Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

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JVG
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Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by JVG » Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:57 pm

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A while back i got a Jam Retrovibe. Really liked it, and still do. Recently i got a great deal on another Retrovibe - the idea being i would leave one set on “chorus” and one set on “vibrato”. (yeah, i really like vibes!).

I did the A/B thing, using isolated loops and a pedal switcher, so they wouldn't be differently affected by external factors.

To my surprise, they sound very different.

The one on the left side of the photos has a thicker, slightly more grunty mid range, and a slight volume boost overall.
The one on the right of the photos has a more open sound, and no volume boost.

The left one has a somewhat less pronounced throb, and sounds very symmetrical.
The one on the right has a very pronounced throb and perhaps less symmetry.

Even after adjusting the internal trimpot for “intensity” i could not get these to sound the same. I could get them kind of similar for some settings, but it required very different positioning of the knobs.

Additionally, the speed and depth pots reacted differently. The one on the left has a fairly gradually sweep through the range of the pots, while the one on the right has most of the depth effect before noon, and a dramatic change in speed around 3pm.

It looks like the photocells are arranged quite differently, while the rest of the circuit appears the same (to my untrained eye).

Anyway, perhaps some of you may be interested in such details, and maybe even some comments about why the sound is so different.

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fuzzjunkie
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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:44 am

The photocell is the heart of a Univibe, and those are 2 drastically different arrangements!

I don’t know how the difference affects the sound, but doubt they’re ever going to sound the same. If you had two with the same photocell set then they are probably much closer in the settings and sound.

The knobs might be affected by that part of the circuit too. I hate pedals with limited range though. I would unload that one myself and try to find one more like the one on the left. Traditional Univibes have the 4 arrangement and should sound thicker and not overly throbbing.

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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by JVG » Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:09 am

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:44 am
The photocell is the heart of a Univibe, and those are 2 drastically different arrangements!

I don’t know how the difference affects the sound, but doubt they’re ever going to sound the same. If you had two with the same photocell set then they are probably much closer in the settings and sound.

The knobs might be affected by that part of the circuit too. I hate pedals with limited range though. I would unload that one myself and try to find one more like the one on the left. Traditional Univibes have the 4 arrangement and should sound thicker and not overly throbbing.
Thanks for those thoughts.

Yeah i do prefer the one with the 4 cells arranged around the bulb. The other has its charms too but requires more knob fiddling to find the good sounds.

The bottom line is that if someone asked me to describe the Jam Retrovibe sound, i’m not sure i could give a conclusive answer! I have one that sounds thick and chewy*, and another that sounds airy* and throbbing.


*sorry to use cliched univibe descriptors…i couldn’t think of better terminology

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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:38 am

Since you want to have them set to 2 different sounds, perhaps you can keep both, if you can find 2 sounds that you like - the 2 units don’t necessarily have to sound the same.

I have a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe, and I use it for Vibrato, Chorus (Univibe) and Tremolo. I think Univibes that have an asymmetrical throb sound more interesting. Not all vibes do that. It might come down to drift or different tolerance in vintage units? I don’t know, but I got the Voodoo because it has a symmetry control.

I would want the thicker sound of the one and the asymmetric throb of the other. I might not be happy with either, but maybe you can make both work even though the sound different? I would probably go transparent for vibrato and thick for Univibe and ignore the symmetry of the throb if I had to compromise.

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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by JVG » Sat Jun 26, 2021 3:14 pm

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:38 am
Since you want to have them set to 2 different sounds, perhaps you can keep both, if you can find 2 sounds that you like - the 2 units don’t necessarily have to sound the same.
That’s a very sensible point, and you’re right. I guess i was surprised that two examples of the “same” pedal could sound so different. Maybe i just need to embrace them as different pedals, and things will be fine :)

For full disclosure, i have a bit of a univibe sickness. I already have a Vibe Machine and a Moon Vibe, both of which i love, and had an Aquavibe (which was nice but not as sweet as the others).

J.

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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:44 pm

If you ever get famous, people will be pulling their hair out trying to cop your tone :D

I got all the pedals but I can’t make it sound like him!

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Re: Two versions of the same univibe - why so different?

Post by budda12ax7 » Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:36 pm

I have a fulltone vibe and and cheap aliexpress vibe that sounds good.

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