# The Rare Pedal Thread



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

What do we have here friends? Who has a few gems that they would like to show us? Some rare and sought after pedals


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

I've never seen another one like this. Actually not a bad sounding fuzz


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Is Studio One the company or is that the model?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I don't have it anymore, but for a few months, I owned an Ibanez Flying Pan. It was a funny story, actually. I randomly replied to an email selling this pedal in non-working condition. I wanted a phaser and trem at the time and figured I might as well see if I can resurrect this guy, since the owner was selling it for a song (he had put it in his closet years before when it stopped working). So I snagged it, took it home and realized the problem was simply one of the leads on the 9V clip had come loose. Soldered it back up and voila. It was only afterwards that I did some googling and realized what I had on my hands. I kept it for a while and decided it was worth more to others than to me, so I traded it for a Strat 

This was the one:


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)




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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Though promised to someone, for the time being, and for the last 12 years or so, I have had a very rare bird, briefly made by Guild in the late 60's, called a Tri-Oct. I have pictures which I can't post at the moment, but will do so later this evening. In the meantime, you can see a picture here if you scroll down: accessories2

The Tri-Oct was the first polyphonic octave divider for guitar, and was, as near as I can tell, the kind of missing link between stompboxes and guitar synthesizers. It housed 6 separate discrete (no chips anywhere) octave divider circuits, connected to a proprietary hexaphonic divided pickup. A table-top box, rather than floor pedal, it was to be used as a pedal. The floor switch unit has a step switch to cancel/engage the octave-down voice, a fuzz voice, and the clean signal. Someone on the letstalkguild forum suggested the name came from providing a note three octaves down, but he obviously hadn't used one. The "Tri-Oct" title simply comes from having three different blendable voices. Sliders on the main chassis adjusted the level of each of these voices, with everything mixed down to mono for the output. Six trimpots, accessible through holes in the rear panel allowed for setting the sensitivity for each string.

The divided pickup was a full decade or more before the skinny ones from Roland that we all came to know and love, and has about the same footprint as a P90...which was its undoing, unfortunately. Analog octave dividers traditionally have a hard time tracking notes well, and demand clean monophonic picking. When the pickup is too far from the bridge, there is too much lateral string travel for the individual coils to sense ONLY the string above them, and that wreaks havoc with the tracking. Someone has suggested to me that perhaps it was designed in anticipation of medium-to-heavy gauge flatwounds, and I think they may have been on to something. In any event, the footprint of the pickup required that you install it between the neck and bridge pickups, or use it with a guitar that did not already have a bridge pickup, so that you could snuggle it up against the bridge. Either way, though it was built to sense strings individually, it was also unintentionally built to invite mistracking.

From my reading of guitar-pedal history, I gather it must have been built before Guild President Al Dronge's untimely death in 1972, though the nature of the components would suggest something around 1969 or so. It used the same transistors popular with the gang that worked on the Guild Foxey Lady and the earliest EHX effects in the late 60's. I've written to effects historian Art Thompson, and designer Mike Beigel (with Elliot Randall's blessing), to find out a little more, but they never replied and nothing has ever come up in any material I've seen. I should probably get some folks to come out of the woodwork by whipping up an article and some photos for Vintage Guitar magazine. My sense is that there were probably less than 1000 of these ever made. The serial number on mine is somewhere in the 3-digits. You wanted rare. This one is rare.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

For many years I had a volume pedal marketed by John Bellone Music in London. I'm not sure what happened to it but it likely got traded. 

Peace, Mooh.


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## hummingway (Aug 4, 2011)

I don't know how rare it is but I have one of these: File:RE-501.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pedal portion is three A-B's to turn on and off chorus, echo and sound on sound. I used a friends in the late 80's and told myself if I ever came across one to buy it and not think about it. I walked into a music store in the early 90's in Nelson BC and there was one on the bottom shelf. The fellow told me he wasn't sure it worked, they hadn't been able to get it to do anything so they sold it for $50 or something. I took it home, plugged it in and it worked perfectly, obviously very little time on the heads. I love it though these days it gets used less. Big fat chorus and the tape echoes are lots of fun.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Mine's not especially valuable, but it is the best sounding phaser I've owned and is desireable and rare. Got it in a pawn shop in Saskatoon in the '90's for $30 or so.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Is Studio One the company or is that the model?


That is the only branding on the pedal so have to assume that it is the company name.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

Always nice when you can get a great deal like that, as it ultimately enriches your music fund. 



hollowbody said:


> I don't have it anymore, but for a few months, I owned an Ibanez Flying Pan. It was a funny story, actually. I randomly replied to an email selling this pedal in non-working condition. I wanted a phaser and trem at the time and figured I might as well see if I can resurrect this guy, since the owner was selling it for a song (he had put it in his closet years before when it stopped working). So I snagged it, took it home and realized the problem was simply one of the leads on the 9V clip had come loose. Soldered it back up and voila. It was only afterwards that I did some googling and realized what I had on my hands. I kept it for a while and decided it was worth more to others than to me, so I traded it for a Strat
> 
> This was the one:


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

keto said:


> Mine's not especially valuable, but it is the best sounding phaser I've owned and is desireable and rare. Got it in a pawn shop in Saskatoon in the '90's for $30 or so.


From the parts and layout, it would seem to be a slightly improved Phase 90. Those little yellow capacitors are, I gather part of the RC network used to improve distortion immunity, similar to what you see on the Phase 45 (but not on the Phase 90). I am told the RC network helps...but only up to a point. A friend who does a lot of work on such things tells me that, without them, distortion creeps in gradually with increased input level. When you use them, once you reach a certain threshold there is a drastic change in distortion. Of course, since he is most familiar with synths, he may well be talking about an input level MUCH higher than any guitar would normally produce.

Still seemingly a better engineered versio of a classic. No wonder it sounds good.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Pics of the Guild Tri-Oct.


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## hummingway (Aug 4, 2011)

mhammer said:


> Pics of the Guild Tri-Oct.


Nice one though I see what you mean about the pickup. You have to be committed to it. 

I always thought the Mutron was a cool pedal. Anyone using one of them?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

What it reaslly needed was a different pickup entirely. I should actually see what the output voltage is on those coils. Maybe a more contemporary pickup could be made with tiny neodymiums that could fit where a hex pickup is *supposed* to go: by the bridge.


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

I guess the Phase 501 is related to the Loco Box Rotophase. 

That is a great sounding phaser

Volz Phase 501 | DiscoFreq's Effects Database


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Most of my rare pedals aren't even old ones. I've got a couple D*A*M's and Skreddys, Lovetone and BJFE pedals that are unobtainium now. They are my version of a TFSA.

:smilie_flagge17:

Here's some wah pedals that are pretty rare...


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

NB_Terry said:


> I guess the Phase 501 is related to the Loco Box Rotophase.
> 
> That is a great sounding phaser
> 
> Volz Phase 501 | DiscoFreq's Effects Database


lol 3 out of those 5 pics are mine - he could have at least asked.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

Perfect thread for my old (original style) Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal. 

Dam I miss that.


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

I have an 80's Pearl overdrive pedal that I've had since new. They only made them a few years. I also have an Electro Harmonix LPB 1 that a friend gave me. Not really a pedal as it plugs into the guitar then you plug the cable into it.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

Those Supa Quack's are really scarce. I think Scotty is in hiding somewhere since he ripped off so many people 

I bought 3 pedals from him and actually received them all....I count myself lucky. 



Sneaky said:


> Most of my rare pedals aren't even old ones. I've got a couple D*A*M's and Skreddys, Lovetone and BJFE pedals that are unobtainium now. They are my version of a TFSA.
> 
> :smilie_flagge17:
> 
> Here's some wah pedals that are pretty rare...


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## v-verb (Mar 29, 2007)

Are these rare? Sort of but maybe not

The gold is a reissue - maybe 40 of these made. The silver is serial #103


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## hummingway (Aug 4, 2011)

J S Moore said:


> I have an 80's Pearl overdrive pedal that I've had since new. They only made them a few years. I also have an Electro Harmonix LPB 1 that a friend gave me. Not really a pedal as it plugs into the guitar then you plug the cable into it.


Dan Armstrong's Orange Squeezer used to plug in that way. Great compressor but sort of limits your signal chain.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

I was given an original Colorsound Supa Tonebender when I lived in the UK. I sold it in the mid 90's for about $250. One of my biggest gear selling regrets.

I picked up this used reissue in London ten years ago for £60 ($150 CDN). I didn't realize at the time this was a Steve Hackett Limited Edition Reissue. Not sure how rare they are but I've only ever seen a couple.


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## itf? (May 27, 2009)

I have an original Dice Works Muff Diver with "Cornish" switch.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

J S Moore said:


> I have an 80's Pearl overdrive pedal that I've had since new. They only made them a few years. I also have an Electro Harmonix LPB 1 that a friend gave me. Not really a pedal as it plugs into the guitar then you plug the cable into it.


I used to have an original Muff Fuzz in one of those little 1-knob/1-switch plug-in boxes. Couldn't stand the sound so I cannibalized it. The 2N5133s are in something else sitting in my bin. Not exactly a "rare" pedal, though, just an old one. Maybe a little less commonplace is an EHX Y-Triggered Filter than I have, and have modded. There's also a Maestro FZ-1S fuzz I was given, albeit without the chassis it came in, and a Shin-Ei FY-2 I bought in a pawnshop....for the chassis and switch; both rehoused. Again, old, but not exactly rare, given the markets share the manufacturers had.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

GONE


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## hedzup (Apr 23, 2009)

I have an original Colorsound wah, Colorsound Tonebender, and Vox Tonebender, but I can't figure out how to post pictures.......


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

hedzup said:


> I have an original Colorsound wah, Colorsound Tonebender, and Vox Tonebender, but I can't figure out how to post pictures.......


Check out this thread for info on posting pics

http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?42252-Posting-pictures-to-the-forum


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

hardasmum said:


> I was given an original Colorsound Supa Tonebender when I lived in the UK. I sold it in the mid 90's for about $250. One of my biggest gear selling regrets.
> 
> I picked up this used reissue in London ten years ago for £60 ($150 CDN). I didn't realize at the time this was a Steve Hackett Limited Edition Reissue. Not sure how rare they are but I've only ever seen a couple.


The Supa Tonebender is essentially a BIg Muff Pi, but instead of having two cascaded clipping stages like the BMP does, it has one. http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=90978.0 That's not a bad thing. I regularly remind folks looking to spice up their BMP that if they just lift the diodes in the first clipping stage, they'll have a Supa.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I picked up a Pearl PH-44 phaser last year. Pearl is not exactly a rare kind of pedal, but you tend not to see these puppies on this side of the Pacific all that often. What's great about this 6-stage phaser is that it has ramp-up/ramp-down, with variable speed for both fast and slow modes. It also has stereo (sum/difference) outs, and an input sensitivity control. Runs off a pair of 9v batteries. Great little phaser.

[video=youtube;6xbOdci8LpE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbOdci8LpE[/video]


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## sh333 (Apr 6, 2006)

keto said:


> Mine's not especially valuable, but it is the best sounding phaser I've owned and is desireable and rare. Got it in a pawn shop in Saskatoon in the '90's for $30 or so.


That whole pedal line had some real gems in it esp. the phaser and comp.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Rare? Maybe not.
But old.
View attachment 3952

View attachment 3953

View attachment 3954


Vintage EHX at $10 a pop!


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## analogteletube (Jan 26, 2011)

I have two (one for a backup since they're so flimsy) Ibanez WH-10 wah's. Not so rare but prices have gone crazy in the past couple of years, apparently because John Frusciante from the chili peppers uses them. There's a reissue out now that I'm pretty sure had something to do with an online petition!? But from what I understand the original pots are no-longer in production so the circuit/tone isn't accurate.


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