Electro Harmonix Adrian Belew Echoflanger LTD

Adrian Belew's Cult Pedal Is Reborn in a Version Designed for Today

The Adrian Belew Echoflanger is much more than a simple flanger pedal: it is the limited-edition reissue of a vintage Electro-Harmonix effect that has become inseparable from the guitarist's inventive playing. The original Echoflanger enabled him to divert the guitar from its traditional role by manipulating pitch, time delay and resonances to create sounds reminiscent of instruments or animals.

This approach can be heard notably in the steel-drum-style guitar sounds of "Genius of Love" with Tom Tom Club, the animal-like textures of King Crimson's "Elephant Talk" and the roar of "The Lone Rhinoceros". The circuit was subsequently released in several versions under the names Polyflange and Polychorus. This signature version retains the unpredictable character of the original while adding ergonomics better suited to today's requirements.

A Pedal for Guitarists Who Want to Break New Ground

The Echoflanger is aimed at musicians who consider their pedalboard a genuine instrument. It is perfectly suited to experimental rock, art rock, new wave, post-punk, ambient, psychedelic and electronic music guitarists, as well as any instrumentalist looking for lively modulation and unconventional textures.

With conservative settings, it can deliver a wide chorus, a classic flanger or a short slap-back to thicken a rhythm part. But it truly reveals its potential in the hands of a curious musician, ready to work the knobs live, push the feedback and exploit the resonances of the Filter Matrix. In the studio, it adds colors that are difficult to reproduce with a standard effect ; on stage, it becomes a source of controlled sonic accidents.

Six Modes, Deep Controls and Two Signature Combinations

The Mode selector provides access to six distinct sonic worlds. Filter Matrix mode fixes the comb filtering to create metallic chimes, vocal-like resonances or manual flanging controlled by the Tune control. Flange mode produces the broad, swirling sweep expected from a flanger, from gentle movement to the iconic "whoosh" effect.

Chorus mode delivers a rich modulated echo, capable of widening the sound, evoking a 12-string guitar or creating movement reminiscent of a rotary speaker. Slap Back, meanwhile, provides a short Delay that is ideal for adding depth to a phrase, rhythm part or solo without cluttering the mix.

Two additional modes further expand the pedal's capabilities. Slap Back + Filter Matrix combines the short echo with fixed filtering for colored, unconventional repeats. Chorus + Flange recreates the famous "in-between" setting Adrian Belew discovered on his vintage Echoflanger: the flanger sweep combines with the moving thickness of the chorus for an intense, layered modulation that is instantly recognizable.

The Feedback, Rate, Width and Tune controls allow you to fine-tune the behavior of the effect. Feedback adjusts the repeats and signal regeneration, all the way to self-oscillation. Rate controls the speed, Width the modulation range and Tune its center point. The Volume control lets you precisely match the output level to the rest of your pedalboard.

The Blend selector, located on the rear panel, retains or removes the direct signal. When enabled, it allows you to obtain traditional chorus, flanger and echo sounds. When disabled, only the processed signal can be heard, opening the door to much more pronounced vibrato and radical textures.

The Sound

The Adrian Belew Echoflanger has an organic, unstable and highly expressive sonic personality. It does not seek absolute transparency: it genuinely transforms the signal with dense analog modulation, pronounced resonances and a response that invites interaction with the controls. A slow chorus can become deep and shimmering, while a flanger pushed into feedback takes on a metallic, almost synthetic dimension.

The pedal responds particularly well to strong picking attacks, open chords and sustained notes. With a clean guitar, it brings out harmonics and pitch movement ; with distortion, it can become wild, nasal and highly textured. It is a pedal equally capable of enhancing a sound and taking center stage, true to Adrian Belew's experimental spirit.

Technical specifications

Effects	Chorus / Flanger / Phaser, Chorus, Flanger	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	guitar
Format	Pedal

Modes	Filter Matrix, Flange, Chorus + Flange, Chorus, Slap Back, Slap Back + Filter Matrix	Dimensions	14.6 x 12.1 x 6.4 cm
Controls	Volume, Feedback, Rate, Width and Tune	Required power supply	9 V DC
Rear Blend selector	direct signal engaged or removed	Polarity	center-negative
Input impedance	330 kOhms	Power consumption	190 mA
Output impedance	550 Ohms