If you are a fan of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, or Robin Trower, I think you are well aware of the famous Univibe pedal. You know, the original Shin-Ei/Univox, with the foot pedal, and how acquiring one today is rare, and quite expensive. You also probably know that it is tough to find a clone pedal that recreates the authenic vintage univibe swirling tone. However, there are some great pedals out on the market that get really really close to the original. Lets take a look at what those pedals are..
1) KR Musical’s Megavibe
If you are familiar with univibe clones, you know the Megavibe. Many argue that the Megavibe gets the absolute closest to Hendrix’s Machine Gun, at least on the chorus setting. Randy Hansen (also known as the Hendrix Clone) uses a Megavibe, and many say that his tone is closest to Jimi’s. The only downside of this pedal is that they are extremely hard to obtain. You may be only able to find a used one on Ebay at inflated prices, as KR Musical seems to have been out of the scene for a little while now.
2) FoxRox Aquavibe (Review Here)
Dave Fox is known for building quality boutique vintage-esqe effects. His Aquavibe is no different, producing that vintage univibe tone, while also adding more flexibility to create different vibe tones such as the ability to change the position of the sweep. The Aquavibe has also been known to have the best vibrato out of all the univibe clones out there. Only downside is that there is about a 1 year waiting list.
3) Sweetsound Mojo/Ultravibe
Built by the late Bob Sweet, the Mojo and Ultravibe have been around for awhile, and have been a benchmark for great univibe tones. These vibes are right up there with the aqua and mega vibe.
4) MJM 60s Vibe
Around the forums, many have been raving about the MJM 60s Vibe. Over at MJM, the 60s Vibe has been modeled after an original univibe. Some really great tones coming from this pedal. Best part is, the MJM 60s Vibe is readily available with no waiting list.
5) Fulltone DejaVibe
Word around the street is that the original Deja Vibe (gold unit) has some pretty authentic univibe tones. Some have argued that this pedal is closest to the original.
I really believe any of these Univibe clones will make you happy, as all are close enough to the original.