Tru-Fi Ghost Vibe

The Tru-Fi Ghost Vibe is a guitar pedal that recreates the Uni-Vibe, the optical chorus and vibrato effect first built in the late 1960s. Tru-Fi describes it as "A True Uni-Vibe in a small footprint, that runs on 9V and sounds like Woodstock plus"¹. Like the original, it offers both chorus and vibrato modes, and it uses a light bulb and photocells to create its phase shifting pattern rather than the transistor stages of a conventional phaser¹.

Tru-Fi says the pedal was voiced against the real thing: the company ABed it with six modern vibe pedals and a 1968 and 1969 original Uni-Vibe, and got it as close as possible to the 1968 vintage sound¹. Delicious Audio calls it "A high-end US-built Uni-Vibe replica voiced after an original unit from 1968 and A/B'd against several modern variants"². Over 500 units had sold as of Tru-Fi's product page in October 2026¹.

What a Uni-Vibe style pedal does

The original Uni-Vibe was designed as a chorus/vibrato for use with keyboards, aiming for a Leslie speaker type sound, and it produced an unusual phase sound that its makers actually labeled Chorus⁴. In chorus mode the pedal blends the dry signal from the preamp with the wet signal to create its distinctive phased sound; in vibrato mode it outputs only the wet signal, which is thinner and quieter, with a more pronounced pitch warble⁵. The Ghost Vibe carries over both modes, selectable on the pedal¹.

The circuit topology is what separates a Uni-Vibe style pedal from an ordinary phaser. Aion FX describes the design as a four-stage optical vibrato based on the Uni-Vibe, using a photocell-based phase-shift topology⁶. In the Ghost Vibe, Tru-Fi says this is done with a light bulb and photocells creating the phase shifting pattern, the same approach as the 1968 original¹.

Controls and the Buffer/Non switch

The Ghost Vibe sticks to the three controls of the original: Volume, Speed and Depth (called "Intensity" on the original Uni-Vibe), plus a Vibrato/Chorus switch⁷.

Inside the pedal there is also a Buffer/Non switch, and it ships set to non-buffered. Tru-Fi explains the difference¹⁷:

In practice that means the default position gives the darker, vintage character, while flipping the internal switch to buffered gives a brighter tone that Tru-Fi recommends when running the pedal with wah or fuzz. Changing it requires opening the enclosure, so it is a set-and-forget choice rather than a performance control¹⁷.

Power and bypass

The Ghost Vibe runs on 9V power with a negative tip, which is converted inside via the power chip to 18V; Delicious Audio notes this internal 18V operation gives extra headroom¹². A 9V battery sits inside, but Tru-Fi is clear about its limits: "You CAN run the Ghost Vibe on a 9V battery but NOT long it is really just to test the signal"¹. The pedal is true bypass¹.

Versions and finish

Alongside the standard finish, Tru-Fi offers a Zoso light gray custom finish, which one customer described as spectacular¹. The pedal sits in what Tru-Fi calls the small enclosure the company uses, at roughly 5.25 inches deep by 3.5 wide by 3 high¹.

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X named the Ghost Vibe among its best new modulation and utility pedals of 2023. Reviewer Stefan Karlsson's verdict:

The same review noted the pedal "looks gorgeous in standard purple" and listed it at $299³. The caveat about high gain and fuzz is worth weighing against Tru-Fi's own advice that the buffered internal switch position works best with wahs and fuzzes⁷.

Where the name came from

Tru-Fi says the name The Ghost Vibe was created by George Blekas, who was instrumental in getting the pedal finished¹. Delicious Audio's write-up gives the same account⁷.

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