Its 1970 on the sunset strip. Rainbow Pizza still had birthday parties for 10 year olds. The Beatles hadn’t officially broken up and Monterey and Woodstock were still ringing in my ears. There were Fuzz Face’s, Crybaby’s and Maestro Phasers, but that was about it. Into this mythical time, a drum company decided to make a guitar effect. Not just a little box that sits on the floor, but a whole new idea of sound creation. Out of this time, ambition and chemical enhancement, came the Ludwig Phase II. It wasn’t just a fuzz box, but it had elements of a Wah pedal and the LFO based modulation that created a unique sound. It was one of the first true guitar multi effects systems, and a pioneer in the budding development of guitar synthesizers. 

Being simply amazing wasn’t enough, especially when the box cost more than a Marshall Stack. Ludwig gave it a try and after two years gave up. But there was Moore to come. There was this guy named like a castaway who was in this band about loud kids. They did this 20 minute long song “The Diamond Sea” that rediscovered this box for a whole new generation of music makers. I couldn’t make any sense out of it, but I liked the 70’s vibe. 

Today, it continues to be a highly desired effect with extremely limited supply, and still fetches more than a Marshall Stack. This unit is from the Gearzley personal collection and is in remarkable physical shape. It has just been professionally serviced and tested, followed by the required prying it out of their hands because “they weren’t done playing with it yet.” It now can be your personal transport back to 1970, or 1995, or both.