Spaceman Downscales Its Iconic Deluxe Phaser With the Explorer

January 18, 2022 · 6 sources

Spaceman Effects announced a reissue of the Explorer, its first-ever phaser, in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure. The new Explorer is a compact version of the Explorer Deluxe, the company's hand-built six-stage phaser, and it arrives with the same circuit as the flagship crammed into the smaller chassis¹².

The Explorer is an optical six-stage analog phaser, using six stages of optically swept phase shifting³. Guitar Pedal X noted that the reissue and the Deluxe are versions of the exact same 6 Stage Optical circuit, with the exact same controls⁴. Spaceman describes the current Explorer as a small form factor reissue of the original Explorer phaser, carrying all the deluxe features of the original in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure³².

In the maker's words:

The control set carried over from the Deluxe covers the full range of the effect⁶⁴:

• Rate (Speed): sets the speed of the sweep, and can also be driven by an external CV source or an expression pedal
• Resonance (RES): adds feedback, which the maker says "makes for those over-the-top phase tones we all know and love"³
• Range (Sweep): sets the frequency range of the phase effect
• Shape: a mode selector offering five LFO wave shapes, Sine, Ramp Down, Ramp Up, Triangle, and Square
• Volume (Level): dials in the pedal's output volume
• Mix (Blend): blends in the clean signal for a more subdued phaser effect

A sixth mode, Manual, disconnects the LFO and freezes the phase sweep, letting the player dial in a fixed position with the Rate knob; in Manual mode the exp/CV input controls the sweep directly⁶². Per the pedal's manual, a range of alternate wave shapes can also be accessed when power is applied while the footswitch is depressed, including a trio of arpeggiated shapes, a four-step pattern, an MW wave, and an Inverted Manual mode².

The Explorer runs on 9V DC center negative power, draws 51mA, and is up to 24V capable for high-headroom use cases¹⁵³. It shipped in three colorways: Silver/Black, Red, and Black/Yellow⁶, at a launch price of $279².