The Spaceman Effects Explorer Deluxe is a hand-built, six-stage analog phaser with an optical, photocell-based design: six sweeping stages are swept by light rather than by the transistor-based method used in many phasers12. Spaceman describes it as a very versatile phaser whose unique control set provides an incredible range of phase tones, from favorite vintage tones to strange experimental sounds12.
The Explorer Deluxe is completely hand-soldered and handmade in Portland, Oregon1. It runs on 9V DC as standard and can be run at up to 24V DC for more clean headroom1. The pedal uses true-bypass switching, a cast aluminum enclosure with a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and indicator jewel, and quality open-frame Switchcraft jacks1. Spaceman also built the circuit in a compact version, the Spaceman Effects Explorer, and a small form factor version, the Spaceman Explorer Cadet34.
A six-stage optical phaser with selectable LFO waveforms
The five front-panel shapes are:
| Shape position | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sine | Smooth, classic phaser sweep2 |
| Ramp Down (Saw-Down) | Asymmetric sweep with a fast drop2 |
| Ramp Up (Saw-Up) | Asymmetric sweep with a fast rise2 |
| Triangle | Symmetrical linear sweep2 |
| Square | Stepped jump between sweep extremes2 |
| Manual | LFO disconnected; sweep frozen and set by hand13 |
Pedal of the Day, reviewing the pedal in November 2017, summed up the range: "The five shapes consist of Sine, Saw-Down, Saw-Up, Triangle and Square, for seemingly endless phaser possibilities"2. The same review noted a status LED that monitors LFO speed, which can be turned off internally2.
The controls, Manual mode and expression input
The control set is small and deep. A Level control sets the output volume of the phase tone, and a wide-range Speed (Rate) control reaches from extremely slow to extremely fast modulation14. A resonance control, called RES on the Explorer family, adds feedback for more pronounced phase tones4.
Manual mode is the sixth position of the Shape control. It disconnects the LFO and freezes the phase sweep; you then control the position of the sweep manually with the Speed control, or sweep the phaser directly with an expression pedal13. Delicious Audio called this "unique tone-shaping possibilities," turning the pedal into a fixed filter you can place anywhere in the sweep1.
The expression input was a first for Spaceman1. In the five LFO modes it controls the speed of the LFO; in Manual mode it sweeps the phaser directly16. Pedal of the Day used one throughout its demo video and found it practical:
"it makes it so easy to set the pulse to match the tempo of whatever song you're playing in a second"2
Pedal of the Day2
Power, switching and build
The Explorer Deluxe runs on 9V DC as standard and can be run at up to 24V DC for more clean headroom1. There is no battery hookup, so a power supply is required1. Switching is true bypass through what Delicious Audio called "the heaviest duty mechanical footswitch available," with signal carried on open-frame Switchcraft jacks1. The build is a cast aluminum enclosure with a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and an indicator jewel, completely hand-soldered in Portland, Oregon1.
Discontinued and made in small runs, the Explorer Deluxe now commands high used prices3. Players who want the same circuit new can find it in the compact Spaceman Effects Explorer 6-Stage Phaser and the Spaceman Explorer Cadet, which Spaceman describes as reissues of the original circuit with all the deluxe features46.
Where it came from and what happened after
Spaceman Effects unveiled the Explorer Deluxe in September 2018 as its first phaser, "the first phaser put into orbit by Spaceman," and its first pedal with an expression input1. In January 2022 the company scaled down the enclosure and rebranded the Explorer Deluxe as simply the Explorer, with the exact same circuit3. Later the same year Delicious Audio presented the compact Explorer 6-Stage Phaser as a small form factor reissue of the first phaser circuit with the deluxe features6, and Spaceman's current lineup carries the circuit forward as the Explorer Cadet4.
The Explorer Deluxe's design carried forward in the Explorer family. The Spaceman Effects Explorer is a compact version of the Explorer Deluxe, an optical six stage analog phaser with a wide range LFO with 5 waveshapes, and the Spaceman Explorer Cadet packs the same optical six-stage circuit into a small form factor64. The Deluxe itself was completely hand-soldered and handmade in Portland, Oregon, in a cast aluminum enclosure with a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and indicator jewel1.
What reviewers said
Published coverage of the Explorer Deluxe was positive and focused on its range. Delicious Audio described the control set as providing "an incredible range of phase tones," from vintage tones to strange experimental sounds1. Pedal of the Day's 2017 review, noting the small production run, was blunt in its recommendation:
"Made again in a small run, if you like phasers and come across one of these, don't hesitate to grab it up QUICK2!"
Pedal of the Day2
MusicRadar's 2022 coverage, by contrast, is the source for its used-market reputation, calling the Deluxe the "eye-wateringly expensive predecessor" of the compact Explorer3. The consistent caveats are availability and price, not performance.
Videos
Mike Hermans
Demos In The Dark
Zachary Rizer
Questions
Is the Spaceman Explorer Deluxe discontinued?
Yes. The Explorer Deluxe is out of production, and MusicRadar described it in 2022 as eye-wateringly expensive on the used market. Spaceman Effects kept the circuit alive by reissuing it in a smaller enclosure as the Explorer, and later as the Explorer Cadet, both of which carry the deluxe feature set.
Does the Spaceman Explorer Deluxe run on a battery?
No. The Explorer Deluxe does not include battery hookup, so it needs a power supply. Standard operation is 9V DC, and it can be run at up to 24V DC for more clean headroom, which makes a dedicated or isolated supply the practical choice.
What is Manual mode on the Explorer Deluxe?
Manual mode is the sixth position of the Shape control. It disconnects the LFO and freezes the phase sweep, and you then set the sweep position by hand with the Speed control, or sweep it with an expression pedal. It turns the phaser into a fixed, positionable filter for tone shaping.
Does the Explorer Deluxe have an expression pedal input?
Yes, and it was the first Spaceman pedal to include one. Plugged into the expression input, a pedal controls LFO speed in the wave shape modes, and in Manual mode it sweeps the phaser directly, which makes it easy to match the pulse to a song's tempo.
What does the cosmic ray detector do?
The Explorer Deluxe features an onboard cosmic ray detector, a nod to its satellite namesake. Spaceman's own materials treat it as a feature of the pedal rather than a sound-shaping control, and no published source details a further function for it.
Sources (6)
- Spaceman Effects Explorer Deluxe Optical Phaser, Delicious Audio, 2018-09-27
- Spaceman Effects Explorer Deluxe Optical Phaser, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2017-11-27
- Spaceman Effects relaunches its cult classic six stage phaser as the more compact but equally powerful Explorer, MusicRadar, 2022-01-14
- Explorer: Optical Phaser by Spaceman, Spaceman Effects
- All-Pedal Microdose Phaser, Pedal of the Day, 2023-09-21
- Spaceman Effects Explorer 6-Stage Phaser, Delicious Audio, 2022-05-02
