The Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser is a Spaceman phaser pedal, currently around $179. Close alternatives include the SolidGoldFX Aurras Optical Vibraphase and the Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter. It pairs well with the Marshall Super Bass and the Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser
Spaceman · pedal
The Spaceman Explorer is a hand-wired six-stage analog optical phaser built in Portland, Oregon, known for a sweet, distinct phase voice that is sometimes liquidy and smooth, sometimes chewy and lush. Its frequencies ebb and flow organically while offering deep tone-shaping through resonance, mix, range and volume controls. The Resonance control adds feedback for over-the-top phasing, Range sets the low-frequency extension, and a wide Rate control spans extremely slow to very fast modulation, with five selectable wave shapes including sine, ramp up, ramp down, triangle and square. True-bypass relay switching with a soft-touch footswitch rounds out a boutique build that sits at the intersection of organic warmth and precise, mechanical pulse, suiting psychedelic, classic-rock and experimental textures.
What stands out
“The resonance, range, mix and volume controls plus five wave shapes give far more tone-shaping than a typical phaser, letting users dial in everything from subtle shimmer to extreme feedback-laden phasing”
— from the community notes
“Rich, fluid six-stage phasing with a genuinely sweet and distinct voice that moves between liquid smoothness and lush, chewy thickness”
— from the reviews
“its frequencies ebb and flow organically while offering deep tone-shaping through resonance”
— from the listing
“the spaceman explorer is a hand-wired six-stage analog optical phaser built in portland”
— from the listing
“known for a sweet”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“The main caveats are a high boutique price and a deep control set that can feel involved compared with a simple one-knob phaser”
— from the community notes
- phaser
- lush
- resonance
- stage
- sweet
- organic
- psychedelic
- touch
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Experimental
- Funk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Ambient
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser
Marshall Super Bass
Marshall
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Marshall Super Bass leans toward bright, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender Deluxe Reverb
Fender
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
What Fender Deluxe Reverb brings here leans toward bright — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head
Marshall
24% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head's bright voice out front: Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser goes after Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head in the signal chain so its lush voice doesn't muddy it
Comes later in the signal chain
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Fender
23% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser's lush voice goes after Fender Hot Rod Deluxe in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Fender Hot Rod Deluxe's own smooth character
Comes later in the signal chain
Randall RG100ES
Randall
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Randall RG100ES in the signal chain, clear of Randall RG100ES's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo
Soldano
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo in the signal chain, clear of Soldano SLO-30 2-Channel 30W 1x12 Combo's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Series One 45-Watt 2x12"
Blackstar
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Blackstar Series One 45-Watt 2x12" in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Series One 45-Watt 2x12"'s own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Peavey 6505 II
Peavey
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Peavey 6505 II goes after Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser in the chain
Pedals that stack with the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser
Tech 21 SansAmp
Tech 21
34% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Tech 21 SansAmp in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 SansAmp's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
RHC Rat Turbo Rat Distortion
Rhc Audio
29% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
The Explorer's lush, resonant phase sweep doesn't stack gain with the Turbo Rat — it just rides on top of that aggressive metal clipping.
Comes earlier in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2
EarthQuaker Devices
26% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2 in the signal chain, clear of EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter V2's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol
Fjord Fuzz
25% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol's own fuzzy character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive Octave Fuzz
Electronic Audio Experiments
25% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser after Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive Octave Fuzz in the signal chain, clear of Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive Octave Fuzz's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft
Boss
23% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser's lush voice goes after Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Boss BD-2W Blues Driver Waza Craft's own gritty character
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Spaceman Charon GE/SI Hybrid
Spaceman
23% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser's lush voice goes after Spaceman Charon GE/SI Hybrid in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Spaceman Charon GE/SI Hybrid's own germanium character
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp
Peavey
23% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser's lush voice goes after Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp's own tight character
Comes later in the signal chain
See all 66 pedals that pair with the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser →
Cheaper alternatives
Mojo Hand FX Nebula Redux
Mojo Hand Fx
60% similarityShared character: phaser, true bypass, warm
Ibanez PH Mini Phaser Mini
Ibanez
60% similarityShared character: phaser, subtle, simple
Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser
Red Witch
59% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, vocal
Electro-Harmonix Bad
Electro-Harmonix
59% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, subtle
JHS Pedals JHS 3 Series Phaser
JHS Pedals
58% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, true bypass
MXR Phase 100
MXR
57% similarityShared character: phaser, modulation, subtle
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
SolidGoldFX Aurras Optical Vibraphase
Solidgoldfx
65% similarityShared character: phaser, modulation, subtle
Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter
Maestro
61% similarityShared character: phaser, subtle, simple
Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser
Walrus Audio
61% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, vocal
Ibanez PH Mini
Ibanez
59% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, true bypass
Wylde Audio WA90
Wylde Audio
58% similarityShared character: phaser, natural resonance, subtle
Free The Tone Silky Groove SG-1C
Free The Tone
56% similarityShared character: modulation, smooth
See all alternatives to the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser?+
The closest matches in character are the SolidGoldFX Aurras Optical Vibraphase, the Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter, the Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser. Budget picks: Mojo Hand FX Nebula Redux, Ibanez PH Mini Phaser Mini, Red Witch Deluxe Moon Phaser. Boutique upgrades: Walrus Audio Monumental Stereo Harmonic Tremolo, Alexander Pedals Equilibrium DLX Vintage Modulation.
What pairs well with the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Super Bass, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head — Marshall Super Bass leans toward bright, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.
How much does the Spaceman Explorer 6-Stage Phaser cost?+
Around $179 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).