The Roland AP-2 Phase II is a vintage phaser pedal made in Japan by Roland, launched in 1975 and produced from 1974 to 1976. It belongs to a small line-up of effects pedals that carried the Roland name before the company moved its pedals to the Boss brand from 1976 onwards1.
The controls: rate and resonance
The AP-2 Phase II has two controls, Rate and Resonance. According to TONEHOME, these manipulate both the amount of phase and the shape of the sine wave1. The maker's described result is a huge array of smooth Leslie-inspired tones, everything from a slight, slow-rolling phase to an intense, spacey tonal manipulation1.
For players used to modern compact phasers, the two-knob layout is the whole story: speed on one control, intensity on the other, with no presets, no stereo outputs and no tap tempo. It is a set-and-forget design from the era before Boss standardized the compact pedal1.
Power
The AP-2 runs at 18V from two 9V batteries inside the pedal1.
This is not a pedal you can run from a standard 9V daisy chain or one 9V battery. It needs two 9V batteries to reach its internal 18V supply1.
The AP-2 and the Jet Phaser
The AP-2's circuit lived on in one of Roland's best-known vintage designs. TONEHOME notes that the AP-2 sounds very similar to a Roland Jet Phaser, just without the Jet feature1. Premier Guitar's reviewers put the relationship the other way around: the Jet Phaser combined the 8-stage phaser from the AP-2 with a menacing fuzz/distortion2, and John Bohlinger, reviewing Warm Audio's recreation, described the Jet Phaser as "a lovely but nasty fusion of 8-stage, FET-driven phaser and fuzz"3.
If you are comparing the two, the difference is simple: the Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser is the AP-2's phaser with a fuzz stage in front of it, while the AP-2 is the phaser alone. See the Roland Jet Phaser page for more on that design, and the phaser pedals page for how this type of effect works213.
Videos
intheblues
GreenAlsatian
The Pedal Picassos
Questions
What is the difference between the Roland AP-2 and the Jet Phaser AP-7?
The Jet Phaser AP-7 took the AP-2's phaser circuit and added fuzz. Premier Guitar described the Jet Phaser as combining the 8-stage phaser from the AP-2 with a menacing fuzz/distortion, and as a fusion of 8-stage, FET-driven phaser and fuzz. The AP-2 is the phaser on its own, without the Jet feature.
Does the Roland AP-2 Phase II run on batteries?
Yes. The AP-2 Phase II is an 18V effect powered by two 9V batteries inside the unit, according to the vintage effects reference TONEHOME.
Is the Roland AP-2 a Boss pedal?
No. The AP-2 carries the Roland name. Roland used its own name on a small line-up of effects pedals until 1976, when the company began using the Boss brand name for its effects pedals instead.
How many knobs does the AP-2 Phase II have?
Two. The AP-2 Phase II has Rate and Resonance controls, which manipulate both the amount of phase and the shape of the sine wave.
Sources (3)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
- Wicked Phase Meets Wickeder Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2021-05-17
- Warm Audio Jet Phaser Review, Premier Guitar, 2020-12-10
