The Animals Pedal Car Crush Chorus/Vibe is a compact chorus and vibrato pedal built to recreate the vintage Uni-Vibe modulation sound of the late 1960s in a simple, easy-to-use format1. Animals Pedal describes it as a pedal with three control knobs and a toggle switch that lets you dial in that classic psychedelic modulation sound without the bulk or complexity of the original1. It went on sale on March 7, 20172.
The pedal it draws from, the Unicord Uni-Vibe, was originally designed as a chorus/vibrato for use with keyboards, aimed at a Leslie speaker type sound3. The Car Crush packages that modulation character in a small gray-blue enclosure with a true bypass footswitch45.
A Uni-Vibe-style chorus and vibrato
The Car Crush offers two modulation modes, selected by a toggle switch: Chorus and Vibe (pitch vibrato). Animals Pedal says the switch moves between a surging, distinctive chorus and pitch vibrato6.
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal in June 2017 and found both sides of it convincing. Of the Chorus mode, the reviewer wrote5:
"The Chorus portion gives you some nice, warm, lush chorus tones, getting back to a bit of the New Wave sound popular in the '70s and '80s"5
Of the Vibrato mode, the same reviewer found it reaches further back:
"The Vibrato portion really goes back to the '60s, bringing on a special and intelligent-sounding Uni-Vibe tone, which works wonders when paired with a good overdrive or distortion pedal"5
That pairing with overdrive or distortion is worth noting for players building a board: the reviewer's view is that the vibrato side especially comes alive with gain in front of it5.
The reviewer's overall verdict addressed the practical appeal of a pedal like this. Original Uni-Vibe units are scarce and expensive to maintain, and the Car Crush was seen as solving that problem5:
"Compact and easy to use, the Car Crush takes away all of the hassles and great expenses of trying to find, purchase and maintain an original Uni-Vibe, with astonishingly good reproduction of its sound"5
For comparison, the Dunlop MXR Uni-Vibe Chorus/Vibrato covers similar ground as a modern Uni-Vibe-style pedal, with speed, level and depth controls and a switch for chorus or vibrato7. The Car Crush takes a simpler approach with its three-knob layout.
The controls
The Car Crush keeps its control set minimal: three knobs and one toggle1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Depth | Intensity control, giving you as much or as little of the effect as you desire5 |
| Rate | Sets the speed of the modulation effect5 |
| Color | Tone control, fine-tuning the frequency response to your liking5 |
| CHORUS-VIBE switch | Selects between the chorus and vibe effects4 |
The Color knob is the one control that goes beyond the basic Uni-Vibe recipe of depth and speed. Pedal of the Day found it useful enough that the pedal could even stretch into ambient territory, noting you can coax some reverb-type tones out of it, making it a pedal with many applications in a rig5.
Power and connections
The pedal draws only 5.5mA4, low enough to share a daisy chain or a modest isolated supply with several other pedals. Input impedance is 500k and output impedance is 10k4. The updated version was redesigned to make battery replacement easier than before, so battery power is part of the design1.
The updated version
Animals Pedal has released an updated version of the Car Crush Chorus/Vibe. Compared with the previous model, the changes are41:
- Easier battery replacement1
- Footswitch placed closer to the front of the pedal for better playability1
- Refined tuning that widens the overall tonal range4
The earlier version of the pedal, reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2017, was the second of five pedals in the Animals Pedal lineup at the time5. The current product page carries the updated design4.
Animals Pedal's product page lists the price in British pounds, at a £66.06 regular price alongside a £59.45 sale price4. The two figures appear together on the maker's own page; no US dollar price is given.
Videos
Mike Hermans
Pedal of the Day
GUITAR HERO ギターヒーロー and LEP INTERNATIONAL
Questions
Is the Animals Pedal Car Crush a Uni-Vibe clone?
It is a Uni-Vibe-style pedal rather than a straight clone. Animals Pedal describes it as a chorus/vibrato pedal built to recreate the vintage Uni-Vibe modulation sound from the late 1960s in a compact, simple format. Pedal of the Day found it offered an astonishingly good reproduction of the Uni-Vibe sound.
Is the Car Crush true bypass?
Yes. The current version of the Car Crush Chorus/Vibe uses a true bypass footswitch, according to Animals Pedal's product page, so your dry signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off.
How much current does the Car Crush draw?
The Car Crush Chorus/Vibe draws 5.5mA, which is low enough that it runs comfortably on most pedalboard power supplies alongside other pedals. Animals Pedal lists this figure on its product page.
What does the Color knob do on the Car Crush?
Color is a tone control. Pedal of the Day describes it as fine-tuning the frequency response to your liking, so you can darken or brighten the modulated signal to sit with the rest of your rig.
Can the Car Crush run on a battery?
Yes. The updated version was redesigned to make battery replacement easier than on the previous model, so battery power is part of the design. It also runs on a standard pedal power supply.
What changed in the updated Car Crush?
The updated version makes battery replacement easier, moves the footswitch closer to the front of the pedal for better playability, and refines the tuning to widen the overall tonal range compared with the previous model.
Sources (7)
- Custom Illustrated CCV coalowl #01, Animals Pedal
- HISTORY - Animals Pedal, Animals Pedal, 2017-03-07
- Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe, analogman.com, 2017
- 【10/26(月)16:00まで10%OFF】Animals Pedal Car Crush Chorus/Vibe, Animals Pedal (animalspedal.jp)
- Animals Pedal Car Crush Chorus Vibrato, Pedal of the Day, 2017-06-09
- Pedal Summary, Animals Pedal
- Review: MXR M68 Uni-Vibe Chorus/Vibrato Pedal, Guitar World, 2014-09-26
