Both sounded incredibly good and i really enjoy the idea of the blend knob on the Mattress. Having said that, i would love to hear a shoot-out between the original Mistress and an original Japanese made Boss BF-2 which is, to me, the king of flangers.
I have the Mattress and it's an excellent pedal. The blend knob really helps run it with a big muff for the 70s David Gilmour lead sound due to a subtle setting letting the fuzz character not be overwhelmed. Nice comparison!
Excellent review, Joe! I bought the Elastic Mattress based on your review: “if it is good enough for Joe, it’s good enough for me”. Still dialing in the sound I want, but I’m getting along with it nicely! Oh, and Verlie had my order packed and shipped literally the same day I ordered it! She sent a pic of the shipment! Had it within a week, all the way from Australia. I will be buying from PastFX again!
Electric Mistress is one of the best circuits IMHO, I don't even mind the noise of vintage models. Been listening to comparisons of every version, and surprisingly I like the 90's big box with power cord the best, with the v2 you feature here coming in a very close second. Props to PastFX and Retro-Sonic for providing affordable versions, and excellent comparison as always. Thanks, Joe!
I’m on the verge of buying on of the PastFX Elastic Mattress pedals - they sound fantastic, authentic, and best of all are in a compact form that will fit on my board.
Very good comparison and I think your observations are spot on re the differences between the two and the degradation of the SAD1024. The A/DA flanger uses the same Reticon chips. The EM was a big part of Andy Summer’s sound in The Police. I read that his unit was modified by Pete Cornish but I don’t know exactly what the mod was. I try to get close using an old TC Electronics SCF on flanger mode with a Voodoo Labs ‘Analog Chorus’. Not bad but no cigar.
Love those blues rock licks remnant of the wild late 1970s - mid 1980s. A lot off us in West Hollywood and Laguna Beach had bands with that kind of sound, chicks loved it.👍
Hello Joe, thanks for the video. The Electric Mistress’ top end is like zero compromise, “let it be like this no matter what” kind of top-end. This seems to mold better into the overall sound. Past-fx’s top range Q is sharper hence a tad narrower. But I guess this is as good as it can get given the rules of physics I guess? Oh the growl of flanger on the overdrive!✨✨✨
Can I just commend your ability to A-B two different pedals. Out of all the FX reviews I’ve seen you have gotten the closest sounds out of the two. If I had closed my eyes and didn’t know there were two different pedals I wouldn’t have known the difference. Very well done, keep up the excellent work!
Great review, and reaction. Totally agree on your points about variability in the sound of vintage electronics. The original Mistress is a collectors item at this point, and for good reason. I'm guessing if I had both (original and re-creating) I'd never use the original since its worth so much, is huge, noisy, and I'd worry I'd break/damage it. So kudos to Past Fx, and others (Retro-Sonic), for making this available!
Great demo and comparison. I have a Mooer E-Lady and it sounds great, but the volume drop a pain on it- the Elastic Mattress is definitely on the wishlist (their 80/A is quite desirable too!).
Thanks for doing these comparisons. I think the Retro Sonic V2 swirl is closer even though the top is not quite as sparkly open as the vintage EHX, and this one while brighter also sounds a bit flatter. Looks like the latest pasftx version has a blend too. In any case, I decided to get an original one based on these videos especially, since I plan to use it for cleanish stuff. For high gain applications I don't think it matters as much, in face these clones might be better. But nothing quite has the sparkle of the originals. I hope the V3 I ordered is as good as the one you have!
Nice video! They sound incredibly close. Literally impossible to tell the difference in some sections. I think unless your buying a vintage one for the collector appeal, you should really just go for the PastFX. Much more reliable and usable. I own a super rare vintage Polyflange (basically an Electric Mistress + Clone Theory in one box) and it’s my all time favourite modulation. Super versatile and sounds amazing. It also has an incredibly low noise floor, however it still stuffers from the ‘tone sucking’ these old units are known for in bypass.
First beautiful flatpicking!!!! Really enjoyable. The E. Mattress is excellent. How is it beside the Retro-Sonic ??? I have just finished an A/B with your Retro-Sonic and it is hard to tell, lol ....Excellent and important review !!! Thanx
I have a V3 original and i have to say the difference between a SAD1024 and MN3007 is noticeable but for the sake of pedalboard size and noise floor the Elastic Mattress is a great piece of gear for all those Pink Floyd/Summer chorusy sounds in a convenient package. No one will notice the difference in a live situation
@@stiffyBlicky for me the SAD1024 is less warmer and has less low frecuency response. The MN3007 sounds warmer and has a little bit of more bottom end.
Very nice comparison, agreed the sweep is not as lush and noise floor is a no contest but even with the high end compensation the mattress is noticeably darker.
Excellent review. Don't think I'm crazy... but I feel a certain difference between the two pedals. The "jet" effect (as I describe it) is different, and in my opinion it is due to the different chips, for me the EM is unbeatable, but I also think that the Elastic Mattress is currently the best clone available.
Seems to capture the thin/bright thing the original has. Closer sounding to my hearing than the Retro-sonic. The blend knob is great and should be on most pedals. 👍🏻
I've heard that the LFO noise you hear lots of in your V2 EM can be a product of worn caps, and that it can go away if you replace the caps. I have a V5 and V6 EM, and they both make that noise to an extent. And I have a vintage Clone Theory with the SAD chip that also makes LFO noise. I want to have their caps replaced sometime.
Possibly - component drift over time doesn't usually make 'quirks' of older pedals better. But I think these circuits were inherently noisy from new, too.
Hey there Joe, great comparison as always! I'm stuck trying to decide between the retro sonic and the Past fx! Any input on which you feel is personally closer? Of course, the Longamp Roxanne has also been brought up to my attention so i'm in a real dilemma trying to decide which flanger to get lol cheers!
I had a Roxanne but gave it off to my brother. I loved the sounds it had, but it was often too subtle sounding and I would forget it was on. The PastFX has way more in it to my ears, and the blend is so useful for capturing those more subtle tones like the Roxanne has.
Thx you for your video, im watching many videos about all the clones of electric mistress deluxe because im playing gothic or darkwave style, mostly clean with reverb, i already have a roland JC for that typical ultra clean sound. I have a vintage pedal (a Boss BF-1) but it’s unusable directly as the bypass is really catastrophic 😅 The ALH Effect Electric Mother and this PastFX Elastic Mattress seem to be good, the reissue of Electric Mistress Deluxe from EHX seemed good but stopped now 😊
Great shootout! To my ear, the vintage has an analog vibe whereas the new one is sterile. I get that they sound close, but the original defintely is the one I would like to be playing. I wish it wasn't so.
Ja,es geht.Ich hatte vor über 30 Jahren einen guten Effekt,indem ich für 180 Grad Phase in den EHX Badstone einen Entkoppelverstaerker für das Dry Signal mit Sep. Out reinbastelte...🙌💖👍🐒🎂
Hey Joe, awesome video! This is the retro sonic? Although both are great, if you had to choose? :) I also heard a bit less treble in this pedal, not just bass. The highest frequency trebles we’re close, but the lower levels were more easily perceptible as missing. Or it was my imagination. Agreed the swoop was different tho, maybe the swoop was skipping some of the frequencies I was hearing as missing.
One drawback for me, is the new pedal is small and hard to see when its on the floor. The old mistress has its size and simplicity in its favor. Even the deluxe.
With the outlandish price tag on the Pastfx you may as well buy the original Electric Mistress. You can't buy the Pastfx here in the UK (Well I haven't seen one) you have to order it from Australia and pay heavy tax on top of the wincing (for me anyway) price tag.
Aside from the rarity, lack of repairability if you fry the SAD1024, crazy background noise, significant volume drop, huge footprint, awkward power adaptor and a working one being about 3x the price of the Mattress…yep, I’m with you.
bro, the conversion from AUD is like 150 GBP, which itself is slightly less than it costs in USD. A handmade pedal using NOS BBD chips for 150 clams is absolutely nuts, are you expecting Mooer prices or some shit?
i was gonna be all "the differences are STARK!", because the mistress has a very audible higher note that it hits at the top of its range, but then i saw that the mattress' range knob was not on 10. did i miss something (my first listen was in the car, so i may just be overlooking it), or did the range knob never go to ten on the elastic mattress? the inability to hit the same high note on the high end of the sweep would be a major dealbreaker for me.
The pots on each work in slightly different ranges, so I set the knobs to get the sound as close as possible to each other rather than setting them the same.
Nice review. The sweep is quite different between the two pedals, the delay time in the mistress is shorter with its BBD chip, something I believe designers struggle to achieve with other BBD chips.
It is so close, I nearly bought one a few months ago the one thing that put me off was how much the import fees, could I ask how much did you pay to get one into England? Thanks Cameron :)
The PastFX sounds more metallic & brighter. Could probably get the same tones from a cheaper Mooer ElecLady. Sorry, the original EHX Electric Mistress is still undefeated.
The brightness is switchable and also adjustable with internal trimpot, so you can effectively turn that external switch into two distinct brightness level presets. The Mooer is an excellent pedal (I also have one) but it’s far more limited and based on a different EH flanger model. I’m keen on this guy but also probably will keep the Mooer; but I’m into these types of effects so if you’re not, Mooer is all you need perhaps.
Noise could be eliminated by increasing the delay line length and sample rate. But that means someone would need to do real design work instead of just cloning the schematic.
I thought the Retro Sonic v2 sounded closer? This is a bit thin and less swooshey? Joe " you know . . . we all wanna hear Mattresss vs. Retro . . . C'mon Joe !!!
I've not put them side by side, but I think they're definitely ballpark to each other - they'll both definitely do the job. I _might_ make that video sometime...we'll see. I'm not sure it'd really tell us _too_ much as they're both so close.
If you're looking for the Electric Mistress flanger sound, the get the Retro-sonic Flanger. I have the Retro-sonic and the V3 Elastic Mattress and the Retro-sonic is much better sounding. Side by side, the Elastic Mattress is thin, overly bright and brittle
I've not done a full comparison, but whenever I've run the two side by side, my Mattress & Retro-Sonic have sounded incredibly close to each other. I guess it depends how both are dialled in and how the internal treble trim on the Mattress is set also.
@@JoePerkinsMusic I have the V3 Elastic Mattress and the Bright control is external and is all the way down. Even the the slightest adjustment brighter is is way too much. I've tested them literally side by side in my effects chain, and the Retro-sonic simply sounds better
Both sounded incredibly good and i really enjoy the idea of the blend knob on the Mattress. Having said that, i would love to hear a shoot-out between the original Mistress and an original Japanese made Boss BF-2 which is, to me, the king of flangers.
I have the Mattress and it's an excellent pedal. The blend knob really helps run it with a big muff for the 70s David Gilmour lead sound due to a subtle setting letting the fuzz character not be overwhelmed. Nice comparison!
Excellent review, Joe! I bought the Elastic Mattress based on your review: “if it is good enough for Joe, it’s good enough for me”. Still dialing in the sound I want, but I’m getting along with it nicely! Oh, and Verlie had my order packed and shipped literally the same day I ordered it! She sent a pic of the shipment! Had it within a week, all the way from Australia. I will be buying from PastFX again!
Electric Mistress is one of the best circuits IMHO, I don't even mind the noise of vintage models. Been listening to comparisons of every version, and surprisingly I like the 90's big box with power cord the best, with the v2 you feature here coming in a very close second. Props to PastFX and Retro-Sonic for providing affordable versions, and excellent comparison as always. Thanks, Joe!
i like you're reviews more than anything else. you talk about the important points and waste no time. do more reviews!
Thanks Levi :-)
Hey Joe! A very good performance. Thank you and best wishes from Germany.
Thanks Gerhard :-) Glad it was an interesting video
I’m on the verge of buying on of the PastFX Elastic Mattress pedals - they sound fantastic, authentic, and best of all are in a compact form that will fit on my board.
Do it - it's ace!
Very good comparison and I think your observations are spot on re the differences between the two and the degradation of the SAD1024. The A/DA flanger uses the same Reticon chips. The EM was a big part of Andy Summer’s sound in The Police. I read that his unit was modified by Pete Cornish but I don’t know exactly what the mod was. I try to get close using an old TC Electronics SCF on flanger mode with a Voodoo Labs ‘Analog Chorus’. Not bad but no cigar.
The mistress might be the best sounding color pedal ever made. It’s fucking GORGEOUS
Both of the PastFX flangers are excellent. I've tried both and retained the Reticon.
Would love to try the Reticon :-)
I own both but slightly prefer the mastress
I am convinced!! Thank you for the demo Joe.
Great comparison video. Really enjoyed it - I love the nostalgic feeling if playing ehx big boxes. Fabulous. More of these, Joe!
Love those blues rock licks remnant of the wild late 1970s - mid 1980s. A lot off us in West Hollywood and Laguna Beach had bands with that kind of sound, chicks loved it.👍
I was born in the wrong time ;-) heh
Absolutely beautiful demo and playing! Sounded fantastic! Thank you for posting!
Hello Joe, thanks for the video. The Electric Mistress’ top end is like zero compromise, “let it be like this no matter what” kind of top-end. This seems to mold better into the overall sound. Past-fx’s top range Q is sharper hence a tad narrower. But I guess this is as good as it can get given the rules of physics I guess? Oh the growl of flanger on the overdrive!✨✨✨
I bought an Elastic Mattress. It’s awesome!
Can I just commend your ability to A-B two different pedals. Out of all the FX reviews I’ve seen you have gotten the closest sounds out of the two. If I had closed my eyes and didn’t know there were two different pedals I wouldn’t have known the difference. Very well done, keep up the excellent work!
Thanks :-) Yeah, these two can be very close indeed :-)
I agree. Not with the modesty in the reply, but with the compliment. Not easy to dial in such close settings. Well done.
Great review, and reaction. Totally agree on your points about variability in the sound of vintage electronics. The original Mistress is a collectors item at this point, and for good reason. I'm guessing if I had both (original and re-creating) I'd never use the original since its worth so much, is huge, noisy, and I'd worry I'd break/damage it. So kudos to Past Fx, and others (Retro-Sonic), for making this available!
Nice playing and demo. Thanks.
Another excellent comparison, thanks Joe :)
It would be awesome to see a comparison with a Hartman Flanger
Great demo and comparison. I have a Mooer E-Lady and it sounds great, but the volume drop a pain on it- the Elastic Mattress is definitely on the wishlist (their 80/A is quite desirable too!).
I see Flat Eric in the background. I can tell you have elevated taste ;)
Great demo!
Super awesome pedal there Joe
Greetings fellow TGP'er 👍 Excellent review, love the comparison format. How do you feel the Matress compares to the Retro-Sonic?
Thanks for doing these comparisons. I think the Retro Sonic V2 swirl is closer even though the top is not quite as sparkly open as the vintage EHX, and this one while brighter also sounds a bit flatter. Looks like the latest pasftx version has a blend too. In any case, I decided to get an original one based on these videos especially, since I plan to use it for cleanish stuff. For high gain applications I don't think it matters as much, in face these clones might be better. But nothing quite has the sparkle of the originals. I hope the V3 I ordered is as good as the one you have!
Nice video! They sound incredibly close. Literally impossible to tell the difference in some sections. I think unless your buying a vintage one for the collector appeal, you should really just go for the PastFX. Much more reliable and usable.
I own a super rare vintage Polyflange (basically an Electric Mistress + Clone Theory in one box) and it’s my all time favourite modulation. Super versatile and sounds amazing. It also has an incredibly low noise floor, however it still stuffers from the ‘tone sucking’ these old units are known for in bypass.
First beautiful flatpicking!!!! Really enjoyable. The E. Mattress is excellent. How is it beside the Retro-Sonic ???
I have just finished an A/B with your Retro-Sonic and it is hard to tell, lol ....Excellent and important review !!! Thanx
I have a V3 original and i have to say the difference between a SAD1024 and MN3007 is noticeable but for the sake of pedalboard size and noise floor the Elastic Mattress is a great piece of gear for all those Pink Floyd/Summer chorusy sounds in a convenient package. No one will notice the difference in a live situation
How would you describe the sound difference between the SAD1024 and MN3007?
@@stiffyBlicky for me the SAD1024 is less warmer and has less low frecuency response. The MN3007 sounds warmer and has a little bit of more bottom end.
The original has more low end depth but the modulation is spot on
Very nice comparison, agreed the sweep is not as lush and noise floor is a no contest but even with the high end compensation the mattress is noticeably darker.
I adjusted the treble trim pot by ear - the pedal can get plenty brighter than I was running it here.
Excellent review.
Don't think I'm crazy... but I feel a certain difference between the two pedals. The "jet" effect (as I describe it) is different, and in my opinion it is due to the different chips, for me the EM is unbeatable, but I also think that the Elastic Mattress is currently the best clone available.
Seems to capture the thin/bright thing the original has. Closer sounding to my hearing than the Retro-sonic. The blend knob is great and should be on most pedals. 👍🏻
You rock kind sir!
thanks for this video man.
Tnks for the great video!!!
Great demo. I hear some 2% more sweetness coming out of the original one. Cheers!
I've heard that the LFO noise you hear lots of in your V2 EM can be a product of worn caps, and that it can go away if you replace the caps. I have a V5 and V6 EM, and they both make that noise to an extent. And I have a vintage Clone Theory with the SAD chip that also makes LFO noise. I want to have their caps replaced sometime.
Possibly - component drift over time doesn't usually make 'quirks' of older pedals better. But I think these circuits were inherently noisy from new, too.
Hey there Joe, great comparison as always! I'm stuck trying to decide between the retro sonic and the Past fx! Any input on which you feel is personally closer? Of course, the Longamp Roxanne has also been brought up to my attention so i'm in a real dilemma trying to decide which flanger to get lol cheers!
I had a Roxanne but gave it off to my brother. I loved the sounds it had, but it was often too subtle sounding and I would forget it was on. The PastFX has way more in it to my ears, and the blend is so useful for capturing those more subtle tones like the Roxanne has.
Thx you for your video, im watching many videos about all the clones of electric mistress deluxe because im playing gothic or darkwave style, mostly clean with reverb, i already have a roland JC for that typical ultra clean sound. I have a vintage pedal (a Boss BF-1) but it’s unusable directly as the bypass is really catastrophic 😅 The ALH Effect Electric Mother and this PastFX Elastic Mattress seem to be good, the reissue of Electric Mistress Deluxe from EHX seemed good but stopped now 😊
Great shootout! To my ear, the vintage has an analog vibe whereas the new one is sterile. I get that they sound close, but the original defintely is the one I would like to be playing. I wish it wasn't so.
Would love to know if you could recommend a setting for the Spirit of Radio? Pedal wise and if to your ear the flanger goes into an OD or after?
Electric mistress hands down..the Mt Rushmore of guitar pedal makers are Mike Mathews Michael Fuller Jim Dunlop period!
Hi Joe, great video, thank You,
Do you prefer this elastic mattress or retrosonic flanger ?
Regards
Mattress!
Ja,es geht.Ich hatte vor über 30 Jahren einen guten Effekt,indem ich für 180 Grad Phase in den EHX Badstone einen Entkoppelverstaerker für das Dry Signal mit Sep. Out reinbastelte...🙌💖👍🐒🎂
Hey Joe, awesome video! This is the retro sonic? Although both are great, if you had to choose? :)
I also heard a bit less treble in this pedal, not just bass. The highest frequency trebles we’re close, but the lower levels were more easily perceptible as missing. Or it was my imagination. Agreed the swoop was different tho, maybe the swoop was skipping some of the frequencies I was hearing as missing.
One drawback for me, is the new pedal is small and hard to see when its on the floor. The old mistress has its size and simplicity in its favor. Even the deluxe.
? Would a "Y" split cable, work to power the unit, My Strymon Ojai are all 9v? No 18v
can you compare PastFX Elastic Mattress with retrosonic flanger?
Is there a trick to recording when you're playing soft, to keep some of that noise out of the recording?
With the outlandish price tag on the Pastfx you may as well buy the original Electric Mistress. You can't buy the Pastfx here in the UK (Well I haven't seen one) you have to order it from Australia and pay heavy tax on top of the wincing (for me anyway) price tag.
Aside from the rarity, lack of repairability if you fry the SAD1024, crazy background noise, significant volume drop, huge footprint, awkward power adaptor and a working one being about 3x the price of the Mattress…yep, I’m with you.
bro, the conversion from AUD is like 150 GBP, which itself is slightly less than it costs in USD. A handmade pedal using NOS BBD chips for 150 clams is absolutely nuts, are you expecting Mooer prices or some shit?
i was gonna be all "the differences are STARK!", because the mistress has a very audible higher note that it hits at the top of its range, but then i saw that the mattress' range knob was not on 10.
did i miss something (my first listen was in the car, so i may just be overlooking it), or did the range knob never go to ten on the elastic mattress? the inability to hit the same high note on the high end of the sweep would be a major dealbreaker for me.
The pots on each work in slightly different ranges, so I set the knobs to get the sound as close as possible to each other rather than setting them the same.
Thanks for giving me GAS mate
Nice review. The sweep is quite different between the two pedals, the delay time in the mistress is shorter with its BBD chip, something I believe designers struggle to achieve with other BBD chips.
It is so close, I nearly bought one a few months ago the one thing that put me off was how much the import fees, could I ask how much did you pay to get one into England?
Thanks Cameron :)
11:43 TWANG! 😆
This or the retro sonic
Retro Sonic - there is a comparison of both-of-them.
Mattress
The PastFX sounds more metallic & brighter. Could probably get the same tones from a cheaper Mooer ElecLady. Sorry, the original EHX Electric Mistress is still undefeated.
The brightness is switchable and also adjustable with internal trimpot, so you can effectively turn that external switch into two distinct brightness level presets. The Mooer is an excellent pedal (I also have one) but it’s far more limited and based on a different EH flanger model. I’m keen on this guy but also probably will keep the Mooer; but I’m into these types of effects so if you’re not, Mooer is all you need perhaps.
i couldn't tell the difference
Noise could be eliminated by increasing the delay line length and sample rate. But that means someone would need to do real design work instead of just cloning the schematic.
Have at it !
@@carlthomas3930 I did one of these in a microcontroller once. Doing this analog is a lot of hassle ;-)
I thought the Retro Sonic v2 sounded closer? This is a bit thin and less swooshey? Joe " you know . . . we all wanna hear Mattresss vs. Retro . . . C'mon Joe !!!
I've not put them side by side, but I think they're definitely ballpark to each other - they'll both definitely do the job. I _might_ make that video sometime...we'll see. I'm not sure it'd really tell us _too_ much as they're both so close.
th-cam.com/video/lkEGHbetnR0/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/lkEGHbetnR0/w-d-xo.html
If you're looking for the Electric Mistress flanger sound, the get the Retro-sonic Flanger. I have the Retro-sonic and the V3 Elastic Mattress and the Retro-sonic is much better sounding. Side by side, the Elastic Mattress is thin, overly bright and brittle
I've not done a full comparison, but whenever I've run the two side by side, my Mattress & Retro-Sonic have sounded incredibly close to each other. I guess it depends how both are dialled in and how the internal treble trim on the Mattress is set also.
@@JoePerkinsMusic I have the V3 Elastic Mattress and the Bright control is external and is all the way down. Even the the slightest adjustment brighter is is way too much. I've tested them literally side by side in my effects chain, and the Retro-sonic simply sounds better
A real Tube Amp Gives More + PastFX is like Biden / Cost Is Creepy !