Ibanez Adds Booster and Phaser to Its Mini-Pedal Lineup

January 7, 2021 · 3 sources

Ibanez announced two new additions to its MINI pedal lineup: the PHMINI phaser and the BTMINI Mini Booster. Both pedals are made in Japan¹.

The PHMINI is a phaser pedal built on what Ibanez describes as a fully analog circuit, with a true bypass switch on its miniature angled enclosure, finished in a red, white and black color scheme. It carries three controls, Speed, Depth and Feedback, plus a discrete toggle switch on its side to choose between four-stage and six-stage phasing²¹.

Ibanez says the two stage modes cover different ground. The 4-STAGE mode gives a traditional phaser tone of the kind usually heard in classic rock, while the 6-STAGE mode delivers a more intense and dramatic effect. Across the three knobs, the maker says the pedal can produce everything from subtle textures to deep saturation².

The PHMINI runs on an external 9V DC adapter with a center-negative plug, drawing 5mA at 9V². It listed for £99 in the UK at launch¹.

The BTMINI is a clean boost pedal rather than a bottom booster, with a built-in 2-band EQ. Its stripped-back control layout has three knobs: level, treble and bass¹³. The tone section lets the player shape the EQ curve of the boost. With both EQ bands turned all the way up, the pedal sets what Ibanez calls a "wide range" tone that boosts the whole signal; at lower bass and treble settings the boost becomes more midrange-focused¹³.

The boost circuit itself uses a Japanese-made JRC MUSES 8820 op-amp, a part guitar.com described as "known for its bright, clean character"¹. Gearnews reported being told the op-amp has a particularly clean tone, and summed up the pedal as a good way of giving an amp an extra nudge without coloring the core tone, suggesting it could be one to check out in the year ahead³. The BTMINI listed for £89 in the UK¹³.