MXR EVH117 Flanger

FLANGERS CAN OFTEN BE THE
most unsubtle of effects and, if you’re
not careful, they can smother your
carefully crafted tone with all manner of
jets, swirls and wooshes. Trust Edward
Van Halen to use such a device to give a
further injection of pace into a number
of the band’s classic riffs.
Most notably it’s the intro riff to the
track Unchained (from 1981’s Fair
Warning) that benefi ts and, in a stroke
of impressive forethought, MXR have
included that setting as a preset. The
pedal operates in the usual manner but,
if you have the small EVH button
MXR EVH117 Flanger
£215
KEY INFO ❘ MXR EVH117 FLANGER ❘ PRICE: £215 ❘ TYPE: MULTI-F X PROCESSOR ❘ TEL: JHS 0113 286 5381 ❘ WEB: WWW.JHS.CO.UK/MXR
MISCELLANEOUS GUITARIST INTERACTIVE
KEY INFO ❘ LINE 6 VARIAX ACOUSTIC 300 NYLON ❘ PRICE: £524 ❘ TYPE: MODELLING NYLON-STRING ❘ TEL: LINE 6 01327 302700
LINE 6’S MODELLING
technology really does work and all
that’s required is a leap of faith, a step
we can nevertheless understand that
many may be unwilling to consider.
We’d suggest that this new nylon-
strung Variax offers the last best chance
for you to fi nally become a convert as
using a traditional gut-string either live
or in the studio can prove a real bind.
Here, the slimline mahogany and solid
spruce body offers a choice of either a
trebly fl amenco or warmer standard
classical body model, plus all points in
between thanks to a handy mix control.
You can add reverb, compression and
alter the virtual mic placement via a trio
of sliders and then store all settings into
one of 10 user locations: there’s even an
on-board tuner.
The 19-fret neck is a joy, our example
was set up with a perfect string
tension and height and the only
downside we could think of is that
the solid body disallows any sort
of percussive accompaniments
to your fl amenco masterpieces.
SOUNDS: Where to start? In
a nutshell, you can obtain the
gamut of classical, Spanish and
fl amenco sounds you have in
your head in just minutes. We
used an AER Acousticube III for
our sound tests, but be aware that,
without a full range cab, the sound
won’t be so excessively sparkling,
merely excellent. This would be
something else through a full PA
though…
Verdict
If you dabble in home recording, you
should get one of these guitars without
A new Variax but the usual brilliant mix of technology, performance and tone… by Simon Bradley
Line 6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon £524
tag is very
diffi cult to
swallow – a BOSS
BF-3, for example, is
just £89. We can’t deny
how much fun the EVH117 is
to play around with, though, and
if Ed’s your man it’s unlikely that
anything else will do.
MXR EVH117 FLANGER TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Features
Sounds
Value for money
■ WE LIKED The authentic tone; that
Unchained preset
■ WE DISLIKED The high price
further ado – and that goes for
professional outfi ts too. Live or to hard
disc, it’s unlikely the Variax Nylon will
ever let you down, which is praise
enough: just fantastic.
The nylon Variax
upholds the high
standards of the brand
LINE 6 VARIAX 300 NYLON TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Amazing classical tones; a
great neck
■ WE DISLIKED Doesn’t react well to
traditional fl amenco hand-slapping
DECEMBER 2006 155
depressed when you turn the pedal on,
you have just the right setting to play
that iconic riff.
MXR’s EVH Phase 90 is resplendent
in the trademark red, white and black
stripes, and the livery here is from an
even earlier period: the original black
and white paint job from Ed’s
Frankenstein Boogie Bodies guitar.
What’s more, certain parts of the front
panel glow in the dark.
Power comes from a pair of standard
nine-volt batteries and, as you’d expect,
the pedal is built like a tank.
SOUNDS: As a generic fl anger the
modulation is warm and organic with
plenty of headroom within all four
controls. As with all fl angers, it’s best
used sparingly for maximum effect.
Verdict
Regardless of the undeniable quality
across the board here, that £215 price
RATING
It’s Eddie Van Halen unchained with the second of his signature MXR stompboxes by Simon Bradley
RATING
Hit the ground
runnin’ with the
EVH Flanger
GIT284.rev_quick 155 6/11/06 15:57:46