Ibanez Phase Tone PT-900

This plain-looking pipsqueak measuring 4 x 2 x 1.3 inches is really a huge global star!


After all, this Ibanez Phase Tone PT-900 kicked off Ibanez’s immense line of—and I don’t mean any disrespect by using the most colloquial term for them—stomp boxes.

The 1 Euro coin in the photo is only used for size comparison and wouldn’t even be enough to put down a deposit for the potentiometer knob today.

This phaser was first used by guitarists from 1973 for psychedelic effects achieved through huge amounts of technical wizardry (and taking a few banned substances every now and again), even during the flower power era. However, they were now instantly available for the first time ever in this fully compact format.

It is even said that there are museum staff on the managerial level who had once—in the absence of austerity measures—actually seen and heard this Phase Tone PT-900, a worthy imitator of the Leslie! You couldn’t imagine the position those unqualified ears hold today … :-)

If you’ve ever wondered why musicians in the ‘70s ran around with screwdrivers during the intermission instead of addressing their fans, this is why:

A connector for an external power supply? That wasn’t available yet. A battery compartment cover for quickly replacing the 9-volt block? That also wasn’t available yet. 

So intermissions had to be used to unscrew the back panel and make sure the second half of the band’s concert went well by adding a new battery.

Autographs for fans were then given out late into the night …
Ibanez—ever neat :-)