The Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 is a 100% analog dynamic flanger pedal, the first effect in the company's Analoger Series1. What sets it apart from a conventional flanger pedal is the word "dynamic": as well as an onboard LFO (the low-frequency oscillator that sweeps a normal flanger), it has an envelope detector that reads the level of your playing and drives the sweep from your own attack and decay2. The result is a modulation effect that can respond to how hard you pick rather than simply cycling on its own.
Asheville Music Tools describes its sound in terms of "lush swirls, vocal comb filter sweeps, and metallic flourishes," controllable either from the onboard LFO or from your playing dynamics1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in May 2024 as part of the site's Asheville Week, found that "the look, feel and sounds created by the AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger are all quite impressive"2.
As of late October 2026 the AFG-1 is listed as Sold Out on the Asheville Music Tools product page1. When Pedal of the Day reviewed it in May 2024 it was available at Heyday Music in downtown Asheville2.
A 100% analog dynamic flanger
The AFG-1 is fully analog in both its audio path and its control path, which Asheville Music Tools states plainly as "100% Analog signal and control path"1. It is built with over 380 components on a multi-layer PCB with dedicated split power and ground planes, and the power input is protected against reverse polarity, over-voltage conditions and ESD spikes1.
The "dynamic" part of the design is what makes it more than a standard flanger. Pedal of the Day explains the two modulation sources124:
- True sine-wave exponential modulation from the onboard LFO, for conventional sweeping flanger and chorus sounds2
- A selectable response dynamic envelope detector that modulates the delay clock based on your playing level2
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson notes the envelope section offers a three-position Envelope Waveform switch: Fast Attack, Slow Attack, or Moderate Attack5. That switch shapes how quickly the envelope reacts to your pick attack, from an immediate response to a slower, more gradual swell.
The circuit: MN3009 bucket brigade and control voltage
At the core of the AFG-1 is a high-headroom, 256-stage reissue MN3009 Bucket Brigade Device, the analog delay chip at the heart of the effect2. A bucket brigade device (BBD) passes your signal down a chain of capacitors one small step at a time, and modulating the clock rate that moves the signal is what creates the flanging and chorus effects. The MN3009 is a high-voltage BBD chip, and in the AFG-1 it is powered by an internal 15V supply1.
The design brief behind it draws on studio gear rather than stompbox convention. Pedal of the Day reports that designer Hawker built the pedal "by drawing from synthesizer-style architectures and elements of beloved vintage rack effects"2, and that the "synthesizer-inspired control voltage topology provides an extended range of functionality and precision not available in most flangers"2. In practice, that means the LFO, the envelope detector and the delay clock all communicate through control voltages, the way a synthesizer's modules do, rather than through the simpler fixed paths of a typical pedal.
The power arrangement is worth noting for pedalboard planning. The chip wants 15 volts, but you do not need a special supply: Asheville Music Tools says its "custom-designed 9V to 15V power supply works conveniently with standard 9V pedal power supplies"3. Pedal of the Day describes the whole ensemble as "powered by a protected and highly regulated 15V power supply for carefree operation in any stage or studio environment"2.
Flanger and chorus from one box
Because the underlying circuit is a modulated bucket brigade delay line, the AFG-1 covers more than one modulation flavor. Pedal of the Day notes it uses the reissue BBD "to deliver classic Flanger and Chorus sounds with the most natural modulation"2, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as delivering "flanger (and chorus) sounds in two ways," through the LFO and through the dynamic envelope3. Players looking for a broader comparison of the category can read more on the chorus pedals page.
The Analoger Series and its designer
The AFG-1 is listed by Asheville Music Tools as sold out1. Of the pedal itself, the reviewer at Tonebox wrote that "the look, feel and sounds created by the AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger are all quite impressive"2.
What reviewers said
"The look, feel and sounds created by the AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger are all quite impressive"
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Questions
Is the Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 fully analog?
Yes. Asheville Music Tools describes the AFG-1 as a 100% analog signal and control path. The audio and the modulation circuitry are both analog, built around a 256-stage reissue MN3009 bucket brigade device with over 380 components on a multi-layer PCB.
What power supply does the AFG-1 use?
The pedal runs from a standard 9V pedal power supply. A custom-designed internal converter steps that up to a protected, highly regulated 15V supply that powers the high-voltage MN3009 bucket brigade chip. The power input is protected against reverse polarity, over-voltage and ESD spikes.
Is the AFG-1 still available?
As of late October 2026 the AFG-1 is listed as Sold Out on the Asheville Music Tools product page. When Pedal of the Day reviewed it in May 2024, the pedal was available at Heyday Music in downtown Asheville.
Who designed the AFG-1 flanger?
The designer is named as Hawker. Pedal of the Day reports that Hawker drew from synthesizer-style architectures and elements of vintage rack effects to build the pedal, and Asheville Music Tools says it was designed from the ground up as a new kind of modulator.
Can the AFG-1 do chorus sounds as well as flanging?
Yes. Pedal of the Day notes that the bucket brigade delay line delivers classic flanger and chorus sounds, and Delicious Audio describes the AFG-1 as producing flanger and chorus sounds in two ways: through the onboard LFO and through its dynamic envelope detector.
What is the Analoger Series from Asheville Music Tools?
The Analoger Series is the Asheville Music Tools product line that includes the AFG-1 dynamic flanger. The series name signals the company's focus on fully analog designs; the AFG-1 is its 100% analog dynamic flanger with a synthesizer-inspired control voltage topology.
Sources (5)
- AFG-1 Dynamic Analog Flanger, Asheville Music Tools
- Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger, Pedal of the Day, 2024-05-17
- New Pedal: Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 Flanger, Delicious Audio, 2023-06-13
- Analoger AFG-1 by Asheville Music Tools | RockBoard | PedalPedia, RockBoard PedalPedia
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-06-23
