MXR Phase 90

The MXR (Dunlop, new) is a one-knobber that couldn't be easier. I'm writing about a unit modded by FX Doctor to incorporate the Script mod (no adjustment) as well as the Intensity and Blend mods, which are both adjustable. The stock settings are excellent; making adjustments via the mods is easy.

Great, great sound. The Dunlop MXRs are basically fine units; the Script mod (by FX Doctor) restores a softer liquid quality that is really beautiful. Making small adjustment via the Blend and Intensity mods allows exceptional fine-tuning to your guitar and rig, which is what you want. For crazy junk, get a flanger! Fabulous sound. The best.

Brick.

Can't speak for Dunlop/MXR; I doubt if they ever get much customer contact since their units are indestructible (even if the pots are now scrratchy and cheap). FX Doctor is instantly responsive and helpful. Really nice service, advice. I paid $59 for a new Phase 90, paid FX Doctor $70 for four mods: rate pulsing LED, script mod, blend mod, intensity mod. Result = custom pedal w/ great features for low dough.

I play all kinds of rock but no jazz or country. Have Fender Custom Shop Strat and McNaught G4, play through Klon, some Way Huge, other spiffy pedals as needed. Top Hat, Vox, and Orange amps. Nice rig. The Phase 90, especially modded and adjusted somewhat to be less "in your face," performs great w/ chimy clean tones right through full rage distortion.

One knob = perfect

Great

A little hard to get my jack in the side.

I play mostly Heavy Metal. I have had a dozen different effects pedals from Noise Compressors, Delay, Blues, Fuzz etc. This pedal creates a wave which helps give your sound that ALIVE feeling. I turn the single knob to the 9 oclock position and this gives it a heartbeat tempo. This has helped me stay on Tempo. This wave also creates tremollo effect. Playing heavy metal I pick the top string open and repeatedly for sometimes 20 seconds, the wave makes it sound like I'm moving my hand around just a little. Ever since I got this pedal 6 months ago I always turn it on for all of my music styles. It's as important to me as my EMG Zack Wylde pickups that are always on -- -- .

It's pretty rare these days to see a pedal with just one knob, but that's what the Phase 90 has. One knob for speed and a footswitch and that's it. The only reason I don't give it a ten is because the battery isn't easy to get to. Unlike some pedals with latches or that have the battery under the footswitch, you've gotta unscrew the back to get to it on this pedal.

AMAZING! But let me begin at the beginning. I guess you could consider me the keyboard player who wants as much attension and style as a guitar player while not wanting to actually play guitar. My solution is a Rhodes Stage 73 (elold-school electric-piano) into the Phase 90, then Boss CE-2 Chorus, then a Tubescreamer, and finally into a Fender Twin Reverb (silverface). The Phase 90 has this tubey, warm sound that even a Smallstone can't get. People complain about the overdrive at the low end, but you guys have to do some research. The R28 mod will fix this and it's not a hard mod to do yourself. I actually opted not to do the mod cause I LOVE that little crunch that just overflows warm vibes. Also, cause I'm using a Tubescreamer, you should be able to tell that I like a little drive once and a while. I use the phaser on almost every song of mine. Somebody else here mentioned that Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) uses one and this is absolutely true! On the last two albums, Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go, he uses it on every Rhodes track. Back in the day, he also used it once and a while on his Wurlitzer to great effect (listen to Black Friday or Dr. Wu). Stevie Wonder also used it a lot on his Rhodes and I think Wurlitzer too. In fact, I would say that this might be THE ultimate phaser. The phase 100 is nice, but it doesn't quite have the tubeyness that this one does.

It's a solid metal pedal and it's really simple electronically, so there's not much to go wrong. I've used it at countless gigs without a single problem, though as someone else said, it does really go through nine-volts, especially if you leave it plugged in by accident. The only worry I have is the protruding footswitch, but it hasn't snapped off yet, so I'm not too concerned about it. I'll give it a ten.

Well, dunlop is in charge of these pedals now and they're pretty good.

A spectacular pedal! I'd claim it's THE phaser for keyboardists of all kinds and I'd also recommend it to any guitarist looking for a good quality phaser. For those not wanting the really dirty tone it can produce, do the R28 mod and you'll love this pedal all over again. 10/10!

The speed range is very versatile, no comment here. I bought it new in 98, so it is the current model.

without mod the effect is good and the distortion you get can add some nice vibe if you only use single PUs. It is almost unusable with humbuckers as many already said.

I did two major mods to reduce the problem:

1) made an adjustable feedback resistor(the famous R28)
2) replace the internal trimmer with an external pot to adjust the sound a bit further (helps a lot to clarify and clean).

The R28 was very usefull but I still found myself coming back sometimes to the higher feedback value (i.e bigger sweep of the effect). The trimmer replaced was a very good idea as I can taylor my sound with ease according to my needs and combine both mods on the fly.

However, I don't think I took all distortion out with the mods, I just took it to a minimum, would it sound as rich or warm without it ?

Now, the basic sound is definitely rich and warm while keeping the clarity, this is what I like about this pedal. My small stone is a bit muddy on the bass, it is never the case with a Phase90.

So modded this unit would deserve a 9 or 10, unmodded I cannot give it more than 7.

No problem, the quality and construction are fair. This is not a boutique pedal but it is reliable.

I have to play wathever is asked of me and the Phase90 has been used several times on many styles.

If stolen or lost I would probably try a Phase100 or another boutique brand but might come back to this model and just mod it again.

The exagerated distortion is definitely not acceptable. MXR should correct their design. But I suspect they will keep it that way and hope the mod fashion just keep their product on the map ?!

Had one of the originals in the 70's. One knob...Simple.

Well, This one from Guitar Center was dead right out of the box....I have "memories" of what they sounded like.....

Well, Guitar Center when I returned it just gave me another one. I had them check it before I took it.....Wellll, all SIX that they had were defective right out of the box !!!!

Who the hell knows?????? If it don't work, return it, get your money back, and go to Sam Ash and get one that works..

I play blues/rock etc. I play mostly Gibson Firebirds, Strats, Teles, and 335's and I use Music Man Amps and 60's Twin Reverbs. MXR 'used" to be a sign of quality....guess not anymore.

It was pretty hard to get a decent sound out of it using humbuckers.
Then again, it only has one knob.

I wanted to like this. I play humbuckers. Not going to work. It
sounded like ass with my JB and HB-103 bridge pickups. The effect
would sieze up and just distort until the chord or note started to
fade out. It didn't happen as much with my '59 neck pickups, which
are lower output.

It doesn't freak out as much if you use palm-muting--I finally
figured out why Eddie VH palm muted the intro to "Ain't Talkin'
Bout Love..." ...because else the phaser won't work!

I didn't try it with single coils. I don't own a single coil
pickup. I have too much testosterone for that.

You can rely on it to suck with high-output humbuckers. Everyone
below says that the construction quality is shoddy.

I got an instruction sheet for a wah pedal in the box.

Uhhhh....yeah.

I returned it after owning it for about an hour. I've ordered
a Guyatone PS-3, hopefully that will be better. I also considered
the Maxon PT-999, but the effect sound was too subtle. I went
through a phase (ha ha ha) of serious pining for the Maxon PH-350,
but I don't use phasing enough to justify spending that much money
on it. I also tried the Digitech Hyper Phase, but that sounded
computer-y and thin. I've played with the Boss PH-3, but that sucked
even worse than this. If the Guyatone doesn't work out, maybe I'll
get a Voodoo Lab Microvibe, or just swear off phasing all together.

SOMEBODY BUILD A HIGH-OUTPUT HUMBUCKER-FRIENDLY PHASER!!!!

I wouldn't know, broken right out of the box !!!!

Broken right out of the box-have they ever heard of quality control ??? I recently tried, and returned, an MXR reissue Micro AMp as the switch was very flimsy.

I had a defective wah pedal last summer and they offered to repair it,NOT REPLACE, which took three-four weeks. If a product is defective right out of the box why should the customer be forced to wait while you do repairs on a NEW product !!!

Dunlop is gaining quite a reputation for low quality products. What sucks is MXR used to be thought of as a quality unit, at least back in the day BEFORE Dunlop took over the name, certainly not the quality. Maybe this is why most players hunt down the older units even if the price is much higher. They sound much better and they actually work.

Easy

Not intended for humbucking pickups IMHO. If you want to use this for clean through HB pickups, be prepared for squashed tone and solid state distortion edge to come along for the ride. There might be mods out there, but what a pain in the ass. I hate the idea of buying something with the intention of modding it because the engineers couldn't get it together in the first place. Would you buy any other good like this? ("I love this new car, but when I get it, the first thing I'll do is swap out the engine for one with more horsepower!" Huh?). Anyway, they say it sounds great with single coils - which doesn't help me much.

At low signal input, sounds great. Crank up the clean volume through a humbucking pickup (not a hot Super Distortion, just a medium output 'buckers) and you're in the squashed zone with distortion reminicent of a Crate SS amp cranked to 10 in the clean channel - ouch.

It's one knob!!! I like not having to twiddle 2 or 3 knobs to change settings. One quick twist and your ready to go!!

I did the R28 mod almost immediately. I use a les paul with dimarzio super distortion p-ups and an old marshall that you have to push the signal hard to get a good overdrive sound with, and the stock 90' just sounds like crap. It breaks up way to much. But once the mod is done it sounds great!!!!

I have to say I was disapointed with the hardware. the older mxr stuff had the switches and knobs wired to the circuit board. The reissues components are soldered right to the board...meaning if the footswitch nut comes loose and you step on it...ouch!! you're squashing the fragile circuit board. The same goes for the knobs, and the jacks too. The shafts on the new models are also plastic, and snap like twigs if you step on the knobs the wrong way.

Haven't called them, but probably should complain about the issues I mentioned in the reliability section. I know people that have had problems in the areas that I spoke of.

The quality issues are important to me,and I do think that MXR needs to find a happy medium with the whole midrange gain thing.You shouldn't have to mod these to make them sound nice. You can't deny the great phase sound you get either.It's really versatile and I've found that it sounds great with almost any genre. It's hard not to just leave it on all the time!!! But then like any effect, IF YOU OVER USE IT, IT CEASES TO BE AN EFFECT.

One knob....very easy

Very vintage and rather noisy.....you won't care

HOW TO TELL A ?SCRIPT? FROM A ?BLOCK? INTERNALLY.

Some of the mid ?70s ?block? logo stenciled MXR Phase 90 units contain the board and components of the most popular and expensive ?script? logo units. The change of the logo markings and the internal electronics did NOT happen at the same time.

But how can you tell the difference between the two internally?

By looking at the components:

The older ?script? used six (6) of the 741-style op amps (black, rectangular things with eight ?legs? connecting it to the board). This is the most popular, collectable and expensive vintage version.

Around 1975, the board was redesigned to the board you?d see in a typical ?block? logo vintage MXR Phase 90.

First versions of this new board were using Raytheon brand 4558 op amps. These had quality control problems. Only used for a short time.

So MXR then switched to Texas Instruments sourced op amps like the 4558 or TL062.

Because the newer version was now using dual op amps, you only find THREE (3) of them of the later version board in the ?block? logo units.

The easiest way to be sure is to count the number of op amps.

It's a classic in it's vintage form. Great with guitar and electric piano. Don't overlook the MXR Phase 45 if you find one....also a great underrated pedal.

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!!!

One knob. 'Nuff said.

Sound quality initially was ok...but then I did the R28 Mod...and WOW!! Vintage Script tone.

Running Les Paul Standard / Am. St. Strat to Morley little alligator volume, Bad Horsie 2, TC electronics Chorus/Flanger, into the Phase 90, then into Mesa Boogie Road King Combo. Running an Alesis Midiverb 4 into the 2 effect loops on the Road King for Dig. reverbs and delays.

After the mod, this thing is great, subtle, cool vintage.

Built like a tank...all my mxr stuff in the past lasted for decades.

no opinion, never used 'em.

I play classic rock, steely dan fusion, southern rock and progressive (Rush). This pedal is a perfect match. I have been playing for about 26 years, and really value the vintage sounding stuff. Before the mod, the pedal was only about a 5 or 6 over all...but after removing the R28 resistor, I give it a solid 9. The only thing I can suggest is that you place it in your chain BEFORE your distortion/overdrive. If you don't, you will have an overbearing heavy effect. Placing it before the distortion will give you that elusive VanHalen sound. If this was ever stolen, I would replace it with a vintage script model (if I could find one) or another reissue that has the R28 mod.

Only One Knob Rattles my brain!

Its a little noisey without the R28 Removed, and the Mid sweep is a little too much. But when you take the R28 out it is worth 4 times the cost atleast. Ill give this rating with the R28 Removed. The highest speed setting is kind of useless though, just gets an irritating Bubble kind of sound to it.

Very Sturdy, easy to loose, but does eat up the battery after a while, its good to get a 9 Volt Adapter to hook it up to so it doesnt quit on you in mid gig.

Never used it personally, but for telling us how to take out the R28, Dunlop gets a 10!

I play mostly 80s style Van Halen metal and some shredding. I think this is great for having background, especially if your trying to play Van Halen stuff. I would take out the R28 ASAP when you get it, unless you are not sure what your doing, its not worth the wasting money.

Very Very Very easy. Its just one knob, and can easily be switched in between songs, or even (as i often do) in the middle of a song.

Well i run a Boss ODB-3 Overdrive, into a Digitech Bass Synth Wah, into an old Shinai Wah, and then into this. And it adds some of the craziest tones to it. Once you find the legnth of the part you are using it on, everything seems to sound smooth. The only thing is that i got mine used, and i believe it is one of the first ones and the input and output seem to be a bit smaller and hard to get the cables into it, but thats just in my opinion. And even the slightest touch to the cables will send a POP through your amp. But other than that its FANTASTIC!

I havnt used it for a show yet, i guess ill see tommorrow how well it works.

I dunno!!! Ummmmmmmmm, it was used!!! I bet the old customer support people are dead!!! So ill give them a 10!!

Its quite a fine and wonderful effect!

Please!
But the 2 things I don't like about this pedal is that the battery compartement is a bitch to open and the switch hurts your feet if you don't wear shoes.

AWESOME!!!!
I can get really cool sonds with this baby!
With a low tone distortion, and the speed knob at max, you can get a "Queens of the stone age" sound, or a Jimi Hendrix or Jane's Addiction sound.
I can even make it sound "kindov" like water.
It's the best sounding Phaser out there, it beats the boss pedals too. When bypassed, the signal isn't changed by the pedal, there's no hum or buz. The only thing I would wish for is that there would be more speed on the thing, but then I guess it would sound to digital, but that's OK with me.

This is a little tank, or a mini bomb shelter, the one you prefer, this thing is totally reliable, bring it to all my gigs, even dropped it a few times, the enclosure is thick, and only a coupple scratches.

Never delt with them

You put all my last comments together and you get the best Phaser made to today (the reissue), the one before was to subtle for me.

Wow. I just started experimenting with single effects. This was one of my first single effects pedals. This is easy. A little baby could operate this thing. All you do is just plug it in , plug it in. The only thing is that if you are at home stomping away, you need to put shoes on or else you will hurt your toes trying to stomp on that small switch.

As for the sound. It is a very good phaser considering it only has one option . And that is the speed. It serves its purpose adding that unique swooshing sound. I managed to achieve a similar sound that may be heard in "that lady" by the Isley Brothers with the solo done by Ernie Isley back in I think 1973. To do this you have to add some sort of distortion. It phase is very clean and doesn't sound digitized. I use this through a 10 watt amp and a 20 watt amp. either way sound is good. if the phase sound was able to go faster on the "speed" knob it would be even better.

Oh it is reliable . very. actually I only use it when doing certain songs but it is very reliable for those purposes. I have yet to gig because I am just trying to develop my skill right now but I am sure if I were to gig or something I would use it.

I never got into a situation where I had to contact the company so I couldn't tell you.

It suits me. I find I can use this for all styles of music. When adding the phase 90 to a wah wah, I get a funky sound = funk style. when adding it to distortion it works for rock . when playing it by itself it does smooth chorus and fill-ins when playing pop, r&b. I would definately buy another if I lost it. The only thing I don't like about this is that the max speed is not that fast, but I guess too fast would sound too digitized.

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!