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MXR M101 Phase 90
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MXR M101 Phase 90

Phaser for Guitar from MXR belonging to the Phase 90 series

iamqman iamqman

« Simply the best! »

Published on 03/24/11 at 11:31
I have played quite a few phase pedals and there are some great one out there. I really like the A/DA phasers and the stuff you get out of TC and Eventide. For me though I think it was about simplistic value. I am a very big fan of Eddie Van Halen and so getting something that I know he used was the way I was going to shop. If you notice the price I paid may seem high. I bought this from Analogman it is the hand wired version with added true bypass and LED. I have owned this pedal now for about 3 years and it has never failed me. I use this pedal often and has been on my pedal board since inception.

It has a great range or sweep of phase that goes from simple phase to pulsating phaser. It only has one knob and it is as simple as it gets. It takes a 9v plug in.

UTILIZATION

One knob for control and that is all you need with this pedal. You would be surprised of how much variation the sweep range has with only one control. It isn't hard to figure out you have to use your ear to tailor it to your personal preference. I generally keep mine around the 9:00-11:00 range. It is somewhat subtle in this range but adds a nice sweet element to your overdriven tone.

There isn't any need for a manual with only one knob.

SOUND QUALITY

The tone is perfect for me. When I engage it, it doesn't cut the volume of my original tone like many pedals do when engaged. That was a big selling factor for me. Since it doesn't have a volume knob I was a little leery of how good it will work without a volume control, but it has a great unity volume standard in the unit.

I have used this with a number of guitar and amps. The current rig I have this week is a Les Paul going into a Splawn Quickrod and going into a vintage Marshall 4x12 with blackback Celestion speakers. I run this pedal in front of my amp. It sounds good in the effects loop as well but I think these MXR phaser pedal sound best in front of the overdriven amp. I many times couple this with a delay and I get some great early VH tones. I used a Wolfgang to get those tones.

OVERALL OPINION

This pedal like many of MXR's is so simple and easy to use. They as a company don't get to crazy with many controls and options. I think the tone of their products have such a sweet ranges of tones that I don't think you need a group of different controls. At around $100 this is a great priced pedal. If you need something simple and that will get you a great vintage phase tones than this is your pedal. If you want something with a little more options and for funky effects that take phasing to a whole new level then grab an A/AD phaser reissue.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants keep it simple. One knob control is very simple and you'll love the tone you get.