In this post, I’d like to share a cool pedal. I stumbled on this pedal on eBay late one night, took a chance, and wound up loving it. I even bought an extra one as a backup because I like it that much. The Moen UL-VB Jimi Zero Vibe comes in at a modest $50-$60 USD, depending on where you purchase; not a lot to spend for a pedal not much bigger than a phase 90 that has some pretty authentic-sounding rotary speaker/vibe, and chorus sounds.
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This true bypass pedal, built in a solid metal enclosure has a push button that allows you to toggle between the Vibe and Chorus settings. The usual rate and depth control are present with the bright red LED flashing at the chosen rate. Of note is the Bias control knob, which allows you adjust the overall EQ of the vibe pedal, shaping tones either fat or thin according to your needs. I have often wished that some of my other vibe pedals have even a minimum degree of tone control in addition to the common volume control that comes with the more expensive models.
The top quarter-inch inputs and power connection make for economical use of pedal board real estate. The fact that the pedal can run on a 9-volt battery is also a plus for the non-pedalboard/wall wart gigs.
How does the Moen UL-VB Jimi Zero Vibe sound?
I did a lot of A/B ing with all four of my other vibe pedals, one of which is considered the gold standard of this type of effect. I was able to dial in some very similar tones from the Moen in both the vibe and chorus settings. In a couple of cases, the bias control gave the Moen the edge! I will say that for the price, I think my Moen represents one of the best values in a pedal for fat, quality vibe/chorus sounds. It has quickly become a staple on my pedaltrain mini.
Here is a quick demo of the Moen UL-VB Jimi Zero Vibe in action:
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