The MXR Flanger is an MXR flanger pedal. Close alternatives include the Ibanez FL Mini and the Keeley Dyno My Roto. It pairs well with the Marshall Super Bass and the PRS MT 15 V1 Mark Tremonti Signature 2-Channel 15W Head.

MXR Flanger

MXR · pedal

The MXR M117R Flanger is a reissue of the original MXR Flanger from the late 1970s, producing a wide range of modulation effects from subtle chorus-like shimmer to extreme jet-plane sweeps. Its four controls — Speed, Width, Regen, and Manual — allow precise tuning of the flange depth and sweep rate. It is closely associated with the flanged guitar sounds of Eddie Van Halen, particularly on tracks from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The M117R is considered warmer and fuller-sounding than most competing flanger pedals, with a musical, full-spectrum character that reviewers consistently rank above budget alternatives. It suits rock and hard rock guitar rigs.

What stands out

  • “Warm, full-spectrum flanging with a richness that distinguishes it from most competing pedals — the community consensus is that the M117R is the benchmark analog flanger for guitar”

    — from the community notes

  • “The MXR M117R Flanger is a reissue of the original MXR Flanger from the late 1970s, producing a wide range of modulation effects from subtle chorus-like shimmer to extreme jet-plane sweeps”

    — from the listing

  • “The M117R is considered warmer and fuller-sounding than most competing flanger pedals, with a musical, full-spectrum character that reviewers consistently rank above budget alternatives”

    — from the listing

  • “The most consistently praised quality is tonal warmth and musical coherence at all settings”

    — from the community notes

  • “At low Regen settings the effect is a soft, chorus-adjacent modulation that adds movement ; pushing Regen into higher settings produces the iconic metallic sweep with deep resonant notches”

    — from the reviews

Trade-offs

  • “the m117r delivers analog flanging with a warmth and fullness that digital flanger emulations consistently fail to match on a one-to-one basis”

    — from the reviews

  • flanger
  • chorus
  • subtle
  • warmth
  • shimmer
  • resonant
  • noise
  • musical

Genres the MXR Flanger is commonly used in

  • Rock
  • Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Alternative Rock
  • New Wave
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Post Punk
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Amps that pair well with the MXR Flanger

Marshall Super Bass

Marshall

32% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)

The Super Bass is voiced as a pedal platform, and the Flanger's subtle analog sweep rides on top of that warmth instead of getting buried.

Comes later in the signal chain

PRS MT 15 V1 Mark Tremonti Signature 2-Channel 15W Head

PRS

30% match
$499via Reverb

PRS MT 15 V1 Mark Tremonti Signature 2-Channel 15W Head leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes later in the signal chain

Polytone Mini Brute

Polytone

19% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep MXR Flanger after Polytone Mini Brute in the signal chain, clear of Polytone Mini Brute's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

Ampeg 50th Anniversary SVT Head

Ampeg

19% match
$3499.99via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run the MXR Flanger's subtle, warm sweep after the SVT's own tube attack settles, so the modulation moves a defined tone.

Comes later in the signal chain

Bad Cat Hot Cat 45-Watt

Bad Cat

19% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run MXR Flanger after Bad Cat Hot Cat 45-Watt in the signal chain, clear of Bad Cat Hot Cat 45-Watt's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

Bruno Cowtipper 45

Bruno

17% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Put MXR Flanger after Bruno Cowtipper 45 in the signal chain, clear of Bruno Cowtipper 45's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

Fender Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucker Pre-Wired Stratocaster Pickguard

Fender

16% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run MXR Flanger after Fender Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucker Pre-Wired Stratocaster Pickguard in the signal chain, clear of Fender Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucker Pre-Wired Stratocaster Pickguard's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

Laney Klipp

Laney

15% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Put MXR Flanger after Laney Klipp in the signal chain, clear of Laney Klipp's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

See all 14 amps that pair with the MXR Flanger →

Pedals that stack with the MXR Flanger

Ibanez Tube Screamer

Ibanez

35% match

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)

Run Ibanez Tube Screamer after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol

Fjord Fuzz

34% match
$399via Reverb

fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)

Where this leans warm, Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol answers back bright

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost

Blackstar

29% match
$166.21via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run MXR Flanger after Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Dept. 10 Boost's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Paul Cochrane Timmy

Paul Cochrane

28% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run MXR Flanger after Paul Cochrane Timmy in the signal chain, clear of Paul Cochrane Timmy's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Source Audio ZIO

Source Audio

23% match
$179.99via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep MXR Flanger after Source Audio ZIO in the signal chain, clear of Source Audio ZIO's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

Jackson Audio Prism

Jackson Audio

23% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Put MXR Flanger after Jackson Audio Prism in the signal chain, clear of Jackson Audio Prism's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Alexander Pedals History Lesson Vol. 2

Alexander Pedals

23% match
$100via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run the MXR Flanger's subtle, shimmering sweep after the History Lesson's dry, clear delay and the modulation colors the repeats directly. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Horizon Devices Precision Drive

Horizon Devices

23% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Keep MXR Flanger after Horizon Devices Precision Drive in the signal chain, clear of Horizon Devices Precision Drive's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

See all 40 pedals that pair with the MXR Flanger →

Alternativessee all similar tone character →

Ibanez FL Mini

Ibanez

68% similarity
$124via Reverb

Shared character: wide range, extreme settings, flanger

Keeley Dyno My Roto

Keeley

64% similarity

Shared character: flanger, vibrato, chorus

Boss BF-2 Flanger

Boss

64% similarity
$100via Reverb

“This flanger is OK, but compared to my vingate MXR Flanger it sounds too lo fi and midrangy”

Rocktron Hypnotic Flanger

Rocktron

62% similarity
$70.32via Reverb

Shared character: extreme settings, flanger, resonant

Alexander Dynaflanger

Alexander Pedals

62% similarity

Shared character: flanger, noise, chorus

SolidGoldFX Oblivion Quad Flange

Solidgoldfx

61% similarity
$249via Reverb

Shared character: flanger, chorus, modulation

Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress

Electro-Harmonix

61% similarity
$119.18via Reverb

Shared character: flanger, wide range, analog

Electro-Harmonix Andy Summers Walking on the Moon

Electro-Harmonix

61% similarity
$100.88via Reverb

Shared character: extreme settings, flanger, resonant

Big Joe Stomp Box Company B-306

Big Joe Stomp Box Company

61% similarity
$119.95via Reverb

Shared character: flanger, analog, chorus

Ibanez FL-9 Flanger

Ibanez

60% similarity

Shared character: wide range, reissue, flanger

BLAXX BX -Flanger

Blaxx

59% similarity

Shared character: flanger, chorus, true bypass

Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress

Electro-Harmonix

59% similarity
$200.42via Reverb

Shared character: flanger, analog, noise

See all alternatives to the MXR Flanger (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the MXR Flanger?+

The closest matches in character are the Ibanez FL Mini, the Keeley Dyno My Roto, the Boss BF-2 Flanger.

What pairs well with the MXR Flanger?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Super Bass, PRS MT 15 V1 Mark Tremonti Signature 2-Channel 15W Head, Polytone Mini Brute — The Super Bass is voiced as a pedal platform, and the Flanger's subtle analog sweep rides on top of that warmth instead of getting buried..

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