REVIEW: WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II – The Groovy 70s Phaser Returns!
4,3 / 5,0 | 
The WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II marks the return of the classic sound of the Mu-Tron Phasor II phaser pedal. More accessible and easy to use than ever, does the reissue still pack the groovy magic of the original? Bob Malkowki fires up the lava lamps and paisley and finds out…
WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II
The WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II is the second of two pedals released today by WARM Audio. Released alongside the ODD Box, the pedal we’re looking at here is a recreation of the Mu-Tron Phasor II. As we’ve come to expect from WARM audio, this isn’t a slavish recreation of the original. You’ll find a few subtle, yet welcome tweaks to the original design.
The original Phasor II was a mains-powered pedal with a hard-wired power cable; bad luck if you wanted to run it from batteries! The Mutation Phasor II runs off a more conventional, centre-negative 9V power supply. You can also run from a 9V battery, however, you will need a screwdriver to disassemble the housing if you choose to do so!
In order with modern convention, the input and output jacks are also labelled “input and output” compared to the “amplifier and instrument” labelling of the original. Otherwise, this is a very faithful reissue cosmetically, even down to the same colour scheme, font and knobs used! Just like the original pedal, the Warm Audio Mutation Phasor II employs the same optical circuit.
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- Source: WARM Audio
Groovy Phasing
I need to lead this section with a confession: I’ve never had the privilege of using an original Mu-Tronics Phasor. Considering the rarity and eye-watering price of vintage originals, I suspect I’m not alone. As a result, any statements upon the sound of this pedal will be entirely subjective on its own qualities.
First up, I plugged via a telecaster and a clean amp; my initial impression was that this is one of the “cleanest” phasers I’ve ever used. Compared to something like an Electro Harmonix Small Stone, this is a much more subtle phaser. Where some phasers bathe your source sound in an extreme jet-plane swoosh, the Mutation Phasor II adds a tasteful phase on top. Trying the Phasor II on bass guitar yields a similar result; it’s a texture that adds movement and interest to your existing tone rather than replacing it.
More than just a passing phase
Mu-Tronics marketed heavily to keyboard players in period, so what’s this pedal like on keyboards? In a word, glorious! I dusted off my old Elka Rhapsody string machine and fed it into the Phasor II. Dial in very slow rate turn depth and feedback full up and you’ll never turn it off! In fact, in this scenario, I’d just like to tape the Phasor II to the keyboard and just leave it permanently engaged!
Doubling down on the vintage vibe, I next ran my Wurlitzer Electric piano through the Phasor II. Here, again, it really shines: everything from pseudo-Leslie warbles (think Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”) through to funk-alicious swirls reign abundantly.
The Phasor II adds a wonderful, subtle movement to just about any source you put it on. However, in my experience, it really shines on harmonically rich sources (like vintage string machines).
Conclusion: WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II review
If you’re lucky enough to find a working original Mu-Tron Phasor II, you’ll have to pay handsomely to own one. WARM’s recreation sells for a fraction of the price of the original, is easier to incorporate into modern setups, and comes with a warranty. Talking of which, WARM has a great service/repair department which will help to keep your WARM gear working even out of warranty.
Misgivings? I’d have liked to see battery replacement possible without taking the unit apart. Equally, I found the controls to be a little “touchy”; the rate control in particular seems to have the greatest effect within the first few degrees of travel. It’s possible that the original PHASOR II works in the same way; however, I’d be intrigued to see if a change in potentiometer values would make the range of the controls more useable.
Otherwise, it’s another great release from WARM Audio. What will they come up with next? I await with bated breath!
LIKES
- Build Quality
- Battery power option
- Runs off standard 9V pedal supplies
- Low noise, clean sound
- Affordable
DISLIKES
- Tools needed to change battery
- Control range would benefit from fine-tuning
More Information
- WARM Audio website
- More from WARM Audio
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One response to “REVIEW: WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II – The Groovy 70s Phaser Returns!”
I generally have zero interest in pedals, but the Lee Perry fan in me did get excited when I saw this. 🙂