of the power adapter follows the guitar pedal standard: (-) inside the barrel, (+) on the shield.

The price includes

• power adapter 100-230VAC / 18Vdc with the mains plug that fits your country outlets


• 5 rubber adhesive feet (one spare)


• hand-picked, ear-tested, vintage 70s Czech photocells


• a hard-to-find reverse log pot for speed control as it was used in the original units


• quality switches by Cliff


• true bypass switching that won't pop


• low capacity jack sockets by Cliff


• thick wires to keep the maximum sound fidelity and overall durability


• firm and durable internal design

Famous customers and reviews

Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and new Nick Mason's band uses our Moon Vibe MkII.


Matt Sorum of GunsNRoses owns our Moon Vibe MkII.

Sound files

Andrea Magri plays Breathe with Moon Vibe MkII engaged.