The Night Witch is a fuzz and ramping phaser pedal from MSL Pedals, a company formed by Mark Leahey and Keefe Gremillion, who teamed up for the Night Witch release in November 2020123. It is the maker's take on the Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser, the 1970s pedal that put a fuzz and a phase circuit in one box, and MSL describes it as a classic circuit modified and updated for today's pedalboard without losing the original's unique characteristics123.
What you get is two effects that work independently of each other: a fuzz with expanded controls, and a phaser that can ramp its own speed up and down on command. MSL says the pedal delivers "timeless fuzz and ramping phaser tones that can be heard on classic albums that vary from the Isley Brothers to the Sex Pistols"4.
Fuzz and ramping phaser in one box
The original Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser was unusual for its time: it combined a fuzz and a phaser in a single pedal, capable of thick swirling phase and faux Leslie rotary speaker effects5. The Night Witch keeps that pairing but changes how the two halves interact. Where the Jet Phaser ties its circuits together, the Night Witch makes the fuzz and phaser independently operable, so you can run either one alone or both together3.
The phaser itself is switchable between 4-stage and 8-stage modes, the more intense option being the 8-stage setting23. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the 4-stage option "invaluable for sculpting more aqueous and subtle variations on the pedal's basically intense phase sounds"3.
The standout feature is the ramping function. A dedicated Ramp footswitch slowly increases the phaser's rate from wherever the Rate control is set up to the fastest rate possible; when you disengage it, the speed slows back down to the Rate control's setting. Delicious Audio likened the effect to a two-speed Leslie2.
The controls and footswitches
The fuzz section carries three controls, Volume, Tone, and Fuzz1. Premier Guitar notes the Night Witch shares just three controls with the original Jet Phaser, and that the fuzz section's tone knob "adds many tone possibilities that the original Jet Phaser cannot deliver"3. The phaser side adds a Rate control and a 4/8 stage depth toggle switch2.
| Control or switch | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume, Tone, Fuzz | Expanded fuzz section controls1 |
| Rate | Sets the phaser's base speed2 |
| 4/8 stage toggle | Switches the phaser between 4-stage and 8-stage modes23 |
| Fuzz footswitch | True bypass on/off for the fuzz1 |
| Phaser footswitch | True bypass on/off for the phaser1 |
| Ramp footswitch | Ramps the phaser rate up to maximum, then back down to the Rate setting when released2 |
There is also an internal trimmer that boosts the phaser output to unity level, so the phaser can be dialed in to match your bypassed volume4.
The build is handbuilt with repair in mind: components are readily replaceable, and the footswitches and jacks are mounted independent of the circuit board, so a damaged jack does not mean a dead board3.
Based on the Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser
The Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser dates from the 1970s and was unique for its time in combining a fuzz and phase circuit in one pedal5. Its "jet" stage is the circuit best known from the Boss AF-60, and adaptations of it typically simplify the tone control into a two-position switch with only "full bass" and "full treble" settings6. The Night Witch departs from that approach with a full tone knob on its fuzz section3.
Premier Guitar's review framed the pedal's relationship to the original plainly: "MSL's The Night Witch eschews perfect authenticity to address the shortcomings in the original Jet Phaser design"3. The independent fuzz and phaser switching, the switchable 4- and 8-stage phaser, and the added tone control are the main departures3.
Availability and versions
MSL Pedals said the Night Witch would be sold in limited edition small batches4. When announced in November 2020 it was available in Teal, Purple, and Black, at $300 plus shipping, with a smaller footprint and price point than the original Jet Phaser4.
The Night Witch first appeared under the name Make Sounds Loudly Pedals, and early coverage including Delicious Audio's product page used that name2. The same design is covered on this site as the Make Sounds Loudly Pedals Night Witch and MSL The Night Witch.
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Questions
Is the MSL Pedals Night Witch true bypass?
Yes. The Night Witch has individual true bypass footswitches for each effect, so the fuzz and the phaser can be switched on and off separately, and both are out of the signal path when off.
What power does the Night Witch need?
It runs on a standard negative-tip 9V DC power supply. An internal charge pump handles the voltage internally, so no special supply is required.
What colors does the Night Witch come in?
When MSL Pedals announced the pedal in November 2020, it was available in Teal, Purple, and Black finishes.
Is the MSL Night Witch a limited edition?
Yes. MSL Pedals said the Night Witch would be sold in limited edition small batches, rather than as a continuously stocked production run.
Who makes the Night Witch, MSL Pedals or Make Sounds Loudly?
MSL Pedals makes the Night Witch. The company was formed by Mark Leahey and Keefe Gremillion, who had worked together on projects for years and teamed up for the Night Witch release. Earlier coverage of the same pedal appeared under the Make Sounds Loudly Pedals name.
Sources (6)
- Night Witch by MSL Pedals, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Make Sounds Loudly Pedals Night Witch Fuzz + Phaser, Delicious Audio, 2020-09-17
- Wicked Phase Meets Wickeder Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2021-05-17
- MSL Pedals Releases the Night Witch, Premier Guitar, 2020-11-04
- JFet Fuzz Phaser, PastFx, 1970
- Antipode Vintage Fuzz / Roland Jet Phaser Fuzz, Aion FX, 2019-11-28
