 | Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress
If ever there was an effect inspired by a drug induced haze, this is it.
The sound of psycadelia.
...click for larger pic |
| Keeping good company
Original Electro-Harmonix pedals from the 70's are responsible for some of the all time great effected guitar sounds. Their range of effects have consistently offered something extra in the way of sonic character, and perhaps none more so than the Electric Mistress. Designed by David Cockerell in 76 while he was the chief engineer for EH, the Electric Mistress became an instant fave with discerning guitarists the world over and was the key to an instant pyscadelic guitar sound. Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Lenny Kravitz and The Chemical Brothers are all big fans of its lush texture. Pink Floyds 'The Wall' is littered with great Electric Mistress moments and Dave Gilmour always has a couple in his rig.
What's more it was actually the Electric Mistress that Andy Summers used with the 'Police' to get his signature shimmery trademark tone.
Hit and Mistress
The actual construction of the Electric Mistress is, er, interesting. The thin enclosure common to most EH pedals does feel a bit flimsy and the circuit board looks like the result of a 5 year old child playing with an etch-e-sketch and includes some of what can only be described as creative soldering which does leave you with questions regarding its design. The output isn't buffered so you do notice a slight drop in level when you kick it in and it uses an 18V centre positive supply that, if plugged in with the wrong polarity will destroy certain irreplaceable parts within the unit.
So why with all this is it still the most collectable flanger on the market? The success of the Electric Mistress is a great example of musicians letting their ears be their guide. The created effect is simply spectacular. It's rich and warm with incredible fidelity so you never lose the guitar in the effected signal no matter how hard you try. It's by no means a one trick pony either as not only does it do the standard jet plane flange sounds as good as can be done, but with creative use of the rate, range and color controls you can coax a great chorus from it as well. You can even turn off the sweep function via the filter matrix switch and select a specific frequency via the range control for some great ring modulation tones. With every note you play it sounds like someone is slamming a sheet of iron with a hammer.
How much should I pay?
Thankfully before the end of its production, Electro-Harmonix had churned these out by the thousands so if you keep an eye out you'll undoubtedly come across one, however it is important that you try before you buy because individual units do vary slightly in audio quality. You can get them in decent condition for around £150 to double that and more for one in top condition in its original box. For those massive flanged guitar sounds the Electric Mistress has been the industry standard for over 25 years and doesn't look set to give up that position any time soon.
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