Awesome analogue flanging goodness in a simple to operate stomp box.

The MXR Micro Flanger is based on the classic 4 knob MXR Flanger, and was originally released in the 1980s. Jim Dunlop saw fit to re-release the Micro Flanger this year, updated with true-bypass wiring, but it still retains it’s 100% analogue Bucket Brigade technology. The idea behind the Micro Flanger is to acheive similar sounds to it’s bigger brother, but with a smaller footprint and easier to use controls.

With two controls, Speed, and Regen, the Micro Flanger is definitely a simple pedal to operate. One might think that two controls might make it hard to coax good sounds out of the Micro Flanger, but that is not the case. Believe it or not, it is exceptionally hard to dial a bad sound out of it. No matter where the two controls are set the Micro Flanger gives you fantastic sounds, which is great for inspiration and creativity.

Thanks to MXR’s use of hard to find Bucket Brigade technology the Micro Flanger dishes up servings of beautiful smooth analogue tone that is warm and inviting. From gentle, almost chorus like tones, jet plane sweeps, and crazy fast vibrato like sounds  you want to switch it on again and again.

The only minor complaint I have with the tone is that it is a little subtle.  You wont get any really outrageous flanging sounds out of the Micro Flanger, but most people probably don’t really need that sort of effect anyway.With the Regen control dialled to higher settings the sweep sound can be heard when not playing, but it’s not really an issue as you will most probably have the pedal on bypass when not playing.

And speaking of the bypass, the Micro Flanger’s true-bypass wiring is a thankful addition. The pedal has no effect on your overall tone when bypassed. This  is far better than some cheaper pedals, which can colour your tone quite dramatically when the effect is turned off.

Construction-wise it’s everything you have come to expect from MXR. Nice solid heavy-duty enclosure, quality jacks, and the potentiometers feel nice and solid and move freely. The small footprint of the pedal is great too, as it doesn’t take up any unnecessary space on your pedal board.

The usual qualm that people have with MXR pedals is the access to the battery clip, which is only accessible after unscrewing the back plate. the Micro Flanger is no different, but at the end of the day you probably wont want to run this pedal with batteries, as the Micro Flanger will most probably drain the battery after a few short hours. You are much better off using a power supply.

And the other issue that people may have the MXR pedals (I know it annoys me a little) is the location of the AC adapter jack. Being on the side of the pedal behind the input jack is a little awkward, and I feel that it would be much better placed on the top of the pedal, out of the way of your instrument cables.

These are just minor quibbles though, and at the end of the day the MXR Micro Flanger provides fantastic analogue flanging tones that will suit most players.

Overall the MX Micro Flanger is a fantastic pedal, capable of generating high-quality, authentic analogue flanger tones at a great price. Most musicians will be more than happy with the tones it is capable of making, and be inspired by the fact that it only really makes good sounds. MXR have really put together a simple circuit that has a lot more versatility than one might expect at first glance.

If you are a musician looking for a flanger pedal that is of excellent quality, simple to set up great sounds, and wont cost you a lot of coin the Micro Flanger is for you.