Chase Bliss releases Billy Strings Wombtone Analog EnveloPhaser

September 28, 2024 · 2 sources

Chase Bliss released the Billy Strings Wombtone Analog EnveloPhaser, the company's first signature pedal, built with the bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings¹. MusicRadar reported the launch on August 28, 2024, priced at $399 and shipping mid-September¹. Pedal of the Day published its review on September 28, 2024².

The pedal revives the Wombtone, an analog envelope-controlled phaser that Chase Bliss discontinued¹. According to Pedal of the Day, Chase Bliss learned that Strings had been collecting every Wombtone he could find before it was discontinued, and the two worked together to bring it back². MusicRadar reports the run is limited to 3,000 units and is a US exclusive, which it attributes to the same regulatory compliance issue around an LDR, or opto-isolator, behind Chase Bliss discontinuing its Preamp MKII, Thermae, Warped Vinyl HiFi, Dark World and Condor HiFi¹.

Per Pedal of the Day, the pedal follows playing dynamics to control the phase, and the envelope can be routed to any or several of its knobs². It lists these features²:

MusicRadar describes a row of dipswitches along the top of the pedal, a Chase Bliss signature, and says the pedal lets playing dynamics guide the modulation¹. Pedal of the Day describes it as collecting multiple styles of phasing in one place².

Strings told MusicRadar he first heard a Wombtone at the Kalamazoo Theater, played by David Bruzza, and that it has been an essential part of his sound since around 2014¹.