I LOVE flanger mode on EHX Poly Chorus; find THAT sound for $100?

[talentless hack]

The title pretty much says it all.

I had a chance to try out the EHX Poly Chorus last night. I wasn't that crazy about the chorus modes, but the flange mode...wow. It was perfect. I'm not a fan of that big swirly airplane thing-a-ma-jig that eats up whatever you're playing, but this flanger effect took what I was playing and just made it wetter. Tons of tweakability, too.

I'm not too crazy about the $230 price tag, especially considering that I wouldn't be using most of what the pedal has to offer. Are there any dedicated flange units that get roughly the same style of effect, but for less money? Used is okay.

 

[bratch]

Basically ... no, not exactly.

Have you used the deluxe electric mistress? I love my old one so much that I put it on my pedalboard, tonesuck, AC hum, and all.

 

[TheGuacamoleXplosion]

you might try the Mooer Eleclady and the MXR M152 Micro Flangers ... both very good flangers with small footprint and low prices. Haven't compared either one directly to an EHX Poly Chorus however.

 

[Flatscan]

The EHX Polychorus did nothing for me in flange mode, especially relative to those mentioned below. I sold mine. You likely can find a good to very good price used if you really want one.

For your price tag, I think the Mooer Elec Lady aka Donner Jet Convolution is the answer. Its surprising how good it is for the $ and its footprint. I own two for two different boards. [!!!cheap!!!]

It cops classic EHX Mistress tones and also more wooshy tones. There is an excellent YouTube video comparing it with a big box Mistress.

Note: I really liked my big box Mistress but hated its incredibly painful footprint. The Polychorus is also not small.

I'm experimenting with a couple other higher-cost flangers now. The EVH MXR and Moog MF-Flange [top jacks] are both very good imo. I may be able to test an Empress Nebulus too.

Once I get through them, I'll likely post a review.

 

[talentless hack]

I haven't had a chance to try out the Deluxe Electric Mistress, though I also really dig a lot of the flange tones on Police records. I'm not worried about how big the pedal is, either, since I don't have a pedal board and I only use one pedal (an EHX Big Muff with tone/wicker switches).

I guess I'll keep eyes peeled for a local DEM or MXR. If the Poly pops up used for the right price, I'm willing to give that one a go as well; I just don't see any of the chorus modes as being usable.

If anybody has other recommendations, fire away! I'm not necessarily looking for an exact copy of the Poly Chorus's flange circuit - just something in that general ballpark, a somewhat subtle flange that you know is there but doesn't make you sound like an airplane.

 

[Dandy13]

PC is an awesome pedal chock full of analogue goodness. I've found most dedicated Flangers are of the airplane variety. There are some delays out there that can do the super short times + modulation/filters for a similiar effect. The demos for the Strymon Deco also sound good for that nice tape flanging effect but I never played one

 

[bratch]

a somewhat subtle flange that you know is there but doesn't make you sound like an airplane.

This is the beauty of the DEM for me.

I love that really tight comb-filtery effect, but not the Obvious Airplane noise.

If you came across an old Ross flanger, it might do the trick.

And, if you end up trying the new Minifooger, let us know how it handles subtler sounds and not just the ADA vocal swoosh. And make a quick YouTube video.

 

[kludge]

I have the Donner Jet Convolution and I love the heck out of it. It's the kind of flanger you can leave on... it's not "effecty", just adds a little motion to your basic tone. It sounds more organic than most chorus pedals, much less most flangers! It's the same fundamental goodness that you get from vintage Electric Mistress and Polychorus pedals - only without weird volume boosts/drops, tone suck, dedicated AC power, or being the size of a Volkswagen. It's "small and exquisite", true bypass, proper levels, built to last, and dirt cheap - AND it sounds as good as the EHX pedals.

Spend $35 or so on the Donner Jet Convolution before experimenting with expensive alternatives.

edit: My ideal day-to-day flange tone is basically Robert Fripp's tone on David Bowie's "Scary Monsters" album - the guitar solo in Fashion, stuff like that. The Donner box totally nails that sound.

 

[Jim Marciano]

Bumping an old thread, is the Flanger on the poly chorus similar to an electric mistress or is it different?

 

[Riffa]

I wonder if it's anything like the Boss HF-2. I love that flanger!