Maestro Orbit

The Maestro Orbit is an all-analog phaser pedal from Maestro, the effects brand owned by Gibson. It offers a choice of four-stage or six-stage phasing through a two-position Mode switch, with three knobs, Width, Rate, and Feedback, for shaping the sweep¹. Gibson describes it as warm and smooth, with the versatility needed to dial in phaser effects, and positions it as a direct descendant of the Maestro PS-1, the first phaser pedal ever produced¹.

The Orbit is an all-analog phaser pedal with 4-stage and 6-stage modes and a three-control layout, priced at $149 / $159¹². Maestro describes it as warm and smooth, with the versatility needed to dial in phaser effects¹.

What it does: four- or six-stage analog phasing

A phaser splits your signal and shifts one copy's phase across a series of stages, then blends it back, creating the notched, sweeping swirl the effect is known for. More stages mean more notches and a smoother, lusher sweep. The Orbit's two-position Mode toggle gives you a choice of 4 or 6-stage phasing¹.

Guitar World's reviewer Alex Lynham framed the two modes as two different phasing sounds: a six-stage phaser, as found in the PS-1 series, and a four-stage phaser². In four-stage mode, he found you can get sounds reminiscent of celebrated vintage four-stage phasers like the MXR Phase 90 and, especially, the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone, which has a similar tonal profile². Guitar World's 2026 buying guide made the same point, noting the four-stage mode replicates phase tones similar to the MXR Phase 95 and the Nano Small Stone⁵.

The Feedback knob is the one that changes the effect's character most. Delicious Audio describes it as setting the amount of vowel-like quality in the phasing, so higher settings push the sweep toward a more vocal, pronounced swirl⁴. The true bypass footswitch triggers LED lights in the red, yellow, and blue bugles of the Maestro logo when the pedal is on, so you always know whether it is active¹⁶.

Power and connections

The Orbit runs on a 9V battery or a regulated 9V DC power supply with a 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug wired center-negative, drawing 27.5 mA¹. The power-on switch is incorporated into the input jack, so unplugging the input when the pedal is not in use prevents battery drain¹.

Input impedance is 280 kOhms and output impedance is 220 Ohms¹. The jacks are top-mounted, which helps on tight pedalboards⁵.

History: a descendant of the Maestro PS-1

Gibson calls the Orbit a descendant of the very first phaser pedal ever produced, the Maestro PS-1¹. The original PS-1 was created by Tom Oberheim in 1971⁷, and Guitar World calls it the first commercially available phase pedal⁵. Gearnews describes the early PS-1 as among the first dedicated phaser and shifter devices⁸. It was a three-speed unit, and Premier Guitar notes it was capable of ramping between speeds, a function that enhanced its Leslie-like character⁷.

Gibson teased the return of the Maestro brand at the start of 2022⁹, and the Orbit shipped in the second wave of the revived line that December⁹. Delicious Audio noted the classic effect had been re-engineered and tailored to the needs of today's players⁴. On That Pedal Show, Mick and Dan demoed it as "a classic phaser reborn"¹⁰.

The PS-1's story reaches the Orbit directly: Maestro calls the Orbit a descendant of the PS-1, the first phaser pedal ever produced¹. The original Maestro PS-1 was created by Tom Oberheim in 1971⁷, and it was capable of ramping between speeds, a function that enhanced its Leslie-ness⁷. Maestro describes the classic effect as re-engineered and tailored to the needs of today's players⁴.

What reviewers said

GuitarPlayer's Art Thompson found it delivers sweet-sounding phasing with a choice of 4- and 6-stage operation, and called it a good choice for vintage-leaning tastes overall¹¹.

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