MXR EVH90 Phase 90

Excellent, versatile little pedal for a range of classic, usable phasing effects. Not just for Van Halen fans, this pedal with it's "script" button gives you both effect types found in the standard MXR Phaser, and reissue "script logo" models. (It's just a subtle difference, mainly the standard MXR has a little more harsher mid-tone spike to it which is great for a pronounced phase rhythm effect, and the more tamed "script logo" sound which is better when soloing with distortion.) It's construction looks very solid, it's blue "on" light is practically blinding (like a deer in the headlights?). The only little annoyance I had when hooking this pedal onto my pedalboard was where the AC connecting input slot was found - on the side, close to the 1/4 inch guitar cable coupler. It just meant I had to place the phaser a little further apart than normal, to clear the daisy-chain connector. Apart from that, it's an excellect phaser and highly recommended for all styles, whether you're playing clean or overdriven, rock or jazz, or anything in-between.

UTILIZATION

This is simple as it gets with one knob and a one toggle button to work with. Simple and easy.

SOUND QUALITY

The quality is awesome. It nails all kinds awesome phaser sounds. VH all day long. I use it a lot for small little bits for leads. Just adds some great layering to it.

OVERALL OPINION

The Phase 90 pedal offers everything that went wrong with digitally produced sounds. I've used several Line 6 products over the years, such as the Pod, Spider and Flextone, but nothing can come close to the authentic sound of that tiny phase box. This is a simple device but can tweak your sound toward more retro music such as Sonic Youth. If you want Phase, this is the way to go.

This is a simple setup: 1 on/off toggle, 1 knob to adjust speed, 1 button to change from tradition mxr phase to EVH phase. It is said to be true bypass.

UTILIZATION

Controlling the sound is ridiculously easy; simple speed control and EVH switch. I never read the manual as operation is completely intuitive. I typically run the phase with a speed setting at 8:30 and the EVH button engaged. Special wacky phase tones I set the speed up to 3 or 4 o'clock.

SOUND QUALITY

I use this pedal with a variety of guitars in a variety of tuning, including Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats. I put it towards the end of my pedal board: tuner>Wah>OD>Phase>Noise gate>Amp

In bypass, the pedal scores high marks in keeping the signal pure, avoiding the usual tone suckage many other pedals present. Engaged, the phase sounds are fantastic!

OVERALL OPINION

I was hesitant to buy this pedal, thinking that the lack of controls would be a huge disadvantage. I thought a dry/wet mix feature and depth controls would be absolute necessities, so I hesitated. But I love EVH, so I made the plunge; I am thrilled i did!
Once plugged in, the simplicity becomes a HUGE asset. The depth and wet/dry mix are actually perfect, as the tones of the phase yield a present effect without ever approaching an overbearing splash of "too much". The difference in the standard vs EVH push button are gentle, so typically i roll with the button engaged to EVH. The speed settings are easy to find great tones, as it sounds great in many areas, depending on the material. This pedal has become a set and forget it, as the effect sounds so great delivering classic EVH vibe. It is a pleasure knowing the effect will always sound great and you can spend more time playing and less time tweaking endless parameters.

I usually find effects annoying and enjoy straight ahead guitar to amp tones...but this phase has a soothing effect on the listener making it real easy to jam for sustained periods without inducing the usual fatigue associated with phasers.


MXR knocked it out of the park on this one and I am sure to try the EVH Flanger at some point in the near future.

This is a simple pedal at face value, and in truth it is very simple. Just one knob? Well that's all you need. It's a phaser...sort of. And there's no need for a ton of parameter knobs with this pedal. Because it's not trying to be all phasers at once. It knows exactly what it is.

UTILIZATION

Seems solid enough. MXR boxes are generally a cut above everything else in their price range. But these days if you don't have metallic housing and metal switches, most people won't bother. The large knob is a nice feature on a lot of these style pedals. MXR gets high marks for ease of use and reliability here in my book.

SOUND QUALITY

Here's the thing. This is not a traditional phaser. Yes it does have that 80's jet engine thing going on. But you would expect this since it is after all the EVH phaser and his whole sound is basically a very flagrant thick jet style phaser. It's definitely not subtle. If you want a musical phaser or a vintage style one, this is not your pedal. If you want the EVH solo phase tone this will get it. It also does that crazy 90's phase that you hear so much in grunge rock stuff. Here's the thing though, it also has a lot of chorusing going on, and for that it's not just a true jet phaser. It's honestly a bit of a unique effect. Want a vintage phaser that sounds simpler? Get EHX or a more boutique offering. People say this thing sounds a lot like a script logo but I don't hear it. The script is way more subtle.

OVERALL OPINION

About the only thing it could use it some sort of tempo control since it's heavy on 'swirls' as some people call them. But using the single knob you can get about any territory you need. This isn't a do it all phaser by any means. But a lot of people, not just EVH fans seem to love it. I personally like it a lot for some solos and wacky passages. Outside of that I rarely use it. I'm not a phase nut anyway. For the price it's pretty good. Not an insane deal but you do get what you pay for.

The EVH Phase 90 is one of the pedals that Eddie helped design. He was one of the guitarists that helped make this effect really stand out, so it was only natural for MXR to offer Eddie his own signature pedal. The EVH Phase 90 differs from the normal one in that it has the classic EVH stripes, an LED and a special button to select between script and block mode.

UTILIZATION

The EVH MXR Phase 90 is a great Phaser for those looking for a decently priced Phaser without having it be as thin sounding as the current standard production MXR Phase 90. The pedal is super easy to use to the point where it doesn't need a manual at all. The biggest difference with this, aside from the LED and slight revoicing, is that this has a button to select between the old school script mode and the new school block mode. Most people will be running this in the script mode, so I'm not really sure why they decided to add that feature.

SOUND QUALITY

The pedal sounds great for those looking for that classic Phase 90 sound. Where was block can sound a bit thin, script mode seems to be the closest sounding to the old school Phase 90 sounds that MXR was so well known for back in the day. The effect is so simple to use and easy to get a great sound out of that it's truly idiot proof. EVH used to run the knob all the way down and use it on his solos, so try that. Personally, I keep the knob somewhere around 10 o'clock for my leads.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're in the market for a good sounding phaser that won't break the bank, check out one of these. While it doesn't sound quite as good as the custom shop '74 Phase 90, it does still sound good. It's also cheaper and has an adapter plug, unlike the custom shop version. I highly recommend adding one of these to your board.