Today’s pedal, the Enterprise Phaser from VFE Pedals, no longer exists in the form I am reviewing it in – to avoid any legal entanglements with a certain BOLD television show, it is now known as the Tractor Beam Phaser. While there have been a few improvements since the Enterprise changer monikers, the version I’m reviewing today is just phenomenal, and takes the premise of a phaser pedal to a level where no man has gone before….
There are a bunch of controls here, the first of which controls the overall Speed of the phaser. From super-slow to fast-as-can-be, the Speed knob boasts a wide range, adjustable to many different levels of pulse and throb. Center determines the center of the phase sweep: low-end throb to the left, full-range in the middle and sweet watery shimmer to the right, again with a nice range of sounds to choose from. With the Feedback control, you can adjust the feedback of the effect negatively, positively or none at all in the middle knob position. These 3 controls amass a HUGE amount of sonic possibilities, and all work in conjunction with each other to form and shape the sound of this phaser.
The small Mix knob located up top works as a wet/dry signal blend, with the phaser being most prevalent when set at 12:00. There are also a couple of toggle switches to play with as well: Stages and Mode. You can select from 4, 2 or 3 Stages of phase, with the higher number widening the actual sweep of the phaser, and the 3-stage position is inverted for experimental reverse sweeps as well. There are also 2 Modes to select from – P is a synced sweep, while V produces a vibe-like tone, with added modulation. If this weren’t enough controls to behold, there’s also an internal trimpot you can adjust to control the overall output volume as well.
Pushing the boundaries of sonic and space exploration, the Enterprise will leave you speechless, dumbfounded and extremely excited you decided to pick one up. If you enjoy really sitting down and taking the time to learn how a pedal and all of its functions are supposed to function, go and check out the rest of the VFE Pedals lineup – if you can’t find something you like and can use in your rig, you might want to consider another profession.
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
