Read our reviews of the best Phaser pedals for guitar effects and buy the best on the market at an affordable price.
Essentially, phaser pedals are an effect that divides the signal from the guitar. Once the signal is divided, the phaser sends a clean signal and a second signal that has the phase-shifted. After this, the pedal mixes the two signals again, which causes them to cancel each other out. In the end, what happens is that you get an effect that sweeps the sound from low to high and vice versa.
The use of a phaser pedal to give a different sound to the guitar can be a very suitable solution. In fact, getting the sound that Eddie Van Halen popularized may well be the beginning of mastery of one of the most amazing modulation effects. Let’s see our reviews of the top 6 Phaser pedals for guitar effects. Later, we will also discuss how modulation effects can help you to enhance the sound of the guitar.
The stages of the Phaser pedals for guitar
The number of stages of a phaser pedal is important since it determines the overall character of the phaser. The more stages, the more complex the phaser sound. Some analog phasers offer 4, 6, 8, or 12 stages. Digital phasers can offer up to 32 or even more. This determines the number of notches/spikes in the sound, affecting the general character of the sound. The 4-stage phaser pedals are considered the classic phaser sound. In more than 4 stages it is where the sound can become more complex and in some cases a little weirder and beyond.
The 6 best phaser pedals: comparison of recommended phasers
Below you will find the ranking of the best phaser guitar pedal models available on the market: in our updated ranking, including the latest models released, we have crossed the reviews and opinions of the phaser guitar Pedals to classify the best ones by category and quality.
MXR M101 Phase 90 Guitar Effects Pedal
Starting this list with any other model would be wrong. MXR takes the palm for number one on our list with one of its most prolific models. The MXR Phase 90 is a classic analog phaser that has been around for a long time. At one point it became a very popular pedal among the most popular guitarists of the 70s. One of the best things about this particular model was its simplicity.
MXR did not want to waste too much time trying to include several features and controls. No, they went straight to the point. The pedal design is quite simple and involves a small orange box with a single knob that has the word ‘Speed’ written below. As you can probably guess, speed is related to the frequency of the phase filter, and that was all you could control.
We are so used to the new and complex pedal circuits that we forget how great it is to have a basic design like this. Add a great tone to the mix and you will have a recipe for success. In general, a great pedal that is still going strong.
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Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter Guitar Effects
This is another of the best Phaser pedals for guitar effects to buy. Compared to the most standard phaser, the Boss PH-3 brings much more versatility to the pedalboard. For the most part, it is this feature that has given it a lot of popularity since the moment it was released. At first glance, it looks like any other Boss pedal, but this phaser is anything but ordinary: it is a phaser top.
In addition to being able to adjust the speed of the effect, you can also adjust the depth of the ‘dips’ as well as the resonance. One of the most important aspects of the Boss PH-3 phaser pedal is the fact that it allows you to choose the number of stages. You have 4,6,8 and even 12-stage phasers to play, along with some other modes that are a bit more specific.
This Boss PH-3 is the type of phaser that we recommend because you can mark the way you want for each scenario. Newer models even come with a tempo detection function. This little green box can only give you joy.
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MXR M107 Phase 100 Phaser pedals
We have already covered the famous MXR phaser 90, but now is the time to see the model that came as a successor. The MXR M1907 Phase 100 comes in a larger format and offers a little more than the speed control we are used to seeing in Phase 90. The color of the pedal is the same, and even the pitch is the same somewhere. However, with phase 100 you can choose the intensity of the phaser, thus adding another dimension to an already tested platform.
All this may sound a bit bland compared to the most modern digital models, but keep in mind that we are talking about an analog phaser pedal. The vintage nature of the device is exactly what makes people return to the legendary orange box.
Some prefer the simplicity of Phase 90, but others know how much that additional button means in terms of control and versatility. The pedal is large and may cause problems when it is mounted on a pedal. That said, this one is worth it, no matter what.
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TC Electronic Helix
This is another of the best Phaser pedals for guitar effects to buy. The TC Electronic Helix Phaser is more or less what happens when an already popular concept is taken to a new era. Phasers are not that complicated from our point of view, but not many brands tried to impact the way they worked within their core. Except for TC Electronic. Why do we recommend it?
This brand of pedals is known for launching some of the most scandalous pedals, but also the most impressive on the market. A similar can be said of the Helix, one of the best phaser pedals on the market, and therefore, a member of this list. So what is the difference? Let’s start with the fact that it is an effects pedal that can be customized with TC Electronic’s software.
Somehow, this allows you to achieve almost any type of phaser effect you can think of. That said, the pedal itself has more or less standard controls, only that a true bypass is also obtained, as well as dual inputs and outputs for stereo use.
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Joyo JF-06 Vintage
How wonderful to be able to get a pedal that is very close to the coveted timbre of the much more expensive pedals for less than 40 dollars. Such is the case of the Joyo JF-06 Vintage Phase, a clone of the ubiquitous MXR Phase 90. This is such a good clone of Phase 90, which is the most recommended pedal when people ask for the “best economic phaser pedal” or “best phaser for less than 50 dollars. “
If you’ve seen the MXR Phase 90, the Joyo JF-06 Vintage Phase should look very familiar, even with the color orange. It is configured exactly as a Phase 90: you have ¼ »of input and output, a 9V DC socket for a power supply (and a 9V battery slot), a pedalboard to turn the pedal on and off (main points to be a true bypass when turned off), and a single SPEED knob. Speed control increases the speed or intensity of the phase effect. However cheap it is, the enclosure is made of metal and is very well built.
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Ibanez PH7 Phaser Pedal
This is another of the best Phaser pedals for guitar effects to buy. After producing one of the most legendary overdrive pedals in the history of guitar effects, people got used to Ibanez delivering good pedals from time to time. What we are talking about today is the Ibanez PH7 Phaser, one of the best Phaser pedals that money can buy. A quick look at this thing will tell you that you are seeing more or less the same layout as any other phaser in the market.
However, there is a big difference here. In addition to the three standard controls that allow you to adjust speed, depth, and feedback, the Ibanez PH7 also allows you to control the output level. What exactly does this mean in practical terms? Standard phasers are ideal for general use, but not when it comes to being as subtle as possible.
To achieve this, you simply need a level control knob. In addition, the Ibanez PH7 is among the ‘modern’ phasers of more natural sound that can be found today.
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What is a Phaser pedal and what is it for?
Phasing, or phase adjustment, occurs when a wave is duplicated, one remains unchanged while the other is reproduced at specific points in the reproduction, causing the matching sections to cancel each other.
This is a very similar effect to the flanger but its sound result is more subtle and soft. A phaser duplicates the signal without applying any delay to the copy, instead reverses the phases of the copied wave and combines it with the original signal. The coincidences between phases produce a sweep, an oscillating, and a slight modulation sound like the Doppler Effect.
Typical controls of Phaser pedals for guitar effects
The most common controls on these devices are:
- Speed / Rate: Regulates the rate of alteration of the signal phase.
- Level/mix: Determines the amount of effect applied to the original signal.
- Depth: Controls the size of the peaks and valleys of the waves of the intervened signal.
- Feedback: As in the flanger, the input can be fed back with the same effect and this potentiometer controls the amount of signal that re-enters.
Guitar pedals: the most used by professional guitar players
Before buying a guitar pedal, we have to know that the modulation of the sound causes a series of effects on it. In some cases, it will be a delay, in others, it will be distorted and in most cases, it will be a sensitive improvement in the final result. Do not miss the most used!
CHORUS GUITAR
This pedal is responsible for delaying the output of the received sound that, in addition, mixes with a low-frequency wave, lengthening the note and creating a more solid tuning. We will get the note that we are playing at that moment out of the amplifier and a thousandth of a second later we will hear the same note. With this minimum delay, a cleaner and above all more powerful sound is achieved. We can choose both the depth of the sound and the speed of the delay.
It is usually used by guitarists who play rhythm and soloists. Two good examples of the sound of this pedal are “Come as You Are” by Nirvana, and “One” by Metallica, listen to them!
PHASER
The operation is somewhat complicated, but we will try to define it.
The original sound enters the pedal to be inverted and emitted with a certain delay. The intensity and speed of the effect can be selected.
The goal is to achieve greater sound amplitude and clean the sound as much as possible.
As we said at the beginning, Van Halen uses it to create a wonder like “Unchained” or another like “Eruption.” It can also be heard at the end of the solo of “Bark at the Moon” (by Ozzy Osbourne), in “The Rover” by Led Zeppelin, and in a good part of Audioslave’s songs, Tom Morello is one of the guitarists who more and better use it.
FLANGER
For most guitarists, it is a mix between Chorus and Phaser, but it is not exactly so. While it is true that the delay occurs, it is treated with low-frequency waves that can be given greater or lesser depth. Thanks to this pedal, singers, such as Mercury and drums have been able to explore new sound grounds.
Among the songs with this effect include “The Spirit of Radio” by Rush, the immeasurable “Bold as Love” by Jimi Hendrix, the beginning of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” by Led Zeppelin, “Keep Yourself Alive” by Queen or in “Are you gonna go my way” by Lenny Kravitz. Andy Summers and David Gilmour shine among the guitarists who use this pedal more often, although it is a pedal commonly used by almost all guitarists to enrich the nuances of any musical passage.
Conclusion
We hope we have helped you to know better how modulation effects can help to enhance the sound of the guitar. In these three cases, these are pedals that delay the sound output and bend it creating an extraordinary result.
It is, although it may not seem like it, to trick the ear slightly to create a style with many more nuances. Selecting the depth and speed of the effect does not take long to outline the sound itself that is, in short, the only objective that any guitarist has.
Guitar pedals such as the Phaser, Chorus, or Flanger are essential for us to carry out necessary sound experimentation to continue growing as musicians.
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