A simple, single-knob phaser that adds a swirling, jet-like modulation. Eddie Van Halen used it on the first two Van Halen albums for that unmistakable swooshing quality layered over his brown sound.
On your modeler
Helix:Script Mod Phase
Quad Cortex:Phase 90
TONEX:Phase 90
Fractal:Phase 90
Kemper:Phase 90
Boss Katana:Phaser (Mod)
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Controls
Speed0 – 10
Recipes using the MXR Phase 90
See exactly how this gear is dialed in across different songs and styles.
Eddie Van Halen
hard-rock
Eruption (1978)
Eddie Van Halen's Brown Sound (Eruption)
The 'brown sound' that changed rock guitar forever. Eddie Van Halen's tone on the debut Van Halen album is a Frankenstrat with a single humbucker through a Marshall Plexi 1959, reportedly powered through a variac to lower the voltage and achieve a thick, compressed, harmonically rich overdrive at manageable volumes. An MXR Phase 90 adds a subtle swirl. The result is a warm, singing sustain that is neither too clean nor too distorted — it sits in a magical sweet spot that responds to every nuance of Eddie's playing.
HelixQuad CortexBoss Katana
Eddie Van Halen
hard-rock
Panama (1984)
Eddie Van Halen's Panama Brown Sound
Panama showcases Eddie Van Halen's legendary brown sound in its most refined form. The Frankenstrat with a single bridge humbucker runs through a modified Marshall Super Lead with an MXR Phase 90 adding subtle modulation. The tone is thick, warm, and harmonically rich with that signature compressed sustain. The Phase 90 adds a gentle swirl that thickens the tone without being obviously phasey.
HelixQuad CortexBoss Katana
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