MXR Phase 90

huh? I do appreciate the cry-baby manual that came in the box

I'm having a great time with this thing. I've been playing guitar since before these were made and I can't believe I waited so long to get one. Slow learner. my gear: old strat with nice sweet low output pickups >>> Carl Martin Compressor >>> phase 90 >>> Budda phatman tube OD >>>> Keeley mod TS 10 >>>>> Guyatone MD 3 delay >>>> British version of Gibson goldtone GA 15RV. Most of this stuff I've had on my board for more than 5 years. I haven't added a new effect in a long time. I have a great time playing in a low paid and much appreciated old guy cover band. I've struggled with the guitar beast for 40 years and now I even teach. I've settled into a happy relationship with my old strat (lot's of different parts) - I found the magic of EL84s in class A at 6 watts cranked in a bar and have never looked at another amp or guitar. I play pop-rock, R+B, funk, rockabilly, - all covers. For a long time I used a Fulltone custom shop deja-vibe when I wanted that slow swirl - maybe 2 songs. Then I found this MXR at 1/5 the price and 10 times the sound. So the fulltone is history. this thingis not just another phaser. I've heard lots of phasers. This is a separate animal. I use it with speed all the way off - clean mostly because my amp gives me power tube distortion. I turn it to 9:00 for funk. That's it. Sometime I use the TS 10 for focused solos. It is not noisy ( you hear a little hiss swirl in the living room but not in a club. I just love it.

so far so good. No backup. If it breaks I can buy six more of these for the money I'll get for my fulltone vibe.

haven't needed it yet

It's divine. It has a 'woody' sounding swirl which is right for me. By comparison the swirl on the fulltone is metallic - but still ok - just no match for the MXR. The only thing the vibe is better for is copping the hammond sound ( faster speeds) But I don't do much of that. What is REALLY wonderful to my ears is this: as the swirl peaks you get this awesome transient midrange overdrive - totally organic - tubey sounding. I've never heard another phaser that does this. With my gear this spike in midrange drive is beautiful. It also boosts the level a bit when you kick it in which is perfect for me. I'm surprised that the sound is so "large" - you know what I mean. The boss and other phasers squish tone down. This has a big sound. When I looked over other reviews below I saw the strangest thing. People are digging inside these things and cutting legs of the little resistors - # 28 ( ouch!!) and digging out epoxy out of little holes and mucking around !! They are doing this because they want to GET RID OF THE AWESOME MIDRANGE DRIVE !!! and MAKE THEM SMOOTHER AND MORE QUIET !!! HUH!! they don't like this gorgeous sound ???? I trhink they do this because their IQ is 28 = yuch, yuch, ha, ha, te hee hee.... Seriously I know why they do it. I've made the same mistake. They judge their tone by how it sounds in their living room with the carpets and cloth furniture. This has nothing to do with the sound you get in a wooden bar with the sound bouncing around. They think it is too harsh in the living room so they do surgery and remove all the punch. Then in the club - it's washed out. Maybe if you are a recording person or play with a million dollar sound system you would want it tamed. I play straight into the air in the bar - no mics, no recording. Also maybe humbuckers (wich aren't right for my taste) make these overblown a bit. Do yourself a favor - buy one - use single coils and DON"T do surgery until after you hear it in a bar.

One Switch, One knob....tough

Using this with PRS Tremonti SE into Morley Pro wah into Marshall VS8100 100W head, with the Loop containing Phase 90 into Boss PS2 into Boss Turbo Distortion.

The Phase 90 sounds absolutely killer at all settings after you've done the R28 Mod (easy as pie). The sweep is just about right in depth for my likings, and at a fast rate it is great tremolo effect. Before the mod there was a disgusting gain spike clearly audible in the sweep, and a volume boost when switched....now they're both gone...there's no noise when switching at all either....one of my favorite pedals

Built like a brick shithouse....this thing aint going anywhere. Hardcore switches and metal plate design...tough as nails

Dunno...bought it second hand. Got an awesome deal too

Been playing for about 6 years...mainly alternative rock. Would i buy it again....you bet...as I said above....one of my favourite pedals...really helps mood up songs.

erm...one knob! and an on-off switch. The manual was about some certain wahwah pedal, so at first I was very confused because I couldn't find a pedal on mine. :-)

My setup: Rhodes Stage73 (harp direct) > Phase90 > TubeScreamer > MXR 10-band > Boss Tremolo Tr2 > Fender Bassman 50. I am not at all happy with the sound. It overdrives like mad, and not in a nice way. The sound gets midrangy and muddy. So, to make it work, I should invest in 2 volume pedals (pre/post) and an extra eq....that is not going to happen. Maybe the original, non-Dunlop version is better in that respect. You can forget about external power as well, since a nice pronounced and phased 50Hz tone is introduced.

Worked fine, built like a tank.

not dealt with them

It is a classic effect for the Rhodes, and I simply love the phased sound for my funk and acidjazz music. But the buzz, the muddiness and the terrible distortion make it useless to me. I like the looks and how it is built, but as an effect it is an expensive nightmare. I prefer the Boss phaser by miles, and even the modelled VST version of that beats the MXR.

One knob=simplicity. No manual needed. The classic sounds are in there, I tend to like the slower settings. Faster ones yield wild pulsations that can fit in for "special moments" but the slow swirl is what I wanted to hear and it delivers. This is a new model - in the classic orange box.

No noise and no leaking of the effect when bypassed as was the sad sympton of other flawed phasers that I've had. It sounds best with lower powered pickups--either P90s or single coils, or lipstick tubes/Danelectro.

Mainly using this with the SonicCord Bantam, a 1x15 combo. The amp and the Phase 90 mate well. I can get the classic phase tones and find new ones too. Mainly using on clean settings for chord work; definitely seeing why this is considered one of the hallmark phase shifter sounds. Humbuckers can overdrive the input - so, I stick to the single coils for this sound to work best.

More versatile than you might think for a single knob phaser. Funk sounds are in there--dreamy slow pulse sounds are in there too, just play and turn the knob judiciously and you'll find what you need. Fun and musically relevant sounds all over the range in this one.

Rehearsed with it several times and then brought to the gig -it performed flawlessly at the show. Will keep it secure on the pedalboard for more gigs-no backup, build quality looks dead on solid. A no nonsense phaser, I expect many years of solid service with it.

MXR has an excellent website with sound samples. All my interactions with them have been superb.

I play modern janglepop with flume (www.flumetheband.com). I wish I had this pedal when we recorded our cd. Been playing for about 20 years. I would certainly replace this with another if I lost it. I've been through other phasers, new and old, this modern reissue is reliable, and reasonably priced. Would be nice if the power input was on the top of the pedal not the side, but that's a minor refinement. I use the phase shifter in specific places in our music and it really works to fit in with the mood, rather than mask or overwhelm the song. Very organic pleasing tone. Phasing as it was meant to be methinks.

It's one knob. . .even little Annie can figure it out. I have a Phase 90 from 97' and of course I did the R28 mod thanks to Kalaab's easy directions (below me). This pedal is 100 times better with the mod so I will review it as an R28.

HOLY SH*T. Really amazing and SO WARM. It just sounds freakin big through my JMP. The mod cut the boost and distortion that MXR added for some reason (which is kind of cool in it's own way). When you cut out the R28 it's clean and round. I keep mine at 9 oclock for a long swoop. Sounds killer with the Keeley tube screamer cranked. You can be Edward, or Gilmour. Any colour you like!

Built like a beast (on the outside that is). Let's hope she stays together.

I started with MXR in 83' and will continue to use them till the end. The Phase 90 is essential. Great, deep tone. This pedal gives you the ultimate brown sound. I give huge props to Analogman and Keeley for doing all kinds of cool mods (true bypass, pots, etc.) For $61, I have the best pedal I ever owned. I CAN'T TURN IT OFF!!

really easy to use,just one knob for speed of the effect.maybe to easy:i would have liked a depth knob.

i'm using it with:american strat->rmc wah->whammy 3->ernie ball volume->mxr double shot->boss ge7->tc chorus->PHASE 90->line 6 delay->mesa blue angel
in first,i was really disappointed by this unit because of a boosted sound i didn't want!my clear sound was a little crunchy ! but i heard about r26 mod in harmony central and i contacted a guy called kalaad(i saw is review talking about this mod)and he nicely send me a picture of the phase 90 electronic board and the r28 resistor to cut(thanks again)
now,it sound great and i can do george duke's"reach out" or no doubt's"it's my life"
i still miss a depth knob but i'm preatty satisfied

i don't have it for long but it seems solid

i'm not satisfied as they didn't answer me really clearly about r28 mod.explaination was short as if they didn't care about my request!

i don't have it for long but it seems great:i'll keep it

This thing is cake. Look at it... One speed knob, one on/off footswitch.

The key to this pedal is the R28 mod. Many of the R28 mods on the net aren't very detailed, so I'll give you the skinny as best I can:

To do the R28 mod, you have to fully disassemble the pedal and pull the circuit board out of the case. After you pull the board out, on the "guts" side of the board you'll see capacitors (vertically-mounted and maroon in color) and resistors (horizontally-mounted and blue in color with stripes). The resistor in question is mounted directly above the output jack, and is in the bottom of three in a row. To add detail, the R28 capacitor is offset just slightly from the other two. At any rate, you'll either want to remove or clip the resistor. The easiest way to get to it is by clipping the connection on the left side, which is right next to the edge of the board. Wire cutters will be a bit clumsy for such cramped space, so you might need a small pair of scissors. Once this resistor is disconnected, your Phase 90 will be a mellow, clean, and more Script-sounding.

Anyway, before the R28 mod, this pedal was a disaster. Unusable for anything clean, and irritating with distortion, because it adds it's own brand of accidental and bad-sounding distortion. Anyway, after the mod, the sound was crystal-clear. It sounded like the quintessential "holy grail" phase pedal. Perfect for ringing chords, wobbly leads, and everything in between. Nails the Floyd sound (even though he was using a Small Stone) and for EVH fans, it is quite similar to the Script Logo Phase 90. Either way, it's handy for what I bought it for, which was making smooth, ringing rhythms and gently rolling leads. Excellent.

However, I have to give it an 8 because you have to disassemble it and void the warranty to get a good sound out of it.

If it's anything like the Script Logo, it'll be around for a while. My Blue Box reissue has held up very well, so I trust their reputation.

I made an email inquiry at jimdunlop.com concerning the R28 mod, and I got a response back within hours. While not a very detailed response, the email was prompt and easy to understand.

I highly recommend this pedal to anyone looking for a good phase pedal, but be prepared to crack the case on this bad boy and void your warranty. I have no regrets; the mod was simple to do, and the post-mod sound was absolutely terrific. I was really quite surprised at the versatility of such a sparsely adorned box.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it for sure, but grudgingly; leaving out that R28 resistor wouldn't be that hard to do at the factory, and any factory-stock floor model that you try out in the shop is going to sound abysmal enough to make you look elsewhere for your phase pedal. Although worming around the guts can be daunting to those not electronics-savy (myself included), the aforementioned instructions will be easy to follow and well worth the trouble. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. $70 is a good price.

Please feel free to email me with any questions on the R28 mod.

Take a deep breath, hmmmm....
COME ON!!!! ONE KNOB!!!!

I'm using a tube amp, it's a little noise (at the moment you turn it on/off)but with a Hum Eliminator everything is ok. I just loooooove that kinda warble (is that well written?, my english sux!), at 3 near to 4 o'clock it's sort of playing under water. SO AWESOME!! I mostly use this effect to make textures, so it just fit right. I got a reissue one (most ppl say that the REISSUE ones are a HUGE piece of CRAP, but I completely desagree. Why? Because I found this little white (filled with wax) switch that help me take control of the depth of the effect, which is FUCKIN' GREAT!!)
I got a Mesa amp, FUCK YEAH! I can easily get the sound of a lot of songs of incubuzz (pardon me, warning, under my umbrella, and stuff like that) and Van Halen. I just love to play w/this little orange box. I can get some weird sounds as some soft and warm ones.It's just great.

I've gig w/it. I really DEPEND on it, why? Because I don't use a backup or anything, (sort of risky, but there you go..)

Never had to deal w/them. (I REALLY feel this answer is wrong, like misspelled or something..)

I play sort of Vintage Rock with sort of experimental sounds. This phaser helps me A LOT, cuz it's "warmer" than other phasers (boss ones, for instance) it has a lot of balls, it can sound heavy and cool with a tube distortion, but it also can sound soft and warm (almost like playing under-water) w/out any effect or w/a chorus or a delay.)

One "speed" knob. As simple as it gets. And you can get several great-sounding settings VERY quickly, so you can spend your time playing music instead of tweaking and twiddling.

Here's the deal: I ordered Phase 90 #1, played it constantly for two weeks, loved the tone. Read about the "R28 Mod" and was dying to try it, but was afraid of losing the tone of the stock unit, which, as I said, I was diggin'. So the only obvious solution was to ORDER PHASE 90 #2 and mod it, which I did. So now I have both units to compare and contrast. After A/B-ing them for a week, here's my conclusions.

The R28 Mod definitely makes a big difference, and in a very good way. I love the tone of the stock Phase 90, but it did boost the signal a bit too much. And more annoyingly, when playing with a clean tone, there is a midrange spike in the phase cycle that distorts (especially when strumming chords or picking moderately heavy) and it does not sound good at all when it does this. So basically, if you plan on playing with a clean or semi-clean tone, you HAVE to do the R28 mod to make the Phase 90 usable. If you only use distortion tones, the stock Phase 90 works very well and gets a great tone (though many will probably still find it a bit too much).

Doing the R28 Mod decreases the volume boost slightly, mellows out the tone of the phase cycle, and almost completely eliminates the midrange spike. There is still a slight volume boost (which is a GOOD thing; makes the effect stand out more) but the tone is smoother and richer, and there is practically no unwanted/bad-sounding distortion (unless you really strum the hell out of the strings!!). After the mod, the Phase 90 sounds great with both distorted tones AND clean tones. It will also get you dangerously close to early Van Halen sounds. So if you're an Eddie-head, definitely do the mod!

Haven't really owned them long enough yet to be able to rate reliability, but they seem well-built and able to take lots of use and abuse. Plus, lots of "vintage" ones that are 20+ years old are still floating around and working, so they must be built to last.

Any company that will tell you how to mod its products to get the tone you're looking for deserves a "9" on this one!

Here's the bottom line: I love the tone of both the stock Phase 90 and the modded Phase 90, and I'm keeping and using both. But if I had to pick just one, I'd go with the modded Phase 90. In other words, DO THE R28 MOD, YOU WILL LOVE IT! And, if you take care, this mod is reversible. Instead of removing the resistor, just de-solder one of it's "legs" and gently bend the resistor slightly off the circuit board so the "leg" sticks up in the air. The resistor is stable in this position and will not move if you keep the mod, and if you don't like the results, you can easily return it to stock by re-soldering it.

Either way, stock or modded, the Phase 90 is an awesome-sounding pedal. Definitely check one (or two!) out.

one little knob that does oh so much....

my set-up: Fender Heartfield EX or '76 American Fender Strat -> dyna comp -> crybaby -> digitech whammy -> phase 90 -> boss os-2 -> boss bd-2 -> uni-vibe -> boss dd-3 (all powered by ADL Juicebox) -> 1973 Marshall 100 watt super lead (running on two power tubes, so 50 watts)

four words: do the R28 mod!!!! i feel like an idiot for even owning this thing for a year without it. absolutely NAILS the early VH recordings. no noise, no volume increase, no bull, just pure vintage bliss. it has to be put BEFORE the distortion and overdrives, otherwise, it's worthless.

to do the mod, you can read down lower, as someone included their e-mails from the dunlop techies. it involves removing the R28 resistor. "The resistor (R28) is the bottom resistor on top of the output jack to the left ofthe stacked capacitors. This is if you're looking down at the board (top view)." there's three resistor's positioned horizontally next to each other. R28 is the bottom one. e-mail dunlop with any questions.

through countless gigs, never had a problem with it, nor with other dunlop re-issues, such as crybaby, uni-vibe, or dyna comp.

dunlop has always been quick to e-mail back about suggestions or concerms, especially with the R28 mod. haven't had to send them anything for repair though.

i've been playing classic/modern rock for 13 years, and this is a pedal i couldn;t live without. would definitely buy another, probably another re-issue and do the mod, sounds good to my ear and sure is alot cheaper. and the mod is simple!!!