Electro-Harmonix - GuitarZone.com FORUM

How much did you purchase this item for? $40~$45
Where did you purchase this item? Local Guitar shop (asked for a used one)
Is this item new or used? Used, said it was 3+years, looks harsh

Features: Electro-Harmonix Sovtek-Russian Black Colored Red Lettering Small Stone Re-Issue,

Color Switch (left) goes up(dull, muffled type, watery, etc.) and goes down (sharp, subtle, ice watery, etc.) and LED red light in the middle, and "Chicken head" look a like Rate Knob (goes 7-8 o clock position to 4 o clock)..output , input , adapter plug..
and a click switch..

*the Color means, it changes the color of the instrument's/phase tone,

like when singing with your jaws dropped low (switch up), compared to singing with your cheekbones up (switch down) and mouth opened like a toothbrush/paste/whitening commerical, (singers should know what i'm talking about)...

but does not have a gradual changing capability, it's either (switch up) ohhuhhh or (switch down) ahhhowhh..no in-betweens of the examples.

*the Rate one does the actual phasing type and intensity or the controls the "saneness". Like a stiff bussiness man type of character to a loose drugged up hippie, lost in his/her mind sort of character, but this control lets the player choose in-between sounds of the phasing character..

*"Output" "AC DC9V (--Co+)" "Input"

Output goes to the amp, and input to your guitar and AC DC9V is an adapter plug, incase you don't want to use a battery. and a click switch to turn off and on the effect..

Construction: Well, it's a steel case, divided into 2 parts, and despite the size (2 boss pedals) of this product, it isn't heavy.

Also it is very hard and bothersome to take apart the pedal, it has many screws and even a screw for a knob!

The battery section, what a joke... I really dislike complicated matters. It has two arc/oval shaped legs (round part stuck on the bottom of the battery compartment's closure).

I thought I could fit the 9V into that oval space, but after couple minutes of trying, it wasn't really what it was for.

As of now, all I can think of is that, it's for blocking the batteries to stay put, not actually holding the battery in one place (on the closure). The battery can rattle a little, but the arcs are doing somewhat of a job to hold it in place.

However it's a stupid way to handle the moving battery, hope i can improvise another way to hold it into place in the future, or y'all can give some suggestions of how i should deal with this problem.

All the other switches and properties are still intact and working, it seems it will stay that way, unless i force it to break. I've never liked the Click on/off DPDT(?) MXR/EHX type of switch, wish they can take on the Boss/Roland unit type switch technology...

Sound: Got this pedal couple days ago, and it won't be fair to judge a product so soon, but here is what i think as of now...

Color switch UP gives the player a dark, dull, cloudy, mysterious, and smooth Phasing. While "UP" has a noticible annoying volume drop, it's effects on the Rate and Player's sound are much much greater (noticible in-your-face)then the Color switch DOWN, very strange...

The Color switch UP mode gives me certain volume drop then raised "woompp" type swell, it's basically (based on common phasing color UP or Down etc..) "WOOHWAAAoooo woompp chiiiiiiiiaaaahhhh WOOOHWAAAoooo woompp" etc.. that is an example of Rate near 8:20~9~9:30~9:45 clock + Color UP, quite moderate speed of phasing, and has (and is) a nice analog and warm sound to it, quite an enjoyable sound to any music lovers.

The Color switch UP and Rate minimized, gives you almost dull & stabbing sound (much like minimized treb/mid knob with an envelope filter/wah trebley ring effect), very slow phasing, it maintains the original guitar sound and add a very tender slow phasing..i disliked it very much, but i fell in love with the sound just moments ago..

The Color switch UP and Rate on 7-8, gives you almost similar effect, but somewhat noticible fast phasing and strong phasing effect, but playing just 8 slow beats of one chord to this setup, won't tell me nothing,

so, I tried the intro of castles made of sand, and an excert to a N.Paganini's Caprice 5, and the volume drop is very very slightly noticible... but not enough to make me go insane...

The Color switch UP and Rate until 11:45, is basically strong and a little faster phasing.. 11:45 and switch UP gives the hint of in-you-face phasing.

12 oclock and UP, sound as if creatures are popping out of the watery mud surface, but the guitar sound is beginning to loose it's real color.

Just before MAXED out RATE mode, what you get is haste, fast, faster and fastest phasing..some sections reminds me of AXIS BOLD AS LOVE end solo, after the wacky drum fills...

The Color switch UP and Rate MAXED, sounds like Kurt Cobain being drowned while playing Come As You Are Intro section.. serious weirdness like bubbles in your tone

UP switch is basically dark, muddy, and psychotic... just remember that,

......................................................................
switch DOWN and Rate minimized gets your guitar sound alive and well, clean, sharp, but the phase is ever so slight...it continues for until 10:45...it gets quite clean, but still phasy (that mode is similiar to a vintage phaser imho), very crisp, no volume drop.

12oclcok RATE and DOWN, is like UP and RATE 12 oclock 'Lite'....comparing margarine,swamp thing,(down 12) to butter,clear clouds(up 12), know what i mean?

2 oclock RATE and DOWN switch is almost like a wave movement and 3 is a echo, 4 oclock is a gargle motion on top of an echo, and MAXED out RATE and DOWN is imo an out-of-tune stringed instrument....

DOWN switch is basically, well angelic clouds (compared to UP swamp thing), has oridinary sounds that i liked before experimenting with this pedal, bright compared to.... and no volume drop, but it has less phasing quality then (UP), it is definately more sane then UP...........................................................

I didn't put many effects into the SS, but distortion ignores the qualities of SS, and wreaks the mood, imho as of this moment, clean is the best option, and i do not mind at all... but with distortion + SS i'll stay away from choosing above 1 o'clock RATE Phasing..

Personally, liking the Clean tone, UP and Rate 9-2oclock phasing..but it might change tomorrow

...

Good sound overall, very impressed, warm to cold you name it, robotic to organic you name it, just a slight phasing lack in the DOWN 8 oclock and below also UP and 8o clock and below...and wished that there was a middle switch knob, middle color,more Min Rate, and more Max..

...oh well..i can't have it all....

Ease of Use: Sure, depends on the mood, this pedal is quite verstile, and if you want verstility out of this unit, you'll have to do couple seconds of knob twisting, esp. for those who suffer from a bad amp tone like myself...

follow your ears, and be patient with the modes because the phase at first, might seem not so cool..

Reliability: I don't know, the click switch design bugs me even though it is not broken, and the battery compartment arcs are totally meaningless, I don't want the battery to fly all over the place!!

But since it's a solid metal piece, i think it can absorb "other kinds" of damage..

Overall:
I liked this the best out of the Phasers I've tried over 4 times (MXR90, PS-3, Vx Phaser, NYC RI SILVER SStone) good verstility and good sounding unit out of the phasers above.

MXR90/Vx Phaser- alright of a muffled sound, but two thumbs down for lack of verstility.

PS-3 waste of green paint, verstile and quantity is there, but no quality.

NYC SILVER SStone - some what weak phasing, lacked Down switch phasing.

I guess EHX BLACK SStone is somewhere in between okay phasers and awesome phasers, I love this pedal, but it can't do all the things I thought and wanted (but some what close), it has couple of awesome moments, and I will keep this unit forever, and look for another phaser to cover for the weakness of the SStone.

Until then, I'm rocking with this little unit right here!

edit - for couple seconds (5?) you got the warm this thing up, like turn to the max and hear the phasing, and go from there, i found out that the phasing didn't work if i didn't do this...

edit - it's sad, because "this" Sovtek Small Stone HATES my FHRD..(when I say "this" it means that EHX products are well known for inconsistancy throughout their products, even in the same models and the same production dated units, and no serial numbers were provided for sovtek products "green and black ones" and therefore it's a ###### to find out if it is true by-passed, cos they started true by passing their products recently, I heard 2001. You might have a good unit, but for sure, i have bad one in the closet.)

And the volume drop and the lack of effect on certain parts, I've described is pissing me off every single day, more and more, I'm giving this unit two thumbs way down.
who knows? it's just an opinion, it might change next month or tomorrow.

edit2 - it still gives me some problems, but there are some sweet spots (believe it or not) on the Sovtek Small Stone Black.

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