MXR Phase 90

One knob, one switch. A simpler pedal does not exist.
No manual, but you do not need it.

I use a strat w/ duncan pickups and a floyd rose through a cheap
Fender amp. It is good sounding and better than most phasers i have heard.

Sturdy and gigproof

nope

I play a range of music from Limp Bizkit to Pink Floyd and it works for most phase sounds. I use it in a chain of effects including:
Crybaby 535 Wah, DigiTech XP-100 Whammy/Wah, Boss Metal Zone, MXR Phase 90, Boss Flanger, and a DigiTech PDS 1002 Digital Delay. It sounds great with those pedals and on its own. For EVH, Korn, Limp, Tome Morello, David Gilmour, etc. this pedal does the trick. I wish it had more controls but I would still buy it again.

Easy is not the word here, this thing has one knob and one foot switch. It couldn't be easier to use, even if you didn't know what a phase pedal was you could work this thing. That said, the knob it does have (speed) allows for lots of variations, and the effect itself sounds radically different depending on what else you have working, so getting "the sound" you want is not always easy as just turning the knob. The manual was crappy though, in fact it was non-existant. All I got was publicity for other Jim Dunlop products and the usual warranty stuff...but who the hell needs a manual for this pedal anyway?!?

This is my set-up: Ibanez RG or Gibson SG into Digitech XP-100, Boss TR-2, EHX Small Stone, MXR Phase 90, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Ibanez Rotary Chorus RC99 all into a Marshall JCM900. The Phase 90 is my latest acquisition, and it makes a nice addition to my set up. The Small Stone is a great pedal but the Phase 90 is much deeper and a little less "anemic". It is still not as overpowering as a Boss PH-2 or an Ibanez phaser; but I never liked those pedals much anyway (they are too digital sounding and toy like). Basically if you like the sound of early Van Halen albums this is the pedal for you. EVH's light phase sounds for leads is a cinch with this thing. But it's got more sounds than just that...if you set the speed knob towards the slower speeds (counterclockwise) you get this sloth like almost flangey quality that can lull you into a deep slumber or work great as a "blanket of sound". Fast speeds give you that watery chorus, if you're into playing eerie melodies on your high strings you gotta use this pedal. Wes Boreland from Limp Bizkit gets some great sounds out of this (not that I like LB's songs). It's impossible to describe how good this pedal is, I'll just say that's it's worth a lot more than what I paid for it (approximately $115). I use it with a battery and that makes it less noisey, but even with an adaptor it never gets really noisey or anything.

I'm no expert, but this looks pretty dependable. It's built like a tank, basically traditional MXR metal box painted orange. The solitary speed knob comes with a plastic grip cover and the metal footswitch looks solid. The input jacks are very well placed and look solid too. I would gig without a backup

Haven't dealt with them.

I play mostly rock music. My band's music is influenced by NIN, Ministry, Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Van Halen, Deftones, Queen, Bowie and Jane's Addiction. Like I said before, this pedal complemented my set up nicely, and was made it easier for me to get "the sound in my head". I'd been looking for it for about two years and I finally stumbled upon a fresh unit in my local store. If anything happened to this pedal I would look for another one the next day. The only thing that compaes to it slightly is the Small Stone (which I own....the reissue though) and the copies (Maxon) which are pretty similar but not the same thing. So in a way I didn't really compare before buying...I just tried it and fell in love. Maybe this pedal could be a bit more "present" in the lower speeds, and have more of a flangey sound there (it shouldn't be too hard, flanging is a type of phasing. I'm really happy with this pedal, and I look forward to keep on using it.

It doesn't get any easier, just one knob to control the rate, and a foot switch to turn the effect on and off.

Wonderful range and tone. On the slow rate, it'll pull you out of the deepest hole and rocket you skyward before bringing you crashing back down to earth. On the high settings it sounds like a UFO landing. Think I'm kidding? Try it out and see for yourself.

I haven't had any problems with it. It seems sturdy.

I don't have any idea.

Hands down, best phaser on the market today. If you want to spend way more money on a vintage Small Stone then be my guest, but don't cry when it gets stolen. You can get just as good if not better phase with this product.

ok. this is not very hard. if you can't work this pedal,the elevator isnt reachin the top floor.theres a speed knob. theres a footswitch.if you cant figure it out, go back to pre-school.my dog figured out how it works.

WOW! one knob wonder! this thing sounds soooooooo smooth! i get an almost chorus like sound from the fastest speed, around the middle i get those warbles that everyone loves,and i get a flanging sort of slow phase in the low settings. the set depth is perfect. i use it for all of my phasing needs, and it suits them VERY well. Funny how the depth seems to always be JUSTTTT right.i love this pedal. god i love this pedal. it livens up my sound incredibly. no noise. when i first bought it there was some noise, but i switched the battery, and havent heard a peep since.

ok. if you tried, i dont think you would be able to break this. i would gig without a backup any day.its cased in a hunk of orange metal that is probably like a half inch think or something. its crazy. the footswith is solid metal and i dont think i will ever have a problem with it. besides, im nice to my pedals.

never dealt with em, doubt i'll ever have to with the way this tank is built.

i play lots of stuff but mostly metal. korn limp bizkit most, but really anything from hendrix to pantera.this thing covers it all. right now my setup is weak. i use an ibanez RG7 >> boss digital delay/reverb RV-3>>phase 90>>mu-tron phasor II>> a crappy crate amp that is gettin burned as soon as i get either a line 6 or a mesa/boogie.i use it alot. it can double as a flanger, but it doesnt do stuff that a flanger does. the phasing is incredible. im suprised that this little orange tank sounds so greatwith only one knob!

Dead simple - just a speed knob. The phase can go from very slow to very fast and on no setting does it not sound good.

I have the script version (whether that makes any difference to the sound I don't know) but IMO the phase 90 is THE phase sound. Quite a delicate, soft phase but by no means weak - it is great for cheesy 70s jazz/funk/reggae (think EWF, Bob Marley Live) comping, sounds cool with overdrive or fuzz (overdrive from my Laney LC30 amp, fuzz from my Voodoo Lab Bosstone) for those Gilmour, Hendrix, Steely Dan, early Police sounds and can even sound like SRV's 'Cold Shot' with maximum speed. What I like is that it doesn't suck away all your guitar tone like the other phasers I've tried (Boss PH-2, Small Stone, Ibanez and DOD models). I am not bothered by the fact that there is only a spped knob as the 'depth' is spot-on.

Very sturdy. No worries here

Would never need it. It's lasted 20 odd years so far...

I also tried the Phase 100 which I thought was a bit pointless (the extra 'sweeps' were virtually indistuinguishable from each other and it couldn't quite get the Phase 90 sound) and the Phase 45 which is just a more subtle version of the 90. As I alluded to above, I'm into late 60s-late 70s music primarily so this thing fits in perfectly - it really is an essential piece of kit this era's style of playing.

One stomp button... One knob. If you cant figure this out you either a) need rehab, or b) wouldn't be able to process a single coherent thought so you aren't reading this anyway.

I use it towards the end of my effects chain which has a bunch of differnt effects. It is very quiet and has that amazing swooshing sound you expect from a phaser.
I also play through a Fender Stratocaster with a pearly gates humbucker and a Zion Classic Maple with Dimarzio DP405's.
The volume of the effect is set so you cant adjust how much "phase" is mixed with your sound which is a drawback but it sounds great. sometimes when I'm really feeling frisky I engage the phaser and use a Crybaby Wah at the same time.
Try this.. it sounds really freaky.

havent dropped it. Looks solid. Havent had any problems. I've seen some in stores pretty banged up and I fired em' up and they worked like new to me.

wouldn't know.

My style is hard rock. This sound is great for acsending rhthmms to an octave OR for power chords where you can get the full effect.

Has one knob for speed. Enough said.

Great sound quality. I bought it to get that 1st album Van Halen light phase sound for leads. Well, I certainly got it. It also works good for heavy phase sounds like "Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd.
Adds a little bit more treble to your sound.

No problems.

I sent away an MXR Dynacomp that was under the measily 14 day warranty period. The thing wrong was that it needed a new input jack. After 2 months, I still have not received it back.

If you want that Van Halen phase sounds for leads, this pedal will give you exactly that. I really don't use phasers for any other reason. If I lost it, I would buy another one. Anybody considering this pedal should buy it. It may look like it can't do much, considering it only has 1 knob, but this pedal is very versatile, and for the money, you can't beat it.

As previosly mentioned...one knob...you plug it in..turn the knob...if you cant figure that out...well lets just say i tought my 5 year old cousin how it works.

I have not noticed the noise that people are saying gets thru to the amp. When i turn mine off...it stayes off...i have the reissue version of this and maybe thats the deal...i can get alot of sounds out of it...in fact...with my distortion and the knob turned up to an approx. 9...i get a police siren sound...pretty cool no?

10 all the way...its solid...and i left it plugged in one time...came back expecting battery to be dead...LED still shows bright red...maybe it only drains the battery when the phaser is active

never dealt with MXR

I picked this up from a pawnshop in their electronic section. Then got them to drop 10 bucks off of it. This is a great piece. Not very flexible because all you can control is the speed. BUt still...for a one knobbed wonder...its great...buy it...if you see it used for what i paid for it...buy it and sell it on ebay if you dont like it...im sure you can at least get 30 or 40 bucks...

Mine is very easy to use. Although I got a Wah mannual with mine I was able to figure it out without. Lets face it, If you can't figure out how to use the one knob on your phase 90 you should probably give up the guitar and pick up an instrument more your pace like the kazoo. Stuff just doesn't get any easier to use than a Phase 90.

First of all lets get this straight. My Phase 90 is one of the Jim Dunlop reissues and supposidly the orignals sound a bit different. I've never got a chance to play one of the old ones so I can't compare. My reissue sounds great. I'm a huge Van Halen fan and to me a good phaser should sound like Edward's. I play an EMG equipped Les Paul into the Phase 90, then into a Tech21 XXL then into a 73 100 watt Marshall Superlead. Set the Phaser's knob at about 10 or 11 o'clock and start playing "Ain't Talking 'bout Love". These phasers aren't true bipass and do effect the sound of the amp even when the phaser is off. I actually like having the phaser plugged in even when I'm not using it. I think it makes the amp sound a little more agressive. I really love the sound of it but I'm sure there are other phasers that sound better (probably original Phase 90's, EVH's in particular). I've also ran it into a Dual Recto. Guess what? It still kicked butt!

Bulletproof! I'm sure I could use it to pound nails if I had to and it would probably still sound great. I just don't see how something could be built any better. As far as components lasting a long time I just can't see much going wrong.

I'm gonna give it a nine. To my ear it sounds great. It'll be around longer than I will. If it was lost or stolen I may splurge for a vintage orignal or watch out for a nice used reissue for cheap. I may go for a phase 100 but probably not. Bang for your buck a used Phase 90 is hard to beat.

One control "speed", changes the speed of the sweep. Very easy pedal to use, almost too easy, that's the problem. There's not a bad sound out of this thing, that's why it's not a 10, cuz I can't decide what sounds I like the best. Anyway, there's another pot inside the thing, but you have to rip it apart to get to it. I haven't touched it yet, so I don't know what it does.

I love this pedal. I've had it for just a couple of days, and it's already one of my fave's. I won't give it up. Like I mentioned above, I've yet to get a bad sound out of this thing. I use it w/ a distortion box, and I love that sound (a Pearl distortion box, which is really good), sometimes w/ my Blue Box for something a little different. Anyway, I tried and have heard a couple of other phasors (Ibanez Soundtank, I think) and a DOD one, can't remember which, and this one kicks the tar out of those two. When I saw it in the store, I bought it w/ out actually playing it because of all the reviews I've heard, and a friend of mine had it, and I heard him play it.

Okay, I have a small problem with mine. I also just purchased a Blue Box, and voiced my concern about the durability of the switch, well the Phase 90 confirmed this fear. Sometimes, about a third or fourth of the time, when I switch it on, it doesn't work, basically, it acts like my guitar is disconnected from the amp. w/ a little jiggling it comes back on. So, I can't give this thing anything higher than a 6 for reliablity. I'll have to get this thing checked out if it doesn't fix itself.

Haven't dealt w/ them yet, but may have to now.

Love the sound, and its ease of use. Only reason it's not a 10 is the switch. But you'll have to pry this thing out of my dead hands if you want mine. It's definitely a great pedal for the value, so buy it, don't try to pry it from my hands.