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MXR EVH117 Flanger £215

Van Halen's second signature MXR stompbox

The Unchained preset is a big draw for Van Halen fans.

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Flangers can often be the most unsubtle of effects and, if you're not careful, they can smother your carefully crafted tone with all manner of jets, swirls and wooshes.

Trust Edward Van Halen to use such a device to give a further injection of pace into a number of the band's classic riffs. Most notably it's the intro riff to the track Unchained (from 1981's Fair Warning) that benefits and, in a stroke of impressive forethought, MXR have included that setting as a preset.

This pedal operates in the usual manner but, if you have the small EVH button depressed when you turn the pedal on, you have just the right setting to play that iconic riff. MXR's EVH Phase 90 is resplendent in the trademark red, white and black stripes, and the livery here is from an even earlier period: the original black and white paint job from Edward's Frankenstein Boogie Bodies guitar.

What's more, certain parts of the front panel glow in the dark. Power comes from a pair of standard nine-volt batteries and, as you'd expect, the pedal is built like a tank. Regardless of the undeniable quality across the board here, that £215 price tag is very difficult to swallow - a BOSS BF-3, for example, is just £89.

Sounds

As a generic flanger the modulation is warm and organic with plenty of headroom within all four controls. As with all flangers, it's best used sparingly for maximum effect.

Verdict

Despite the cost this is great fun, and if Ed's your hero it's unlikely that anything else will do.

MusicRadar rating:

3.5 of 5 stars

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User comments (1)

Average user rating 4 of 5

  • imported_timmyo

    Avatar for imported_timmyo

    Wed 2 Jan 2008, 12:11 pm GMT

    User rating 4 of 5

    First of all, the reason for a '4' not a '5' is down to price and powering requirements : in the UK these things are just downright expensive. That aside, and 18v is a faff, although i suspect that without it the sound would not be the same.
    At heart this is the standard MXR Flanger that is currently available with the addition of 2 things:
    1. A natty EVH paint job
    2. a preset mini switch (and associated LED) that over-rides the knob settings and sets everything to Eddie's favoured values (think 'Unchained')
    The range of control from the 4 knobs is enormous - there's your standard subtle or chips n' gravy rock flanging sounds, as well as some other more out there not-quite-flanging sounds to be had. I particularly like the EVH setting (it's recognisable and effective) and you effectively have 2 settings : reach down and hit the little EVH button for the rock songs, or leave it off for you 'normal' favoured flanger sound.
    The box itself appears bomproof and you get some of those MXR rubber covers for the knobs to aid any toe-driven adjustments (I just have one on the regen control) for any rehearsal room tweak, although mostly it gets left alone.
    One word of warning : if you plan to use a powerpump (eg from Visual Sound) to turn your 9v supply to 18v, and it is on a daisy chain, you'll get clock noise. Dunlop/MXR are aware of this and recommend a dedicated 18v supply. I found that a dedicated 9v supply for this pedal, pumped to 18v also works fine (ie silently). Tim.

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MusicRadar rating

3.5 of 5

Pros

The authentic tone. That Unchained preset.
Cons

High price.
Verdict

Despite the cost this is great fun, and if Ed's your hero it's unlikely that anything else will do.
Review Policy

All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.

User rating

4 of 5

Where to buy

Specification

EVH117 Flanger

Price:
£215
Available Controls:
Manual, Regeneration, Speed, Width
Country of Origin:
USA
Effect Types:
Flanger
Manufacturer's Description:
Glow in the dark panel
Unit Power Source:
9 Volt Batteries, AC Adaptor
Weight (g) (g):
0.68

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