MXR Carbon Copy
120 Guitarist July 2008
MXR PEDALS
£159-£219
EFFECTS
MXR Carbon Copy
PRICE: £199
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Analogue delay pedal
CONTROLS: Regen, mix and delay
knobs, modulation switch, effect on/off
CONNECTIONS: Input jack, output jack
POWER: PP3 battery or 9V adaptor (not
supplied)
JHS 01132 865381
www.jhs.co.uk
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
MXR M-159
Stereo Tremolo
PRICE: £219
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Tremolo pedal
CONTROLS: Depth, shape and speed
knobs, pan on/off, effect on/off
CONNECTIONS: Input jacks (mono,
stereo), output jacks (mono, stereo)
POWER: PP3 battery x 2 or 18V adaptor
(not supplied)
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
MXR CSP-026 ’74
Vintage Phase 90
PRICE: £159
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Phaser pedal
CONTROLS: Speed knob, effect on/off
CONNECTIONS: Input jack, output jack
POWER: PP3 battery
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
silky quality of the phasing that is
the real deal here. From the
slowly shifting tonality at one
extreme to the fast bubbling at
the other, this is organic phasing
that seems an integral part of the
guitar sound rather than
something slapped on top of it.
The original Phase 90 always had
a mellow quality that just worked
with guitar and this reissue is the
same. In an A/B test with our
own original vintage 1974 model
the sound wasn’t identical – there
was a slightly different tonality –
but not so much that we could say
that one sounded better than the
other, which means that MXR
has achieved its aim.
Verdict
If you want that mid-seventies
Phase 90 sound this reissue is as
close as you’ll get to it without
trawling Ebay for a battered
original. As a basic tremolo the
MXR does the job just fine but
really comes into its own in stereo
with a truly spacious sound. Pick
of the bunch though is the
Carbon Copy – as a mass-market
analogue delay in a conveniently
sized package, there is little
around that can touch it.
The history of MXR From seventies chic to modern style
Depending on which side of the
pond you came from, MXR was
the Rolls Royce or the Cadillac of
effects pedals back in the mid-
seventies – packaged in
compactly solid little boxes and
reassuringly expensive. Just
about all the well-known
guitarists of the era had an MXR
or two in their armoury – Jimmy
Page, for one, favoured the Phase
90; a pedal that Eddie Van Halen
later became associated with
alongside his use of the
company’s Flanger.
Founded around 1972 in
Rochester, New York by Keith
Barr and others, MXR really got
into its stride in 1974/5 with its
first four pedals – the Phase 90,
Dynacomp, Blue Box and
Distortion+. The company soon
grew into a large concern, not only
increasing its range of analogue
pedals but also moving into studio
effects, some of which embraced
the emerging digital technology.
Meltdown for the original company
and its US-made products came in
1984 when massive competition
from the Far East (most notably
BOSS and Ibanez), combined with
several other factors, speeded its
demise resulting in the original
founders going off to form the ART
and Alesis companies.
Resurrection for the MXR line of
pedals came when Jim Dunlop took
over the brand and re-issued some
old favourites as well as introducing
new pedals, including several
signature models.
The Bottom Line
Carbon Copy
We like: Great sound; small
footprint; adjustable
modulation
We disliked: Battery access;
internal adjusters are tiny
Guitarist says: Great sounds
in a compact box – brilliant.
Stereo Tremolo
We like: Flexible routing
options; wide range of sounds
We disliked: 18V operation;
LED doesn’t blink in time with
tremolo speed
Guitarist says: Versatile
tremolo effects in a practical
package.
Vintage 1974 Phase 90
We like: Authentic vintage
sound; rubber knob cap for
foot control
We disliked: Battery access
Guitarist says: A classic
vintage stompbox re-issued
in as close to the original form
as possible.
EVH and Page favoured the Phase 90
GIT304.rev_mxr 120 16/5/08 13:52:38