However, what you hear on those recordings is a manipulated tone. Perhaps it’s because very few of us has actually played an original unit but instead have all those classic recordings as a reference. Which UniVibe is the best?Įveryone seem to have their own opinion of UniVibes and how they should sound. Perhaps this is because most of the UniVibe tones we know, were recorded with a Strat but personally, I think that humbuckers doesn’t suit the effect that well. I also find that UniVibes sound more authentic and natural when paired up with vintage style low output single coils like CS54, CS69 or Texas Specials (or similar from other brands). Try increasing the volume on your amp or use a clean booster for a bit more bite and the UniVibe will sound much more dynamic and characteristic. On low volume levels and perhaps even a dark sounding amp, the UniVibe can sound muffled, thin and flat. Unlike other modulation pedals, UniVibes needs a bit of volume to really open up for that liquidy, swirling tone. This combo did often produce some very strange and wild sounds, but on songs like Machine Gun, you can still hear that creamy, warm UniVibe and the cranked Marshall controlled by the guitar volume control. Hendrix, on the other hand, would place a Fuzz Face before the UniVibe but he also cranked his Marshalls for dark overdrive tones. Gilmour always used the UniVibe with a clean sounding amp and perhaps just a very mild overdrive. Placing the UniVibe first, creates a warmer and more natural sounding effect. The reason for this is that UniVibes tend to make heavier overdrives and fuzz sound harsh and thin, when these are placed in front of the UniVibe. Of course, it’s your choice but in my opinion, the UniVibe sounds best before gain effects. There are different opinions about where the UniVibe and modulation effects in general should be placed on a pedal board. That being said, nothing sounds quite like a UniVibe and if you’re into Trower, Hendrix and all the other UniVibe masters, then you should seriously consider getting one. It’s always a matter of taste but in general I would say that in terms of recreating Gilmour’s tones, you’re probably better off with a vintage style 4-stage phaser – if you have to choose.Ī phaser can easily cover songs like Breathe and Any Colour You Like but a UniVibe on Shine On or Have a Cigar doesn’t quite cut it. In 1994 David got a custom rack unit of the UniVibe and the effect was featured on live performances of Breathe and Time. The UniVibe was featured in David’s pedal boards between 1973-77 although rarely used. Later, when Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973, the UniVibe was featured on only a couple of songs, including Breathe. The pedal was featured on almost all the songs, adding a haunting texture to his tone. The original UniVibe featured an expression pedal for adjusting the speed but lacked true bypass switching and it was quite noisy.Īs Pink Floyd premiered and toured their new suite, Eclipse, in early 1972, Gilmour upgraded his pedal collection (they were still lying straight on the floor) with a couple of new items, including a UniVibe. The circuit is basically a 4-stage phaser based on a pulsating light bulb surrounded by four photo cells ( see this excellent article for technical details). The idea was to replicate the doppler effect or the sound of a rotating speaker but the result turned out to be very different sounding. The UniVibe was designed in 1968 by Japanese company Shin-ei. #Cooper fx signal path selector how toIn this feature we’ll look at a handful of models and how to incorporate these in your rig, with David Gilmour’s tones in mind. The UniVibe is perhaps one of the most unique effects ever created and its hypnotic tone still fascinates new generations of guitarists.
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