A limited-edition reissue of the late-70s Echo Flanger, packed with the hidden settings Belew made famous.
There’s nary an effect morex suited to the descriptor ‘eccentric’ than flange, its modulating, evolving and developing tone being perfect for adding feel, movement and wobble to anything and everything it touches. The same goes for art-rock pioneers King Crimson, most easily described as eccentric, so who better to have a signature echoflanger pedal than guitarist Adrian Belew!
Read up on all the latest features and columns here.
The Electro-Harmonix Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger is just that: wild, crazy and eccentric, building on the original Echo Flanger that was produced only from 1977 to 1979. The pedal became somewhat of a ‘secret weapon’ of Belew, this new reissue featuring hidden settings to achieve his secrets!
Belew’s own Echoflanger from the late 70s featured on and inspired tracks for the likes of Talking Heads, King Crimson of course and his own solo material, the warbly, sometimes brittle tone of the modulation paired with his (often single coil) guitars adding a layer of movement to his playing.
The Electro-Harmonix Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger is mono in and stereo out pedal, for use with stereo amps if you wish. Mono use is available via simply using the input and Left output jack. It’s powered by a 9V adapter, and the top of the pedal also features an on/off switch for blending the Dry signal in, as on the original. As expected, the Blend off yields more intense flange and vibrato-esque effect, while turning it on clears things up nicely and brings the Dry signal back into the mix.
There’s six switchable modes, with standard Volume, Feedback and Rate controls for flange, but these knobs’ jobs will differ depending on your mode choice!
Filter Matrix is the first mode, which offers classic a EHX bell-like fixed comb filter for otherworldly modulation. Flange mode, as expected, is a more traditional, albeit extreme, flange effect, and Chorus + Flange mode harnesses Belew’s famous in-between setting that brings together the warmth of a chorus and movement of flange. The original switch could be toggled between Chorus and Flange mode, sticking between the two for a unique, now signature, tone. Chorus mode does away with the Flange, while Slap Back adds a roomy reflection, an effect that EHX describe as a “stage effect”. Finally, Slap Back + Filter Matrix add a short slap echo to the basic Filter Matrix sound, ready to be pushed, pulled and wrangled as you see fit.
The Width knob helps to differentiate the Left and Right output, while there’s a Tune control to adjust the centre point of the modulation in Flange and Chorus mode, though this adjusts fixed filter frequencies in Filter Matrix mode, also elongating delay time in Slap Back mode. The new, limited edition pedal also includes an overall Master Volume to control signal hitting the next pedal in the chain.
The toggle switch to turn the pedal on and off is soft touch, a nice addition, but also serves as a latching switch to momentarily engage wilder effects before switching back when you let go. In this mode (when holding down the button for more than 0.5 seconds) allows you to turn effects on, before releasing your foot and turning them off.
All in all, the Adrian Belew Echoflanger is a revelation. The originals were built for a short time in limited numbers, players like Belew making them even more scarce and valuable. The tone is clear and surely less noisy than an original, allowing you to push volume and effects harder than ever. It’s easy to get warm and traditional modulation sounds, but equally simple to get out-of-this-world and overt tuning and pitch effects, blended as much or as little as you like.
Beginning with a little chorus, I found myself inspired to move beyond the guitar as my instrument, the strings serving only as a vessel to encourage the unit to feedback when I pushed the Rate and Feedback to their limits.
The nature of the Filter Matrix itself is these otherworldly sounds, pushing the limits of simple flange and modulation to a sound that feels it’s about to take flight rather than modulate simply to and fro. The box itself is sturdy, and while it’s not a compact pedal, it’s still built to fit comfortably on a modern pedal board, simple additions like the top mounted input and output jacks allowing both space-saving and tidy cabling when mounted to a board.
All in all, the reissue of this famous pedal is exactly as you’d hope. Everything about the original, now a classic, is augmented with a few useful additions as well as modern tech to raise the quality, usability and ruggedness for modern players. The soft touch switch is a welcome addition on any pedal, and not before it also serves as a momentary latch.
The original was a simpler affair, though no less astounding when you look back at how much was packed into the box. The Electro-Harmonix Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger holds its own, adding modes discovered by Belew, as well as adding an overall master Volume knob. Well-built, ready to take flight and packed to the brim with decades of innovation from the man himself, the Electro-Harmonix Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger is your new favourite pedal.
For local enquiries, head here
