Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe

[bluewaterpig]

Anyone have any experience with it? I'm in search of a good Hendrix 'Machine Gun' sound and was wondering if this could do the trick for a relatively low price. Is the Dunlop Univibe much better?

[GCDEF]

I had two and didn't like either of them.

The best budget vibe I've used was the Dunlop Uni-vibe stereo chorus. that's a pretty decent budget approximation. The BBE Soul Vibe seems pretty good from the clips I've heard as does the Danelectro Chicken Salad.

None of them are quite like the real thing though.

[daddyo]

I have one and I think it does a very good job of imitating the univive sound. There was a shootout posted here by the VP of Voodoo Labs where he played the same thing through three top end vibes and a Microvibe and didn't post the clip identities for a few days. You really couldn't tell them apart and the Microvibe got as many votes as any. http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=392830&highlight=microvibe

[TommyMambo]

I currently use a MicroVibe in my board and its okay. I have yet to find a pedal that sounds as good as a real Leslie though, which is what I use it for.

[Scott Auld]

I got the Microvibe because I did not want to blow the big bucks. It's a reasonable alternative for the price. I would buy it again. I like it and although it does the Machine Gun thing well, it's even better at doing it's own thing.

[Scott Auld]

Thread moved to effects & pedals section

[carbz]

I got one on trade as I had a CC2 with the provibe. Overall the provibe is a lot more versatile and sounded a little better but I hated the virbrato part of the provibe anyway. So in the end the way I was using the Provibe there was really not much bennefit over the micro-vibe as I got it to sound similar. Would I buy one new? Probably not. They sell used for around $100 and for all practical purposes it does a nice job of the vibe effect. If your interested I may sell mine.

[The P-Man]

I absolutely love mine. Yes, if you’re Robin Trower and play with the Vibe on 80% of the time it might be worth looking into more expensive and larger options. However, as a mix of price, sound, size and construction I think it’s hard to beat.

I’ve heard people complain about the switchs on VL pedals although others have mentioned that they have resolved these issues in recent years. I don’t know whether this is true but mine feels pretty robust.

Finally, I always run my Microvibe before OD, distortion and fuzz etc. I’ve seen a few boards with it placed after and it always leaves me a little perplexed because mine sounds terrible after any of the above!

[jamison162]

I have one and like it ok, minimal use.

I know the VL pedals are true-bypass right? They work with no power, so it's gotta be a true hard/mechanical bypass. But what's weird is, I swear I hear a difference in tone (bypassed) when I have no battery/9v hooked up and when I plug in a OneSpot. How can this be?

In other words, pedal is off, no 9v sound perfect and clear, plug in the 9v and it's sounds a little duller? Has anyone else ever noticed this? I was thinking it was due to some sort of buffer, but that doesn't make any sense. Or does it?

[radcliff]

http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/articles/vlbypass.htm

[aarondavis]

I have one and love it. I'm not a big Hendrix or Trower guy wanting to cop their tone, but I'd say it does it great.

BUT, it doesn't do it stock. There's one simply mod that needs to be done and no soldering skills are required. Simply increase the intensity of the incandescent bulb with the trim pot on the inside (only bump it up a bit, but listen while you do it). This makes it a much more intense phase/vibe sound. Very cool after this tweak.

Also, mine wasn’t fast enough for my tastes so I made a resistor change that made it perfect.

I can confidently say I have no desire to buy another vibe, especially since it’s not a real important effect for me. But even if it was, I’d still say its great.

[drolling]

Good workhorse 'vibe. Stripped down to the basics, it's everything you'd need for Band of Gypsys/Robin Trower type tunes.

I had an early version (no LED, mini-phone jack adaptor plug) and was very pleased with it till I upgraded to a Sweetsound Ultravibe.

I'd rate it as MUCH better sounding than the Dunlop Univibe and as good as other pricier booteek vibe clones I've tried.

Someone mentioned the Dano Chicken SAlad, and I dig that one too. Once you slather on some octave fuzz and overdrive, it's almost as good as it gets.

And someone else said the MV wasn't a particularly good rotary speaker emulator, and I'd agree. But that's not really what it's made for. Altho' the original effect was marketed as such, it's a far cry from the Leslie sims of today (H&K Rotosphere, ect.).

Nice to have both on board :AOK:dude!!

[wideawake]

The only thing I put ahead of mine is a treble boost and my 69 fuzz, didn't like the Microvibe before them as it does something weird to the high frequencies. But that could just be my experiences. So I go Fuzz - Boost - Vibe - OD - Others. I really like the Microvibe though. I didn't want to spend $300 on a pedal I only use occasionally. And you can get them used for less than $100.

Key for me is to keep the intensity above 3 oclock. That is where the goods are at.

for me anyhow

[jamison162]

http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/articles/vlbypass.htm

Interesting article, saw it a long time ago but had forgotten about it. So I'm sure there is something going on with all that, that my ears picked up on. Gees, I need to insure these things sticking out of my head.

[golgonooza]

Once the internal trimpot is adjusted for incandescence, it provides excellent performance for minimal cabbage, better than the Danelectro Chicken Salad - itself an incredible value.

It's not an Ultravibe, Deja, or Voodoo Vibe, and if you are looking for a leslie sim, I'd look elsewhere (Rotosim, Destination Rotation...) but as a basic Hendrix-Trower vibe, it punches well above its weight.

-cheers

[Gigbag]

I absolutely love mine. Yes, if you’re Robin Trower and play with the Vibe on 80% of the time it might be worth looking into more expensive and larger options. However, as a mix of price, sound, size and construction I think it’s hard to beat.

I’ve heard people complain about the switchs on VL pedals although others have mentioned that they have resolved these issues in recent years. I don’t know whether this is true but mine feels pretty robust.

Finally, I always run my Microvibe before OD, distortion and fuzz etc. I’ve seen a few boards with it placed after and it always leaves me a little perplexed because mine sounds terrible after any of the above!

I agree on all points. I have had no problems with mine (owned 3 years). I run dirt pedals after, but it does sound good with a boost in front (boost side of Fulltone GT-500).

[Josh Fiden]

I know the VL pedals are true-bypass right? They work with no power, so it's gotta be a true hard/mechanical bypass. But what's weird is, I swear I hear a difference in tone (bypassed) when I have no battery/9v hooked up and when I plug in a OneSpot. How can this be?


Most likely what you're hearing is ground current from using a non-isolated power supply.

Regards,

Josh Fiden
Founder / CEO
www.voodoolab.com (http://www.voodoolab.com)

[JDouglee]

I've had mine for years, I think I got it in 2001, and it still works great, sounds good,
and it doesn't clip even with hot pickups. I bought 2 Black Cat Vibes and sold them,
I like my Micro Vibe alot better.

[gregc]

Good vibe, inconsistent as they all don't sound the same. Try the one you plan to buy.

[Blues Wail]

My first one got sold,Some years later I took a chance on a trade & lo and behold it sounds just fine to me.

[crockett]

I like mine, but the one thing I've noticed is that it seems to act as a treble booster, as well. I find the deeper, slower sweeps to be much more useful. With speed up near max, it's seasickness-inducing. I'll use it to make my horrific covers of Little Wing a little more authentic sounding.

[cmacalpine]

love mine. it sounds fab, no excessive controls, i tweaked the trimpot twice and now it just screams.bgreat, great buy!!!

[amphead777]

I've had way to many of the expensive vibes. One I have now is the Aquavibe. I find the Micro does as good a job as some, and better than others. The Micro is less fussy on placement on my pedal board. Plus has very little coloration of your dry signal. This is all IMO.

[nlopez]

I've had way to many of the expensive vibes. One I have now is the Aquavibe. I find the Micro does as good a job as some, and better than others. The Micro is less fussy on placement on my pedal board. Plus has very little coloration of your dry signal. This is all IMO.


I concur with Steve!:BEER

[mlj_gear]

Whether it's true-bypass or not, the fact that a pedal will pass a signal with no battery or adapter attached does NOT imply that the pedal is true-bypass.

I have one and like it ok, minimal use.

I know the VL pedals are true-bypass right? They work with no power, so it's gotta be a true hard/mechanical bypass. But what's weird is, I swear I hear a difference in tone (bypassed) when I have no battery/9v hooked up and when I plug in a OneSpot. How can this be?

In other words, pedal is off, no 9v sound perfect and clear, plug in the 9v and it's sounds a little duller? Has anyone else ever noticed this? I was thinking it was due to some sort of buffer, but that doesn't make any sense. Or does it?

[mlj_gear]

The maximum speed on the Micro-Vibe seems pretty darn slow to me. Do original Uni-Vibes go any faster than that?

[drgonzoguitar]

The maximum speed on the Micro-Vibe seems pretty darn slow to me. Do original Uni-Vibes go any faster than that?

Replace R2 (3.3k) with a jumper to get the VL to go faster.

[hide]

i used to own the microvibe, nothing amazing to talk about, but definitely great value for the money used. I use mine before my Rat.

[hacker]

I love the microvibe-but they all do sound a different out of the box. I tried the BBE Soulvibe, and my initial reaction was pretty good-but compared side by side with the microvibe, the BBE was choppy and less organic sounding.

The Microvibe is very organic and musical.

[mlj_gear]

Replace R2 (3.3k) with a jumper to get the VL to go faster.

I may have to try that. Thanks.

I'm still curious about the max speed of original Uni-Vibes vs. the Micro Vibe if anyone knows.

[Gearhunter]

I may have to try that. Thanks.

I'm still curious about the max speed of original Uni-Vibes vs. the Micro Vibe if anyone knows.
I just did the R-2 to jumper swap,and the top speed has increased nicely.
That was my one peeve with this pedal,not any more.
Thanks for the tip drgonzo.

As for comparing the the Micro Vibes speed with originals,I can only compare it with the copies of the original that I have owned,a Mega-Vibe,Pro-Vibe,and Ultra Vibe. They all had a faster top speed than my Micro Vibe had,and now after the r-2 change,I still think it is a tad slower than those,but much faster than it was.

[4styx]

I like mine more than the old Fultone I had.Does anyone have a fix(mod) to get rid of the hum.It only does it at gig volumes.