EHX Electric Mistress

[misterwhizzy]

In my ongoing search for a more exciting clean tone, I've decided that maybe chorus and/or flanger might make things more interesting. In fact, maybe a pedal to do one or both might be the trick. Enter my new (and probably temporary) obsession with the ElectroHarmonix Electric Mistress.

I've seen a couple of guys say they like it, but if you have any experience with the pedal, what do you do with it? I couldn't get along with either the Phase 90 or my Boss PH-3. The Phase 90 got close to being interesting, but it had a bit of a volume boost, and it just sounded a little too artificial. Regardless of whether or not it was a slow swoosh or fast wah, it never really did the trick for me. My Carbon Copy alone got me closer.

So tell me about the pedal. Is it good or bad? How do you use it? Is it worth the money?

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

First off, go with the deluxe model...the big silver one and not the small black one. (I have the small black one at the moment and it's not a bad box but it's nothing compared to its big brother...I thought I could save a buck...I was wrong.)

The first one I bought some 20 years ago for 25 bucks second hand but it gave up after about ten years. The second I bought over ten years ago but the footswitch gave out after a while and I've been lazy in fixing it. So reliability is an issue...at least in my case.

Now for the good part. Put each knob at 9 o'clock and the sound is glorious. It has a very nice s-l-o-w swirl but not so thick as to kill your original tone weather you are running from pristine clean to maximum overdrive. Twist things further and you can morph your sound into something you might not even recognize as a guitar. Fun to play around with and you just might find a special wacked out sound that's just right for a special occasion.

 

[Diego]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

If you didn't like the volume boost on the Phase 90, you're gonna go nuts with the Mistress.
Or at least, you should.

Every EHX pedal I've tried boosts the volume when on, including my own Memory Toy.

So try it before pulling the trigger.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

I've never experienced a volume boost with any of the three mistress boxes I've owned.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

Every EHX pedal I've tried boosts the volume when on, including my own Memory Toy.\

+1. My Memory Boy does the same thing, but I find it really useful as a solo boost. Probably wouldn't be desirable on a Mistress though

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress



I have this one. I love it. It's the only effect I have on my board along with 1 dirt and 1 fuzz. I played the bigger brother and it didn't really impress me much more.

The bigger one had more of a flange to it while the smaller one has more of a chorus type sound. I prefered the chorus. It isn't as subtle but it really swallows everything and makes some beautiful full sounding tones.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

^ The EHX pedals I've tried are not even close in boosting the volume when compared to a phase 90 which I didn't like just because of the volume boost.

The Mistress stays pretty much at unity gain.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

^ Maybe 'cause I'm running mine through the loop, so it's not attenuated by the volume pots of my dirt pedals. IDK

 

[sbecker67]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

it's good enough to have been a staple on David Gilmours board since the mid 70's. His lead tone almost always has a "splash" of Mistress.

If the flanges in the Line 6 products I own(ed) weren't so good, this would be my choice.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

IME the Phase 90 boosted volume, and the EHX Small Stone dropped volume.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

I have this one. I love it. It's the only effect I have on my board along with 1 dirt and 1 fuzz. I played the bigger brother and it didn't really impress me much more.

The bigger one had more of a flange to it while the smaller one has more of a chorus type sound. I prefered the chorus. It isn't as subtle but it really swallows everything and makes some beautiful full sounding tones.

That was the video I watched. My wife is asking what I want for Christmas, and I'm thinking this is a good call. You run it straight into the frontend, right?

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

Yeah.

My pedalboard is currently-- Sunface -- Eternity -- Electric Mistress.

Plus it has 2 outputs so you can plug it into 2 amps at once. :naughty:

 

[FAC]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

If you are going to go for the big silver box version, which is ~$150, then why not splurge and get the Hartman Flanger ($229)? The Hartman is fully analog and based on the original Electric Mistress (a la Gilmour, Summers, etc.). I actually use it more as a chorus-like effect than a "jet like" flanger...although it can do extreme flanging, if needed. It is one of the few boxes on my board that has been there since I got it (2 years?). It's also smaller than the big silver box version, and has no drop/boost issue when engaged.

http://www.hartmanelectronicstore.com/Analog-Flanger-Pedal-FLN.htm

 

[astrozombie]

Re: EHX Electric Mistress

get the deluxe. it rocks!