MXR EVH 90 PHASER PEDAL
Continuing on from renewed interest in Van Halen – particularly the band’s early music – the MXR EVH 90 is a collaboration between Eddie Van Halen and Dunlop Manufacturing that aims to provide an updated version of the legendary Phase 90, which featured on many Van Halen recordings.
The EVH 90 features similar spacey swirls and hypnotic warbles that made the original Phase 90 such a sought-after item, but the EVH 90 also features an all-new Script switch that lets you instantly toggle between a vintage, Script Logo phase tone and a more modern, aggressive Block Logo phase tone. And of course the EVH 90 sports on of the coolest (and most recognizable) graphics in the history of rock: the red, white, and black stripes from Eddie’s legendary Frankenstein guitar.
One might think that the novelty of a swirling guitar sound would wear off relatively fast, but the EVH 90 proves itself quite the versatile unit with a little tweaking. Synth / keyboard sounds can be approximated, or on more subtle settings the effect can be used to thicken out upper chord voicings or single note lines. Paul Gilbert is one guitarist who comes to mind who has often employed a phaser for this purpose in a rock trio setting.
Powered by a Dunlop ECB003 AC Adapter or Single 9 volt battery, the MXR EVH90 phaser pedal retails for $229.
FENDER CLASSIC SERIES ’72 TELECASTER THINLINE ELECTRIC GUITAR
In 1972 the Fender Telecaster guitar had an interesting year. Telecasters were available in several designs with more options offered than ever before. The Classic Series ’72 Telecaster Thinline firstly features the dual-humbucking pickup configuration introduced in that year along with several other departures from the traditional Telecaster design that make it a viable option for players after that little bit of variety in a tried and true model. The semi-hollow ash body with f-hole not only aids a different tonality but also provides a unique and classy look. The u-shaped maple neck with bullet truss rod nut and three-bolt neck plate (complete with Micro-Tilt adjustment options) coupled with a maple fingerboard creates a very comfortable fretting experience. A vintage-style string-through-body hard-tail bridge and vintage-style tuners round out the hardware, providing stable and reliable tuning.
On the middle pickup setting, that Telecaster twang can still be coaxed out of the instrument, but there’s no doubt that this pickup configuration is more suited to players who love the Tele feel but long for meatier tones and less background noise from this style of instrument. In any case, the guitar still cleans up reasonable well on the bridge and neck settings, and is certainly not over the top when running higher gain amp or pedal settings.
The Fender Classic Series ’72 Telecaster Thinline electric guitar comes from Fender’s Mexican factory and is a worthy stage or studio option at a retail price of $2049.
CHRIS GIBBS
