The Toys That Make the Noise

Some of you may remember that the last time I was in Japan I bought an MXR Phase 90 'EVH' signature model. EVH stands for Edward Van Halen.The paint replicates Eddie's famous color scheme for his guitars. The ' Script' button on the upper left changes the circuitry in the pedal to sound like the older models, whose "MXR" logo was written in... you guessed it... script:The Phase 90 is what makes that weird sound at the beginning of 'Atomic Punk' on Van Halen I. It's also used on the solo in "Romeo Delight" form Women and Children First.

You'd probably recognize the effect if you hear it on a song, but wouldn't necessarily know to call it a phaser/phase shifter.

What I like about phasers in general and this EVH phaser in particular is that it adds just a little more gain to the signal, making the guitar sound better and more fun to play.

On a seemingly unrelated note, the folks at Tom Lee must love the pollution.

Why, you reasonably ask?

Because today I was so f@#$ed up on my allergy/asthma meds that I thought $1800 looked a whole lot like $1300 and bought the MXR EVH Flanger:The flanger has made a number of important appearances on Van Halen albums. One of the most recognizable of them is the opening of "And the Cradle Will Rock!" from Women and Children First. But that's not a guitar. It's a Wurlitzer organ run through the flanger and Eddie's Marshall amplifier. You can also hear it on the intro to "Hear About It Later" on Fair Warning.

But the main motivation for this signature pedal is Eddie's use of the flanger on the intro to "Unchained," also on Fair Warning. The song opens with triads played over a drop-D pedal tone. The first run through the chords is normal. On the second pass, between chords (while playing the pedal tone) he hits the flanger and makes a sound so huge and menacing it evokes the air movement caused by the swinging of Godzilla's scrotum:This video brought to you by antihistamines, ephedrine, and diphenhydramine.It is simultaneously both totally non-musical and magnificently appropriate. It has become such a trademark of Eddie's catalog that this pedal has an 'EVH' button (instead of 'script') that, when pressed, instantly calls up the exact setting Edward used on that song.

The paint for the pedal replicates the color scheme of Eddie's self-assembled 'Frankenstein' guitar circa 1978-79:He later painted red over it because guitar companies were making copies of the black and white one: So if I wanted to put the pedals in 'chronological paint order', I'd have to put the flanger first.

But I noticed something about the phaser the other day, and tonight I checked the flanger too. This is one of those tiny details that can be so useful to working musicians who often have little to no light onstage between songs. Look at the dial markers and the script/EVH buttons:They glow in the dark!! Sorry that last picture is so crap. My hands are shaky, and the shutter stays open a lot longer in the dark.That's not a euphemism.

I bought these not because of Eddie, but because of MXR. These things sound great. The 'regular' MXR Phase 90 comes with either the script or block logo-era circuitry; the EVH has both.

I admit the paint on the EVH flanger may contribute: look at the regular one: It looks like a  turd pinched by a Soviet tank.The other reason I bought MXR is that they're builtlike tanks, and they'll last forever. They'll also be collector's items one day.

I bought an MXR Phase 100 for US$15 in a pawn shop in 1983. It's worth US$500 today. No, I don't have it. Do I look that smart or lucky (or f@#$able) to you?

But I have no intention of ever selling them. I've wanted these for a long time, and I finally have them.My neighbors are going to hate me (more).