PRODUCT REVIEW
a very heavy effect in lead settings, and it
works great with fuzz and distortion, though
it’s important to use the Enhance knob carefully—some signal peaks can be downright
piercing in high-gain settings.
True flanging effects—the kind many of us
associate with the Faces’ “Itchycoo Park”
and its psychedelic ilk—are predictably cool
and easy to get with the A/DA. They’re effective in a surprising number of contexts, too.
Slow, dreamy space-rock chord drones were
a perfect match—they took on an elastic,
melting, time-warping quality that can also
guide or inspire a whole song, band, or vocal
approach. And in a fuzzed-out lead environment, the Flanger maintains clarity and preserves the harmonic details of pitch bends
and finger vibrato—a quality few flangers can
maintain in extreme-gain settings.
obvious—and to my ears, useful—on the
Odd setting, which emphasizes peaks in
a way that creates an aural picture of the
signals crossing over in a sort of double-helix pattern. It’s yet another feature that
makes the A/DA one of the most versatile
Flangers ever.
Rating:
The Verdict
Though the A/DA Flanger beckons you to
go a little wild with your playing, it’s a very
musical, expressive, and nuanced pedal
when you take the time to work through
it’s myriad settings. And while the uninitiated may be inclined to write off flanging in
general as a psychedelic or shag-rug funk
relic, the A/DA is wide-ranging enough to
speak softly and breathe life into otherwise
stale chord progressions or rhythm patterns. In its original incarnation, the A/DA
was the most wide-sweeping and versatile
flanger available. And in terms of function,
musicality, and quality, this reissue remains
a gold standard.
you need everything from subtle
modulation textures to warped
flanging ecstasy.
Buy If...
Skip If...
you’re never bound to dive into
the galaxy of extreme flanging.
A/DA
Street $259
adaamps.com
CLICKHere…
It’s worth noting that, in more flanged-out
settings, the Harmonics switch shifted the
texture quite perceptibly. It’s especially
or use a mobile
device to read
this QR code to
download audio
clips of the
pedal at
premierguitar.com/dec2010
