PastFX's 6 and 10 JFET Stage Analog Foot Phaser Deluxe takes the Foxx Phaser Circuit to new heights

Back during last year’s ’Year of the Phaser’ project I had already picked out PastFX’s Foot Phaser Deluxe as a likely target for the reference collection - I was just juggling a lot of priorities then in fact as I still am now, where it only properly made sense to kick into action this year since I’m on a particular roll with these superior PastFX Modulations. First Choruses, then Flangers, and now this exceptional Phaser.

Of course based on the Vintage 70’s Foxx Foot Phaser - a treadle/rocker design of phaser which was particularly popular with Queen’s Brian May. PastFX’s first take on that circuit was the simplified Nick James Signature Foot Phaser - which has just 3 controls, Speed and Depth, and a 2-way Slow / Fast Range toggle switch. The constructions of this circuit is particularly tricky as you need to find 10 exactly matching JFET Transistors of precisely the right sort - which involves testing thousands of Transistors to find ones suitable. The simpler version is restricted to 2 Range Speeds, and can only delivery the full 10 Stages.

Deluxe Controls - Speed (LFO for Auto / Fixed Phase Point for Manual), Stages : 6 / 10, Depth, Feedback, Mode : Manual / Auto, Range (Speed) : Slow / Medium / Fast, Phase Sweep Bias Trimer accessible though enclosure hole near the Speed knob).

For the Deluxe edition as pictured you get 6 controls versus the Nick James variety’s 3. Speed and Depth are the same, and in place of the 2-Range Speed Toggle, we get a 3-Range Rotary - which can go quite a bit slower, and very much faster too - producing an almost ringmod style of effect at its peak. With Stages set to 10, Feedback dialled fully back, and Mode set to Auto - we get exactly the same kind of output as on the simpler pedal.

The Deluxe though can go more subtle and smoother, as well as more extreme. And you can park the LFO with the ’Manual’ switch - where you can then Manually Sweep through the phase - or introduce an expression pedal to sweep through the phase - with your Foot - hence the Foot Phaser moniker in the first place!

We’re generally mostly used to 2 and 4-Stage Phasers - so the 10 Stages is particularly richly textured, while you can have set 6-Stage mode really soft and subtle. Meaning you have a vast range of possibilities with this Phaser - indeed very much extended range!

What makes Verlie’s PastFX pedals stand out - is not just how great they sound by default - but how cleverly you can manipulate that output. Each of her pedals has incredibly details that you just don’t readily find elsewhere - moreover they’re always supremely easy to dial in. 

With the Foot Phaser Deluxe I’m up to 14 PastFX Pedals overall (all compacts as per below visual), but across 12 types - as I have earlier models of Elastic Mattress and Hot for Flanger, as well as the updated variants. And I have another (#15) updated variant on the way in the guise of the 5-knob TD-Y Butler Tube Driver style pedal - which adds a very handy Mids knob - to give it 3-Band EQ.