Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress

EASY TO USE. NO MANUAL ALL I GOT WAS THE WARRENTY CARD HASN'T BEEN UP-GRADED S FAR AS I KNOW

SOUND QUALITY OF THE EFFECT IS VERY GOOD BUT THERE IS A 60 CYCLE HUM OR EVEN A BAD GROUND HUM EVEN WHEN THE UNIT'S OFF. ESPECIALLY ON HIGH GAIN

NO IT'S TOO NOISEY IT MAKES YOUR WHOLE EFFECTS CHAIN SOUND LIKE LITTLE LEAGUE CRAP AND I'M TALKING SOLDANO,TC,MESA BOOGIE MARSHALL WITH GIBSON AND FENDER GUITARS

SENT BACK TO NU-SENSOR TWICE AND THEY SENT IT BACK THE SAME WAY

BLUES ROCK FIX THE NOISE THAT YOUR COMPANY SEEMS TO DENY. I DID HEAR SOME MENTION OF A NEW CIRCUIT I GUESS THE OLD ONE WAS CRAP.ALL I KNOW IS THIS PEDAL HAS BEEN UNUSUABLE SINCE I GOT IT NICE FLANGE IF IT WERE USABLE

This is VERY easy to use...it is very easy to get a good sound out of it, and their are only three large knobs...It doesn't get any easier than this pedal.

This FLanger has some very good sounds...It can be very noisy though..I have found myself turning the Depth of the flange town because of the amount of hiss I was getting from the pedal..It is an analog pedal though..and I did Kind of expect some hiss

I Play with no back up for it...It has never let me down..I also like that it doesn't use any batteries..

Overall, I really like the sounds you can get from this flanger..You can get good flange sounds, and can also go as far to get chorus sounds as well..My only complaints are that it's a little noisy and it doesn't have stereo output options, which is why I'll probably eventually buy a Boss flanger to help the Electric mistress out with the stereo stuff...

The pedal is very easy to use. I am submitting this review 'only' to put forward an idea which I came up with to solve the volume level drop when the flange is turned on.

If you are after a flanger that does it better than any other, this is the pedal for you. There is a volume drop when the effect is turned on. I really noticed how much of a drop when my amp was put through the monitors when playing live. Here is how I fixed it...and you may need someone with electronics experience to help you. I wired in an EMG-SPC mid-boost to the output of the flange section of the effect. I was also able to power the SPC with 5 Volts DC I found on the effect. I was then able to adjust the level of the effect when it was turned on to match when it was turned off. The extra mids actually added some warmth to the effect as well. Good luck!

I've only owned the effect for a week.

Have not had to use tech support yet.

I love the sound of this pedal and it was worth putting the extra effort in to make it perfect.

Seems easy at first, but those 3 knobs really can take your guitar tone to very strange places indeed, so a little experimentaion is needed.

This pedal sounds incredible, theres a few people whinging about noise (I'm about to aswell) but I can't really comment as I own the old 70's model and Electro Harmonix pedals are famed for there big ugly sounds, but in the best way possible. Its true that this pedal can produce lovely chorus sounds and traditional flange sounds, but i find the best set up is when the rate is turned up to the point where you get a very subtle vibrato, which sounds absolutely incredible when hooked up with a fuzz and octave pedal for one note/string riffs. Anyhoo onto my little whinge... basically theres a click in the lower part of the sweep of my pedal, this makes the faster settings virtually unusable... i was wondering if anyone could help me out? I'm from the uk too by the way.

I have a few old EH pedals, and as far as reliabilty gos, there a bit of a no-no. I've had to take them in for repairs a few times but of course its worth it, the new pedals are probably a lot more reliable however.

next day response from any e-mails I've sent, could of been a bit more helpful though.

This is a cracking piece of kit, you need to be into the EH vibe though before you buy anything off them, theres no point getting it if your gonna put through a crappy tranny amp, or just use it for the clean part in a nu metal song or whatever, but if you want a flange thats a bit different (from your mums) then you can't get much better than this.

Easy to use with three knobs (Color, Range, Rate), on/off switch, and the Filter Matrix switch (disengages flange sweep).

But, on the other hand, there are so many micro-varieties of flange sounds that it can take quite a while to find the exact sound you're looking for.

The plug in is nice I guess, but there's a lot of cord that I have to bunch up and looks unsightly on the pedal board. Oh well.

Like others here have said, this is very good for getting the Andy Summers (from the Police) chiming guitar sound, as heard on songs like "Walking on the Moon," "Bring On The Night," "When The World Is Running Down," "Tea in the Sahara..." Yeah, Summers used this pedal a lot, especially live. Play a telecaster with a good compressor, the Electric Mistress, and some nice delay/reverb, and you ARE Andy Summers.

It's kind of a chorusy flanger, as opposed to something like a Boss or MXR or Ibanez, which sound a bit dryer than this (but with a more pronounced sweep). All sorts of sounds are available. Good for the more arty 80's flange sounds (like Siouxie & The Banshees, The Cure, etc.) as opposed to 80's cock rock flange sounds (Van Halen, ad nauseum). Good Nirvana sounds as well. I realize many of you aren't looking to imitate other artists' sounds, I'm just using them as examples of the kinds of sounds you can get.

Here's a great setting for the classic Police flanger sound:

Color: 10:00
Range: 11:50
Rate: 8:50

Andy Summers described this sound as "warbling cloud." It's a pretty good description. Try striking a chord and fading it in with a volume pedal or your guitar's volume knob, using lots of reverb or echo. Very mysterious-sounding.

Never given me a problem.

Never had to contact them...

This is a good match for the music I play. I play a lot of strange, subtly dark music, in addition to more down to earth acoustic music. I like this flanger best clean, either palm muted or with jazz and suspended 4th/7th chords. It sounds good distorted too, but usually I like my distortion with no modulation effects. It's also perfect for playing Police songs.

I've been playing for almost five years. If it were stolen, I'd track the offender down and beat him with blow after punishing blow to the head and torso region, pro wrestling style. Right. I'm not sure there's such a thing as "best ever," but this is definitely my favorite flanger. Try it before you buy it to make sure it's the sound you're after. I love the beautiful, delicate pulses of chorusy flange. The sound, in my opinion, is infinitely more interesting than any other flanger I've heard.

UPDATE #4: EZ Electric Mistress Mod!

Okay, it's me again. Having played with two of the four internal TRIM POTS (screws) some more, I have concluded two things: the one on the far right is actually the one that will fix your volume/gain problems, not the middle one below the three upper pots. And, that one below the three can be adjusted without taking your flanger apart. How? I'm glad you asked:

If you turn the Mistress upside down and unscrew the bottom (leaving in the wire attached to that bottom plate, just 'cause), you'll see four trim pots on the circuit board, arranged like so:

(O) (O) (O)


(O)

If you have a volume drop or if your signal distorts when the effect is turned on, play with the one on the far right until it sounds good. Do this while your guitar is plugged in (and running through other effects like compression that you'd generally use with the flanger) and the amp is on so you can hear the sound difference. You can also play with the top middle pot; it does about the same thing (at some point the pots will just make the flange into a clean signal--play with them until you have the flange signal going at the right gain). STAY AWAY from the far left pot, it will make the Electric Mistress scream like Britney Spears on a date with Carrot Top.

Okay, so the lower middle pot will change the effect from the usual classic Andy Summers-esque shimmery flanger sound (that's what I usually dial up, anyway) to something a bit more like the Boss flanger to a flange that's only really audible with distortion to a slinky, almost phaser-like sound when the color knob is cranked up (not harsh like it usually would be with the color cranked). In other words, this pot alters the basic character and intensity of the flanger.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could play with this fourth control just like the Color, Range and Rate controls, without having to leave your Mistress's guts hanging open while you do it? Well Chuck, here's how I altered mine to do just that:

You will need:

a ruler
a permanent marker
a drill
the long part of a pair of cheap,
drug store reading glasses--you know,
the part that goes out to your ear,
should be thin and flat and metal
(most of it, anyway)
packing tape
wire cutters
screwdriver
pliars
root beer

Okay, so basically you run a ruler across the bottom of the flanger while the circuit board is still exposed. Mark at the 4 edges places directly across from that lower, middle pot. Extend those lines so that they go up to the top of the unit. If you're freaking out right now, don't worry, you can wash off the lines later with paint thinner or nail polish remover (for Cure tribute bands).

Screw on the bottom plate again and flip the unit over. It should be unplugged from everything. Use the ruler again and the four marker lines and mark on the unit where they all meet. It should be about in between the last two s's on the word "Mistress", right on the corner of the black area that is behind the "Elecric Mistress" writing. This point, if you haven't botched the job like a total tool, should be directly above the trim pot.

Get your drill. The bit should be at least a little bigger than that section of reading glasses (or anything else that you think will work) that we're basically using as a screwdriver/knob. Begin drilling. Do it slowly. Stop frequently. You don't really want to drill all the way through, you might dip in too far and wreck the circuit board. Drill till it looks like you've made a sizeable pockmark in the metal casing. Prod often with a screwdriver or other hard impliment until the metal is thin enough for you to poke through. Once it is, twist the screwdriver around until the gap is widened sufficiently. It's really not as scary as it sounds, just drill in short bursts and probe often. And try to keep your mind out of the gutter.

Once you have your hole, get out that flat section of reading glasses wire. Make s

What can I say? I'm like the Delux Electric Mistress support guy. I swear, I don't work for Electro-Harmonix. However, I'd gladly accept money for all the customer support I've been offering on this page (hint, hint).

In cash.

Small, unmarked bills, please.




;) <- obligatory emoticon

pretty simple, just 3 knobs. it takes a while to get the sound you want but you'll eventually find it.

my setup is EH Big muff pi> Boss DS-1> EH Big muff pi> and fender princeton chorus and sometimes i use a VOX wah wah. I've never used a flanger before so i dont have anything to compare it to. all i know is that it sounds really good with my setup. i bought it from a pawn shop for 40 bucks, the guy wanted 65 bucks but i threw in an old ibanez delay pedal i never used and he knocked of 25 bucks. it was a good investment.

it's hard as a rock and it plugs in. i'm getting ready to start a band so saving the 4 dollors on a 9 volt really helps.

never delt with them.

i play punk/grunge stuff and this thing adds a nice touch to some of my songs, it was a good investment on my part, i'm glad i found it.

Quite easy. Always using some time to find the right sound, but it's only 3 knobs.

My setup is; Japanese 57 reissue Strat=Vox Wah=Small Stone=Big Muff Pi=Boss GT-3 Multi efx=Electric Mistress=Volum Ped.=Sound City Amp. I think the Mistress sound best at the end of the efx chain. If you place it before the overdrive unit, you'll get a strange,swelling sound. The colouring is perfect when placed at the end. I try to get the right Gilmour sound. And by just using a clean signal, a little delay and the Mistress, you'll have a heavenly sound. I also discovered that it's a wonderful Leslie simulator. Other chorus/flanger units tends to get sour or untuned when you turn the rate up, but this one gives a perfect swirling sound. I never understood the filter switch though.

Never had any problems so far. Had it for about 2 years.

I play in a Pink Floyd Caover band and without this pedal you simply won't get the Gilmour sound. I get different delays and reverbs from the Boss Gt-3, but i stick to good old Electro Harmonix for the vintage 70ies sound. The Mistress is the best flanger pedal I've ever heard and it's so versatile. You can get a smooth chorus, a fat flanger or a heavenly leslie. Just the best! If anyone else uses this pedal or any other Electro Harmonix pedal
to create the ultimate Gilmour sound, PLEASE contact me on e-mail and share your experience and knowledge!

The Deluxe Electric Mistress has three knobs, one two-way switch and three sockets. The function of each of these is clearly indicated, so anybody with an IQ above room temperature should be able to integrate it into their sound without a great deal of difficulty. It isn't supplied with a manual, so some experimentation will be required to find a sound that appeals to you. That's all part of the fun, though, isn't it?

My setup is somewhat unorthodox, in that I don't actually use a guitar amplifier. The chain is: Fender Lone Star Stratocaster ---> DOD Milk Box compressor ---> Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress ---> Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi ---> Dunlop Crybaby 535Q ---> Line6 POD ---> Roland VM3100 Pro mixer ---> Samson studio amplifier ---> Spirit Absolute-2 studio monitors. The Tone Nazis may sneer, but I think the POD sounds wonderful, and for my purposes it beats a "proper" amplifier any day. (Incidentally, I also use a Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator, but that's fed directly to the mixer.)
Up until a few months ago, I had never considered buying a flanger, since I didn't realise that the effect could be used for more than cliched jet plane noises. While browsing the Effects section here one day, however, I happened to read the review below which hailed the Electric Mistress as "Andy Summers in a box". I've always loved the timbre of the Police Chord (you know the one I mean, from "Walking On The Moon"), so the box that Summers used became a must-have for me.
While the Deluxe Electric Mistress is relatively expensive, I think its price is reflected in its flexibility. It'll do the classical whooshing flange thang, but at moderate settings it adds a lovely, chiming, ever-shifting depth to your sound - like chorus, only more interesting. My concept of tonal nirvana is best captured by Marty Wilson-Piper and Peter Koppes of The Church. (Remember "Under The Milky Way"? And yes, they're still going strong.) Stratocasters and Rickenbackers, heavily compressed, chorused and delayed, and amplified with clean but characterful Vox AC30's. The Electric Mistress and the POD have brought me a long way towards replicating their sound, together with the lush stereo chorus and sweet EQ offered by my VM3100 mixer.
That's its primary application for me, but there's more. For example, New Wave aficionados will be interested in the following: Set "Color" to 12:00, "Range" to 4:30 and "Rate" to 3:00. Arpeggiate G added sixth (high to low) at the twelfth fret, into your amp's clean channel: the sound is instantly identifiable as the memorable, synthy lead guitar tone from "Israel" by Siouxsie and The Banshees. (For God's sake, though, roll back the volume and tone on your guitar before you play anything, or your amp - and quite possibly your ears - will melt.) Alternatively, flick the "Filter Matrix" switch on and twist the dials for some spooky "Doctor Who" pseudo-ring-modulation weirdness. Retro-futurism, dig? Finally, it's worth mentioning that Robin Trower had two of these units on his pedalboard during his glory years in the mid-Seventies.
The Mistress, being an analog device, will add a little bit of noise to your signal. Since it's not a gain-type effect, though, the damage is minimal.
I'm giving the Mistress a "9", but only because I don't believe any effect unit yet made can be said to be a perfect "10".

Solid looking and quite heavy, with a metallic chassis. I guess it'd survive plenty of knocks.

If it went wrong, I'd take it back to the dealers to see what they could do. I'm sure the Electro-Harmonix boys are too busy sniffing glue in the restroom to deal with customer complaints.

I notice that the majority of the authors of Harmony Central reviews seem to be Nu-Metallers or shredheads. Well, if you always play as loudly as possible, and with as much distortion as your amp can crank out, then don't bother with an Electric Mistress, unless money is no object to you. If making the kind of noise that frightens animals and small children is where you're at, and you want a flanger to add a little something extra to a song, then just buy something cheap and nasty. The Mistress is too expensive an investment if you're only going to turn it on occasionally. Keep on saving up for that triple-rectifier head you've been dreaming about.
Caveat emptor: the Mistress doesn't have a battery compartment. It's powered by a 24 volt wallwart. Also, bear in mind that it's a big box: have you got room for it on your board? (If you do buy one, of course, you'll find yourself constantly stealing admiring glances at it; with its brushed-steel casing and Pac-Man logo, it's a handsome, funky-looking item.)
To conclude: yes, if my Deluxe Electric Mistress were lost or stolen, I would buy another. It's become an essential component of my guitar sound.

Three knobs, on/off switch.

The pedal I got had a horrendous amount of noise--it was far noisier than any pedal I'd ever heard, it was unbearable. I don't know if that's how all of these pedals are, but it was really horrible. I could hear the flanging, but there was an awful lot of hissing going on too.

I've owned another Electro Harmonix pedal--they are not made well at all, and this particular one seemed to barely be working.

Didn't try contacting them.

This rating reflects the pedal I got--like I said, not all of these pedals may be like this. Mine was a real piece of junk. I didn't bother trying to get it fixed or anything. Just sent it back and got a refund.

Very easy to use. The only reason it's not a ten is because it takes some tweaking and getting used to what each knob does before you can dial in the right tone.

It's analog, which I prefer. Sounds great at most "reasonable settings". The reason I say that is because although it's get's pretty spacey, it also get's noisy and pretty harsh at extreme settings - but these can be used effectively in some freakout jam session if you're into that sort of thing (I am sometimes). I love the filter matrix mode with color at about 2 o'clock and range at about 10 o'clock - nice hollow, gritty edge to my distorted tone. When used in conjunction with my small stone at a low setting - UNBELIEVABLE! I play either a '67 Gibson SG or an Aria Pro II les paul custom, which go directly to my Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10. The effects loop goes: Mistress >> Marshall Vibratrem >> Small Stone >> Dan-Echo >> back to amp. When I really want to get a haunting sound, I break out my Ebow.

Haven't had it long enough to say yet. But it's built like a tank. (It takes up as much room as a tank too)

???

I've been playing about 6 years (late bloomer) and I've kinda turned into a tone freak so I really prefer vintage sounding analog effects. This very inspiring pedal certainly fits that bill. I like experimental/improvisational and rock/blues/jazz. My favorite guitarists are Gilmour, Hendrix, Trower, Ry Cooder, Page, Warren Haynes, Clapton, and Jeff Martin of the Tea Party (just to name a few). The mistress definately lets me dial in some of their most recognizable tones. What I really love about it is the filter matrix mode. It has a wide range of tonal possibilities and it adds that extra edge to my distorted tone that really makes a huge difference. Well worth the $100 I payed for it. If it were stolen, I'd be pissed and I'd buy another.

This is my second update. I'm always discovering new and sometimes frightening quirks with this pedal. Most importantly, I found out how to fix the volume drop problem that everyone here keeps bringing up. You know, like when you click it on and suddenly you can't be heard over your drummer/bassist/rhythm guitarist because a slight volume drop erases you from the mix? And then you have to reach down and turn up your amp, which after a while gives you repetative motion back injury and you have to sue Electro-Harmonix for their company, which is probably worth 20,000,000,000 rubles (or about $12.50 US). Well, here's what to do if you have this problem:

Open it up. Unscrew the cover, tip it upside down. Be careful of your back while doing this because EH can't pay your doctors bills. In the circuit board (from the bottom of the unit) you'll see four holes with trim pots (read: screws) inside. Get yourself a very thin screwdriver for this one. Okay, there are three screws on what to you is the top of the circuit board, and one in the middle of the circuit board below the other three.

The three on top don't affect volume, really. The two on the right just switch between dry and effected. Make sure they are turned all the way to the effected side (I believe one is clockwise, the other counterclockwise: use your ears). Watch out for the one on the left. I think I was turning it counterclockwise (and had my guitar plugged into the Mistress which was plugged into my amp) and the most horrible screeching noise came out. It was like Cher meets Barbra Streisand--ooh, that gives me the willies. Anyway, it scared the crap out of me. Don't mess with the one on the left, unless of course your Mistress already makes a horrible ear shattering screeching noise.

The screw below the top three is the magic one. If you turn it all the way counterclockwise it makes the flange kind of weaker and thinner. Turn the screw clockwise and it gets back to the familiar watery Mistress flange. On mine it was originally set somewhere in the middle. Okay, TO FIX THE VOLUME DROP PROBLEM TURN THE SCREW ALL THE WAY CLOCKWISE. Your mistress will sound as good as it did before, but with NO VOLUME DROP. WHOO HOO!!! Remember, watch out for the screw on the left, it's the Cher knob (if you're plugged in and turned on). Avoid sounding like Cher at all costs (I don't believe in love anymore, all because of her voice).

Okay, here's the other thing I found out. If you own a Danelectro tremolo (which I do), and you put the tremolo after the mistress in your chain, your Mistress will sound like it's broken, even with the tremolo off. It will make this creaky board/rocking chair sound that might sound cool for one part in a song, but would get annoying after 15 seconds or so. So if you want your Mistress to sound normal w/a Danelectro Tuna Melt Tremolo, put the tremolo BEFORE the Mistress. I have no idea why this should be. But, life is strange. (Bush and Gore, two brain-dead politians who live in the corporations' pockets are our leading presidential candidates while Ralph Nader, a man with brains, good ideas and morals when it comes to not selling our government to AOL-Time-Warner, goes on virtually ignored. Yes, life is goofy-strange.)

Maybe I should write a column entitled "adventures in flanging" or "frightening experiences with made-in-Russia guitar equipment, with preachy sidebars about my personal politics." Pretty catchy, huh? Tell some guitar magazine or Harmony Central about me, wouldja? All right, so I'm a no-talent hack. Like you got skills. Hrmph.

Flanging with myself,
Ben

This is an update from my last revue. I read that if you put the Mistress before youre distortion instead of after it, you get a really cool rotating speaker sound going. With my guitar going to a crybaby wah, to the Mistress, then to a Danelectro Fad Tone, I nailed the Hendrix Star Spangled Banner tone easy. Also some pretty cool vibrato effects can be acheived at the turn of a knob. My favorite setting is COLOUR-10:30, RANGE-7:00(all the way off), and RATE-9:50. This setting gives you a very good leslie/chorus sound. My advice to you is to experiment as much as you can with your Mistress. There are so many sounds. Also I found that the 15% volume drop has dissapered! The volume is now consistent. Enjoy the info.

All I can say is that looks are decieving. Though it only has three knobs (colour, range, rate) and one switch (filter matrix mode), the mistress is capable of yeilding amazing sounds. It can take a bit of time to get the desired sound, but once ya do...whoo boy, it sure is sweet!

The sound is great. I've tried all sorts of flangers such as the purple boss one (vomit), the ADA one (drool) and many others, and I can easily say that this either matches their sound quality or beats it. My only gripe was the amount of time that it took me to get a really deep flanging sound, sometimes the frequencies would be too high-pitched and quite annoying, but once I learned the limit of every knob it was great. You can get amazing chorus/leslie speaker sounds, deep flanging sounds and weird metalic effects (with the filter-matrix mode on). I have a lot of pedals, and my favourite of the bunch are always my Electro Harmonix boxes. Just like the Big Muff and the Small Stone, this one's a classic!

I'll spell it out RELIABILI-T to the max, this thing is incredibly durable and looks cool too. I really like the AC cord which not only looks incredibly badass but also takes away all the noise that you get with conventional pedals and does away with batteries and those annoying AC adapters. They'll never improve on this.

Can't say as I've dealt with 'em, no need.

I love the Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, stuff like that, and this pedal does a great job of getting the natural tape flanging effects that I have so loved on my favourite recordings. The sound is not exactly tape-like but pretty damn good. Mike Mathews...I salute you.

Three knobs and a filter matrix switch. Just move them around till you get what you like.

Chain goes like this: Mexi Strat with EMG DG20 pickups -> Boss CS-2 Compressor -> Ibanez CP-9 Compressor/Limiter -> Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer -> Sovtek Big Muff Pi (reissue) -> ProCo RAT II -> Jim Dunlop JH-1 Hendrix Crybaby Wah -> Electroharmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress -> Boss OC-2 Octaver -> Boss CE-2 Chorus -> MXR Digital Time Delay -> Fender Frontman 15 Amp. This pedal brings out lush sweeping sounds from a watery jetlike swoosh to the tin-in-a-garbage-can twangy resonence. Only drawback is the AC hum which I think can be fixed by using some shielded wire instead of the stock configuration, I'll have to look into it.

Only complaint is some of the outside hex nuts on the case can become loose if you yank cords out without being careful. Its a big pedal, you aren't going to lose it. Won't fit on any pedalboard unless its big.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 13 years and this is probably the most wide ranged flanger I've encountered. Sounds really cool when you move the knobs while playing, wish there was a footpedal for it! I'm a Pink Floyd nut and if this was stolen I'd find the bastard and pull a flanger with a Ginsu on his fingers.

This pedal is very easy to use. If you take about an hour fooling around with it you can get the sound you want. The manual don't tell you much. But you don't need it. Just explore and you will fing the sound youre looking for. The reason I give it an eight is because it is way to big. I opened up the unit and found all of this extra space inside. EHX used to make a smaller and cheaper version of this pedal back in the 70's but they havent reisued it yet.

Great sound. Very warm. When I play through the flanger without a distortion, I get the cleanest sound ever. With distortion it gives sort of a compressed sound. But there is a 15% volume drop when the unit is switched on. I beleive that you can can fix the problem with the four 'trim' pots inside. This pedal is great for getting those Jeff Beck sounds from 'Wired'. Also if youre into the Police, you will love this pedal. The filter matrix is unique. If you have it set right, you can get an out of phase sound that is great for leads.

I just got it yesterday.

I play rock, classic rock, blues, jazz, you name it. It has the most sounds you will ever want out of a flanger.

This is just an update to my previous review. I forgot to mention something really cool about the Electric Mistress. If you put it in front of the distortion instead of behind it like any God-fearing American would, and play with the knobs, you can almost get a Hendrix-Univibe "Star Spangled Banner" sound. No joke! Can't believe I forgot to mention that.

Same as my first review.

I previously reviewed this effect and did re-purchase an Electric Mistress which I immediately returned because of major noise (more than I remember my first Mistress having). It was so intense that it was hard to hear the flanging effect. Not only was the noise bad when the effect was engaged, but there was a noticeable hum coming through my Line 6 Flextone XL when the pedal was in bypass. Bummer.

No change from my first review.

When I returned it to the store, they called E-H to inquire about a Mocro Synth and responded immediately. Didn't tell them about the noisy MIstress.

I had high hopes but was disappointed. I'll probably save my $ for a Fulltone ChoralFlange. On the other hand, I bought a Q-Tron at the same time as I bought the Mistress and it's perfectly quiet and the effect is awesome.

There are three knobs, Color (intensity), Range (depth), and Rate. There is also a "Filter Matrix" switch which has the effect, for all you Boss Flanger owners, of cranking the Res on a boss and putting all the other knobs to zero, only you can fine tune it better. Steel Drum effect, in other words. Regular out and dry out. Plugs straight in to the wall, easy as sweet potata pie. Requiers ear for tasteful sounds, but not much brain power.

Andy Summers in a box, ladies and gentlemen. Turn the rate to about 9 o'clock, Range and Color both to 11 o'clock. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. Much warmer and richer and tasteful than my Boss flanger. Although it can deliver the old airplane flanger trick, it's strength is that it delivers warm but shivery chorus type tones. Think of a Danelectro Cool Cat. Now add swirl. No, not cheesy airplane noises, but pulsing, warm swirl. Got it? No? Listen to "Bring On The Night" or the "Reggatta de Blanc" break in "Can't Stand Losing You" on the Police Live! album. Also "Walking On The Moon." You too will need a clean pair of underwear and a cigarette.

Also delivers various Nirvana mod. tones, from "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" to "Come As You Are" to various live versions of "Teen Spirit" and "Heart Shaped Box." Basically, just turn the rate up until it lifts off like an alien space craft. Electro-Harmonix and Kurt Cobain. Like pasta and garlic bread, my friends, pasta and garlic bread. I don't think he actually used the Mistress, but whatever, it works anyway.

Of course, if you're into airplane noises (which can be cool, i.e. "Love" by Smashing Pumpkins), the Mistress can do that just fine too, though the Boss flanger had a bigger range--somewhat of an insane range, actually. Oh, another thing, the Boss is much brighter sounding than the Mistress, which got annoying when I hit the distortion button. Ouch!

I play a Fender Telecaster through eight different effect pedals into a Peavey Bandit 112s w/attached extension speaker. I'm very picky when it comes to effects. I'd always wanted the Delux Electric Mistress, but didn't want to spend $140 on a flanger. But then I saw it used for $90 at the guitar store, so I brought in my Boss and paid the difference. Now I sleep with the Mistress by my side. My lonely nights are over. Hey, don't knock it, the Mistress treats me better than most girls.

Oh yeah, why does it get a nine? Slight volume drop when you turn it on. Not a big deal, easy to compensate. Still, I would prefer no volume change at all.

Why knows? I don't know, it looks like it's seen a lot of use, and it works just fine (though I had to replace a couple of knobs that were missing when I bought it). Gig without a backup? Nobody needs a backup flanger, except maybe Mr. Summers when he was with The Police.

I have no idea.

I play all sorts of rock 'n' roll, from blues rock to quiet instrospective rock to psychodellic to alt-rock to industrialish to experimental. Whatever labels you want to slap on all that. I've tried the Boss Flanger, the Morley Flanger, the black plastic Ibanez flanger, and have heard the MXR flanger. The Delux Electric Mistress is by far the best of the bunch. What can I say? Playing through it is like making sweet, sweet love. In a hot tub.

The Electric Mistress is extremely easy to use and very intuitive to play around with. While the manual is sparse, it explains the basics enough to get you started. If you ever used any other flangers then you'll have no problem navigating with this one.

When I owned one (I'm considering re-purchasing another) I had it in a chain with a T.C. Electronics chorus, Q-tron, Electric Mistress, & Memory Man hooked up to a Flextone XL. It was a little noisy (at least I thought so when I owned it) but upon reflection and listening to tapes that were made with it, it wasn't so bad. I did occasionally hear slight radio interference. The flanging effect was awesome, more trippy than the Boss and less heavy than the MXR and definitely more organic than any digital multi fx or rack piece. Distortion really brings out the mistress' voice and you can nail the Floyd sound with it.

This is why I unloaded my first on. I had problems with it occasionally not engaging when I would step on it to turn it on. I didn't try to contact E-H because I'm the type to just get rid of something I'm having problems with. As far as tone goes, the mistress always got that trippy, I'm floating away feeling.

Never dealt with them.

I play the Dead, Floyd, classic rock, and folkadelic jam-based stuff and the Mistress is probably the best of all the flangers I've used for tone and vibe (and I've tried a bunch). I've been playing for over 20 years and own (or have owned) more gear than necessary. I use loopers a lot and I use many effects as a painter uses colors to layer tones and sounds, and the flanger is one of my favorite effects (along with delay, rotary, wah) to "paint" with. I am considering buying another Mistress even though I had problems with the first because the tones seem to be more suited to what I do than other flangers (although they work for me too). Even with the occasional problems, E-H pedals are among the coolest line of gear around. While other manufacturers make great flangers (and other cool effcts) E-H stuff is always unique, not just another version of the same.

its easy to get a good sound from it, make take quite a bit of tweaking to get the sound in your head, especially if you're really critical. it has 3 knobs: rate (controls sweep speed), range (controls sweep width), and color (same as regeneration on most flangers) also has a small switch on the back which selects between normal and "filter-matrix" mode. filter-matrix mode is just a bypass of the rate (it makes the sweep stop) you then use the range knob to manually position the notch wherever you want it in the frequency spectrum, and use the color knob to control the intensity of it.

it sounds excellent!! the best sounding flanger i have heard. i used to own a dod fx75B flanger, this is much better. i also used to have a MXR flanger reissue, it was really great, but i like this much better. i've heard some multi FX's flangers and i didn't care for them at all. its very sweet sounding, it has such a lush, shimmery sound to it, almost watery. the rate knob has a wide range to it, and the range has an even wider range!! then there is the filter matrix mode, it's really cool too, its similar to the sound of a ring-modulator, but more usable. this pedal is pretty quiet, not silent, but considering it plugs into the freakin' wall its pretty damn quiet. i shielded the wires going to the footswitch in mine, that made a big difference. also, flter-matrix mode is noisier. i use this with a bently strat copy into a boss ds-1 distortion, an arion stereo chorus and an RFX volume pedal into a peavey Renown 160 watt combo. i also have reviews on my distortion and chorus pedals, check them out. overall, its good for regular flange sounds, and for weird, wacked out effects.

i've had mine for about a year, and it seems really dependable, then again, i wouldn't purposely abuse the thing. but its so beautiful, why would you want to abuse it? paint does scratch easy, i found out the hard way. metal will scratch easy too, you may want to give it a good coat or two of polyurethane or something like that.

i love this pedal, its a key component to my sound, if it were stolen or lost i'd buy another one. musician's friend and AMS sell them at decent prices. it really sounds great, you've got to hear one. it is the kind of thing that grows on you, the more you mess with it, the cooler sounds you get, and the more you love it. it gets great sounds right out of the cool-as-hell wooden box, but to really personalize it and appreciate its sound, you have GOT to twiddle and experiment with it. i'd didn't really get this pedal to copy anyone, the only sound i had in my head as a reference was the jet-plane swoosh like the guitar in Love, by the Smashing Pumpkins. but i knew i loved flange, and i am happy to announce, i can get a huge variety of great sounds from it. it can also make some bizarre Sonic-Youthish noises, as well as some of the nirvana in utero modulation sounds also a lot of the korn sounds, if that's what you want. one tip: don't do like i did when i first got it and set everything middle to high, especially the range and color. it sounds cool, but keeping the range and color low, especially the range, is where the useful, cool, and diverse sounds are.

Very easy to use pedal with three knobs for Color, Range and Rate. Also has a Filter Matrix switch which gives your guitar a very metallic dimension. The manual, well, it gives you a start but this pedal is a no brainer.

The sound is excellent. It gives it the jet sound with an increedible depth unlike other flangers out there that are very thin sounding. It is not noisy and really gives your music another dimension. With the by-pass or the effect switched on, the guitar's tone is not affected.

You plug it to the wall!!! No worries if your batteries are going to run out. The housing looks very sturdy plus this is a big sucker.

Never dealt with them

I really like it. It is full sounding and the color lets you control from a hint of flanging to the full jet. I compared it to Boss and DOD flangers and they were very thin and metallic. The mistress on the other hand was full and deep while not changing the guitar's tone. If it got stolen I think I'll cry, but I'd definitely buy another one. Try it, I think you will like it.

I took this out of the box and immediately started groovin' Only three knobs and you can actually tell what they do to the sound.

I'm run pedals off of the effects loop on my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (4x12 Boogie cab) so that eliminates a LOT of the noise. I tested in inline also and it's pretty noticable there. I can get a good Pumpkins sound pretty easily.. good for their soft intros... I have a parker fly deluxe that I play most of the time and it lulls me to sleep... I love this pedal!

Truth is, ElectroHarmonix pedals can be problematic.. I ordered mine and I had to send it back to get it fixed.. it just hummed really loud when I hooked it up the first time.. I've heard of a lot of people having to open theirs up and adjust some things but I'm not that brave...

Like I said, I had to get this repaired and they did it promptly and with few questions... I'd buy from them again based upon this fact again..

This matches my style and now that I've had it in my chain I don't think I could do without it..

The thing only has three knobs, but it can sometimes be confusing, but this is a result of it's versatily. The range of sounds is quite amazing.

I use Ibanez Talmans, one with two humbuckers and one with three lipsticks. I use a TS-9 before the Mistress. You gotta put the distortion first, makes all the difference in the world. You can get some really cool swooshy sounds, although it's tough to get something REALLY deep, like say, Static X. Over all though, it's really cool. One thing I like that a lot of people don't like are the "useless" sounds. There is so much weird crap you can do with this pedal. I've been making up some songs with some friends. We're going to form a metal/spaz/experimental band, and it makes the coolest sounds. One thing is that this definately works better with a tube amp. I have a Sovtek Mig 60 and notice it is much quieter with that than with any solid state amp I've used it with. Also the effects sound more pronounced with the tube amp.

It's metal. Don't have to worry about it sucking batteries, because you have to plug it in. I'd trust it.

Never dealt with them.

Like I said, it might not be the one for everyone. For me it's good because I like to make weird sounds, but I can get a deep flange out of it. I've heard flangers that can get deeper, but they aren't as versitile in relation to the other sounds they can create. For me, it's the perfect center. Hella better than any of the digital flangers I've used (Boss, DOD0. My advice, try before you buy, but definately check it out, it might be what you're looking for.

3 knobs and a switch, isn't hard for all?. Plug it in into grounded socket.. cause it cuts a lot the Line Noise.to get my sound i spend about 1 week.. but this Pedal Kick asses, it's better for me than a ShittyDigitalUltraPoisonCrappy Megapedal.. I can play ANYTHING like Old 60,70's Rock and to Get INto Korn's Style.. It's has 3 Knobs: Rate Which controls the Sweep rate, (a bit Slower than a small clone), Depth, (Which Controls the Depth, technically, it controls the duration of the information recorded in the delay chip, with more amount of memory, it has more pitch shifting and bass respones); and a color knob which controls the amount of phase, also used as a feedbacker.. very cool feature. the Filter Matrix Knob, is just a RATE bypass.. You can Achieve the Scenttless Apprentice guitar sound almost closely. well without the slapbackecho, but....

I use this pedal after a Ds-2 distortion goin into a Peavey transtube Bandit Clean Channel with a little gain.Using a Modificated peavey Raptor 1 Series...(i like cause it has a smaller body and a smaller neck). i can go into grunge, Retro, Smashing Pumpkings hipnotic sounds... Sonic youth.. Well... awesome. This pedal Is very Quiet, Except of the bypass circuit.. when you are bypassing the signal through the flange circuit, it loses abut 15% of level. using it in front of a very low gaine clean channel, it is almost not noticeable. Alsop using this pedal in Fender Single Input Like priceton, or another high gain input, it sounds like a Digital Flanger, extremely brightm but finding the right gain, you can dive into these old retro sounds, like Brain Damage of Pink Floyd.Also a very close emulation of the Small Clone can be achieved usin' this pedal, also the flanging effects of Kurt's Polychorus. Well Both Pedals Have the same IC's,even the clone has the same IC's of delay.. With My ds-2 it's sounds very Analog, Liquid, well it's not an ADA but this is the Best Flanger for me.. Very VERSATILE Also Runnign the Direct Out into the Input of the ds-2 i can emulate a MINI MOOG:. Setting the Flanger in Chorus almost, NO COLOR; FULL DEPTH RATE about 9'o clock. Also i can get Chorused sounds of RUSH.

Except for the signal lost in the bypass section, and the rate knob is really acting weird(it's dirty, just use a wd40 and Problem Solved) this pedal is the most reliable piece Vintage Gear that i have. This pedal has the wires unshielded, so isn't hard to change the Bypass wires with shielded ones.. this mod cuts A LOT the line noise, of the internal power supply

I have never dealed with them, I think that this unit was stored about 15 years. A friend of mine bought the Reissue.. it cames in a Wooden Box.. i Receive this pedal in the White with black letters box. Like the old small Clones.I've emailed them for the signal lost of the pedal. This pedal has 5 trim knobs internally,yo can use fot fine tunin' but the sound is just the RIGHT one for me... NO COMPLAINS..

Well I play ANY style, and using this pedal opened me a wider world of options. I can use as:PHASER,CHORUS,FLANGER,almost a quite close emulation to an Rotating Speaker... I'm into Sonic Youth And Nirvana and this is perfect for me. But also i've played with bands like RUSH style, and it adaptes perfectly, You have to mess with the knobs a little , you'll get a wide range of sounds...It really help me to make music, specialy NOISE.. This pedal is a Vintage One, it cames with 3 scratches on top, and the box, but the manual was of the reissue models.. but i don't know... if the big box reissues cames in the wooden box like BigMuff Reissues...