DigiTech Mosaic Polyphonic 12-string Effect Pedal Reviews

Violin: I purchased it for my Zeta Strados five-string violin, and it's perfect for adding brilliance and making double stops sound remarkably rich, like twin violins played in perfect unison.

Guitar: It took me a while to get the settings right for electric or acoustic guitars, but once the sweet spot is clicked in, it's definitely a nice, twelve-stringy sound and quite lovely.

From what reviews I have seen, almost everyone buys this pedal for guitar specifically. It sounds good on a 6-string, but my first time trying the Mosaic was with my bass. Let me tell you it changed my world. I have a Stingray type bass paired with an Ashdown combo, and with a little chorus on my Zoom pedal gives deep piano style richness. Turning on the Mosaic with this setup, WOW! I only ever need the level to be at 9 o'clock and the tone 10 o clock, and then it becomes less of a 12 string octave emulator, and more of a subtle but effective overtone. And no one else seems to have discovered this for bass! If you like an extra sparkle to your bass tone, get this! It will open up your bass frequency range and open up further musical explorations. 10 outta 10!

I play in an acoustic trio, two guitars and a stand up bass, performing cover tunes. Purchased the DigiTech Mosaic from my outstanding sales engineer Caleb Lowrey to use for a couple of 12-string numbers, including the Byrds version of Mr. Tambourine Man. Wow, when I play the song's intro it sounds exactly like the record and I'm using a Taylor acoustic (with the ES2 preamp pickup system) plugged into a Fender Champion 40. Both of the Mosaic's knobs are cranked fully clockwise but I also use a Cali76 Compact Deluxe Compressor prior to the Mosaic in the signal chain with the attack set to 'fast'. This effectively clips the peaks off the initial string plucks to avoid a slight distortion overload in the Mosaic that the peak of the note can sometimes generate.

I was looking for something like this for some time and now I`m very happy with it. Great sound, very simple to operate and find your sweet spot, great for live shows.

Just listen to it. It's close enough to cover a 12 string sound. It's a one trick pony, but what a great trick!

Excellent pedal, I use it mostly for clean twelve string and octave embellishments in our songs. This great sounding pedal is very user friendly ,straight up and simple. Highly recommended. I would also like to add that Sweetwater is the best, in my opinion, when it comes to quality products, customer service and delivery. Top notch! Thank you Sam Dowty for the excellent follow up.

I bought this pedal so that I would not have to drag a 12-string guitar around to gigs. This way, I can get away with using just one guitar for everything. It doesn't sound exactly like a 12-string but it is as close as you are going to get without actually playing one.

I find that the pedal works best for me when the two knobs are set half way. I first tested it out by playing classic songs that were originally played on a 12-string and it sounded great for those. There are some demo videos out there online, so you could hear it for yourself but as far as I am concerned, it works very well for me.

I have been putting off buying this pedal for a bit but finally
decided to jump and buy it. I was blown away when I started the intro lick to "Life By the Drop" Wow!. Now my only regret is not having bought this earlier. BTW, it works fantastic with the Line 6 Helix as well, however, it did not play well with the Line 6 Amplifi 150. All in all I"m glad of the purchase, I would highly recommend

Hi,
I recently bought the Mosaic pedal and it's really nice. It's very well built.

After playing with it for a little while I've found that the 12 string effect differs with different guitars. I've tried it with various Strats, my 68 Les Paul Custom, a limited edition rosewood neck tele and a PRS SE custom. Also tried it with my Taylor 6 string acoustic to see how close it would sound to my Taylor 12 string.

The pedal sounds great with all of them but you have to adjust the level and tone knobs to get a really "chimey" sound out of it. It's really good for getting a thickening sound out of it.

I also have an ehx pitchfork and between the two pedals the Mosaic is more subtle but more authentic to my ears. The pitchfork is more versatile as it can also do the 12 string emulation (not as close as the Mosaic) but can also do different tunings.

The Mosaic is a great addition to my pedalboard but I'm still experimenting with it. Looking forward to trying it when I get an American Professional or Elite strat.

Thanks.

Sounds great! Better then I expected!!

I love the sound of 12 strings. I have owned a few 12 string guitars, but only as an effect. I have never seen or heard of a pedal like this one. I love this pedal.

I had watched Rig run down with Johnny Hiland. Seen how he used this pedal as well as heard how he used this pedal. Mind you it is a modulation pedal but its not over done, mind the price. I'm a firm believer you get what you pay for. I mainly use this pedal as a accent pedal which is the perfect platform. It does an awesome job mimicking a 12string, as a accent pedal though its better than a awesome pedal.

Fantastic! First of all I ordered the pedal on a Wednesday, with standard shipping, received it Saturday morning. Just in time for a gig that night. I have, but don't play acoustic for our live shows and this pedal really lives up to the hype. Really made the "I Am The Highway" shine amongst slew of other tunes . I link this with my "RUSH" boost pedal and BOSS GT-8 into a Line-6 Spider II head.

No issues and Completely satisfied. Both with the Pedal and the Service from Sweetwater.

Jerrytown

This 12 string effect has super fast response and usability. I have an octave pedal that jumps the notes around (root and 5ths) so much that it is totally unusable. Not so with the Mosaic. Nice tones and very usable with clean tone or distortion. Very user friendly and easy to operate.

I've tried every octave up pedal and could never find one I liked. Most are too bright and sound very digital. Never thought to look for a "12 string effect". I love that it doubles the high strings and puts an octave up on the low strings. And the tone control is something I have always been looking for in an octave up. It's a little annoying that it needs 300ma (can't power it on my Voodoolab 2+) but it's a small price to pay.

I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical, but I wanted to try it for twelve-string songs without having to resort to buying a twelve-string. With the right settings, placed first in the pedal chain after the tuner, and by picking back toward the bridge, it does a remarkable job of emulating a twelve- in a band situation you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, and as a soloist there are a few clues, but overall it is worth it. Pretty remarkable how it seems to know which strings it should double/chorus as opposed to having the separate octave. Definitely worth it, and now that I've gone Kemper it is the ONLY pedal I need.

This is the greatest effects pedal I have ever owned,and I own a lot of them. I'm not just getting a fantastic 12 string effect,but by experimenting with my reverbs and effects on my processor along with the mosaic,I am getting a fantastic pipe organ and leslie organ effect.I am so glad I purchased the mosaic.

I had both electric and acoustic 12 strings for years. Like a lot of guys, I didn't play them much and when I'd grab one to play it would be way out of tune and need new strings, so I'd play them even less. I eventually sold them to get stuff I'd use more often. When I came across this pedal, I was really interested, so when it showed up I grabbed my '60's Baldwin Vibraslim and plugged it in. Realistic? I have to say that when I started to play it, I actually got tactile hallucinations - it really felt like I was holding down the 2 strings with each finger - when I was doing a quick tune-up I found myself trying to pick the individual string in each set - it was crazy! It's like your guitar as 6 phantom strings! So, I'd say the effect is pretty realistic! The Vibraslim has a nice bright single coil sound and the electric '12 string jangle' was amazing. The tone control only affects the phantom strings so it's handy to use to have them match the sound of the real strings - the neck pickup of the Vibraslim has a 2nd coil you can dial in, and as its sound got darker and thicker, it was easy to use the tone control to make the phantom strings darker too. The level knob controls the volume of the phantom strings and I found about 3 o'clock is perfect. It really does just what it says it does, Just for fun I played a Hohner Clavinet through it to see what it would sound like - and it made it sound pretty much like a 12 string guitar - so there you go!

The Mosaic pedal is awesome! Beautiful 12-string sound coming out of my Gibson Les Paul....now I have a 6 and 12 string electric with me at every gig!

I ordered this pedal just before Christmas and it arrived Dec. 22nd. I left it alone until after the holidays then plugged it in, on my pedal board, and was immediately pleased with the tones from it. If not perfect it's pretty darn close. I've been playing 12 strings since the 60's and this pedal sounds very close to perfection. I don't know about the 1 negative review. I guess if only a real 12 string will do then maybe you have a case but this is quite close to perfection if not right on, and to not have to drag a 12 to a gig it's a plus. As expected, Stewart's assistance is always first rate!

Had a couple 12-strings over the years, loved the sound, hated tuning! Recently landed a gently used Rick 330 at an incredible price, and while I love it, wished it was a 12-string. Like everyone here says, it's not a perfect replication of a 12-string guitar, but it's as close as you're going to get with a pedal! It will not be a matter of just plugging in right out of the box and going, you will need to tweak a little to find the sound you want. I'm sure when I plug in my old Rick 450 with the toaster pickups, it will sound great, but I will need to adjust for that guitar. I haven't played much lately, but once I got on a roll, my fingers hurt by the end of the evening. The only con, I could not use my multi-line power supply. Light on the pedal came on, but sound wasn't there. I had to use the power supply that came with the pedal, which has a wonky clip-on piece that plugs into the wall/power strip. I'll adjust, no big deal. Ordered on a Tuesday night, got the delivery Thursday afternoon! Sweetwater rocks!

At my age, the feeling in my hands & fingers is not what it used to be. Playing a 12 string just felt weird. So after running across this pedal while shopping for others, I decided to give it a try I use it with a semi hollow body guitar that runs thru an equalizer and then thru the Mosaic. The equalizer helps me get that twangy 12 string Rick thru a Vox sound. It is so close it's almost impossible to believe it's not the real thing. I'm happy and so are my fingers.

Purchased the DigiTech Mosaic Polyphonic 12-string Effect Pedal so that I could get near to an electric "12 string guitar" sound without electing to invest in a Rickenbacker 360/12. For me, it does the trick. Playing through a revamped '65 Blackface Fender Bandmaster, using any one of three guitars ('89 Fender Strat Plus, Gretsch G6122T PE CG, PRS Paul Allender SE), I can get the jingly vibe for which I was searching. Glad that I made this move. P.S. There are some other nifty, unique "voices" that can be crafted from this pedal.

I play a fair amount of Byrds & similar tunes (been playing guitar for over 50 years)and would have really liked to get a Ric, but didn't want to pay the price to get a Ric. After a couple of years gassing over 12 string electric guitars in the $1,000 to $1,500 range, I saw a review on the Mosaic pedal and took a chance & ordered the Mosaic pedal from Sweetwater (excellent service, prompt shipping). After several months of regular use (using a Fender Telecaster guitar & Deluxe Reverb Reissue amp) my personal opinion is that the Mosaic can be adjusted to sound close enough to an electric 12 string and my expectations. If lost or stolen I would definitely buy the Pedal again as it is a workable effect when an electric 12 string sound is needed. I don't recommend it as an alternative to an acoustic 12 string guitar (I have one used for comparison purposes). IMO, the best settings for a fairly accurate reproduction of an electric 12 string are at the 11:00 or 12:00 (middle position) on the effect level knob and 12:00 (middle position) on the tone control knob. Of course anyone who can afford a Ric 12 string, by all means, go for it!

I actually use this on my 6 string acoustic w/ magnetic style LR Baggs pickup and it works very well. Not perfect 12 string sound of course but nice.

Awesome sound! I was able to turn my telecaster into a Rickenbacker and matched the sounds of some of my favorite songs.

This pedal works as advertised. It does save you from having to lug another instrument to a gig, when you don't need a 12-string for an entire set.

I use it with a piezo-equipped acoustic guitar, and it is connected to the effects loop of a Fishman SA. It seems happiest in that set up so far.

I put the level at about 1 o'clock. Too high, and it produces an odd modulation sound as the algorithm figures out whether to assign an octave or a unison tone.

Sets up nice and the controls are stright foward. The sound is a 12 string and adjustable. I have played it with an electric and acoustic it was fantastic. You get all the 12 string effects worth the money.

Really have wanted a Rickenbacker 12 string but can't afford one for what I'd use it for. I have a home Daw recording setup and like the idea of including little Rickenbacker 12 string fills in some of my original songs. The Mosaic is really the ticket. Yeah, I know nothing replaces that Ricki sound but let me tell you, for recording various amps and effects with my line 6 pod thru my audio interface and into my Daw software, the Mosaic gets you awfully close, sounds great and is a very inexpensive way to add various 12 strings to my home recordings. If you're not a zillionaire and can't afford the thousands it takes to buy a 12 string Rickenbacker these days, do yourself and your wallet a favor and get this little gem, it sounds great.

A longtime sucker for the jangle, I have always wanted an electric 12. Never could play a Ric due to the string order being reversed. Bought a cheap Strat style 12 on EBay a couple of years ago, but the tuning challenges were just too much. This pedal all but nails it. Like some other have said, there are some digital artifacts if you play faster single note lines. For chording, especially open chords, it does an excellent job. It the context of a band or a studio mix, it will sound great. It likes some guitars and pickup selections better than others. Strat on the bridge sounds great. Epi 339 bridge and both sounded good, split the coils and it sounded very Ric-like.

Combine it with a little delay and reverb and you've got "Kicks", "Ticket To Ride", "Stairway", "Please Go All The Way". A Little drier, and "The Waiting" is there for you. Two knobs, simple operation. Works GREAT! My gripe? WHERE WAS THIS WHEN I REALLY NEEDED IT?????

While this can't replicate the effect of holding, strumming and feeling of an unplugged acoustic, it is ideal for dialing in some of that on demand when amplified. If you can get beyond on whether it does or doesn't sound exactly like or as good as an actual 12 string and play with the level and tone a bit, you might be in for a treat. In addition to an acoustic steel string, I tried this on my Yamaha NCX1200R and was blown away by the incredibly pleasing sounds I could create on some chord melody arrangements. Seems solidly built and appreciate that the price also includes a power supply. Worth every nickel.

I know your tired of needling a 12-string for just 3 songs plus the investment of a Ric 12. This cool little pedal will cover you pretty good at getting the sound. I purchase done personally and am pleased! It' a poor mans Rickenbacker! LOL... However it gets the job done and does a great job cloning a Ric 12

It kind of sounds like a 12 string if you play a certain style and attack the guitar a certain way but most of the time is sounds like a chorus-y reverb. Kind of cool for backing with a lead over top. I'm gonna keep it for fun but doubt I'd buy it again.

I play in a Praise band and also a acoustic duo. I wanted something that would give more flavor to my guitar. I have been practicing with it and really like the sounds it provides. I gave it a 4 due to the fact I like what I hear, but haven't played it out in a live performance yet to see what sound it will sound like in a different surrounding. I will update after the gig.

I use a 6 string 330 Rickenbacker on some songs. I am in a Tom Petty Tribute Band. Terry Young and The Breakdowns. Columbus, Ga.
The pedal gives the Rick a nice clean sound. Thanks,Terry

First of all if you want a 12 string sound get a 12 string, problem solved. This pedal does a decent job replicating the sound of a 12 string depending on how you dial it in. It does take a little work to fine tune a more natural sound out of it but it can be done. I have pulled a wide array of sound out of this thing mixed with other pedals, a little reverb and a little tape delay, compressed with a touch of drive and you're zooming somewhere in outer space. An open minded experimental player could find some cool uses for this pedal. If it's that pure 12 string sound you want this may not be for you but for some 12 string here and there without dragging another guitar around, this is it.

This is a fun box, however, there is a learning curve. It sounds great with a Telecaster and Strat. It is a little tricky with an acoustic electric (unwanted overtones) but you can work around that problem. It can create a very believable 12 string tone for the audience. As a "way too picky" musician it's easy to point out the obvious differences between the Mosaic and a Rickenbacker 12 string but this thing is way to cool to knock it for its short comings.
I solved most of the problems I encountered with the acoustic by using a feedback buster and playing through a Schertler Jam 150 acoustic amp and out to the board. The signal also needs a little/lot of compression much like Roger McGuinn uses for his Ric. Much more believable with compression. I turn the level down a good bit more for the acoustic. I'm using a Guild Doyle Dykes Signature rosewood model with a Baggs LB6 pickup - a great setup! For the tele and strat I'm running through a Vox AC15 with a Celestion Blue - it sounds much better than my Princeton Reverb although the Princeton works as well. If you want to add some Byrds and Beatles tunes to your set this works and is well worth the price.

I can't afford to have every guitar I want. The Mosaic gives me the chance to have the 12 string sound that ordinarily I couldn't afford. It's great sound and won't break your wallet. I really love this pedal!

With very little tweaking I am able to get decent passable 12 string sounds from this pedal. If you turn the mix down somewhat it doesn't sound over-processed. It still tracks well and sounds good with overdrive applied or even through my Marshall DSL40C's drive channel. A very useable pedal that now eliminates my needs for chorus!

This pedal essentially does exactly what I want our of a chorus pedal with none of the artifacts.

Be aware it does put a bit of a current draw on your board, make sure you have enough power supplied to handle it.

It Sounds Like A 12 String without having the fine tuning associated with a real 12 string.
Being that I use a 12 string sparingly in the music I play... it's much more convenient to use this pedal rather carry an extra guitar for a few songs.

After working with this pedal for several weeks I found that it just wasn't accomplishing what I thought it would do. I perform with a working acoustic trio. I was looking for a pedal that might fill in for an acoustic 12 string guitar on certain songs. This pedal did much better when used with an electric guitar in my opinion. Unfortunately that wasn't what I really needed it to do. I noticed a drop in overall volume/output even after trying different dial settings. It did do much better when coupled with an electric guitar. I would recommend it if that's what you're looking for. Sweetwater costumer service is great to deal with and made the return easy and simple. Kudos to them!!!

Why a 3.5...nice effect, adds color to and already solid tone... what it could use is something to adjust the micro-tones between the strings... but very playable none the less

Very tinny and does not have the richness of a real twelve string guitar.

The DigiTech Mosaic Polyphonic 12-string Effect Pedal is a pedal for those who need that 12 string sound occasionally. It works great for songs by such artists as the Byrds or Tom Petty when simulating a Rickenbacker 12 sting. As for the pure sound related to a 12 string acoustic guitar, it just doesn’t sound natural. In addition, its power requirement may cause you to use the power adapter that comes with it and not your power supply mounted to your pedalboard. I also recommend that you not connect it to any noise reduction pedals but bypass them. It reduces the 12 string effect if connected to them. If you simply need that 12 string sound for a few songs, this pedal does the job but as a substitute for a real 12 string acoustic it just doesn’t cut it.

The demos I watched for the Mosaic were pretty cool. The first one I received had a problem so Sweetwater exchanged it for me. The second one worked fine.
I appreciate the effort by Digitech but I found the Mosaic to be just ok. Not horrible, but just ok. It was also a little finnicky with some of my other pedals.
It could just be a personal preference thing...
I still have the pedal but it is not currently on my pedalboard.

This unit is the best ( and only one) around for doing what it does. I really dislike carting around a full 12-string and for me this box solves that challenge. Obviously not everyone will be satisfied but I think the majority will outweigh the nay-sayers as time goes on. With over 50 years of experience and four or five 12-strings in and out the door this box is a blessing for me and my performances. You can't loose for the price.

I, however, got a bad one, and the fact that it happened at all drops my expected 5-star rating to 2.5. It had an unacceptable hum when activated that made it unusable. Digitech tech assist service said that the unit had a bad chassis ground (touching instrument cable metal plug housings made the hum go away) and that I should return it for exchange, which I did. I'm hoping that the next one is okay. Here's hoping Digitech reviews their QA process at the point of manufacture. Sweetwater's customer support with this purchase has been outstanding.

I bought the Mosaic pedal with the expectation of not having to bring out a 12 string to a jam or gig, The pedal is constructed very well.The two knob adjustment is simple and easy to use.If you have 12 string and understand what that sound is you will be disappointed,i have spent many years playing a Ricky 12 string through Vox Ac 30s and 15s.The E,B and G strings have very little jangle,if you let a cord ring it starts to sound almost organ like. Better results with P90s and Hum-buckers,single coil a real no go. Nice idea but back to the drawing board.

Based on other reviews, I was very optimistic. Playing my Taylor acoustic electric through the Mosaic sounds more like a bright chorus effect than a clean 12 string voice. I tried as many different settings as possible, but was never able to achieve a sound that came close to resembling an acoustic12-string voice.

I plugged the pedal into my pedal board and sure the sound was a little louder but I got my 12 String 1967 Baldwin semi-hollowbody out and my Rickenbacker 12 out and turned off the pedal and played the 12 string guitars. I know the rest of the reviews are looking good but does it really sound like a 12 string, the answer is no. Don't waste your money. I returned the pedal to Sweetwater and they gave me credit back on my order.