by Jason Borisoff

Which is for me?

The differences between these three effects are quite subtle, so it can be hard to choose which one will work best for you. Even after deciding which effect you want, there are a barrage of pedal manufacturers and models to choose from.

The best way to shop for a pedal is to try them out. Most music stores have pedals on the display floor for exactly that reason. Be sure to bring your own instrument, or at least choose a similar ax. Also, bringing your own amplifier is ideal. Otherwise, do the best you can with what the music store has on the floor. Then, try out as many pedals as you can stand, and take notes. How many different sounds can they produce? How many of the sounds do you think you would realistically use? How is the sound quality? For example, does it squash the tone of your instrument or sound grainy?

Make a list of the top five or six pedals that you liked, go home and sleep on it, then come back and try it again. Taking a break is important; you have to give your ears a rest so that you'll make the best choice.

TRY THIS: T-Rex ToneBug Phaser

Get a vintage analog vibe with the T-Rex ToneBug Phaser. Taking off on classic designs, this pedal is super easy to use, with only two knobs: rate and depth. Go from light, shimmery sound to full-on phaser onslaught. The Tone Bug phaser has two modes: modern, which provides a crisp, thick sounding phase, or classic, which gives a warm, fuzzy analog sound.

MSRP: $199

TRY THIS: Electroharmonix Stereo Electric Mistress

Electroharmonix is another classic brand that has helped shape the psychedelic tones of rock 'n' roll. The Deluxe Electric Mistress was one of the most popular flanger pedals ever made, and the Stereo Electric Mistress is the company's digital reissue. By adding a chorus effect, the Stereo Electric Mistress is capable of producing everything from watery tones to a rotary speaker effect.

MSRP: $158

TRY THIS: MXR Micro Chorus

Dunlop MXR has been around for quite some time, and is responsible for some of the most memorable tones in rock 'n' roll history. MXR Micro Chorus is a nod to old-school analog sound and construction, featuring idiot-proof, one-knob operation and true bypass, so that the effect gets out of the signal path when you switch it off.

MSRP: $140

TRY THIS: Boss ME-70

If you can't decide which effect you want, or you want all three, but don't want to shell out the big bucks, consider a multi-effects unit. The Boss ME-70 is a super easy to use effects processor that has phaser, chorus, and flanger, plus an array of distortion and overdrive, compression, and delay effects.

MSRP: $419

What's the difference between a phase shifter, flanger, and chorus effect?

Stomp boxes have been giving electric instrumentalists a sonic edge for many years. Three very popular effects used to paint shimmering aural landscapes are phase shifters, chorus pedals, and flangers. These three pedals are also commonly confused because they sound very similar. To learn the differences between them, it helps to have a basic knowledge of how they work, examples of their use in popular music, and of course, your very own stomp boxes to experiment with.

PHASE SHIFTER

Phasers split the signal of your instrument into two exact copies, shift the phase of one copy, and then recombine the two as a single signal. As a result, notches (or particular frequency bands that are canceled out) are created, just like when you mismatch speaker wires in a home stereo unit. These notches are then swept through the entire frequency band, creating a rippling, Doppler-like effect in your sound.

Phase shifters are capable of creating subtle, submissive waves that don't over-saturate your tone. There are scores of recordings with these effects, especially in classic rock. Check out Billy Joel's piano sound on "Just the Way You Are" for a great example of tasty phaser use.

FLANGER

A flanger sounds similar to a phase shifter, but can have a much more dramatic effect on your tone. Like a phaser, the signal is split into two copies, then one of them is delayed in time very slightly, usually no more than 20 milliseconds. The delay time also changes at a constant rate, which can be manipulated with a knob.

The effect was first discovered in the studio, where two identical reel-to-reel tape machines with the same track on each were synched to start at the same time. The engineer then pressed his thumb against the "flange" of one to momentarily slow it down and take it out of synch. And hence, the flanger was born.

Flangers create a much more complex harmonic reaction in the signal than a phaser, resulting in a more saturated and dramatic sound. Listen to Eddie Van Halen's opening riff on "Unchained" for a great example of the flanger's jet plane-like effect.

CHORUS

A chorus pedal is very similar to a flanger and a phaser in that it creates two clones of the signal. The difference is that a chorus pedal uses a longer delay between the two signals, which creates a more subtle effect than a flanger or phase shifter. Chorus pedals are designed to mimic the wavering, space-evoking sound of a choir. Chorus pedals work really well in a stereo configuration, where the effect is produced through two widely spaced amplifiers. When standing between the two in a large room, it has a surreal 3D effect on the listeners' ears.

For an example of a chorus pedal in action, listen to the guitar tone on Nirvana's "Come as You Are."