Tone Report Weekly Issue 131 | Page 13

Empress Phaser If a couple of knobs just don’t do it for you, the Empress may be just what you’re looking for. With eight available waveforms, expression pedal control, tap tempo, a three-stage phase mode as well as two- and four-stage phasing, and a bevy of knobs and switches, it’s probably the best tweaker’s delight out there for those who don’t want to drop a month’s salary on a holy grail vintage unit like the Mu-Tron Bi-Phase. Simply put, the Empress has a detailed control set that enables it to do everything anyone could ever want in a phaser. Housed in a high quality and durable green metal enclosure, the Empress Phaser is sure to provide a wealth of phaser tones for all eternity. MXR Phase 90 Like the saying goes, “Once you go orange and black, you never go back.” Ok, nobody’s ever said that, but the Phase 90 would reside in the effects pedal hall of fame, if there was such a thing. If it’s Van Halen you seek, the Phase 90 will get you there, and if you want to be extra authentic, you can snag the official EVH signature phaser, complete with cool graphics and a switch that puts it into Script mode for classic and modern tones. There are many Phase 90 variations to choose from. If you’re nitpicky about authenticity, you can snag the handwired version that has no LED and must be powered by a battery. That way, you can get great phase tones and pretentiously scoff at another guitar player’s clean, power-supply equipped board, because let’s be honest, we all want to do that sometimes. ToneReport.com 13