Flanger Pedals

Sounding like a jet plane taking off, flanger pedals are not for the faint-hearted. A bold, in-your-face sound, they have been used by guitarists as diverse as Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, and Lenny Kravitz.

Flanger pedals create a real sense of urgency in otherwise stale guitar parts. Flange was originally a studio effect created by running a sound simultaneously on two tape machines. The engineer would then put their hand on the ‘flange’ - a mechanical part that spools the tape - causing the tape to slow down. When they let go again, the tape would then rush to catch up. Combining the two sounds - the unaffected tape and the slowing down/speeding up tape - creates the classic whooshing sound.

Legend has it that it was John Lennon who first coined the term ‘flanging’! The first flanger in a pedal format was the Electric Mistress introduced by Electro-Harmonix in 1975.

Why Should I Choose a Flanger Pedal?

• Flanger guitar pedals offer a bold, in-your-face sound
• Creates urgency in stale guitar parts
• Replicates a famous tape effect from the 50s and 60s