MXR Phase 90

This is an update to a previous review. I really like the tone, but I noted in my review that the switch felt flimsy. Well, I was right. It pops now, all the time when engaged or disengaed. Cheap junk switch. Thanks Dunlop. As much as I love the Phase 90, I can tell you that I will def. think twice about purchasing MXR reissues. I mean, the tone is great, but what good is it if they use inferior switching components?

One knob adjusts the speed of the modulation...as easy as it gets.

1981 model. I believe the last year the original MXR Innovations made these, not to be confused with the new Jim Dunlop MXR reissue pedals. Anyway, it sounds great. I like some of the song suggestions below. One of the best examples I know to use this pedal on is Nazareth's version of Love Hurts. Pick out an open 'G' chord with the Phase 90 on and you nail the sound. Used on countless other classics as well. Mine sounds great and that sums it up.

Seems very solid. I bought it used, but I doubt I will have any problems. These MXR pedals are all metal casing and tough.

20 years playing and do classic rock, hard rock, oldies rock, surf rock, new/alternative rock, rock rock, blues rock, and compose songs. This works great for classic rock and some of my original tunes. I compared this to the new MXR (Jim Dunlop) Phase 90, which I like as well. I did not A>B them against each other to compare. IF lost/stolen, would definitely buy another.

One knob. Hard hard can it be? The "manual" is a Dunlop Crybaby Wah manual fer crying out loud. What's that all about?

This is a 4-stage phaser of the classic variety. I play Fender Guitars though Fender tube amps and this is a perfect fit for me. The effect can go from very subtle to extraterrestrial...

Well, I had one I ordered from Musician's Freind that worked for about a week. Then it just quit. I couldn't get them to send me out a replacement with any sort of expediency, so I returned it outright and got a replacement THAT DAY from Guitar Center. That was 3 weeks ago and so far so good. I don't expect further problems but...

Who knows?

If you like a phaser effect, you could hardly go wrong with this. Clean bypass as far as I can tell, but there is one thing that I consider a good thing that others may not. When you engage this effect, and it is turned up a bit, it does add distortion to the signal. As I said, this is a good thing to me, but something that some may not like. I also tried the EH Small Stone (which also wasn't bad -- different but not bad), Boss and Digitech Phasers, but this is the real deal for this one trick. If you need more than 4 stage phasing for your sound, skip this pedal (and the Small Stone), and head for the Boss/Digitech pedals because these have a wide variety of digitized phaser sounds. But for the class phasing effect, this is a good choice.

E-Z to use. One knob to tweak to your taste.

Phase is pronounced but not as transparent as the Maxon PT-999. My pedal has a noticeable signal boost when activated that I don't like. Was used with a 1996 Les Paul Studio through a Mesa/Boogie Studio Caliber.

Brand new unit had a flakey footswitch. It wouldn't engage reliably. Couldn't use it in a live situation because of that. Traded it with a friend for his Vox Wah pedal.

Never contacted customer support.

I play several styles of music. I know these pedals have done good deeds for others, but mine was a lemon. I would like to try a vintage one some day. Until then I'll stick with my Maxon PT-999.

I don't know how much easier it can get than this. At first I was a little disappointed, not having much control with just the one knob for speed. After an e-mail and a couple of quick mods (Details below) to the circuit, now I appreciate the simplicity of a one knob machine.

I play Strats and Tele's into Fender Tube amps. As I stated above, I e-mailed Dunlop and they gave me some suggestions for the following. After I removed R28 it became smoother and less pronounced on the slower speeds, but turning up the speed also increased the modulation, the higher speeds where simply to warbled to be of any use to me. After I received the e-mail back from Dunlop Tech support, they suggested a mod to attenuated (lessen) some of the modulation (phasing) at higher speeds. Change the value of C4 from .1mf to .22mf It works great! I was concerned that I would be losing something in the slower speed settings but I didn't. Now the higher speeds can do a decent Leslie simulation, not great, but a nice pleasing sound. I like this pedal's clean sound, but absolutely love this thing in FRONT of Distortion! Killer!

Owned about 6 months, not really long enough to judge.

Great!!! Jayson in Tech support was very helpful with my mod questions. He has made me a believer in MXR/Dunlop products, with his helpfullness and knowledge of the products.

I play Country, Classic Rock, Blues and what ever I happen to be stuck on that week. This pedal is very useful for Rock and has made its way into a lot more Country Tunes than I expected. I have been a Gigging Musician for 14 yrs and don't know why I didn't have one of these years ago, I would replace it without hesitation. It's not a must have pedal to get me through the gig, but it's the most fun I have had with a new effect in a long time, it inspires me to play, and thats worth the ticket price anyday.

One switch (on/off)
One knob (speed)

Too easy !

I use a 1990 USA Strat / 2002 Tele into the MXR Phase 90 (mine is a old script logo) into a Marshall 1959 SLP MkII Reissue (with Power Brake). Did someone say VAN HALEN..... absolutley!!! I also use a G-Major and BBE Sonic Maximiser in my live rig but this pedal is just the money... cuts right through. Distorted I don't really move the speed past 12 o'clock (mostly turned all the way down); clean, I get some cool warm shimmery tones from 12 onwards.

I sometimes put a Sans Amp GT2 before the MXR to give me a little more distortion at non stadium levels or playing my practice amp at home. The MXR has no trouble with either amp. Wonderful lush sound. Try it with the BBE...

Built like a tank...

Heavy as all crap.. if it has lasted nearly 30 years and is still this good, these and cockroaches are the only 2 things that will survive a nuclear holocaust.

N/A

I play in a progressive/rock band with the more than occasional nod to VH, Dandy Warhols, Yes. Been playing for as long as I can remember, done the whole daisy-chain pedal thing, then floor multi-fx, then currently rackmount/midi. I think I could go back to just the MXR and my Marshall - that in itself would be bliss. I can't comment on the reissues as this script one is the only one I own..saw it on E-bay in original box and warranty card and snapped it up. Maybe I paid too much for it..who knows...I don't care. I'm a VH nut and I won't sell it anyway. Now all I need is to build that Frankenstrat.....

I just got back from my local guitar store, where I compared my vintage block logo Phase 90 (no LED or 9 volt jack) to a new reissue Phase 90. My block logo is a more subtle effect (at low speed settings, you can barely tell it's on sometimes). The reissue's phase sound is much more pronounced. You'd have to compare them yourself and decided your preference. I'd probably prefer the block logo.

seems sturdy

see my other gear at http://www.duke.edu/~drw5

I can only think of a few songs that use phasers, and this would probably be suitable for reproducing those sounds. The only time I'd use it is covering Daft Punk's Digital Love, which I don't do often. So it's an effect I'll probably never use. But I'll probably keep it in case I need a phaser for something.

one knob...!??!!? hahaha

at first, i had it after the distortion. and it sounded terrible...but i also thought it was my amp. then i used it before the distortion, and i got all the sounds ive been looking for. hendrix, iron maiden, the entire dark side of the moon album, lotsa of zeppelin stuff, van halen...it sounds soooooo damn good! i keep bragging about it to my girlfriend and i think shes had enough. i love it so much. it sounds so clean and lush. creamy!

hell yeah! a tank!

no but they seem nice!

i recommend it to everyone looking fora phaser. this guy at a skips music said theres no better pedal than a boss...that digital shit. he told me mxrs arent all that good....then again, there also not all digital! and theyre hella easy to use. only one knob!! what a moron. if youre shopping fora phaser, go with this one. dont read the bad reviews, they complained about it being too coloring and volume boosting, but thats only because they had it after the distortion. it only works before the distortion!!!! dont listen to them! buy it! believe me, ive been playing for 8 years, and ill soon be retiring, buy the damn pedal while you still can!

I have a reissue that I did the 'remove R28' mod to and it's great now. Very easy to use if you just twiddle the knobs on top. (If you go inside and start mucking with things, it's little more difficult, but still doable).

The sound quality was a little annoying before the mod (removing R28), but now it's great. Very smooth, pretty subtle, but still very nice. I'd recommend removing R28 as soon as you can, because it makes all the difference in the world. Before removing it, I wasn't using the pedal very much -- it colored the sound too much and also changed the level significantly. Now I'm almost tempted to leave it on all the time because it sounds that good. It's almost transparent, just sort of constantly slightly changing your tone in a good way.

It's well constructed and I've done a couple of mods to it and still works, so that's good. Once thing -- the input circuit (input Diode) and some of the subsequent circuity is quite vulnerable to being blown if you accidentally put the battery in wrong (I dunno how!) or use an adapter that doesn't have right polarity. I did this twice and had to replace the ICs and the diode each time (you think I'd learn) Just be careful and know what you're plugging in and what the box expects!

Good. I send Dunlop an email when I fried the ICs and they told me what I needed to replace. I got the replacements from bearmusic or something in New York (from their website). I was happy Dunlop responded so quickly.

Great. I'm now using this pedal all the time. I don't use any other effects, save some distortion. This adds all the color I need.

I'm deducting a point here because there was no manual in the box (though there were instructions for installing batteries in a wah pedal!?). Hey, it's only one knob and a stompswitch, but still, they could at least have included a sheet with technical specs like current consumption and the like. A schematic would've been nice as well.

Don't let the simplicity of this box fool you...this is the best phaser I've ever had the pleasure of using. I've used the Moogerfooger 12-Stage Phaser, which has knobs galore and costs 4 times the money, and the Phase 90 beats it hands down.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I like this re-issue better than the original I used a few years ago. I'm not dissin' the originals, but this re-issue sounds a bit smoother and quieter to my ears.
A previous reviewer complained that he was getting clipping at certain frequencies while using a guitar with active pickups...all I can say is, turn down the volume on your guitar, for God's sake! This pedal runs off a 9-volt battery, meaning it has limited headroom, and it's *designed* to boost the levels at certain freqencies. My guitar has passive pickups and I've experienced no clipping whatsoever, except when I slam the strings *hard* and it happens to coincide with a resonant frequency in the phaser's sweep.

I've only had it a short time but it feels extremely sturdy.

Never had to deal with them.

Awesome pedal. My only complaint is that it's a pain in the ass to have to unscrew the bottom to put a fresh battery in.

The one I got was the display model from GC cause they were sold out and i got NO MANUAL AT ALL - not even a crybaby manual. HOW DO I USE THIS ? WHAT'S THAT KNOB FOR?

Oh..... I just figured it out. So NOW it gets a ten.

I like it a lot. Don't have an original - just this reissue so nothing to compare it to, just gotta take it for what it is which is a great, simple phaser. Dammitall, I'm not holding back - I LOVE THIS THING! It's an EFFECT and works great for that purpose. I use it on the clean channel of my puny Marshall MG15 DFX, after my Boss SD1. Sounds great to me, but not to my pesky neighbors. Pfffft - whatta they know - they probably listen to Depeche a la Mode.

This thing will survive a bunker buster. And maybe even a "Brando Stomp".

Mneh.

Are you looking for a phaser, or a stupid Korg M1 to play Doupeche Mod? Phaser - get this one. Douchepot mud - drown!!!

Too Easy

I bought a new one and I am comparing it to a 70s script phaser long ago. This one sounds pretty bad, makes me think something is wrong. Going straight through it distorts the sound and crunches at certain points. What happened to the tasty clean phase that I knew of with my original one. Oh how I wish I had that back. STOP selling these until you change it back to the original sound. The sound is junk unless you want all distortion. Even then I go with a Boss flanger before this.

I'm assuming it is decent, but mine is too new to know if it can handle wear & tear.

Duncan is great for their Cry Babys which is quality. But I have not delt with them to know this.

I play EC style rock n blues and sometimes have to play other styles to fit what is needed. I will not use this pedal in public. It sounds pretty bad with most any combo or set up I've tried. Please Mr.Duncan, go find the original 70s circuitry and put it back! Then these puppies will sell like "hot cakes". Maybe I got a lemon, are they suppose to sound that different from the original? Someone please let me know.

As easy as can be, one knob.

Fender Tele, RAT, Phase 90, delay, Fender amp. It's not more noisy than those things always are. It sounded decent righyt away when played distorted. The clean sound sounds dirty in a certain position of the swoop, and that's hardly acceptable. It's very metallic, bad transistor-like sounding. Also, there is a nasty gain when the effect is engaged. The Phase 90 does the Hendrix thing, Pink Floyd, and I can see why people sell it on eBay, advertizing it as EVH must have. Problem is, I still don't play like Eddie.
I did remove the R28 as stated on several web pages and tinkered with the trimpot. Removing the resistor didn't help in getting rid of distortion but it did make the levels between no effect and effect on more equal. Overall, it smoothed out the phase sound. Playing with the trimpot is much like twiddling with the dials on an amp: you stop when you like whatyou hear. You can adjust the effect from more midrange towards more trebly sounds. At the extreme points in either direction there will be practically no phasing audible. This way I could get rid of some of the distortion at the cost of losing some depth of phasing. It does make a great difference if I go from phaser into Rat and then amp or Rat into phaser and then amp. Having the phaser before the Rat sounds better to my ears because it provides a smoother tone. Overall it's a nice little effect but having to takje out resistors and stuff shouldn't have to be. They were able to do that in the 70s it seems, why not now? I like my effects to leave the sounds as close as possible to the dry tone. Therefore only a 6.

Played only at home but seems very reliable due to its simplicity.

No idea.

Been playing for over 20 years. Grew up in the 80s listening to Van Halen, and Van Halen, and Van Halen. I'm also into other stuff like Minutemen, Jeff Beck, Hendrix.
It's nice to have the LED and adapter input. I don't know the original script phase 90 but would be very curious regarding a direct comparison. This is a nice little effect, very down to earth and usable. If it was stolen I'd try to at least check out an original. What bothers me the most is the distortion. I find it completely acceptable if you can't have a clean tone. I always can make it dirty if I wish to do so. The coolset thing about it are probably the cheap looks. It's so retro and looks like you can throw it against a wall, pour beer into it, and it still works. Nice try Jim Dunlop but it couldn't be that hard to make an exact replica of the old version...

I was really overwhelemed by all of the buttons and knobs and levers... come on, theres one knob and an on/off switch. The manual says nothing about the phase 90. it does however, tell you how to change the battery in your crybaby wah-wah pedal??? I would give it a 10 out of 10 but i'm gonna say 9 since the manual is useless and isn't even for the phase 90.

Squier Strat --> Phase 90 --> Boss OS-2 --> Orange Crush 15 amp. it has aliitle whoosh noise to it when you are not playing but barely noticeable. The effects sound great at any setting. Many MANY people have used this pedal. When it is turned all the way up it sounds like you are underwater (in a good way), and if you turn the tone way down with the pedal turned on all the way up it sounds like an organ. You can also get wah-wah sounds and echos from it at different settings.

It seems very solid. I have only had it for a few weeks. The only thing I could see going wrong is the on/off switch. it feels a little cheap. maybe after a few years it would break but thats just me guessing so don't listen to me.

Never have and hopefully never will.

I play lots of styles of music, and this pedal is great. Everyone should own one. I will always keep one in my pocket now just in case, and you should too. It is really pretty versatile for only having one knob, but it sucks having to stop playing and bend down to turn the knob.

This pedal is by far the easiest you will ever own. One knob. Mine came without a manual, but I don't think I'll need it. Just turn the knob to the desired rate of phase, and you're off and running.

This is a review for the reissue, not the script, so take that into account. When the effect is engaged, there is no noise or popping with the switch. The only noise thru the speakers is the rise and fall of the phaser, but would never audible while playing. That is normal...same thing with chorus, flanger, etc. The sound of the effect is in my opinion, great. Lush, thick, and swirly. The only thing that I don't like about the effect, and I think others have mentioned this, is that I think the depth of phase is set too deep. From what I understand, there is a capacitor in the effect that you can fiddle with, to help with this problem. Personally, it doesn't bother me enough to go digging around in a stompbox. I'm using this effect in the effects loop of a 5150 combo. It sounds great in the loop, but I haven' tried it in front of the amp. Probably won't either. I have noticed that it does sound better with higher output pickups, so this effect might also be guitar dependant. It gets a great Van Halen phaser effect. But any setting beyond 12 0clock I think would be useless unless you are into art or experimental noise music.

Seems really solid. Metal casing, tight jacks. The switch feels possibly flimsy. I wouldn't "stomp" it. A light touch for the switch is recommended

I like this pedal alot. People have complained about a slight signal boost. That's Ok. I just use it for solos, so the boost is welcome. I've used it for jazz and blues besides rock, and sounds really good. I would buy it again. I wish you could control the depth of the phase, but it still sounds good. I've read that the Phase 100 has a depth control in addition to the rate, but it just doesn't sound as good or genuine as the Phase 90. I compared this to the Boss Super Phaser. No comparison. The Boss is very metallic, and digital. If you like the sound of "nu-metal" get the Boss. But in my opinion there are way too many knobs for not enough good tone. For a nice boost and cool tone to solos, this pedal is great.

it is very easy to get the sound you want from the phase 90, there's only one knob.

I use mainly use my bonnie raitt strat and a 60's reissue pink paisley cij tele, to my proco rat to my '65 deluxe reverb ri. if i want phasor i just throw it in the line, i used it a lot in my psychedelic improv. band 'greta hears birds', its a very nice phasor.

its very reliable, the only problem i have with it, and ive seen a few others with the problem, is, sometimes if you dont click the switch hard enough everything goes silent, its no real problem though, i just have to remember to press it hard,

never dealt with the company, dont think i will either

I've been playing guitar for about 7 years, i do anything from folky acoustic type stuff to 'psychedelic punk' fast ass kicking guitar with hendrix type guitar mixed in there....i use the phase 90 quite a bit, works well with anything psychedelic, from jimi to jerry garcia, you can also put it on a low setting for most anything to give it a little flavor

1 button, one knob. Came with instructions for the Dunlop Cry Baby (oops!) Since on/off and speed are the only controls, getting the sound you want relies more on placement in the signal path than anything else.

I use this pedal with a Music Man Silhouette (HSH), Fender HRD, EH Deluxe Memory Man and Tech 21 XXL. I also have a Fishman-equipped Taylor 310. Compared to the other phaser pedals I tried, this unit is reasonably quiet, especially on slow phase speeds. Increasing the speed introduces a sweeping sound. This effect is pronounced - there is no way to mix the dry and effected sound, so placement of this pedal in the chain is critical. I bought it because it's a tripped out funky effect when combined with delay, and makes a great wah substitute. If you've got a hankering to play Pink Floyd's Have a cigar, VH's Dance the Night Away, Nazareth's Love Hurts, Hoobastanks' Crawling in the Dark or Manford Mann's Blinded by the Light, this is the unit. It also helps me get reasonably close to the guitar sounds on The Fly and Mysterious Ways from U2's Achtung Baby.

Seems tough enough.

This pedal is good for my style of playing - an eclectic set of covers spanning 30 years. I've been playing since 1985, and I've had a lot of gear over the years. Now, I think less is more. If the pedal were stolen, I'd get another. If all my pedals were stolen, I'd get a POD. I love the sound this pedal makes. I hate the fact that it has no mix level. It's also got the tiniest battery compartment ever! I compared it against the Boss and Ibanez pedals. I didn't care for them. Lots of knobs, but few usable sounds. GC doesn't keep the EH Small Clone (or is it Stone?) in stock so I couldn't compare. It definitely helps me make music.

Very easy one knob.

Fender stratocaster, Through any amp,Very warm sounding,70's type of phase.

Built strong, mine is old,No problems so far

Never dealt with.

I bought this pedal looking for a univibe,Hendrix,Trower sound.It Cost $15.00 used,Brought it home and was so suprised how it nails that univibe hendrix tone.I turn the knob at about 1 o clock for this.Set at 6 o clock to the left and rubing the strings is the begining of atomic punk from van halen.6 o clock right is crazy tremelo effect.Set straight up 12 0 clock is nice warm funk phase.This pedal is great for 1 knob.I know eddie van halen used it alot set all the way down on slow sweep.If lost or stolen would definitely buy again.Play machine gun with strat neck pickup and you'll know what I mean.

One knob.... Don't worry, no manual required .

My own setup is SRV Strato/60'japan Strat reissue with VanZandt Blues(neck)/rock(bridge) pickups -> Phase 90 -> Vox Wah -> MesaBoogie DC3. This phase is clean and not noisy. It can be used with clear and distorded sounds.

Seems to be made for a third world war.

No problem until now

I' m playing blues and 70' things. I want to use a minimum of effects between my guitar and the amps. Phase 90 is very simple to use and show you the way : the best gear are you emotions and your ten fingers to make them real. Do not lose too much time searching gears, spend this precious moments to play.

It doesn't get any easier...1 knob , that's it !

I use a pretty basic set-up... a strat or tele through an Ibanez TS-7 or DOD Grunge into a Peavey Transtube 10" amp. This is the Dunlop reissue Phase 90. Many years ago I owned an original Phase 90, and also an original EH Small Stone. Back then, the color switch of the Small Stone is what really sold me. However, I owned quite a few Electro-Harmonix products, and they rate the worst in terms of quality control IMO, so I stayed away from the Small Stone USA reissue. Back to this decade, besides the Phase 90, I have owned a Boss PH-2, and a Guyatone PS-3. The Boss sounded way to processed and lost too much tone (too treble), so I sold it. The Guyatone is a little different in that the "fall" in the phase cycle is fast, giving a univibe type sound. The Guyatone gives a bit of a boost to the bass and has a warm sound, which I like. The Phase 90 seems to give a slight volume boost. Also, other reviews have stated that the highs get a boost, but this is more noticeable on some amps more than others. Played through an 8" speaker, it is noticeable, but rolling back on the guitar's tone control works wonders. The high boost isn't nearly as noticeable when playing through a 10" speaker. Overall, the Phase 90 has a warm sound that the Boss can't match. It is very quiet, much more quiet than I remember the EH Small Stone being. No, the Phase 90 isn't the most versatile phaser on the market, but not many can match the sound quality.

The thing is heavy and built like a tank. I'd throw it at my neighbor's dog without fear of it getting damaged. I don't gig, but I doubt that you'd need a back-up.

I've been playing for 30 years, and either play classic rock or jazz. The Phase 90 is a good match for either style. It just sounds great. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it...at any cost. I like the ease of use and the warm sound. Nothing more frustrating the spending lots of time turning knobs to get the sound you're after. I compared the Phase 90 to an Ibanez ph-7 and pm-7. Both had more features, but just seemed to lack the warmth and sounded a little processed( but that's what the pm-7 is supposed to do...) The only thing I wish it had was an easier to get to battery compartment. That's not a big deal, since I can use an ac adapter. Unlike the other phasers on the market, you can concentrate on playing the guitar instead of playing the effect.

Come on ...............
If you can't plug it in right and make it work your a retard.

(get some help.)

9.1
Not at all noizy. Gives you that Hendrix/Trower/B.May/VH sound when you add overdrive/Distortion. Scores a 10.5 when you're feeling great and playin your best. Really made me want to play more.

I would use this as a door stop to hold my van's door open while I unload my gear and then use it to play with. It's tough enough.

Don't know em. don't talk to em.

I play bluesy HARD Rock. Gibson LP & a Marshall. Analog effects sound more REAL to me. I've had digital stuff and they pretend to sound good. But the analog stuff is the real deal. This p90 is also the real deal. Don't worry about it not being a script. Save your money. Get this thing. Let that old guy in the music store spend $$$ on a script. This does add some high end when it's turned on but that's ok if you play well. I rate it as 9.5 /a script logo one at 10.5 .........do the math.

One knob. repeat, one knob.

Go to the Edit menu at the top of your screen and look up the word "R28" in this page. It will send you to a review that talks about modifying the Phase 90. Making this modification separates heaven from hell!!!! I couldn't believe that cutting out just one resistor would make such a difference. I would give it a 4 before the modification and a 9 after it. Not a 10 because nothings perfect.

By the way, one great thing I found out about this effect is that the batteries are only used when the effect is turned on! That means that they will last longer and you can actually bypass it without batteries inside it! If you turn it on without any sort of power supply, the sound mutes. Hey! You might be able to use this! Two effects in one!

I bought it used(pretty new though)recently, and nothing has happened yet. Doesnt seem like anything will.

I play mostly rock and funk. After the modification, this effect sounds beautiful on all occasions, clean or distorted. Before, It was all right when the sound was distorted, but horrible on cleans sounds. It sounds really "human like", which I think is essential for guitar. I like analogish effects, such as my delay(BOSS DM-3), and I'm sure that any analog lover will like the sound. One point taken off because the batteries were extremely hard to put in. Just remember: Unless you love the irritating volume boost and the wierd overdrive, MODIFY. Or buy an expensive vintage one, which will probably sound better(I dont know, never tried one)

very easy, one knob..doesn't need a manual

I know there are more expensive phase pedals available, and that tone is subjective...but after listening to this pedal, then purchasing it for $69, it's darn good. No click when you engage pedal..not alot of noise period. I see where some people notice a volume drop..I have not noticed that at all. I added it to the end of my effects chain... Peavey Classic 30, or Fender HotRod Deville 2x12>Boss Digital Delay>Analogman upgraded Boss SD-1>MXR Phase 90>G&L ASAT Deluxe, or Fender Mex Tele..with SD humbuckers..

very solid..I still don't like the difficulty of squeezing the battery into the space provided, and am not happy with those thin battery wires!@# I guess that could be taken care of if I purchased a power source..

I play blues, rockabilly, country, gospel, classic rock.. this pedal, along with the overdrive, does a great Hendrix sound, or with reverb sounds like Waylon (RIP) Jennings "Luchenbach, Texas" I really like this pedal, and would buy another if it got lost or stolen. I'm glad I didn't pay 200.00 or more somewhere else for this effect, when MXR makes it for 69.00 (Musicians Friend) the only thing I would change, is would be to make it easier to change batteries.. other than that, it is great!

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

This is an addendum to my previous review (which should be very close to this entry). I gave this box an overall rating of "7" and didn't really explain why. I didn't feel that it deserved a "10" because, at its price, I feel that it should approach the Small Stone's depth of effect, if not exceed it. Even the new ones, as inexpensive as they are, would not score a "10" with me. I gave the higher marks in the other categories because, for me, the Phase 90 works at least to a level of my expectation and satisfaction, and is useful in ways that I did not expect it to be. I have to include, in this category, how much of a value I think it is and, therefore.....Hope this clears the smoke...

In/out/a.c. jacks. One knob. C'mon... The manual (still with the unit and intact after 20 years) mainly, and informatively, explains what phasing actually is. Thanks (old) MXR!

Excellent. I bought this to use with guitar, but it is surprisingly effective with bass. Keep your tone knobs at "10" for the most effect. The lower the setting the less you'll notice. This thing naturally responds to treble frequencies best, but will not bury your bass tones at any settings on your instrument. Amazing! I mainly play bass in my band, and will keep this thing in my effects chain (which, incidentally, is: Rick 4003> Fulltone Bassdrive> Dunlop 105Q Wah> MXR(Dunlop) M-80 Bass D.I.> MXR(Dunlop) M-88 Octave> 90's Ampeg SVT> Home made 4x12 slant cab). No increase/decrease in volume. Awesome! Have not tried a.c. power yet, but no noise with battery.

C'mon...This thing is 20 years old, but it could very well be 200. I paid for one in excellent cond., but even the beaten ones are reputed to perform like Roman soldiers. My rating will be based upon this unit's prospective durability. My faith in MXR (except for my damned delay) is great.

They always respond professionally and thoroughly.

I've played with a current EH Small Stone, and have found that to be more capable of a crazy, spaceship-landing, unnecessarily deep phase. The Phase 90 will perform any kind of etherial, liquid effect that you would need to add, and not sound cartoonish. I bought this older model because I do not like the hardware used on the current units. I have had to bite the bullet in a couple of instances (see equipt. above), and buy the new stuff, but the older designs are, in my opinion, superior. The jack components are machined (not stamped), and they are the standard single tip-spring chassis-mounted, threaded-shaft, washer, and nut, Switchcraft type (not p.c. board mounts). The a.c. jack on the new units is accessed through a hole in the chassis, and is secured ONLY to the board. The old ones have 1/8" mono jacks that resembles the 1/4" input/output jacks, and are much sturdier. In case you don't know, these were the mid-production MXR units ('81 and afterward--except for the aesthetically unpleasant "Commande" series, that heralded the demise of the original MXR). Anyway, gotta go! Hope this helps some future stompbox freak!