Asheville Music Tools Analoger APH-12

The Asheville Music Tools Analoger APH-12 is a fully analog phaser whose defining feature is a selectable stage count: a 12-position rotary knob chooses anywhere from 1 to 12 stages of phase shifting, where most phasers fix you at 2, 4 or maybe 8¹. The signal, modulation and control paths are 100% analog, and the filters are based on an OTA style filter IC from designer Dave Rossum².

It was designed by Hawker, the engineer behind the discontinued Moog Moogerfooger pedal series, and Premier Guitar's reviewer identifies him as Rick "Hawker" Shaich, who dedicates the pedal in its manual to the memory of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh³. Guitar Pedal X reports it was around 3 years in the making⁴. It launched in April 2025 at $397⁵, and Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson still lists it as available direct from the Asheville Music Tools site as of May 2026⁴.

A phaser with 1 to 12 stages

The stage selector is the heart of the pedal. A 12-position rotary knob picks the phase stage count, and the available settings are 1 through 6, 9 and 12, eight options in total, with odd numbers running out of phase⁴¹. Where the Moog MF-103 offered just 6- and 12-stage phasing, the APH-12 also does 2- and 4-stage phasing plus single-stage and odd-numbered staging that Premier Guitar's reviewer found yields unusual colors³.

The low and odd settings are where this circuit goes where pedals rarely have before. Delicious Audio notes that the low-count (1-2-3) and odd-number (5-7-9-11) stage settings are "something rather unexplored in the pedal realm before this circuit"¹. Concretely:

• 1 stage: a high pass filter that makes for a great tremolo sound¹
• 2 stages: a notch filter¹
• 3 stages with envelope control: Delicious Audio says it "can challenge any auto-wah out there"¹
• 12 stages with a slow sweep: the maker points out "there is nothing quite like a 12-stage phaser with a 2 minute sweep"²

The LFO is a sine wave, with a Slow range of under 0.01Hz to 2.3Hz (3.3Hz with CV control) and a Fast range of under 0.3Hz to 78Hz, around 115Hz with CV⁴. The sweep center runs from 25Hz to 10kHz typical, extending from 3Hz to under 50kHz using the LFO, envelope or external control voltage⁴.

The controls

Six knobs and two switches run the pedal, and Guitar Pedal X found "a tonne of range across those 6 dials and 2 switches"⁴.

The MOD switch's envelope position gives envelope-followed modulation, post drive control, that follows your playing dynamics². The manual ships with 11 presets, including Classic 4-Stage, IKO IKO and Swirlitzer 12, each giving full knob and switch positions as starting points⁴.

Power and connections

Power comes from a standard 9VDC center negative 2.1mm x 5.5mm barrel supply². The maker rates the draw at under 125mA, with 70 to 100mA typical and up to 200mA at startup², so plan headroom on a shared supply. Connections are 1/4" TS in and out plus the EXP jack⁴. Input impedance is over 1MΩ, output impedance 1KΩ max, and maximum output signal is -0.9dBµ / 0.7VRMS⁴. Maximum input signal is -10dBµ / 0.25VRMS at 1% THD, or +1dBµ / 0.87VRMS at 10% THD⁴.

The bypass footswitch is true bypass with a mechanical switch, and its LED indicates the LFO rate or the envelope pre-amount signal².

Expression and CV control

The EXP jack is a TRS input usable with either an expression pedal or control voltage, with a CV range of 0 to 5V, the ring supplying a current-limited roughly 5V output, and the control input on the tip⁴. A 4-way switch assigns the external control to Sweep, Regeneration, Rate or Amount, and the external control is additive to the front panel knob, extending its range rather than replacing it².

That additive design matters: with CV pushing the rate, the Fast range extends from 78Hz to around 115Hz, and the Slow range from 2.3Hz to 3.3Hz⁴. The envelope follower gives positive sweep control of modulation with fast attack and medium release⁴.

Versions: Launch Edition and Plus

The APH-12 came in three versions. The Launch Edition was a launch-day-only run, numbered 128 through 148, each with a custom retro finish by artist Justin Hock; it is discontinued and sold out with no plans to restock⁷. The standard APH-12 is the current version. The APH-12 Plus builds on the Purple Phaze lineage with expanded stage selection and new modulation options, including a new input sensitivity control providing pre and post-gain sources with both positive and negative modulation, and a bipolar expression/CV input with a -5V to +5V range; it was released in limited quantities in the small batch series and is sold out⁶.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer compared it directly to the Moog MF-103, noting that many aspects of its features and functionality mirror the MF-103 but with a very different architecture³. On conventional phaser sounds, the reviewer found them "deeply satisfying and, in terms of depth and character, rival or better my own favorite phasers"³. The verdict overall:

The same review noted the tradeoff: the pedal "lacks the one-knob simplicity of a Phase 90," though the reviewer found the process of decoding its secrets "instructive, engaging, immersive, and intuitive in its way, and addictive"³. At 12 stages, the reviewer found it "excels at shaping intense modulations that can be slotted surgically in a mix"³.

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing it as the 29th phaser in his reference collection, called it "a really satisfying Phaser all-round" and said it "might very well be my favourite Phase-Shifter to date," while also noting it "makes you work for it a little more on the dial-in"⁴. He liked the Purple Sparkle finish and the Hammond die-cast aluminum enclosure⁴.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

News

Questions