A triumph of packaging and layout

[Mark Hammer]

The Chase Bliss Wombtone phaser has more stuff in a 1590B (or perhaps 125C), than most of us can fit into an old school EHX Memory Man box, or maybe even a rack chassis.  Can you believe how many features are in that sucker? (note the 16 dipswitches on the underside)  I count 10 optoisolators, and even using what appears to be entirely thru-hole parts, you will note there is still room for a battery!  My guess is that the design was a whole lot easier than the layout.

Now don't you folks who need an entire 1590BB for a Fuzz Face feel downright embarassed?   

[graylensman]

Now don't you folks who need an entire 1590BB for a Fuzz Face feel downright embarassed?   

Nope - I consider it a major triumph that I get circuits to work at all!

[armdnrdy]

This thing is like the entire audience from a Zeppelin concert packed inside of a double decker bus!



The next generation Chase Bliss Wombtone phaser MK II with the dipswitches on the back instead on the bottom. (probably a good idea when Velcro'd onto a pedal board.



And it comes in a nice box! I wonder if there's a bow on it. 

[LightSoundGeometry]

im on Kyle Chase's wait list for a blemished echoplex he calls the secret pre amp..it looks like a thing of beauty so I am purchasing one

this thing looks really cool too. all his products look good 

[Rob Strand]

That's impressive!

First pic wow...second very neat...third pic holy crap!

It's waterproof.

[bool]

Triumph of the FILL

[LightSoundGeometry]

is that done by a human , or is it a CAD machine and robotics ?

[midwayfair]

Stacked PCBs, 1/8W resistors, mini electrolytics, and MLCCs. The small parts are all pretty standard stuff for 1590As, so considering what we've managed to cram in there (flangers! klones! Pickdropper's tremolo + chorus! GrindCustoms' three-in-one 1590A!), expanding it to a 125B becomes more impressive.

His addition of dip switches on the front of the case was very cool, though, I can't think of anyone else who did something like that.

[Luke51411]

Death by options... that looks insanely cool.

[garcho]

If that's a commercial build, as a player, I'd say I dislike like it, honestly. The footswitches are silly close, and the toggle between them might not be quite stumpy enough to avoid being destroyed by stomping. Taptempo for a phaser seems silly, just makes for a complicated tap dance and an even more crowded topside. I dislike knobs packed that close as well, although, those are awful handsome knobs. The DIP switches are clumsy and overkill. I dislike decal art on pedals, too. It's off-center and I can see the edges.

Now, if this ain't a commercial build, as a DIY builder, I'd say, "HOLY ----! Bravissimo!!! Very impressive build. Are you insane?! We're not worthy..."

[Snufkinoob]

[armdnrdy]

I agree with the close proximity of the foot switches. That doesn't make it very user friendly...unless you play guitar wearing pointy toe pumps! (I gave that up in the big hair 80s!) 

I have the habit of shrinking down builds to fit them in the smallest enclosure possible.
In my approach, I have often taken a step back to add another footswitch to control something on the fly.

I have then increased the size of the enclosure to put the switches at a more realistic distance so you're not switching off the effect when trying to switch in another option.

[FiveseveN]

Pertinent criticism from garcho, but I don't think this particular unit was built "for the road". How and why would one use a phaser with this many options on stage? And if it offers some unique sounds that you simply must have, you can always use it with a looper and remote tap tempo.

[armdnrdy]

Pertinent criticism from garcho, but I don't think this particular unit was built "for the road".

If this unit was built with the studio in mind....it could have been housed in a 19" rack....with far less work in routing.

The small size, with all of the options available, points to a pedal board unit for someone who likes choice. 

[Mark Hammer]

The 3 current pedals in the Chase Bliss stable point to a design philosophy that says "Well if I have the stuff on board to actually do it, then why would I hold back?".  The pedals are analog-processed, but microcontroller-assisted.  And, once you have that sort of marriage, as our friend "Commander" Keen notes, it's just ASMOP.

Perhaps Mr. Korte will eventually opt for a larger chassis to accommodate either more options, or simply yield to consumer pressure for a different control layout.  On the other hand, the trend towards effects in 1590A chassis suggests otherwise.  That is, more folks are likely to complain about wasting pedalboard real-estate than about the need to space controls farther apart.

We'll see what pressure wins out.  In the meantime, just like with synths, it's always nice to see a pedal that could have had a screen and menus/submenus, but elected to go with discrete knobs and switches for more immediate malleability.  Daddy like.

[vigilante397]

Very impressed with the ability to squeeze that many options into such a small box (I throw a little party inside my head every time I get a Rebote 2.5 into a 1590B), but I have to wonder how many of them are legitimate, distinct tonal options as opposed to "I'll bet I can fit more knobs and switches on there."

Nonetheless I think this is remarkably cool but I would never own one.

[armdnrdy]

Nonetheless I think this is remarkably cool but I would never own one.

There goes my idea for your Christmas present! 

[vigilante397]

There goes my idea for your Christmas present! 

Well then let me rephrase:

I think it's remarkably cool but I would never own one for more than two weeks. The first week would give me time to take pictures, show it to all my friends, and play with it enough to realize that I need $300 a lot more than I need a phaser, so naturally the second week would be waiting for it to sell on eBay

[Mustachio]

The build is excellent , design and layout are beautiful. He really did pack a lot into a small space gotta hand it to em for that. The one you posted is the first one that's discontinued now. They have an MKII version now ($350) that's also sold out. Man that wood box is really nice.

I think this fits the market of today's pedal buyers- Modulation with lots of options. I listened to a sample of one and it sounded great.

It's not for me , I usually play just clean with a compressor. But I bet this is a huge hit with people that are into other styles of music.

[PRR]

The build-density is probably less than in a NLS DMM from 1978.

That unit was built before we had ICs for DMM purposes. Chock-tight with TTL and discrete. So tight they had to grid a corner off the top PCB to fit the custom case. (This may have been a first-batch job I saw.)

And NO computer layout tools used. (Boeing had some, but not NLS.)