Does anyone here have a Ludwig Phase II Guitar Synthesizer? EDIT: OBTAINED

[øøøøøøø]

Just curious.

I've always wanted one of these, and am starting to get that crazy feeling.

[fuzzjunkie]

The only one I have ever seen up close, besides the famous Sonic Youth unit, was in a collection display at The Guitar Store in Seattle. They have a few cool collectibles on display, but I don’t think any are for sale? Maybe if they got an offer they couldn’t refuse?

https://www.seattleguitarstore.com/

[fuzzjunkie]

I have managed to get a sound close to the Sonic Youth “Washing Machine” tone with an Electrix Filter Queen.

It’s not really a Formant Filter like the Ludwig Phase II, but it gets very vowel like sounds at certain settings and has a thick LFO swish to it.

The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Talking Machine is a dedicated Formant Filter pedal. I have never tried one or even checked a review, but that might be an option, and at $239 it’s a tenth of the price, (probably more!) of the Ludwig

[Embenny]

Anybody else just go through this process?

1) Read thread.

2) Think of The Diamond Sea.

3) Lose 20 minutes.

Wish I could contribute to the actual quest for the Phase 2, but thanks for sending me back on that journey. That song is an experience.

[OffYourFace]

I worked on one that belongs to Jon Brion. It was kinda cool... but i lost interest in it fast.

[BoringPostcards]

They are super rare. They're probably not that useful, as Lee Ranaldo never used his on anything other than Diamond Sea. I feel like he would have used it more if it was a versatile unit.
Cool effect though.

[fuzzjunkie]

They are super rare. They're probably not that useful, as Lee Ranaldo never used his on anything other than Diamond Sea. I feel like he would have used it more if it was a versatile unit.
Cool effect though.

Dave Gilmour only used the equally rare and expensive EMI Synthi on one Pink Floyd song too. (At least I only know the one)

They have pretty similar sounds and where trying to do some of the same things around the same time, make a guitar able to make synth like sounds. Fuzz, vocal-vowel sounds- a little LFO action. Maybe a little octave ring modulation.

The Love Tone RingStinger can do all of that. It doesn’t sound as lo-fi doing it on its own, but run it into a phaser or the Filter Queen I mentioned earlier, and there you are.

Personally, instead of looking at old museum pieces, I would get a Eurorack and put in an octave fuzz, ring modulation, and Formant filter modules and have something way more reliable and much more versatile than those old units, while still having some of the mad scientist aspect of creating new sounds.

[øøøøøøø]

One of these is coming my way now.

Maybe I will quickly lose interest in it, as well. But I want that specific thing for one track I'm working on. I can always sell or consign it if/when I'm done with it. I got a quite thoroughly decent price on it.

Mikal, how did you handle calibration on the unit you worked on? The unit that's coming my way has supposedly been cal'd and is working well, but who knows what a transcontinental journey will do...

[soggy mittens]

There was the Source Audio method as well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMa5pJbeos

but the real deal is always preferable B)

[fuzzjunkie]

Nice score. I did see a couple were up for sale. It would certainly make a nice studio conversation piece or Christmas tree replacement when all lit up

[eggwheat]

yoieeyoieeyoieeyoieeyoieeyoieeyoieeyoiee

[somanytoys]

One of these is coming my way now.

Maybe I will quickly lose interest in it, as well. But I want that specific thing for one track I'm working on. I can always sell or consign it if/when I'm done with it. I got a quite thoroughly decent price on it.

Seems like it might be a good, vintage novelty effect to have for your studio, to be able to have & offer in case you or anyone else may want to use it, even if it’s for just 1 song, like now.

Of course, if it cost you a ton of money, it may not be worth holding on to - that’s obviously your decision.

Post how it worked out for you after you get it & use it, I’m kind of curious.

I’m guessing it sounds a lot like Eggwheat’s impression? Haha

[Pacafeliz]

...I was THIS close to getting my hands one one but then the seller disappeared...

[somanytoys]

That sucks.

I’ve had that happen a few times years ago with older, harder to find gear on the Bay. That’s really frustrating, but one time it turned out to be someone that was scamming people in some weird way, and I found another one anyway.

[øøøøøøø]

Seems like it might be a good, vintage novelty effect to have for your studio, to be able to have & offer in case you or anyone else may want to use it, even if it’s for just 1 song, like now.

Of course, if it cost you a ton of money, it may not be worth holding on to - that’s obviously your decision.

Post how it worked out for you after you get it & use it, I’m kind of curious.

I’m guessing it sounds a lot like Eggwheat’s impression? Haha

most likely this will not live at the studio--these are far too delicate and easily-broken/miscalibrated to just let tons of people run roughshod over them.

My plan is--use it for this track I need it for. Once I'm done, keep it around and ultimately I'll either think it's so awesome that I can't let it go, or some other piece of gear will come along that I absolutely *have* to have, and I'll sell or consign it eventually.