MXR EVH Phase 90

One knob and a script button. Not too hard to figure out.

Sounded great while it worked. Just didn't work to long. I guess that's how they figured that one year is just about all your going to get out of it. Read the other reviews... I wish that I had.

Worked about a year with minimal use. It just quit working. Still looks brand new. Read the other reviews. You better avoid this pedal. You won't get much sympathy from Dunlop either. You would think that they would fix this problem.

Don't get me started......

Lesse... one knob controls the rate of the phaser. Then there's a little button that switches between block phase 90 and script phase 90. That's as user-friendly as it gets.

My setup: Epiphone Les Paul Custom -- lots of effects -- Ampeg M-15 '61 Tube amp.

The phaser sounds good with everything. I play it with distortions, drives, delays, verbs, other mods, it doesn't matter. Sounds great. I find the "standard" setting works better if you want a sharper phase that will oscillate clearly over a heavy drive. The "script" setting is more subtle, true to your guitar tone, and thus works better for everything else.

Either way, slow phaser creates interesting warping sounds, while faster phase turns into a progressively more spacy warble. Phaser's not my favorite effect, but when I want phase, this is the perfect pedal.

Also, I play bass and it covers that well also.

Built very well, and like all MXRs it's very compact -- great fit on your pedalboard. MXR's are pretty sturdy, maybe not as sturdy as a Boss pedal, but unless you plan on throwing it down the stairs for fun, you're fine.

I'm always comfortable getting MXRs used off of ebay, 'cos I know they're solid.

Haven't used 'em, doubt I'll have to, and I plan on owning this thing for 20 years. Maybe 50.

I play lots of different things. I'll call my style "alternative" to save myself to trouble. (And I do NOT sound like Van Halen, and would not even if I had that kind of talent.) Everything I do, whenever a phaser is necessary, this baby has me covered. You can get the EVH edition for as cheap if not cheaper than the MXR's '74 script reissue if you hunt around, and you're basically getting 2 phasers for the price of one if you do. People say the script is way better, and if I had to choose one I'd definitely pick it over the block letter phase 90, but fortunately I don't have to choose 'cos they're both here in one little box. They both have their uses. Bottom line, you want phaser? Get this pedal. It's incredibly easy to use, it's versatile, it sounds great, it's the best.

Very easy to operate. One dial and a mod switch. If this is difficult then you have more problems than a 8th grade geometry book.

Very smooth sound. The Script button is nice in that it allows the player to tone down the depth of the phase sound. Very nice.

So far so Good

Nice website. Very informative.

I play Blues,Rock,Soul etc. This is a very smooth phase pedal.Even when cranked to WFO it is still very musical. Basically there is no WTF settings. Most phasers out there tend to go WAAAAY over the top.This one is not one of those. MXR could make this pedal without the graphics and it would still sound great.I will give you fair warning... the graphics do inspire sudden out bursts of Eruption at rehearsal to the dismay of your fellow band mates. I have covered mine with duct tape to keep such things from happening.It is a great pedal.Go buy it now

One knob, one button. If you can't use this easily, it's because there's two knobs, and one button.

Killer. Two phase 90's in one. You don't have to mod your block to get a script. You pay a little more but you do it because you like it! And it's already done.

Had it for two years now. Stomp its guts frequently. So far so good. I would say it's built like a tank but i'm sick of that phrase. I'm would say it's built like a boss, but i'm not. it's casing is extremely solid. good enough. If the switch is mounted to the board than maybe not as much as I thought. But I don't know. I'd depend on it. But I'm a bedroom rockstar. I have one loyal groupie and if It crapped the bed on me, it wouldn't disuade her from her groupie duties or hinder my rockstar abilities. I don't forsee it breaking. it hasn't yet. I do gig without a backup!

I was always looking for something and one day I thought I would try it and there the sound was. I'm not into that crazy phase action. I just want a little in my clean stuff and a little more in my leads to thickin' it up and make it sound cool. To me. And my groupie who has excellent ears. I have been playing for 13 or so years. I'm tone deaf as a mofo and I have poor taste in boutique equipment. I, one day do plan on gigging outside of the bedroom circuit and I'm sure this pedal will be with me. It's fun. It sounds way better than the rest. I know this because I have tried 75% of them and you all have told me what your think of the other 25% and that's good enough for me. According to my needs. I'm not going to say eddie uses it so it's the cat's @ss or anything like that. I'm going to tell you that I have alot of fun with this pedal and it doesn't make me want to look for a better one. Partly because I know there isn't one for my needs. Maybe a red witch but that's the infamous boutique action and I'm a half deaf plumber. If it were stolen I would indeed purchase another. If I had a wish for this pedal it would be a freakin' led dimmer! that blue will melt your eyeballs!! Although when jamming in the dark, it is cool. But forget about finding the rest of your pedals. Like a deer in the headlights man! other than that, it's the perfect phase pedal.

1 knob + script button.... if you find it difficult to use you might wanna get your head checked

I use it through a Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Strat (usually, I sometimes use a Jaguar). The effect comes through clean and sounds great. I usually keep the script off but when I want a milder tone it sounds better with the script. It's not noisy at all and sounds especially great through a mic (I usually use a flanger on vocals, but when I want something not as "intense", the phaser works great).

I haven't had it for long, but so far it seems reliable enough

no idea

I play alt. pop mainly (Hellogoodbye, Bloc Party, etc.) with some rock, and this sounds great. I usually use it for vocals, but it does sound fantastic with my guitar. I've been playing for nearly 10 years now and I own mostly Danelectros as well as a couple of Boss pedals (which I hate and have no idea why I bought them). This is my only MXR but I would love a few more. If I lost this pedal or it got stolen I would probably buy the regular phase 90, mainly because of the price. although, I got a good deal on this pedal.

Does Anybody out there care about their original tone out there when the effect is not in use? Ya it sounds pretty good when you have it engaged and your jammin along....oh but then you have a part coming up in the jam that you just want your original tone that you have spent years trying to aquire and you turn the pedal off and without TRUE BYPASS ....Your not gonna be thrilled!! If there is a way to keep your original tone whith this in the signal path let me know.

One knob - what can I say.

Thanks to the H-C reviews I became educated and figured I wanted to have the best of both worlds- Script and Block logo sounds. I am very pleased with both. It's not a Univibe, but it does get satisfactory Trower sounds. I have it in front of my distortion pedals and i sounds very smooth & quiet. I am using it with a Straub Cantus 50. The Script sound is mellower to my ears and the Block sound is brighter. Both are pleasing.

Can't say since I've only had it a short time. I am impressed with the build quality and materials. It feels robust.

Don't know as I've never had to call MXR

I play variety from Deep Purple, Sting, Beatles. Been playing 40 years (Ouch!). Own too much gear! Would definitley buy it again. This model offers two sounds and quite a nice design on the box. I didn't think I would like EVH's trademark design but it really has a cool vibe. I was lisetening to Boss Phasers and Digitech X series and they sounded cool but I felt there use would be limited, as they sound a little more sterile and gommicky. Not bad if that is what you need in your collection. The Phase 90 EVH has the classic and modern phase sounds that I feel can be used more often, like a Chorus. Very happy with this pedal and glad I bought this particular model.

Just one knob ("speed"), how can it be more easy? Also, there's a switch that let you toggle between a vintage "script logo" phase tone and a more modern in-your-face "block logo" phaser.

The manual is fine. But who needs one?

The sound quality is so much better than on the regular new Phase 90, because of the new "Script" switch. You can get the classic vintage "script logo" Phase 90 tone that you can hear on all those 70's records. There's also the option to get the modern "block logo" Phase 90 tone, which I personally don't like because it adds a boost and distort slightly your signal. The "Script" mode is more natural sounding.
I'm using it with a Strat Standard and a Fender Blues Junior tube amp.

With the script "mode", I can get the sounds of:
- "Abbey Road" by The Beatles. Even if George Harrison was using a Leslie on his guitar, the Phase 90 can simulate perfectly this effect. "Badge" by Cream: same sound.
- Rolling Stones Albums from the 70's: "It's Only Rock'N Roll", "Some Girls"...
- All the funk records from the 70's: listen to "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays, it is one of the best example of Phase 90.
- Van Halen, I guess (I'm not a fan).

Based on their reputation, MXR effects are solid and are built like tanks!

Don't know.

I play mostly Classic Rock and R&B from the 60's-70's. I was searching for the perfect phaser, and I found it!! I have tried the regular Phase 90, I hated it. That slight amount of boost/distortion is horrible. I have tried the EH Small Stone, very cool but not the sound I wanted. I have also tried the Phase 100 (not so different than the regular Phase 90 and more expensive) and the Boss PH-3 (very digital sounding).

Even if I am not a Van Halen fan, the EVH Phase 90 was the winner because of:
- the possibility to get the classic vintage "script" tone
- its warmth
- its versatility

If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another one!!

Very easy to get the sound you need - one knob and a script button for EVH phase.

Very good sound, warm and clean. I tried the Digitech Phase and found it to be harsh - thought more options would be a good idea - wrong!

Built like a tank.

New, no problems.

If you want a warm phase sound with little or no noise this is it.

There's not much to this, just turn knob for speed en push the button for script.

I love the sound. I didn't buy it because I'm a van Halen fan, I bought it because the sound is the best you can get (for as far as I know). You can get Skunk Anansie (Ace) sounds out of it, wich I like. It sounds beautiful clean and cool with distortion. With the script button up, it's a little bit coloured but not too much (like with the Electro Harmonix Small Stone, i didn't like the 'colour' button. Try it yourself). The volume doesn't change when you turn it on, which was the case with the Small Stone.

Per accident, I reversed the polarity of the power supply.

The thing immediately stopped working!!!

Luckily I could take it back to the store. Why can't MXR put in some kind of diode, I really don't trust this thing anymore. The 'script' button scares me too.

I know the people in the store where I bought this thing, and they were nice enough to give me a new one. But I haven't dealt with MXR, so I don't know.

Sounds great, but not reliable enough for me. I like Boss pedals better, impossible to break them. Maybe I should have listened to the Boss phaser before I bought this one.
The sound is perfect though, if it stays in one piece this time I'm still glad I bought it. And it is kind of my own fault it broke...

JUST DON'T REVERSE THE POLARITY IT'LL NEVER WORK AGAIN.

Most people who will be buying this will keep it at the same settings 24/7, so its simple enough.

It sounds cool and just like its supposed to. Simply put, this is about the most unique sounding flanger on the market.. yes you can come close with boss, etc, but its not the same..The "EVH" switch is a great marketing gimmick since EVH always kept the settings on his flanger exactly they way they appear in the magazine ads for this new signature pedal(coincidence?). If you have access to photos of any of Ed's old pedal boards you will see that he duct taped the knobs on his MXR Flanger so they wouldn't move, he just stompted on it when he wanted flange. Bottom line is that "Unchained" , "and the cradle will rock", "Hear about it Later", "Aint talking bout love", "Atomic Punk", and heck even, "The seventh seal" all have the same flanger settings..just find the ad in any magazine and dupe theh settings and there you go....."EVH". I, like most people, bought it for the paint job :) I am playing it through a 5150 head, or a Marshall AVT 50 head which in my opinion is the best sounding amp Marshall makes these days and the one that when properly dialed can get you a great classic VH tone

MXR are great, have owned several and never had any problems

I Play in a Van Halen tribute band and also have the EVH MXR Phase 90. These two pedals are essential to anyone playing classic Van Halen material, for both the tones they help create and the striped paint jobs to match your guitars. It is a bit pricy but Im sure it will find its way onto many pedalboards

This pedal is very easy to use. One footswitch to turn it on, and use the 'Script' switch to set which phase sound you want (out is edgier block-logo phasing, in is smoother old-school script-logo phasing). Just set the knob to where ever it sounds good and you're done! Very simple. The Script switch and knob even glow in the dark! How cool is that?

I bought this pedal a week ago looking for that sound heard in the song "Unchained." Well, it turns out this was the wrong effect. A flanger is what Eddie used, not a phaser. Oops! Well, I like the sound of this pedal so much I think I'll keep it and have both the EVH Phase 90 AND the EVH Flanger. With the right amount of distortion and maybe a little delay, this pedal is amazing and sounds dead on for "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love."

I play a Fender American Fat Strat Texas Special in Sienna Sunburst (the most beautiful finish ever), and a hot-rodded home made Fender Strat with a YJM scalloped maple neck, 2001 Hot Rod Red body, and a mixture of hand wound hot (but not too hot, between 7-9k) single-coils.

As for amps, I use a 1958 Fender 5F1 Champ, a 1964 Fender Bassman, and a modified Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier Solo Head on top of a Marshall TSLC212 2x12 cabinet.

As for effects I have Vox Clyde McCoy Wah pedal, a VooDoo Labs Micro Vibe, a BBE Boosta Grande, a Boss DD-6 Digital Delay pedal, and now this MXR EVH Phase 90.

I like to use the Phase 90 to add depth to rhythyms, and sometimes solos. It sounds very good with distortion, kinda hard to hear on clean. I use it with the knob set at about 9-10 o'clock, and with milde distortion (too much distortion covers the sound of your guitar, and I like to be able to hear my different pickups).

As for sound quality, I feel that it deserves a 10, but I'm giving it a 9 because there may be a better phaser out there, and this is the only phaser pedal I've owned, so I have no comparison with other phaser pedals. This is probably the only one I'll ever need and use though, but Like I said, I haven't tried anything else.

I think I can depend on this pedal, as MXR is known to make some tough pedals, and I wouldn't be afraid to gig without a backup. But I have only had it for a week and don't know what long-term reliability is like, so I can't comment really on this. I haven't even had it long enough to find out how fast (or slow) it eats up a 9-volt battery.

Don't know, never dealt with them.

I play everything from mariachi to heavy metal, and this pedal doesn't suit everything I play, but I change set-ups between songs (except for the guitar), so that's okay. I really like it for solo-ing, mildly to heavily distorted rhythyms (and solos too), andfor messing around/improvising/guitar-battle-with-friends. I would recommend it to any one wanting a phaser (even though they really wanted a flanger like me). You don't have to be a Van Halen fan to use it, but if you are you will enjoy it even more.

how much more easy does it get?! 2 modes controlled by a push switch and a knob for speed.

Extremely transparent sound. Great wooshing effect. The real thing that makes this pedal better than some of the other modern effects is that switch which controls if you're in Block letter mode or Script mode. definately a super cool idea.

my rig consists of a Mexi Sunburst strat--->Ampeg VL502/Marshall 1960A cab---->effects loop: MXR EVH 90--->EH small clone----->EH Pulsar----> Line 6 Echo Park Delay.


When i was exploring options for effects, i bought a new Zoom G9.2TT. did nothing for me i returned it in 3 days. editing was hard plus it was hard for me to get a good tone with my amp (i might be dumb but whatever the case was it was no good). Then i return that for the Line 6 MM-4 and the Line 6 echo park. echo park was solid. MM-4 needed some help. i could not get a single LUSH tone out of that thing for the life of me. i had it for 2 weeks. fiddled with it for a while. Returned it in favor of an EH small clone and MXR EVH 90. couldn't be happier. and by the way, effects loop is the only way to run analogue pedals. less noise and great tones.

extremely dependable. very sturdy little box. the only thing that bothers me is that push switch that activates the script and block modes.

Great pedal. very useful and versatile. would cry for days if i lost it or it got stolen, then prolly go out and buy another because its just a great effect.

Couldn't be easier to use.

I didn't buy this pedal to get Eddie's sound, but if you are looking for that, then I don't think there is a better way to get his sound.

For the hell of it, I recorded myself playing parts of Eruption, and I thought I was listening to the real recording for a second. And that's using a Gibson V through a Marshall MG15CD amp (that's not a very good amp). I'm sure you'll be able to get a sound really close to Eddie if you look for it, and in some cases you won't have to look for it.

The phaser sounds great for everything else too, from what I can remember. But I didn't get a really good chance to test it, because it BROKE. So I don't know whether the script logo produces a very different sound, as I didn't use this pedal a lot.

To be fair, This pedal broke a little more than 11 months after I bought it, but I hardly used it.

I bought this pedal in June 2005, and it is now June 2006. I'm glad that I still have time left to exchange it, and I plan on going to the store tomorrow to do so. If they don't accept it, then I'll chop it up with an axe and send it back to MXR and demand to have it fixed.

So the pedal broke, just a few weeks shy of a year. It just stopped working, for no reason at all. I changed the battery, tried different brands, and none worked.

There was a connection going through; when the pedal was off, I got a good sound (as it should be). When I turned the pedal on, there was no sound at all, though the pedal is clearly on (that blinding blue light shines like there's no tomorrow!).

So if you want to call something that breaks for no reason reliable, this gets a 10, otherwise, it's a 1. You can't blame the company though, there is a 1 year warranty on this thing, so that shows just how reliable they think their products are.

Here's a little secret:

If the warranty is 1 year, the company expects for it to break in just over one year, sometimes you get lucky though.

Yeah right.

The pedal broke, and I emailed them. They replied quickly (24 hours), but were completely useless. I was informed that there is a 1 year warranty on it, and they gave me a number to contact them. I called the number, but it didn't work, the number doesn't call anyone.

Seriously, you have a better chance finding a homeless person to fix a broken pedal for you. Don't even bother with this company, it's terrible.

I don't recommend it, in fact, I urge you to boycott the company. It sounds good, but it is competely unreliable, and the company is terrible.

If people continue supporting this company, they will never shape up. Boycott them until they make a reliable pedal, or at least until they start treating their customers right.

Hey, Dunlop/MXR, if you want to give me a call, here's my number:

1-888-382-5RIGHT OFF

one knob for speed

Really lacking in headroom. When used with even kinda high output p/u's, it has a splatting, grinding distortion. Can't be modified to not have it , either. It uses surface mount electronics. And the "custom shop" script model uses the same board, MINUS the script switch. So good luck........

Seems sturdy.

When your warranty of one year expires, you can look forward to a bench charge of $50 for them to look at it for you.

this is not a bad sounding box with single coil vintage output type p/u's, but with hums? yikes!

I don't think I need to go into how easy this thing is to use.

I've had this for about a month and a half with weekly rehearsal, gigging use. I use it for my leads. I have it in a true bypass loop box (I do notice a change in my tone when it's inline and turned off) with a boost pedal. I activate the loop channel for my leads, and I think this thing sounds great! I have the knob turned almost all the way down with the 'Script' switch engaged, and I love what it does to my lead tone. Very nice swirl that makes my tone stand out a little bit more. The guys in my band love it too. I'm the only guitar player, so I wanted something to add a little 'something' when I was doing solos, and this is it. I also turn it up a bit for a couple of solos that require a wah (I'm in between wah's right now), and it does a pretty good impression. Beautiful swirl from this little box. I tried the same thing with the 'Script' button off, but I found it a little harsher sounding. But still, a great Phaser sound.

I have it on all the time because it runs in the loop box, but I would be wary of kicking it on and off all the time. The switch, knob, etc. are connected right to the board, so I think the board would be under undo amounts of stress over time if it was constantly being kicked on and off. Plus I like leaving it on for the awesome blue LED. I think it's going to be on my pedalboard for a long time, and I don't abuse my gear, but I won't rate this category because I don't have a frame of reference.

Don't know. Never needed to contact them.

I'm giving it a 9 overall, because of certain design aspects I don't like (above mentioned board-mounted components), and certain ones I love ('Script' switch, and you gotta love the Eddie strip job). For what I need it for, I love it. I'm sure you can do the VH 'Atomic Punk' sound effect, but I haven't tried it yet. I am a big EVH fan, which is why I bought this instead of a regular Phase 90 and mod it to 'Script' specs.

This pedal is very easy to use. Speed Control and "script" switch. It takes no time at all to get a good sound out of this pedal. Ya gotta love analog effects that are this simple.

I have fairly strait forward rig. I use mostly stompboxes. I have everything wired up in different loops though. I use a Peavey 5150 combo for my dirty/lead sound...and a peavey bandit 1x12 for clean. I use a morley aby box to switch between them. I have the evh phase 90 and an MXR Flanger that I recently purchased set up in loop via a Boss line selector so I can use them with either amp.....ok on the the sound quality. The only other phaser ive used a lot was a Boss. I think it was the ph-2. After using that I didnt really care for phasers too much. I found no practical use for the boss. For me..it just created a kind of "special effect". Something I'd never really use. The EVH Phase 90 won me over. I have to admit..I bought it online without ever trying it. Even if it didnt sound good Im a big enough EVH fan to warrant getting anyway. Upon actually plugging it in instantly loved it. It has a really nice warm liquid like sound. Thats the best way I can describe it. As mentioned in previous reviews....one of the coolest features is the script button. It basically changes the intensity of the effect. For the VH "Atomic Punk" sound try engaging the script logo button and setting the speed around 9-10 o'clock. There are also lots of cool sounds with button disengaged as well.

It seems to be built well in a sturdy little box. One thing here though.....when I recieved the unit and started trying it out. I was playing around with the speed and I noticed it seemed loose. I took off the knob and I seen that the nut that secures the pot was completly unthreaded....so I tightened it up. This has to be a quality control thing. At some point during production, it was some guys job to put the knob on the pot and he just stuck it on without even noticing that the nut was just floating there. No big deal really.....but after paying as must for this pedal as I did little details like this bug me.

Overall I would say this is a very good product. I think I will become a permanant part of my rig. Its one of those pedals that are just fun to play!

2 switches 1 knob.

Undeniably Awesome when on (script mode)
Cuts highs when off. at least in my signal chain (strat>t-booster>no master vol tube amp )Took the boost out of my treble booster, so much so I ended up returning it.
10 when on
4 when off

ALL componets mount to the circuit board. I prefer jacks, switches and pots NOT direct mounted to the board. This takes the stress these parts take off of the board and makes common repairs easy.
On par with BOSS as far a build quality but the paint chips easy.

Don't know

Dunlop,
(1)Dump the VH paint and powder coat the thing.
(2)I don't need my guitar effects to double as aircraft landing beacons. With the money you save put a true bypass switch on this thing and you got a pedal all others will be judged by.
P.S. put it in a Rotovibe case and in a few years you could buy Google.

This is probably the easy pedal I have ever used it is extremely simple.
Just turn it on and push the script button in and set it at 9 o'clock and bust out eruption!

My setup is a Marshall 1959HW re-issue with a Marshall 4x12 cab loaded with celestion G212's. Then I play an Ibanez JEM 77B with Evolution pickups instead of Breed,Charvel custom shop with an EVH pickup in it,A power brake,an Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmonizer, An Echoplex EP3, And a Fender Reverb. It is never noisy at all! It always sounds great because it never gets weak ( I use a power brick). This is instant Van Halen 1 Tone. It works great with Clean or Distortion it basically adds balls to anything. It makes tapping sound insane!

This thing could be dropped off the empire state building and be fine.

Never had any problems with MXR, Great Company.

Must have blows any other phaser out of the water. I would buy this again if it were to brake.

One knob, blinding blue light.

It would be nice if they'd put the AC adaptor jack on the back on the unit instead of next to the input.

I am submitting this review because: 1. I've had one for a year and it hasn't left my small collection of essential expensive pedals, and 2. I think it's completely unfair that several people below have submitted "1"s in this sound category to try to artificially lower the rating. If this is the worst phaser you've ever heard, go out and try the DigiTech HyperPhase or Boss PH-3, then come back and reconsider.

I tried every phaser I could get my hands on, and I kept this one.

The person who said that it sounded like a flanger is wrong. I hate flangers. This actually sounds more like a wah. It's very 'vocal' but at the same time liquid. Pure, in an analog way, though it eats up some of your bass. The effect is a little too intense, even in "script" mode; I would have preferred a more subtle sweep as an option. But I do like what's there.

Works equally well with clean and distortion, unlike other phasers (mmm PH-2) you can set it and forget it.

AWESOME on bass, maybe even better than it sounds on guitar.

MXR has been known for quality control issues; I think that they might have put extra care into this one, or Eddie would have kicked them out of Van Halen.

I actually had a question about a standard Phase 90; they got back to me via email within a few days.

I covered most everything in sound quality. I play arena-style rock with a Les Paul and a tube amp. It's neat, looks great, and is maybe just a little too intense, if I had a criticism. I am very happy with the unit, and it takes a privileged place next to my Maxon 9-series stuff.

How many reviewers does it take to let you know this thing is a cinch to use? 34 and counting, and it still has one knob!

Looks like we're gearing up for a bit of a scuffle on this particular category. When I bought my EVH 90 about a year ago, I A/B'd it with: 1) a standard reissue Phase 90, 2) an EHX USA Small Stone, 3) a used Boss PH-2 (not the new PH-3), and 4) a Maxon Phase Tone. All of these had their own charm IMO, but I found the standard Phase 90 reissue to be the weakest. There is simply no comparison between this unit and the orange pedal MXR puts out. I have yet to hear one with the R-28 mod and cannot judge this area, but to my ear the EVH 90 captures the "classic" phaser sound the orange MXR is supposed to replicate.

The Small Stone and the Boss were different animals entirely. Not bad, either of them, but pointed in different directions from the MXR-ish phase sound. I previously owned a Russian Small Stone and loved it, but got rid of it due to reliability issues.

The Phase Tone is the only thing that came close out of the units surveyed, but the EVH 90 did the classic phase sound I hear on those hallowed recordings from the 1970's with a little more depth and did not mud the tone in the same way the Maxon seemed to. Decision made.

The two very harsh reviews below can claim experience with real script logo pedals, and I cannot. I can only go off the basis of what I hear on early Rush records, Lou Reed's intro to the live version of Sweet Jane on Rock and Roll Animal, just about any use of phasing on a Steely Dan record, and, of course, Dark Side of the Moon. The EVH 90 delivers these sounds and more (set in "Script" mode). I fully support some of the early reviewers' opinions regarding the liquid shimmer with which this pedal penetrates and permeates your tone. It may be more dominant in terms of its sweep than an original script logo, I can't say, but that doesn't stop it from being the best new phaser I've heard, nor diminish its status as a permanent fixture on my pedalboard.

One thing that particularly irked me about Star Guitar's review below was his comment that anyone who liked the sound of this unit must have a tin ear. I actually cracked a smile when I recalled a recent interview with Steve Vai in which Vai states how much he likes this pedal. I'll admit, I'm not a huge Vai fan, but I do respect his chops-- I'm also aware that he is notoriously picky about things like the levels of certain frequencies in the mix of his live sound (not to mention his overall gear and settings). If that man has a tin ear, then I guess the rest of us are in good company. I'm pretty sure Vai also said something about how he uses it as a lead boost....

In short, I think that it's a mistake to say that this pedal cops the tone of any 30-year-old MXR product. But it is an even bigger mistake to say that it does not have a sweet, warm, shimmery gorgeous phase tone reminscent of some of the best album sounds from the recordings made in the same era (yeah, Van Halen I inculded :)). If you're into phaser sounds at all, you owe it to yourself to at least give this thing an audition.

Also keep in mind that my own review is based on an early 2005 model. Perhaps the negative reviewers received defective units or maybe Dunlop made some foolish changes to the circuit?

I've been in the habit of giving 10's lately because I hate to see the overall rating of this thing (and a few others...) drop below a 9. Really and truly, though, if any pedal deserves a 10, it's probably this little number.

It is really quite heavy for its size and solidly built. There may be some issues with leaky batteries and circuit boards, but I run mine on adaptor power. So, if it wasn't for the pretty little VH finish, I'd probably use it to hammer nails when it wasn't phasing.

This is the definitive 3-D phase sound I've heard in my head since being exposed to FM radio as a small child in the late 70's. It comes in a pretty VH-stripe pattern with a blinding blue LED that kind of looks like the pedal's sound in a wierd way. So It looks as cool as it sounds-- which is of course subject to taste. If your own tastes run more towards finding an ideal phase tone rooted in classic album sounds but with an eye towards the future of rock (or post-rock, or jazz, or fusion...) rather than trying to find the sound of an old pedal, give it a try.

One knob. How much more easy can it get? while the stompboxes which allow you to adjust the phasing waveform and such are nice, i like the simplistic approach with this thing. the manual also has some nice settings to start with as examples, and it can be learned very quickly.

im using a parker p-38 (with shitty pickups, soon to be changed) through a Fender Blues DeVille. this thing sounds great! i bought this over the normal Phase 90 because i felt that the phased signal on that had a little too much gain on it. this one offers much smoother, more 'watery' phase effect. it's very nice to add a subtle tone to clean signal or if you want a cheap leslie rip-off sound. also nice is the 'vintage' button that makes it sound more analog. i keep it on this setting all the time. as far as i can tell, it has a nice bypass.

it's an mxr. i assume it's reliable. i mean, these cases are the most common for custom effect pedal makers.

i love it. probably my favorite effect. i use it mostly on clean signal, for a subtle but effective color. i was a little weary buying an eddie van halen signature effect; i'm not a fan of van halen AT ALL. but eh, it's a great box.

Real easy to use...just one knob like the other Phase 90's.

I have to say I am real disappointed with this purchase...you pay 30-50 bucks more for it then the reissue Phase 90 with not much if at all improvement in tone.

The sweep is too deep, It sounds more like a Flanger then Phaser. When you engage the Script button it just changes the EQ in a very subtle way and doesn't change the sweep or sound at all like the original Script Logo in the least. Them boys at Jim Dunlop just can't get it right. Maybe it engineering ego I don't know. First they changed the Phase 90 after they bought out MXR. Now this, I am wondering if it is arrogance in engineering thinking they just do it better. One thing for sure, they can't be seasoned players because this unit does not sound very good at all.

No disrespect intended, the last reviewer originalsonlyplease is another pathetic user suckered into the marketing of this unit. I will also comment that amp type does not seem to change the character of these stomps. I play a Marshall JCM 800 vertical input and Blockhead 100 watter.

I am in an originals band and wanted to use this unit as a lead boost. One of the players in our band does this with a Phase 90 Script Logo mod unit. It sounds so much warmer it isn't funny. I guess I am going to sell this one and have a tech perform the mod for me on a reissue or buy the real deal on Ebay. I played an original on sale for $299. at a guitar shop a few weeks back and man it was just so much better...It sweetened the leads up nicely.

Looks like you can't break them.

Never had any issues.

Just not very useful..

one knob no brainer

The sound quality is great. I play an american deluxe strat with the humbucker through an orange ad30tc for dirty sound and reissue 57 twin handwired for cleans. I once owned an original phase 90 bud box, script that sounded beautiful. This sounds almost as nice without the tone sucking when the pedal is off. Mr. "Star guitar" below me, hey maybe quit playing through peaveys crap metal wannabe amp and more effects will sound nicer. I heard a 5150 combo and thought it was a joke, the distortion sounded like a box full of bees. I use this more for the psuedo leslie thing. I am not trying to sound like evh, I think most of their tunes are cheesy 80's crap.

so far so good

never called them

Overall this is great. I get the kind of fake leslie sound I want. I do not want to be van halen. Try being yourself, come up with your own style. I purchased a reto-sonic handmade, boutique, expensive, script 90 clone, and returned it. For$175 it was shit. This thing for a hundred bucks gets me way closer to the script tone. I imagine in 30 years it will really sound like it.

It is easy enough to use.

Even the newer Phase 90 reissue's with R-28 taken out of the circuit sounds better. When you perform the R-28 mod...even with the unit disengaged it still has a sweet faint sweep in the background because it isn't true bypass. It sounds warmer and somehow makes it all sound warmer. The sweep on a Script logo is much more subtle as is the reissue with the R-28 mod.

Something else has changed in the circuit on the EVH Phase 90. The guys giving it a positive review on this board haven't either compared it to a real one or one with the R-28 mod, they have they have a tin ear or maybe they just like the pretty colors LOL.

I have a Script Logo from 1975, A Phase 90 reissue with the R-28 mod and now the EVH Phase 90. I repeat this unit sounds obnoxious. In Script mode or otherwise the sweep is too dominate. It gets irritating after awhile...not very useable. FYI I played it though a Mojave Scorpion non-master volume and a Peavey XXX Super 40 EFX, dry, then with reverb, toyed with different settings on the EQ, nothing helps it. I set the knob on the unit at 9 o?clock, 10 o?clock?whatever, It is just too much.

I am sure it is bullet proof. MXR's usually are.

N/A

I've been playing for over 40 years...and EVH is a one of my guitar hero's. I like 80 metal, Satch, Yngwie, Vai, SRV, etc. This unit plain sucks..end of story. It has nice colors painted on it and a pretty blue light though.