REVIEW > MOJO HAND
MOJO HAND
NEBULA IV PHASER
BY TYLER GREEN
Flash back to the early ’70s: American auto manufacturers are still building
bigger muscle cars and the new burgeoning guitar effects industry is churning out
increasingly creative and capable studio
effects in smaller, stage-ready, battery-operated packages. Companies like MXR
and Electro-Harmonix are forging future
legends with their fast-expanding ranges of
portable effects devices.
Then jump ahead a few more years. Gas
prices are high, the economy is sputtering, and effects manufacturers—like their
Detroit brethren—are feeling the pressure to downsize to compete with cheaper
imports. The automotive and effects industries each responded to those challenges
with varying degrees of success. But just as
the Mustang II never quite captured the
glamour or speed of say, a Mach 1, you
can argue something went missing with the
sound of those newer effects.
In 2012, there’s no shortage of reissues
and custom boutique manufacturers reviving the glory days. But while a lot of folks
claim to nail vintage sounds—the reality
is that they’re often equal parts econobox
and Hemi ’Cuda. Mojo Hand is among the
newer builders successfully using modern
technology to channel the feel, spirit, and
sound of older circuits. And their Nebula
IV phase pedal, like a lot of the new generation of American muscle cars, does a very
cool job of melding vintage inspiration and
modern construction.
to hear audio clips of the pedal at
premierguitar.com/jun2012
CLICKHere…
Depth, rate, and
level controls
True-bypass switching
Parts Talk
The Nebula IV clearly derives a lot of
inspiration from the classic MXR Phase 90
design. Both share a rate control and orange
exterior (though the Nebula IV arguably
trumps the MXR in the visual department
with an awesome silkscreened astronaut
graphic), and there are clear sonic similari-
ties in certain applications. But there’s a lot
that’s different too. The Nebula IV includes
a level knob, which combats the level drop
suffered by early MXR Phase 90s. It also
includes a true-bypass switch, Boss-style
power jack, and LED indicator.
makes the best of these improvements
to create a much more versatile phaser.
Instead of six TI 741 op-amps taking up
space, there are three TI dual-stage TL072s
mounted in sockets. Rather than seven
ceramic disc caps, there are six precision
small-form box poly caps, two regular poly
caps, and two small electrolytic caps. And
in place of noisy, carbon comp resistors,
there are smaller precision metal-film resistors. The inside of the pedal is both spacious and pristine as a result.
Turn on, Tune in, Drop out
There’s a beauty about a pedal this simple
and intuitive—you could fit the operational
instructions in a fortune cookie. You just
turn it on, dial the knobs, and find a phase
pattern that inspires. To initiate my own
explorations, I placed the Nebula IV in my
pedalboard after a Fulltone Wah, Univox
Super Fuzz, and vintage MXR Distortion+
that feeds a ’ 66 Fender Twin Reverb. At the
premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012 165
