the Memphis Roto Phase - give yourself a swirlie!

  Evidently the Memphis Roto Phase was built in Japan in a Maxon-like jobber arrangement. I've read suggestions that they were built by Maxon, but I don't think the photographic evidence bears this idea out.  Although the housings are similar, all the other parts seem too different for this to be so.  Much like my Garnet 'stencil' amp, the Memphis brand was just one of the many names applied to pedals built in the same factory.  How many names?  Well, a little research turned up Coron, HMJ, Grant, Storm, Asama, Nashville and Memphis, Labo, Frontline, Musikborsen (in Germany), Laser, C.Q.O., Kiyo, Sanok, Serwa, Yu Brother, J and J, Ema, BIAS, Electra, Tronix and KMD.  I suspect some of the eighties Guyatone pedals were also jobbed out of the same factory.  That's over twenty different labels!

Dead simple.  Note the lack of a adaptor jack.

  Unfortunately, despite the abundance of labelling and photographic evidence, there is little information on all of these boxes to be found online - and this shop made a full roster of effects: phasers, flangers, distortions, e.q.s, wahs - you name it.  However, my digging revealed that the Memphis Rotophase is very likely inspired (or cloned, depending how you like to think about such things) by the MXR Phase 45 and is, thusly, a two-stage phaser.  I found a couple of threads where some solder soldiers were threatening to post a schematic, but those threads seem to have gone cold some years ago.  Perhaps in the magic castle of DIY pedaldom these pedal lines have long been deemed 'not worth pursuing', or maybe they're just not hip 'cause they're not Maxons.  I have no idea...

...a raging case of the flamin' groovies...

  What I do know is that this thing has got a raging case of the flamin' groovies.  It's got a super-organic, lumpy rotation to its swirl and a pleasingly lo-fi texture that I find irresistible.  If you like the vibey swirl of a Phase 90 (or similar one-knob phaser) but find the peaks and valleys too much for you, then this might be your phaser.  That said, it doesn't do organ textures particularly well (in my opinion); although it seems to ramp up a bit when shifted between settings, it doesn't seem to speak too clearly at higher or lower extremes of the speed knob.  The Roto Phase seems happiest set around twelve o'clock and gets a little vague at higher and lower settings.  Perhaps things needs to be tweaked a little to enrich the other ends of this control?  Just a guess, but there's some good thoughts on the subject here.  While I found this phaser to be a bit of a one-trick-pony, the trick this pony does is really, really freakin' cool.
  The Roto Phase is the picture of simplicity: one oversized knob for easy toe-enabled phase speed adjustment, a bypass switch, input and output jacks, and a thoughtful foam rubber no-slip pad on the bottom.  You have the choice of using a 9 volt battery or a 9 volt battery for power; there is no jack to connect an external adapter (you could use a battery clip adapter if you own such a beast).  I like the look, too, with it's simple-but-attractive graphics silkscreened over royal blue paint.  The paint has survived admirably to say that this unit likely dates back to the late '70s or early '80s.

The foam-rubber non-slip pad is a thoughtful touch, albeit useless in our velcro age.

  I took the Roto Phase out to two gigs this week, one a solo performance and one a duo gig (with my friend Rachel Davis doing her 'Joni Baloney' Joni Mitchell tribute).  I've found some phase units a tad too aggressive to use live with any subtlety, but that isn't an issue with the Memphis.  I was impressed by it's warm, somewhat dark timbre, and by the way it just seems to sit in the mix perfectly, not completely dominating your notes, but gently enveloping them in its swirling miasma.  If you're not looking for jet-swooshing, special effect phasing, but do want a little motion and texture, then this is a cool choice in a phaser.
  This particular unit is currently for sale, and as the asking price is about what you'd pay for a new Phase 90 (or 45) or Small Stone, I think it's a great deal for a rare, vibey, well-voiced, eminently useful pedal.  And, as the seller is a local tech, you get the best warranty in the business!  (If I needed a  phaser right now, I'd be buying it myself, but I just bought a phaser four months ago and I value my marriage too much for such largesse.  Seriously, check out amprepair.ca for your electronic repair needs - great prices, great guy, good turn-around times - you can't lose.

For the demo I plugged my trusty Danelectro '63 reissue (tuned to open D) into an old Garnet stencil head pushing a Carvin 4x10 cabinet.  I used a Joe Gore Codpiece booster (just a touch) and a Maxon analog delay for a bit of slapback.  This is a one-take improv on a couple of pre-cooked themes I've been messing with; I thought the attitude embraced that of the ol' Memphis Roto Phase.

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