Best Guitar Flanger Pedal (2024 Update)

This is 'that sound.' First some quick background: I've played for over 20 years. I've played SEVERAL flanger pedals looking for the VH sound. I've owned SEVERAL Digitech processors (my mistake). Each processor had between 4 and 8 flangers 'built in' to it. NOTHING I'VE EVER PLAYED CAN HOLD A CANDLE TO THE EVH FLANGER! Seriously. Nothing has came close to this flanger. It's analog and it's great. The beauty of this pedal is, you can dial in your own settings and then simply press the EVH button to acquire the VH flange setting–allowing you to have 'your' setting and Eddie's. I have read from several sources that Eddie only used ONE setting on his flanger for all VH songs…and I believe that! While the EVH button works for Unchained, it also works for On Fire, Hear About it Later, Mean Street, The Seventh Seal, or really any VH song that a flanger was used. Ironically, the knob settings on the Amazon pic are EXACTLY the settings for the Van Halen flange, but without pressing the EVH button. –Trust me, I played with this for hours to figure out what the settings actually are. To my surprise, after having figured it out, they are on several pics of this pedal! Here are the exact VH settings: Manual: 10:00 Width: 10:00-11:00 Speed: 11:00 Regen: 5:00 (Max) I've had a DOD flanger (yeah, remember those?), I've tried Boss, and the countless Digitech flangers built in to my processors… You really need a MXR flanger to replicate that VH flange. However, this is a 'fan's only' type pedal. The regular MXR flanger (117 I think) will do this too, but without the VH button. This is a fantastic analog flanger that will allow you to create your own flange while being able to instantly switch to a VH flange with the press of a button. I've never used a better flanger than this, and HIGHLY recommend this pedal if you are looking for a great analog and/or VH flanger.eruption77

This Flanger hits the bulls-eye in all areas of quality, overall sound and value! The white EVH switch recalls the exact settings of the Van Halen classic "Unchained" perfectly. In fact, I think this product surpasses the original MXR Flanger from the 70's easily in noise reduction! Pair this with the EVH Phase 90(slow setting) and you're off into the stratosphere!*grace1*

Just plug your phone in and use the free toneprint app to add up to three custom toneprints! Several already in their database or create your own. Pedal can do 2 simultaneous harmonies, above and/or below the note you are playing. Button has built-in expression function which is pretty cool and useful! Awesome pedal!aaronplaysguitar247

First impressions. Fast tracking and good options. Well laid out pedal. Would be more useful w/ different scales rather than just major modes, but the modes are a fun way to interact. Tone reproduction seems very synthetic. (Used on sax not guitar). The mash pitch bend is a great idea, however the tone of the harmonised notes is so plastic that it's not worth it for me. The Digitech DHP55 harmoniser i had in the mid 90s killed this. But that was a high end rack mount multiFX unit. Maybe on distorted guitar this would be a lot more effective. This is a well designed user friendly pedal at a great price that I'm sure will be a lot of fun for plenty of players. EDIT: those were first impressions on the day it arrived. After playing around a bit more today I found adding reverb after the Harmonizer really helped. Still sounds plasticy but its a fun effect. The modes setting is actually is a good way to interact. Tracking is superb and it also does a good job of harmonising chromatic/non diatonic notes.27jjk

Let me start with… The only good features of this pedal are the esthetics and nothing else. Having tried out other tc electronic models this is a real disappointment. The pedal features C D E F G A B tonal options with # toggle with and mash for infinite tonal possibilities however… When it comes to the scales it offers 10maj, Dorian, Phygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and a custom form if you ever get them to work in the toneprint app. From the harmony perspective it offers -6th, -4th, -3rd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 3rd and 5th, 3rd and 6th and 3 tone print options if you ever get to make them work. I downloaded the tone print app on my apple Mac and I never got it to work. However the iPhone and iPad apps work only if you invest on a 35$ on a convertor-cable. After careful playing around with then tone print app the toneprints never saved any of my custom presets. The minor thirds never latched on properly, the feel is plastic and not organic, even though it is a versatile pedal it really lacks in quality. The octave does not sound deep and round as other brands, the only good solid song are 5th or dual 5ths. I wanted to use this pedal for harmonizing either Iron Maiden or Queen riffs but I would suggest to jam it out with a buddy because this will definitely provide that sweet double guitar harmonized tone.Rickingo

I had the original MXR flanger waaaay back in the 70's. Don't know about this new one, but the old one I think was a "through-zero" flanger because it had a blank spot in mod cycle that drove me crazy- you could NOT dial it out!. Great for mix-downs but not for an instrument effect. Though it was built like a tank, I much prefer the original battery Electric Mistress, volume drop and all. It is the absolute sweetest sounding flanger ever and cute as heck, to boot! Also the original MXR flanger was A/C, no wall wart needed, but I don't think it had the led.GESchwalm

This is an unusual review as I am a bit of an unusual guitarist. I play an individualized type of dark ambient psychodelica noisy post-rock. Bought this pedal looking for the occasional weird synth sound only intending to use it here and there. But, when put in front of my chain (in front of fuzzes) I find that it really thickens up the whole sound wall. And when you blend in less synth and more guitar, for cleaner parts, it creates a beautiful and consistent wash. It can be a bit of a flander/phaser as well. It's unexpected that this pedal would actually be …. useful. It will also do the thing it does; creating that 80s synth sound. It's really receptive to the lower registers of my 8 string. All in all, I expected to buy a thing to use very rarily. And as a bit of a pedal snob, I was reluctant to polute my beautiful board with a Digitech thing. But now, I have a different sound. It also inspired me to write my first ever review.Jeknight78

This is a great, solid, pedal. The effects sound great and the options are almost limitless with the various things you can tweak. I have not had the pedal very long and only performed with it once so far so I still have a lot to learn with it. The only con I have right now – and maybe I need to just figure this out better – is that when I switch from Chorus to Flange my volume and wetness of the effect seems different. If I switch to Flange I need to reset a bunch of dials on the pedal before I can just keep playing. That's not a huge deal, but it just is not a perfect scenario for switching back and forth. As a result, I am pretty much just using the Chorus option right now. I have not set up a stereo rig yet but I plan to do that and take advantage of the full effect which will be really cool!Billy

The Digitech Dirty Robot requires a short learning curve but the example settings in the brief manual really helps getting started in crafting Rush-style synth or mini-moog tones. Tracking with guitar is excellent and smooth – no lag. Great for lead, melody and bass tones. It's not designed for creating pads or swells but with effects available in my DAW I was able to sculpt an ominous ambient bass texture. Lots of options here for the creative guitarist!awblues

Been curious about this line of pedals and was wondering which one to try first. Well I was looking for some flanger sounds and figured this would be a good starting point. Man it's small, which means not a lot of lost space on the pedalboard. Sound wise? A+ ! It's got a lot of different flavors and the dive button really gets it going. If your looking for a well made, inexpensive, small flanger this is it. Thanks Vito for helping me out with this purchase.DanElectro

I really like the sound of this flanger. It can do subtle to over the top jet fly-bys. I use it on synths and my Rhodes electric piano. It can add a touch of ambience or completely liquify the tone. It is well-built and small.airbornewright

This baby is all you need for a flanger pedal. It is compact and fits nicely on the pedal board. Don't let the size fool you. It has everything you want for your flanger effect. Great little pedal!axmangfunk

This is a cool pedal for both guitarists and bass players. There are several features one can easily get lost in but for a straight forward flange it does the trick. I haven't spent much time adjusting all the various settings it has to offer. Works for me!Azuljay

Very nice. I owned a Boss BF-2 flanger in the mid-eighty's. The BF-3 is ten times better. I'm a better guitar player now, this pedal is a must for shoegazer's and trip hop, and doom metal players alike. Very controller friendly, easy to use, and has a multitude of sounds of which are simple to manipulate. I simply patch cord it into an Ibanez DM1000 delay rack processor, and another delay, chorus, and reverb pedals, and flange the hell out of it. It does not matter what kind of electric guitar ya got, it sounds nice. However, amplifiers do matter. One small cabnet with 2 2×10's celestion speakers will do the trick. Yeah a good pedal.amcs_ajy

As with all Boss products, it is well built. I happily used a Bf-2 for 20 years until it finally just quit working. It was used to provide just a single flange sound. With the BF-3 I'm unable to reproduce that exact same BF-2 chimey sound without excessive woo-woo-woo pulsing – but that's not my main complaint. I'm hard on pedals. I'm singing, playing and hitting stomp boxes at the same time. My last gig, the new BF-3 inadvertently went into tempo tap mode in the middle of a song — which was very disconcerting – although I admit, it was probably my fault. My point is: The Bf-3 has great variety of sounds, but for me, I just need a single flange sound that's reliable and not going to jump the tracks because of a sloppy pedal click. So now I'm looking at used BF-2s.swampy

Great sound. Durable pedal. Great value! Only issue for me is background feedback noise, especially when used with gain. But could just be my settings not sure yetcasperflip81

I have owned 4-5 different flanger pedals. I had owned this pedal previously and sold it to get a"better" one. I regretted that and ended up buying it again. Perfect flanger pedal and good build quality as wellmabroadwell

I am not a big pedal user, but recently getting into Oz Noy stuff. And this pedal is of great TC elec quality. The toneprint capability thru the iphone works fawlessly giving you so many different sounds and paramaters that if you are into flangers this is the one to get. I am using this pedal to add color to my improvasations. It is not on during the entire song, just adding tone, color etc. Good sturdy build.johnnyc

Does everything you’d expect a Flanger to do. TonePrint technology really sets this apart though. You can dial in many tones covering Chorus (by removing feedback and increasing the delay time) and Tremolo (by taking out the dry signal) as well as Flanging. There aren’t any pedal units out there that I am aware of in this price range that can compete with that sort of customisation.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I use all of my few pedals at gigs. This Flanger is pretty awful, very limited selections of sound, spend more money and buy a pedal that will give you the sounds you're looking for.Doc

I bought this at Sam Ash Hollywood and the guy helping me made sure I had everything I needed and a good space to try it out. Admittedly there's no way I could've coaxed even half of the sounds this pedal had to offer in store. But the employee was so helpful even getting two different power supplies out of their boxes because the first didn't fit quite right. I really enjoy the through-zero mode on the Pyramids. The Pole Up and Down are awesome too and the trigger/tap button really opens up some creative options. As well as the momentary proprietary switching that Earthquaker offers on the bypass switch. The only other pedal that I think could come close to this is Free The Tone's flanger equivalent, and that comes in a bigger footprint if I'm not mistaken. All in all I can't recommend this product enough and all of Earthquaker's other offerings. I have several pedals by them and they never disappoint. Hats off to Sam Ash Hollywood and the one in Westminster for always having killer pedal selections and for their willingness to go above and beyond just to let a customer try out a pedal in a crowded store.GABE

Easy to use. Super flexible. Authentic analog Echo sounds. Can be utilized in many ways. Could I use a 2nd unit simultaneously? I'm thinking about it.John

This is one of the best flangers I've used. It has a wide variety of sounds, particularly when adjusting the Manual and Regeneration knobs. It's also pretty quiet. All pedals have some white noise (hiss) and this does but it's not bad at all.For those who are comparing flangers: Do NOT get a Boss. They sound very thin and metalic. I still don't understand how a company that makes great chorus pedals can't make a good flanger.I also like the Ibanez FL9. It's a little more chorus like, which is great for clean tones. However, it is VERY noisy in front of an overdriven amp. That's where the MXR shines. It has less than half the noise level. MXR makes great stuff. Highly recommended.plexi or die!

Great sound. Durable pedal. Great value! Only issue for me is background feedback noise, especially when used with gain. But could just be my settings not sure yetcasperflip81

I have owned 4-5 different flanger pedals. I had owned this pedal previously and sold it to get a"better" one. I regretted that and ended up buying it again. Perfect flanger pedal and good build quality as wellmabroadwell

Lots of control over the sound. Takes a little experimentation to understand its full potential but the rewards are worth it. However the mirror quality metal casing makes it very hard to read the knob labels and impossible in low or stage lighting! Relatively expensive but you get what you pay for.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Flangey awesomeness. Saw this demoed on TPS and was in… Missed out on the TPS edition by half a second, then Andertons had me hooked up within a week… It landed on my board, just in time to sweeten a bass sound that had previously refused to sit in the mix… Well chuffed! Result of initial session https://youtu.be/0mtCOWG1CkwReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Everything I hoped for and more! I was looking for a good flanger for a while, and after looking at many reviews of different products (thanks Dan & Mick in particular) I decided to pull the trigger on this beauty. The sound is just blowing all my expectations out of the water, and the flexibility of what is possible is unreal – It's way more than just a flanger, it's a modulation beast! And that's without mentioning the quality build and beautiful design. I love everything about this product, and even the not-negligble price is in my view completely justified for the quality and sonic capabilities. I can't wait for my next ThorpyFX pedal(s) – it's no longer a question of "if", it's a question of "how soon".Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

It took some time to get it since it was a new product from PRS, but it was worth the wait. It has a wide variation of tones and doesn't lose its clarity when driven by some extra boost. I have it connected to a Boss Hybrid OD 200 Boost and a PRS Horsemeat and it sounds great driven by either one. Very nice pedal. PRS just keeps doing it right. I would recommend watching the PRS promo video to get a better grip on how you want to use it, but you'll quickly find a home for it on your board.Brad