The Diamond Pedals VIB1 Analog Vibrato compact reissue is a dedicated pitch vibrato pedal: instead of mixing a modulated signal with your dry tone the way a chorus does, it modulates the pitch of the whole signal for true pitch-modulating vibrato. Diamond Pedals brought back its VIB1 in a compact enclosure, hand-made in Montreal, Canada, with a wide speed range going from 0.1 Hz to 20 Hz1.
The pedal sits in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure with top-mounted jacks, finished in purple sparkle, and is hand-made in Montreal, Canada. It carries the sound and character of the original paired with improved modern features, including an updated compandor design for increased clarity, less distortion and a lower noise floor1.
Controls and switching
The compact reissue carries Level, Speed, Chorus and Depth knobs plus a Jazz EQ (High-Trim) switch, and a Hold footswitch for double speed1. The original square format had mostly the same controls, just in a different order: Volume, Jazz, Chorus, High, Depth and Speed, with the Jazz and High functions on mini toggle switches1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level / Volume | Sets the overall output of the vibrato12 |
| Speed | Sets the speed of the effect, 0.1 Hz to 20 Hz12 |
| Depth | Sets the intensity of the effect2 |
| Chorus | Blends in chorus character1 |
| Jazz EQ (High-Trim) | Subtle high trim, no trim, or more trim1 |
| Hold footswitch | Momentary or latching speed doubler, doubles the set speed1 |
The original's High mini toggle switched to a higher depth range for more extreme pitch-bent sounds2. That switch does not appear on the reissue's control list. Greg of Diamond Pedals explained the change: "The 'Jazz' switch now has 2 different intensities, 'Jazz' switch up is a very subtle high trim, 'Jazz' switch down is slightly less subtle, with a more intense high cut."1
On the original, the JAZZ toggle darkened the tone of the effect, offering a more vintage flavor2. Both versions also accept an expression pedal: the original allows expression control of vibrato speed or depth2, and on That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick noted that "you can plug in a special pedal for the speed and depth"3.
Power: 9 to 18V DC, about 45mA
The compact reissue is powered by a regular 9 to 18V DC power supply, center negative, drawing about 45mA, with a standardized input that includes polarity and over-voltage protection1. The choice of voltage changes the character: 18V gives more headroom, while 9V gives added color and warble1.
The original VIB1 was a different story on power. It ran from a provided 18 to 24V adapter or from 18V pedalboard power supply outputs, with power internally regulated to 15V2. If you are moving from an original to the reissue, your old adapter situation changes: the reissue is happy on a standard 9V supply.
The original VIB1 and the reissue
The original VIB1 was a dedicated pitch vibrato design using bucket brigade analog delay technology, with all-analog circuitry inside, true bypass, and mono operation2. Guitar Pedal X places it in rare company: "Diamond Pedals' original VIB1 and Boss's VB-2 / VB-2W are most likely historically the go-to Vibrato units for most pro" pedalboards, noting its deep and loyal following1. That puts the original alongside the Boss VB-2 and Boss VB-2W Vibrato Waza Craft as reference points for the vibrato category.
The reissue keeps the analog bucket brigade approach and the MN3007 chip, but packages it in the smaller enclosure with top jacks, relay-based true bypass, the updated compandor, the reworked Jazz switch, and the speed doubler footswitch1. The original VIB1 has its own page covering the square-format pedal in detail.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson was direct about the pedal's standing: "The Diamond Pedals Vibrato is one of the true greats of that genre - it really is that and the VB-2 flying the flag for" vibrato, adding that it goes to the top of his wishlist overall1. Pedal of the Day's 2019 review of the original called it a gem, highlighting the expression pedal control of speed or depth and the two mini toggles2.
On That Pedal Show's demo, Dan and Mick walked through the pedal's vibrato character and its expression pedal options for speed and depth3.
Videos
EytschPi42
Pedal of the Day
Regent Sounds
Questions
Does the Diamond VIB1 compact reissue use an MN3007 chip?
Yes. The compact reissue uses the MN3007 bucket brigade delay chip, and Diamond Pedals secured enough NOS Panasonic MN3007 BBD chips for the first 800 units. The original VIB1 was also built around the MN3007 analog bucket brigade design, so the reissue keeps the same core chip as the pedal it is based on.
What is the difference between running the VIB1 at 9V and 18V?
The reissue runs on a standard negative-center 9 to 18V DC supply. At 18V you get more headroom, while at 9V the pedal offers added colour and warble. The original VIB1 drew power from an 18 to 24V adapter or 18V pedalboard outputs and regulated it internally to 15V.
What does the Jazz switch do on the VIB1?
On the original, the Jazz mini toggle darkens the tone of the effect for a more vintage flavor. On the compact reissue it works as a High-Trim EQ control with two intensities: switch up is a very subtle high trim, switch down is slightly less subtle, with a more intense high cut.
Is the compact VIB1 true bypass?
Yes. The compact reissue uses soft touch relay-based true bypass switching. The original VIB1 was also true bypass, so both versions keep your dry signal path intact when the pedal is off.
How fast can the VIB1's vibrato go?
The compact reissue has a wide speed range going from 0.1 Hz to 20 Hz. A Hold footswitch doubles the set speed of the vibrato, working either momentarily or latching, which lets you jump to a faster rate without touching the Speed knob.
Is the VIB1 mono or stereo?
The VIB1 runs in mono operation. It is a single-input, single-output pedal, so players looking for stereo pitch modulation will need to look elsewhere.
Sources (3)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-05-16
- Diamond Pedals VIB1 Vibrato, Pedal of the Day, 2019-08-17
- Union T&T Tour Bender, Fender MTG Tube Distortion, Diamond Vibrato, TC Hall Of Fame2x4, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2019-08-27
