Arguably, the MXR Phaser has been the industry’s benchmark for this modulation effect for decades. Yes, everyone, including Eddie Van Halen, relied on these orange boxes to add some 3D and psychedelia to their playing.
Well, after over half a century of making this pedal, Dunlop released a version that’s the only phaser pedal you’ll need for studio and live applications.
Yes, this tiny noise machine packs enough power to knock down an elephant pack running your way.
I’ve had it on my board for close to half a year and have gotten as many sounds from it as you can imagine; we became instant best friends.
So, without further ado, here’s the tiny monster, the one phaser pedal to rule them all.
Table of Contents
The MXR Phase 95 Control Layout
The first thing that gets you about the MXR Phase 95 (Amazon / Sweetwater) is just how tiny it is and how clean and minimalistic the control layout is. Don’t forget this little orange machine packs enough power to make an entire hippie campsite go batik.
Let’s break down what does what.
The 45/90 Switch
Is the MXR Phase 90 the most iconic phaser pedal of all time? It arguably is. But did you know there’s a Phase 45 too? Well, it was only out for a handful of years in the ‘70s and has been discontinued for a very long time.
What’s the difference between the Phase 90 and the Phase 45? Well, there’s a big one because the 90 is a four-stage phaser while the 45 is a two-stage phaser. This is not just a nerd-worthy difference, but it has a deep impact on tone.
While the Phase 90 setting is more intense and has a more prominent effect on your instrument’s sound, the Phase 45 has a mellower, mode dynamic, and musical swoosh.
This is great for tailoring the Phase 95 to use on each occasion. For example, the clean arpeggios and the reverb-and-delay infused tones sounded, to my ear, better in the 45 setting. It gave them a completely clean moving effect on the overall sound that was very organic and matched perfectly the nuances of my playing.
On the other hand, as soon as I added some overdrive and distortion to the original signal, the effect was kind of missing from the resulting audio. Therefore, I changed to the Phase 90 setting and the more aggressive phasing suddenly appeared, transforming the sound and giving it that characteristic phase swoosh we all know and love.
Furthermore, going into high-gain territory (don’t you just love that palm-muting tone with some phase on top and a ton of distortion?), the phaser remained completely accurate, giving my playing the movement I intended with it.
But that’s not all, because this change in tone doesn’t affect speed in any way, so you can just bend down to press a single tiny button, and you’re enjoying the mellow tone of that mid-70s Phase 45 tone. Likewise, when things get nasty and overdriven, just kneel down to push it again and go into that territory easily.
The Script/Block Logo Switch
On the other side of the speed knob, you’ll find another little button that’s a toggle switch to go from block logo to script logo.
What are these? You might be wondering. Well, the initial ‘70s MXR pedals had a script logo that later got transformed into the block logo we know nowadays.
But that’s not the only difference, it’s not a button to toggle aesthetics, the difference between the script and block logo is also a sound difference. Yes, the engineers at MXR added a feedback resistor to the Phase 90 in the block-logo era.
This little component gave the MXR Phase 90 block logo a more pronounced phaser tone that’s also a little dirty and adds some edge to your sound. It is ideal for those drastic, pushy, strong swooshing sounds on top of anything played fast.
If you engage the script logo mode, the phasing becomes more tamed with a subtle swoosh that works perfectly adding something to the sound rather than changing it. For example, on the slowest speed setting and with some clean reverb below it, you can get that beautiful 3D-like tone to play arpeggios and chords for days.
The Speed Knob
The speed knob adjusts the speed of the wave. In the slowest setting, what you hear is a mammoth wash that takes its time to go all the way from low to high.
On the opposite, with the knob dimed, what you get is a very modern, machinegun-like phaser effect that works perfectly for adding some tremolo-like vibe to whatever you play.
It can take a while to find the sweet spot and it is also a combination of buttons and a knob to get the sound in your head. For example, I usually have it a little below noon whenever I’m playing live. I’ve found it’s a setting that works for almost any song and part that I play.
It’s there, you can hear it, but your mind can’t make out what’s really going on.
That said, read on and I’ll tell you about a trick I discovered while playing along with the Strymon Flint.
A Pedalboard-Friendly Size
Before we get into some cool sounds I got with this pedal, let me tell you that the size is half the size of a regular MXR pedal and it houses 4 types of phasers in a single pedal.
Of course, you can’t get it to work on batteries, there’s not enough room for one.
What I found a little confusing is that it has some LED lights that are on all the time, not just when the pedal is engaged, so it’s kind of deceiving until you get used to it.
I can’t explain to you the level of panic I had to handle during my first gig with it when I thought I had played the entire show with it ON without knowing because of those always-on lights.
It was quite a relief turning it ON and realizing it had been OFF all that time.
Getting Some Cool Sounds
I’ve had my Phase 95 for months and learned my way around it. Here are some cool tones that you can replicate from the comfort of your home.
Clean
My favorite setup of all the ones I played with was with the slowest possible speed, the 45 script logo, and the tremolo from my Deluxe Reverb amp with some generous reverb. The result was a textured, nuanced, instant Spaghetti Western tone that you just can’t stop playing with. I tried the same replacing the Deluxe Reverb with the Strymon Flint and the result was very similar with a little less depth.
Another great clean tone in my opinion is the speed at noon, the script logo mode OFF, and still in the 45 setting. The result was a swooshing sound that was right behind my guitar’s tone tracking perfectly and giving it enough movement to lay some cool lyrics on top of it. I’m no singer, but if I sang, it would be a great base to do it.
Finally, my third favorite clean tone is to put the pedal in the 90 mode with the script mode ON and the speed at about nine o’clock. You have a more pronounced phaser sweeping effect that takes the entire audio spectrum and goes deeper and shallower than the 45 setting. This, mixed with a little delay and playing arpeggios and chords is great for a trippy effect. Furthermore, coupling it with the Strymon Blue Sky and adding some shimmer reverb I was in sonic bliss for hours.
Dirty
After I came out of the phasing shimmer trance I was in, I decided to add some overdrive and some heavy distortion to this tiny pedal.
My favorite setting in the dirty side of the equation was with the speed at half and that traditional block-logo phase 90 sound with the script mode OFF. As you would expect, the chugging sound playing some power chords in drop-D tuning was ferocious but the swooshing 3-dimensional texture that the phase added made it move and sting like a poisonous cobra. If you add a 4-to-the-floor drum kick, you’re instantly making people headbang and dance.
The second setting I used was the 45 mode and the script logo position to play some fast leads and enjoy that trail that followed my playing adding some nice swooshing. The delay was especially interesting in this setting because it would trail my playing by adding a complex something behind me. Believe me, for a moment, I thought I was playing better than ever. Then I turned off the pedal and realized it was just that.
Finally, with the speed at max and the block phase 90 sound, you get this amazing machinegun phasing effect that’s great for playing big chords and letting them ring. It adds some tremolo-like effect to the overall sound but the swooshing is there making it all 3-dimensional and more fun to play.
3 Classic Pedals and One That Never Existed Before
With the MXR Phase 95 what you get is a tiny pedal that will take virtually no pedalboard real estate and will give you four phaser sounds that work perfectly in every situation.
To begin with, you have three phaser pedal sounds that existed previously in the MXR realm.
- The script logo Phase 90
- The block logo Phase 90
- The script logo Phase 45
To those three, you have to add one that never existed before this pedal, the block logo phase 45. The one MXR phase pedal missing is the amazing MXR Phase 100 that I had and played with for many years, a two-knob huge phaser pedal that’s, at least, 3 times bigger than the Phase 95.
The Bottom End
The MXR Phase 95 isn’t just MXR’s first mini pedal, but it’s also the most powerful and versatile phaser pedal the company has ever made. As you might know, MXR went out of business in the early 1980s and was resurrected by Jim Dunlop before that decade ended.
So, what we have is a unique combination of the mojo and history behind MXR and the power of innovation backing up Jim Dunlop in a single pedal. The MXR Phase 95 is capable of going through history bringing you 3 classic phase sounds but also adding a pedal that never existed.
The best of it all is that it all coexists in a tiny housing.
If you want a phaser powerhouse that can open new roads and take your playing to the next creative level, then this pedal is a must-check.
Happy (swooshy and trippy) playing!