Best Flanger Pedals
A flanger combines the dry signal with a slightly delayed and pitch-modulated copy — creating a sweeping, jet-like "whooshing" effect. It's related to chorus but more dramatic, with a more pronounced comb filter character. Classic in hard rock, metal and 1980s production.
Best Flanger Pedals
Boss BF-3 Flange — £90 | Best Overall
Standard, Enhance, Gate and Ultra modes; stereo-capable (stereo input adds a guitar synthesiser effect); Rate, Depth, Manual and Resonance controls. The most feature-complete flanger at this price.
Standard mode: Classic guitar flanger — sweeping, liquid modulation. Gate mode: The modulation only triggers when a signal is present — creates a choppier, gated effect. Ultra mode: More extreme flanging — deeper, more metallic sweep.
Best for: Players who want multiple flanger characters across rock and metal.
EHX Electric Mistress — £100 | Best Vintage Flanger
Original Electro-Harmonix flanger design — used by David Gilmour ("Run Like Hell" by Pink Floyd), Andy Summers (The Police), Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead). Rate, Color, and Flange controls.
Character: Slower, warmer, less metallic than the Boss — a vintage, liquid sweep rather than an aggressive "jet" sound.
Best for: Classic rock, alternative, ambient players who want the David Gilmour/Andy Summers flanger character.
MXR M117R Flanger — £130 | Best Classic MXR
Range, Rate, Color (resonance), Width controls. The MXR flanger is a studio favourite — used on countless professional recordings. Broader frequency range than the Boss.
Best for: Studio players and professionals who want the MXR studio-quality flanger character.
TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger — £75 | Best Budget
Three mode switch (Classic, Jet, Gate), Rate, Depth, Feedback controls. The most affordable quality flanger — TC Electronic's typical build quality at a lower price.
Best for: Players on a tighter budget who want quality flanging without paying MXR or Boss prices.
Flanger vs Chorus
Both use delayed and modulated signals — the difference is subtle but significant.
Chorus: Very short delay (5–15ms), lower resonance — blending, shimmering effect. Less dramatic.
Flanger: Slightly longer delay with higher resonance — comb filtering is more pronounced, the "sweep" is more dramatic and jet-like.
Choosing Between These Four
Want one pedal that covers the most ground? The Boss BF-3's four modes (Standard, Enhance, Gate, Ultra) make it the most versatile single purchase — capable of subtle vintage-adjacent sweeps and more extreme metallic effects without needing a second pedal.
Chasing a specific classic tone (Gilmour's "Run Like Hell," Andy Summers' Police-era tone)? Go directly to the EHX Electric Mistress — its slower, warmer character is a genuinely different circuit design from the Boss, not just a mode selection away.
Recording or mixing regularly, want maximum tonal control? The MXR M117R's broader frequency range and dedicated Color/resonance control give more precise shaping for studio use than the more performance-oriented Boss or EHX units.
Working with a tight budget but don't want to compromise on core flanging quality? The TC Electronic Vortex Mini covers the essential Classic/Jet/Gate territory at roughly half the price of the MXR, without a dramatic quality drop for most playing contexts.
Common Mistakes
Confusing flanger with chorus when shopping. As covered above, the two effects are related but distinct — a chorus pedal won't deliver the dramatic, jet-like sweep a genuine flanger produces, and buying the wrong one is a common and frustrating mismatch between expectation and result.
Placing the flanger after distortion-heavy fuzz pedals. Flanger interacts poorly with fuzz specifically (as opposed to overdrive) due to how fuzz circuits respond to the flanger's comb filtering — if using both, experiment with flanger before the fuzz in the chain, contrary to the standard overdrive-then-modulation ordering.
Setting resonance/feedback too high for the musical context. High resonance settings produce a more extreme, metallic "jet" sound appropriate for specific solo or effect moments — leaving it high for rhythm playing throughout a song often becomes fatiguing and draws too much attention to the effect itself.
Assuming all flangers sound essentially the same. As the EHX vs Boss comparison above demonstrates, flanger circuits vary significantly in character — a warmer vintage-style flanger and a modern digital flanger can sound like genuinely different effects despite sharing the same basic name.
ToneStakr's Take
For most players buying a first flanger, the Boss BF-3 remains the safest recommendation — its mode-switching versatility means it can cover both subtle vintage-adjacent textures and more aggressive modern sweeps without needing a second pedal purchase later. Players who already know they want a specific classic tone (particularly Gilmour's Pink Floyd-era sound) should skip the general-purpose route entirely and go straight to the EHX Electric Mistress, since its distinct circuit character isn't fully reproducible by a more generic flanger's mode selection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best flanger pedal?
The Boss BF-3 (£90) is the best all-around choice for its mode versatility. The EHX Electric Mistress (£100) is the best choice specifically for vintage character in the style of David Gilmour or Andy Summers.
What is flanging?
Flanging mixes the dry guitar signal with a pitch-modulated, delayed copy of itself, creating a sweeping, whooshing effect. The name originates from an analog studio technique of touching the flange (edge) of a tape machine's reel to slow it down slightly while a second identical recording played back in sync.
Where should a flanger go in the signal chain?
Generally after overdrive or distortion, before delay and reverb: Guitar → Overdrive → Flanger → Delay → Reverb → Amp. As noted above, fuzz pedals specifically can be an exception worth experimenting with.
Is a flanger the same as a chorus pedal?
No, though they're related — both blend the dry signal with a modulated, delayed copy. Chorus uses a shorter delay time and lower resonance for a subtler, shimmering blend, while flanger uses a longer delay and higher resonance for a more dramatic, jet-like sweep.
Can a flanger be used on bass guitar?
Yes — flanger is a less common but genuinely usable effect on bass, particularly in funk and some progressive rock contexts, though the effect tends to be used more sparingly than on guitar since heavy modulation on low frequencies can muddy a mix.
Do I need a stereo rig to get the full effect from a flanger like the Boss BF-3?
No — the BF-3 and similar pedals work well in a standard mono guitar rig. Stereo operation adds width and a more three-dimensional sweep when available (useful in studio or stereo live setups), but it's an enhancement, not a requirement for the core effect.