The 7 Best Flanger Pedals: From Gilmour to Van Halen
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A flanger effect is one of those guitar sounds that instantly grabs the listener’s attention. From subtle jet-like sweeps to full-blown psychedelic whooshes, it’s been a staple in rock. So, whether you’re looking for your first flanger or the ultimate one, we’ve selected the best flanger pedals for every situation. Ready for take-off?
Our Picks:
A Look Back: How Did Flanger Pedals Come About?
Before we take a look at the best flanger pedals, let’s have a small history lesson. Flanging effects had been created in the recording studio long before the pedals appeared. Engineers like the one and only Les Paul and later George Martin at Abbey Road created the effect by running two tape machines in sync and slowing one down slightly with a hand on the reel flange, hence the name.
By the mid-1970s, pedal makers such as Electro-Harmonix and MXR began releasing the first flanger pedals. The EHX Electric Mistress was among the first commercially available flanger pedals, soon followed by the MXR Flanger and the Boss BF-1. At the heart, the actual effect comes from copying a signal and blending it with the original, with the copy being delayed by varying amounts. A so-called LFO (low-frequency oscillator) continually alters the copy’s delay, which, in essence, is like a continously moving comb filter.
From Heart’s “Barracuda” to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are you gonna go my way” to Tool’s “46 & 2” to The Police’s “Walking on the Moon”, flanger pedals have long been an essential effect in rock and metal. I hear Eddie van Halen was a fan, too.
The Best Flanger Pedals: What To Look For
First and foremost, the budget will be the number one consideration. And, as you’ll see, there are quite a few budget flanger pedals that do the job. Then there is pedalboard real estate. Some of these older, more vintage- and analog-focused flanger pedals can get bulky. Luckily, in recent years, the growing trend is shrinking these tanks into mini versions that most often sound just as good.
Another consideration is signal flow. While there aren’t too many stereo flangers, it might still be a thing to keep in mind if you’re building an all-stereo board. And then there is the sound. While each one of the best flanger pedals perfectly creates that starting-jet effect, some do get closer to the revered tape flanging effect from the 60s than others – at a price.
As always, we’ve ranked the best flanger pedals strictly by price.
TC Electronic Thunderstorm Flanger
We could have picked the Vortex, which is TC Electronic’s arguably more famous flanger pedal. But the Thunderstorm is more affordable, and its all-analog bucket-brigade circuit is nothing to sneeze at, sonically speaking. The true bypass pedal is a simple affair. You get controls for rate, depth, feedback, and mix (manual) to dial in the flanger sound you’re after.
And if you’re looking for a stereo option that also gets you closer to that magical tape flanging sound, the Vortex* with its TonePrint algorithm is worth a look. Both pedals are available at Thomann*.
Mooer E-lady
The Mooer E-Lady has become a bit of a sleeper hit among guitarists in recent years. You get those authentic jet-engine sweeps as well as a more vocal-like filter mode. Its two modes, Normal and Filter, cover everything from subtle shimmer to psychedelic whooshes.
True bypass keeps your signal clean when the effect is off. You only get one footswitch and one control (rate), but the E-Lady gets you psychedelic sounds for days. If you’re looking for one of the best flanger pedals in a micro format, check it out at at Thomann*.
Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress
The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Electric Mistress blends flanger and chorus in one box. One David Gilmour famously used the original Electric Mistress for that famous dreamy, liquid sonic motion to his leads from Animals onward. This stereo version keeps that heritage alive while adding extra versatility.
And with its special Filter Matrix mode, you can freeze the sweep at any point in its cycle, creating static, metallic textures that behave almost like a frozen wah. Besides this contender for the best flanger pedals, the recent Walking on the Moon Flanger* might be worth a look, if you’re after Andy Simmons’ sound. The Electric Mistress is available at Thomann* as well.
Boss BF-3 Flanger
There are quite a few who prefer the BF-2 to the BF-3. So, if you’re a fan of Boss pedals and strong opinions on forums and Reddit threads impress you easily (no offense, it happens to most of us), do make the effort and look for a second-hand BF-2. For the rest of us, there is the BF-3.
With controls for Depth, Width, Resonance, and Manual, you can dial in everything from subtle chorus-like shimmer to the iconic jet-plane roar that made the origimaö famous. The addition of new modes Ultra and Gate/Pan has the potential for massive stereo movement. The BF-3 also offers a momentary mode, so you can flange at the exact points in your solo that you want to. Get this contender on our list of the best flanger pedals from Thomann*.
MXR M152 Micro Flanger
The MXR M152 Micro Flanger is a 100% analog flanger pedal with just two knobs: Speed (or “Rate”) and Regeneration (feedback). So, it’s super straightforward to dial in lush sweeps, subtle chorus-like movement, or even dramatic swhooshes.
What makes the Micro Flanger especially interesting is its heritage: it’s a streamlined descendant of the big-box MXR flanger (M117), distilled down to essentials while retaining the flavor of the original. You know, the one Eddie van Halen played? The Micro Flange one of the best flanger pedals and it is available at Thomann*.
Alexander Pedals Dynaflanger 213
As it often happens in the world of guitars, amps, and pedals, emulating and honoring the good old days, the golden eras, is what much of our beloved gear is about. But then there are those who think outside the box. Who take a familiar concept and change and add so much to it, that it becomes its own thing. Dynaflanger is like that.
With 10 different flanger modes, 32 presets (through midi), a dedicated expression input, a mono-to-stereo signal flow and the choice between true bypass or buffered bypass modes, this pedal could be called the most versatile flanger on the market. It’s the most innovative at least! For more details, check out the listing at Thomann*.
Strymon Deco V2
This one is it if you’re after the one pedal that gets closest to that tape flanging, 60s Beatles-style effect. The Deco V2 might not be cheap, but it’s Strymon. So, what you get is among the best in any effect category on the market. The Deco V2 combines tape saturation, double-tracking effects, chorus, and flanging, into one modulation monster. The pedal meticulously recreates the way old reel-to-reel decks could be pushed into beautiful, warbly territory.
You get to choose between two tape voicings (Classic and Cassette) and the new Tone knob gives you hands-on control over the color of the saturation. With full MIDI integration, 300 storable presets, and a JFET analog front end, the Deco V2 might just be the be all and end all of flanger pedals. Get it from Thomann*.
*Disclaimer: This article about the best flanger pedals contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
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