The Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe is a vibrato and chorus pedal designed by Bob Sweet, sold under the Sweet Sound name and long associated with Analog Man's shop. It is a recreation of the Unicord Uni-Vibe from the late 60s and early 70s, the pedal that set out to imitate a Leslie speaker electronically; as Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio puts it, "By trying to simulate this effect electronically, the \"vibe\" effect was created."12 On electric guitar, Sweet describes the Ultra Vibe as having "a unique, organic phase/chorus sound," and he says it was "Praised by pros and semi pros alike for its authentic \"Vintage Uni-Vibe\" sound" and known as "the one to own."1 Premier Guitar, reviewing a different pedal, places this design in the "classic vibe (Uni-Vibe sound-alike)" family.12
Original and NEW style versions
Sweet Sound built the Ultra Vibe in more than one form. The NEW style Ultra Vibes carry the practical changes players notice on a board1:
- Lower profile case: "no more tripping (except on the tone!)"1
- Huge speed knob for easy foot control1
- Stomp switch for chorus/vibrato selection, with an indicator LED1
- Jack for an optional speed control pedal, sold for $651
- AC power cord, or a power jack on some versions1
The photo cells, the light-sensitive parts that give a vibe its sweeping character, were manufactured after the original cells but made to much closer tolerances, which Sweet says insures a better match between the four cells used.1 The Ultra Vibe II came out later; Analog Man's Mojo Vibe page described it in 2015 as "totally awesome" when it arrived in stock.3
The original Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe was discontinued in 2003, when Bob Sweet made a smaller version, the Mojo Vibe.1 The pedal turns up secondhand rather than new.
Where it sits among vibe pedals
The Uni-Vibe design itself had "only a relatively brief production run, and since its discontinuation there have been various attempts to revive" it, as MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen wrote in a review of a later vibe pedal.4 The Ultra Vibe is one of those boutique revivals, and its true bypass switching is a deliberate difference from the original Uni-Vibe, which Sweet notes did not bypass cleanly: "Pedal models also have a true bypass (unlike the original Uni-vibe) so it does not affect your tone when bypassed."1 Expression pedal control of speed, standard on the NEW style via the optional $65 pedal, is now common across modern Uni-Vibe style pedals.15
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Questions
Is the Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe true bypass?
Yes. Bob Sweet states that the pedal models of the Ultra Vibe have true bypass, unlike the original Uni-Vibe, so the pedal does not affect your tone when it is switched off. That was one of the deliberate departures from the 1960s original, which stayed in the signal path even when not engaged.
Is the Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe still made?
No. Bob Sweet discontinued the Ultra Vibe in 2003, when he made a smaller version called the Mojo Vibe. A later model, the Ultra Vibe II, was listed as in stock on Analog Man's site in 2015, but the original Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe is out of production.
Does the Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe run on a battery?
The NEW style Ultra Vibes are powered by an AC power cord, or by a power jack on some versions. No battery option is described for the pedal, so plan on powering it from the cord or a power supply rather than expecting a battery compartment.
Can you control the speed of an Ultra Vibe with an expression pedal?
Yes, on the NEW style Ultra Vibes. Bob Sweet specifies a jack for an optional speed control pedal, which was sold separately for $65. This fits a broader trend: many modern Uni-Vibe style pedals offer expression pedal compatibility, letting a guitarist control parameters such as speed or depth in real time.
What is the difference between the original and NEW style Ultra Vibe?
The NEW style Ultra Vibes use a lower profile case, have a huge speed knob for easy foot control, add a stomp switch for chorus/vibrato selection with an indicator LED, and run on an AC power cord or a power jack on some versions. The Ultra Vibe II came out later still.
What did the Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe cost new?
The documented price from Bob Sweet's product page is $65 for the optional speed control pedal sold alongside the NEW style Ultra Vibes. No list price for the Ultra Vibe pedal itself is given on that page.
Sources (5)
- Sweet Sound Ultra Vibe, analogman.com, 2017
- MG Music Mono Vibe Uni-Vibe, Delicious Audio, 2021-02-08
- Analog Man presents Sweet Sound MojoVibe, Analog Man (analogman.com), 2015
- Korg Nuvibe review, MusicRadar, 2014-09-17
- The Swirl Start of the Univibe vintage guitar pedal, tru-fi.com
