I have a MF-104M, MF-103 and a CP-251. I’m considering selling/trading (for now) my phaser and CP-251 to get the Cluster-Flux. I’m still paying off the delay and can’t afford to buy it straight up. Can the delay and phaser cover some of the same ground as the Cluster-Flux? I’ve noticed at extreme settings the delay can get into chorus territory and the phaser can get slightly into flange/vibrato/uni-vibe territory. And the CP-251 helps me dial them both in much better. Will the versatility of my current setup make selling the CP-251 and phaser for a Cluster-Flux too big of a set back? I use these pedals for guitar 90% of the time. Here’s what I’m thinking:
Pros
Cluster-Flux is limited supply and will spike in resale after production stops.
I use a stereo rig and like chorus to widen the stereo image.
It would be awesome to keep all of my Moogerfoogers midi so I don’t need to bend over and mess with knobs during a show in between songs. No midi on phaser or CP-251.
It will be easier for me to pick up the less expensive Moogerfoogers over time rather than dropping more money at once.
I can build/design my own circuits and pedals. A CP-251 inspired control panel/mixer would be pretty easy for me to make whereas any other Moogerfooger is ridiculously complicated and must be designed by aliens.
Cons
I may be able to already get a lot of the same effects with my current setup and have a lot more versatility.
I love using the CP-251 to control my delay lfo amount knob as a way to kinda simulate wow and flutter.
A phaser into a cranked amp is a glorious thing.
The LFO out on the phaser is pretty awesome. No LFO out on the Cluster-Flux.
Thanks in advance for any input! If I can knock the first con off of my list, it will make the decision easy. And yeah, I’d like to have all of them, but this is my only option for the next 8 or 9 months or so until I clear up more money.
The clusterflux is its own beast. The best way I can compare the two is by this: the delay is a delay machine for creating echos of your original sound and mangling them into oblivion if you choose. The ClusterFlux is a tone machine, creating a change in the frequencies that are emphasized. It gets into repeat territory but that the beautiful price of sound “quality”. It is not a phaser and doesn’t sound like one - phasers are chewey, drippy and swooshy - the clusterflux is not that.
ClusterFlux Stereo is awesome, but only stereo out, not in.
Having more versatility with your current setup is a perspective question. The delay and phaser do not overlap, and having a CP, you cover a lot of versatility ground. LFO out is certainly an advantage.
The delay and CF overlap somewhat - same LFO structure, both bucket brigade, both insert loops.
My 2cents, save up and keep what you got, or sell the CP and get a MP-201. If you love the phaser you will miss it.
I picked up the ClusterFlux when it was new. Had to have one after seeing the spy pictures, etc. Though I play a MusicMan 4-string (sometimes), I found that while interesting and great for sonic mayhem, it really didn’t provide as much musical harmonic richness as I thought it would and put it up for sale at a price that was a bit too high, so it didn’t sell. I let a friend borrow it for use on his Rhodes and he wasn’t thrilled either.
Over vacation, I picked up a Schecter Hellcat VI which, while in the bass range, has the two higher strings, B and E (strung like a guitar), and has hot Seymour Duncan pickups so it’s voiced more like a guitar. NOW I can hear what the ClusterFlux is capable of. Even though the MusicMan has a really good preamp in the active pickup structure, it just wasn’t the same.
To be fair, I never gave the ClusterFlux a go with my synth gear; I just didn’t have it close enough to that half of my music room. But it’s a great pedal and I suppose it might end up in short supply at some point so if you are interested in it, you should pick one up. If you can find a place with a good return policy that would be ideal; you might find it’s not worth the $$ to you after you actually get your hands on it, or you might love it. I won’t say I’m taking mine to the grave or anything, but it’s got new life in my book and I recommend it.
I appreciate the input. All of the demo’s I can find on the guitar sound absolutely great. I definitely want the pedal. The only negatives I’ve read about it is the noise, but I don’t think people really have it dialed in. I had a similar experience with the delay at first, but after spending more time getting the drive and output levels perfect, the noise level was low.
It is pretty noisy. I don’t think I will buy one for that reason. I suggest you try it out before you sell your phaser, because they are really different. It does have some nice textures though.
I found a local shop yesterday that had one on display that I could spend some time with. My initial reaction is that while it sounds great, I was slightly underwhelmed at the price point. I don’t feel this way at all about my other Moogerfoogers, but that’s because I absolutely love delay and the phaser is close to half the price. Regardless, I do think I want to pick one up eventually to have one in my arsenal. I’m going to be keeping the phaser and CP-251 though. I think the only way I could ditch the phaser is if Moog decided to make a dual optocoupler phaser that could compete with the Bi-Phase. With the CP-251 LFO controlling the sweep, it gets pretty close.
About the noise, at first I thought the delay was too noisy as well. I’ve found that you really need to push the drive as much as you can get away with. For single coils, I have the drive at around 2 o’clock and the output at around 10. The noise floor on these pedals goes up and down with the output while the drive and mix makes no difference. You can also set the mix to 100% wet and use a mixer to blend the signal down. When I use the delay to record in pro tools, I setup a completely wet channel and lower the level in pro tools instead of mixing on the pedal. My experience is that these pedals aren’t any (or much) noisier than the classic analog pedals that are very sought after. With the drive and mix options they give you, you can help deal with it. Of course, I’m using this for guitar and a tiny bit of extra clipping isn’t extremely noticeable. After spending an hour or so with the Cluster-Flux, I can say that I can get the noise to an acceptable level for my uses.
