MXR M-101 Phase 90

Just one knob for speed and that's it! Very simple.

I have a Small Stone that is currently out of commission and I wanted another phaser. I did some research and found out about the Phase 90. Went to Guitar Center (I know, blasphemy!) and demanded they give me a phase 90!
Oh this pedal is heavenly!
I have to add though that I did the R28/ C11/ C12 mod because it did start clipping and boost the mids. The Phase 90 can be a little extreme but I like a pedal with a bit of attitude, hence the Big Muff Pi.
I'm currently playing a Strat through a Reeves Custom 50 and a Reeves 2x12 with Vintage Purples. My effects are an Ehx Small Clone and a modified Ehx Big Muff Pi (Classic HairPie). Simple.

This pedal is fantastic! It is thick, swirly and kind of has the Univibe warble (a little...) especially when I engage the Small Clone. It puts a smile on my face. It kind of pisses me off that I had to modify it slightly, but I digress...

Gah! I didn't know it was so effin' heavy! Very deceiving but I'm sure it's going to last a long time.

I've never dealt with Dunlop but I'm sure there are some horror stories.

I play whatever springs to my head and this pedal just makes me smile. I didn't buy this pedal to emulate any famous users but I can definitely dial in some of their tones. If that's your bag then get this pedal and play away. If you want a creamy phaser with 'character' just grab this pedal. I admit though that it can be a tad too aggressive unlike the Small Stone which is smoother than the Phase 90.
If it's one thing I've learned in the music world it's that there is no good or bad, only a difference in taste.
If I had to choose between a Small Stone or the Phase 90 I would choose the Phase 90. Best phaser I've played so far although I have my eye on the Red Witch Moon Phaser.

Very easy to dial in sound. One knob. The further you go clockwise = more oscilation. I bought it brand new and there was no manual. Box included several advertisements for all MXR effects. No changes made to my pedal.

Setup = 84 American Strat equipped w Noiseless pickups, 91 Charvel w Dimarzio Area 58 and 61 pickups, or 73 Ibanez Les Paul copy equipped with Seymour Duncans. All w gauge 10s. Crate Palomino v32 212. Connect by itself with monster cables and thru my Carl Martin Combinator 2 with George L cables. Also tested with Vox Pathfinder model v9158, Fender FM 100 head, Marshall MG 250 DFX.

Noisy = not noisy but this pedal will distort when you play hard or you use some sort of boost which is good for rock but bad for clean sounds which I need for funk, soul, r&b, 70s music ...

Settings = I found a good Maroon 5 type sounds around 9 o'clock. Some good rock sounds around 11 or 1 o'clock (phase w distortion). This pedal would be good for funk work it would stay level and not drop volume.

Sound = the effect by itself sounded good but once I put it with other effects or thru the Carl Martin, I noticed the level dropped compared to other clean sounds. I have a flange sound, compressed sound, chorus, ... but once I patched the Phase 90 in, my level dropped. I tried to boost it with EQ but it only helped a little.

It is built to last but I can't depend on it but of the drop in level. rating a 5

Yes I would gig without a backup as I can get similar sounds from my flange.

I did get a response from MXR via email. Tech stated this M-101 Phase 90 works better with single coil guitars than humbuckers. He said he was familar with the problem yet this issue is not posted or advertised by MXR. Tech suggested that I try a script logo Phase model. Basically, I'm stuck with the pedal and I have to buy a more expensive model that MAY RESOLVE MY ISSUE. I believe that MXR should state this pedal works better with single coils.

I appreciate the response but I am disappointment at the resolution.

I play a variety of music. Earth Wind & Fire, Kool and the Gang, Rick James, Temptations, Santana, ZZ Top, Maroon 5, Eagles, KC and the Sunshine Band. It is not a good match because of the level drop and the fact that is distorts easily.

I have been playing for 24 years. I own plenty of pedals. Modify and non-mod. I own pedals from RMC Geoffrey Teese, modded Analogman, Ibanez, Boss, Morley, Carl Martin, Digitech, and Alesis.

I would not replace it.

one knob...DUH! haha!

a 6 before the r-28 mod. an 8 after...here is how it got a 10!:

i plugged it into the amp, while the curcuit board was out of the little metal box. i noticed there is a trim pot. i took a jeweler's screwdriver, and i found the g-spot in this little baby!

now it sounds infectious, raunchy, and it screams in terror! very creamy! it's like, dunlop knows people are going to remove the screws and void the warranty, and they reward you for it, by giving you things to play with inside!!! ;-)

metal box, sturdy!

why did i give this thing an 8 and not a 10? well, it has a very bright led. no, it did not hurt my eyes! lol! however, i did find out, when the battery gets weak, the light DOES NOT go dim! so, no warning, really. and the weak battery also weakens the sound quality and strength of the sweep and overall effect. i found this to be strange. hard to rely on a light that does not go dim when the battery starts to die!

never used it. i voided my waranty by modding it, so it is pointless! lol!

i love this thing! i actually use two of these things together! i am thinking of adding another amp, and doing some true stereo phasing

1 knob, very easy. Need some time initially for the R28 mod.

Setup: Gibson '61 SG RI >> EB Vol Jr >> TS808 (or Sparkle Drive) >> Fulldrive 2 >> OCD >> '69 fuzz >> Voodoo Lab Tremolo >> Phase 90 >> AD999 >> Peterson Strobostomp 2 >> '65 Deluxe Reverb RI w/ Eminence Red Fang. I play modern/classic rock, alt country, and pop rock.

Without mod: decent pedal, obviosly has potential, but not quite there (lots of midrange and distorts when driven). With mod: Open, transparent, smooth, punchy, addictive. When I did the mod, I started with the R28 which made the tone more transparent. Next I clipped the C11 which made it sound thicker and smoother. Then I clipped the C12 which made it brighter and punchier, but it was too bright for me, so I resoldered the cap and proceeded to play for hours.

Gets a 9 because it's a great value with the mod, but falls short when compared to a Moogerfooger or PH350 which I would rate a 10 (but at 5x the price!).

Very sturdy, but newer ones seem to be made with cheaper parts.

Never dealt with them directly

I bought a Phase 90 with the intent to do the mod. When I opened it, I found an updated version of the circuit board where most of the resistors and caps were surface mounted and rearranged. This made it impossible to do the mod, so I took it back and opened the back of each one until I found an older board which could be modded (look for more mounting through the board). I don't know if this is Dunlop's way of stopping the mod or saving money, but it seems like the old boards will be extinct soon. Besides this set back, the $/tone ratio for this pedal is incredible with the mod.

This is my second phaser I have owned. My first was the russian EH Small stone which was fine for the price I payed for it. However, I hated that I really couldn't use it because of the drastic volume drop that occured when it was on. So, I went shopping again and got this orange brick of a pedal off ebay. It has one knob that controls the speed of the phase, 'nuff said.

It was a great improvment compared to the russian EH. No more volume drop, but when I played clean, there was a hint of overdrive when the phase wave reached the climax. I was looking around the interweb and discovered the R28 mod that made it sound more smoothe and cleaner. I clipped the resistor and it improved the quality of the sound. I highly recommend it if you like to tinker with stuff like I do.

So I say a 10 after the modification
and 6 for the stock pedal

Why do you think that so many of these pedals have surivived over the years? Very sturdy.

Haven't dealt with them.

Had to mod the pedal myself

I honestly love this little thing. Sounds great. I would def by a new one of someone pulled a five finger discount. Truly a classic

well this pedal is about as easy as it gets. however, doing the r-28 mod required a little bit of effort, and that is the best way to use this pedal, if you ask me. so a point off.

Just the sound I was looking for. Before the mod, it was a little more rough sounding, and the rate was faster earlier in the dail. after, its very smooth and blends a bit more with the overall tone. i have particularly liked the way it has sounded with my maxon chorus, various settings of the boss dd-20, and the boss od-3. very thick syrupy sound, which i wanted to be able to access whenever. it doesn't seem to mix well with either my flanger or my vibrato. oh well.

using this with either an ashdown tube head in louder settings, or an epiphone valve jr at home. when i first set it up on my pedalboard, i had it after my tuner and digitech ex-7, before compression, distortion and the like. but whenever i turned the digitech on with the phaser on, there was much noise. moved the phase 90 to before the ex-7, and the problem was completely fixed. the pedal seems to me to be dead quiet amongs numerous effects. 8 stock sound, 9 after mod.

This is a solid pedal, will use with no backup.

n/a

a play guitar and synth, melancholy dancey atmospheric rock. This pedal fits in perfectly and is very simple to deal with. also i got a great deal on it and did the mod with minimal instruction obtained from the internet. phaser sounds can be cheesey, but i think this one has managed to avoid that territory.

VERY easy to geta decent sound out of it, just one knob! Although mine has a 'script' switch on it (modded by Mohomods) so its basically a EVH Phase 90.

No manual but its proper childsplay!

You get very warm sounding phase sounds out of this baby (better than the Small Stone I reckon)

Using a '67 Reissue Gibson Flying V with a Vox AD30VT amp.

Gets more 'accentuated' if you put if after a distrotion pedal in your chain (a Big Muff in my case)

Built like a tank, so I think I could depend on it!

I would be confident to go do a gig without a backup.

Never dealt with them, shouldn't imagine I would have to with this pedal.

Does exactly what it says on the tin, a no nonsense phaser!

Was looking at the Moogerfooger 12 Stage Phaser but I wanted a phaser with a little less dials to use! I stand by my decision, this pedal kicks butt!

This little magic box brings 'sparks' to my music. Easy to use!! how simple can it be? only 1 knob! and on/off switch. ALthough i hope they will change battery compartment. But hey, it doesnt bother me, I use adaptor anyway.

This is where thing shines. Before i got this I tried Boss PH3, because of its versatility and its whackiness!, its got lots of knobs, and its fun to play with it!, but when i asked the sales person to try this baby, i said, 'okay, i take this one!'

The sound is thick!, it can go from mild twirl to whacky twirl. All in 1 knob.

And it's very quiet.

Yeah man, definetely

I play pop, rock, Metal, Alternative. This thing is a perfect match for me.

I have been playing for 15 years. I have Ibanez SZ520 (EMG81 p/u), Yamaha AES620, Godin Freeway Classic. Marshall mg100 halfstack.

Love this thing ...

I picked this thing up for guitar center about a week ago. It only has one knob to control the speed, and it's sooooo easy to use. Just hit the switch to turn it on.

I use a Gibson sg standard into a marshal jcm2000 tsl60 head into a cab with vintage 30's. my lineup is a boss tuner...boss chorus pedal...boss dd-3...phase 90. the only little problem with it is that it does give you a little volume boost, but the effect always sounds amazing. It does sound a little weak when using it with high gain. I like to play alot of space rock so this pedal is perfect.

I have only had it for a week but you can tell its built well. and i dont use a back up.

never had a problem with any of there stuff.

I have been playing for five years. Like i said im really into spacey sounds so this thing works wonders. it's such a simple pedal, even though it has one knob you can get alot of different sounds out of it. If it were stolen or lost i would get another one for sure this is the best phaser out there i think and it's cheap compared to alot of the other pedals.

One on/off switch and one knob. If you can't figure this thing out, it may be time to put down your guitar and pick up a tambourine. It has everything you need (great phase sound) and nothing you don't(lots of knobs that complicate things but do nothing for your sound.)You like knobs and switches? Have you ever thought about being a programmer instead of a musician? A stomp box is supposed to be something you "stomp" on and exclaim "THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" What I'm talking about is the easiest bestest phase sound out there. I'm deducting a point only because the AC input is back by the input switch and is too skinny for a Daisy Chain power source. C'mon guys, make it where we can GET to it, huh?

I tried several other phase and flange pedals that I don't remember the names of (ok, I remember Boss, it didn't do what I wanted). I forgot them after hearing this little gem. You can talk "mods" all you want to. This little beauty puts out the sound I want. I use it with a Amer. Strat into a Peavey Bandit II (quit rolling your eyes till you've played thru one!) and I can honestly say that this was juuust what I was looking for. You want a good phaser w/o breaking the bank AND without compromising your sound? Take this bad boy for a test drive. I did and have NEVER regretted it.

I depend on it all the time and can't afford a back-up. It seems to be a tank. Just keep feeding it batteries every now and again.

N/A

I'm giving it a 9 because of the AC input issue, and also because it doesn't blend with my distortion pedal (Digitech Grunge) quite like I'd like. It does play very nicely with my Boss OD-3. If lost or stolen I might go for one of the EVH models just to see if the "script" mode is all that. What styles of music? I just left a retro dance party band (lots of funk/r&b/disco) and this little orange crush was the bomb. I also work with different worship teams at my church who are into all kinds of contemporary stuff. The Phase 90 handles all of it with ease. I am into single pedals that do one thing and do it well. This fits right in.