By Mike Murphy
© 2015 All Rights Reserved.
Fresh from the womb, we come out seeking to learn, feel and discover life. We want to be the best we can be, and do good for ourselves and others, while doing something that will better mankind. To leave some type of legacy behind, so that the world will remember us, and be better for our thoughts and actions. Joel Korte, owner and mind behind Chase Bliss Audio's effects pedals is such a soul.
Seeing the finely crafted little wooden boxes that each effect pedal arrived in, I already knew that I was in for something unique. I felt like each box was a treasure chest containing a precious artifact that had been hidden for years. Treasure indeed. What a great way to start a new tonal relationship with a product than to get a perfect first impression. That is how it was for me when my Chase Bliss Audio's Wombtone II Phaser and Warped Vinyl II Chorus/Vibrato came into my musical life. I thought to myself, anyone who would go to the extent of making even the packaging of their product this special, indicates to me that there has been a great deal of thought and pride put into it, and that they are very dedicated to their craft. That they want all aspects of it to be perfect.
I had done a lot of research on these two boutique hand-made pedals prior to getting them, so I had a feeling that they were going to be good. I was mistaken on the good part. They are in fact, other-worldly. There is no other way to describe them. I have used many other boutique brands and have discovered that not all of them are made equal. The last socially well-respected product I had purchased, ended up causing me clipping issues because of compatability with my clean boost (Keeley Katana). What I discovered was that many of the pedals out there can be clipped on their input section if a hot signal hits them. Not so with Joel Korte's product. After e-mailing him with a few questions, he responded right away with the answers I was looking for. Namely, that his products had high headroom for hot signals, and being analog-based in tone, and digitally-based in only the memory, parameters, and tap function, I was not going to have the problems that using a strictly digital product had given me previously.
Joel's Wombtone II Phaser has huge headroom for clean signals, and does not need an input pad because of the circuit's design. Because of the circuit design of Joel's Warped Vinyl II Chorus/Vibrato, it has an input pad which lowers the input signal so it doesn't clip the input section of the pedal. It then bumps the signal back up on the way out to the level it was at when it went into the input section. This means basically that whatever signal you put in will come out the other end of either pedal, and keep your signal level intact. As well, because there is no clipping, your tone does not get muddy, shrill, or distorted. Aside from just the way these products process the signal, this doesn't even scratch the surface as to what they can do effect-wise. The fact that tone was his first priority, and the basis of his designs, caught my ear and attention right away.
The Wombtone II Phaser is easily the most imaginative and toneful phaser I have ever had the pleasure of using. It sounds so voice-like. It makes me think that this might be what the sound waves of an electric guitar sound like to a baby while inside the womb, to what things sound like once born and being outside the womb. The voicings are human in such a musical way. The guitar tone stays intact. You can drive the output if you want to, as it has a great boost that is tube-like in tone. You have great flexibility to shape the effect any way you want to using Joel's ModuShape controls, including making the waves rise up quick and down slow or up slow and down quick. With mini-toggle switches and totally accurate knobs for adjustment of various parameters, this pedal gives you many possibilites. The phase sounds can go from deep and swampy to frantic washes. It is midi compatable plus Joel has put little DIP switches on the side of all his pedals which allows you to further change or adjust what a knob does or how it reacts. You can also adjust or assign what parameter you want using an expression pedal. Dreamy is a word that comes to mind with this unit. Joel Korte is reshaping the effects world one dream at a time.
The Warped Vinyl II Chorus/Vibrato is in on the same level as the Wombtone II as far as functionality, tone, and possibilities. I was looking for a chorus that could get thick and meaty but keep the notes from being muddy and murky. I also wanted a chorus that could be more transparent and not get in the way of the chime in the top end but still add that magical pristine sheen to the notes. It does all this in full colours. It has a lushness that I have never heard before. It can make notes glisten. The warped part of it's namesake lends to the effect you can get it to reproduce, much like an old warped and scratchy record. That LoFi sound. And anything in between. The boost on this pedal is tube-like and magical just like the Wombtone II, so there is never a worry of signal or tonal drop from the effect. The extra feature of having a vibrato effect as well makes this pedal a double threat. It can make the notes dance beautifully. It can quiver and shimmer. It is also possible to have a combination of chorus and vibrato at the same. SRV's Cold Shot is alive and living in this piece. Hendrix lives in this pedal as well. Hands down the best chorus and vibrato unit I have ever experienced. Are you experienced?
These pedals will make you try things you have never tried before, and discover sounds you may have only dreamed about. The point being, up until now, those sounds were not available. Now they are. I found out more about Joel after I bought these two units. Now I understand why I was so drawn to them. Here is a guy who is changing the effects game, re-inventing it, and doing it for all the right reasons. Please read his bio. To honour family is the best dedication and inspiration a human being can draw from. This guy is as good as they come. I want to support an artist like this. That is what he is. An artist. In a time when people use the term "artist" often, Joel Korte has redefined it's very meaning, and will no doubt leave a lasting legacy in the world of boutique effects.
For more information on Chase Bliss Audio, please click here:
http://www.chaseblissaudio.com
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