The DOD FX747 Supersonic Stereo Flange is a flanger pedal made from 1996 to 1998 and now discontinued. It is a four-knob flanger with aviation-themed control names, and it can be run in stereo, which its reviewer said opens up a whole other set of sounds to play with and learn from1. It sits in the wider family of flanger pedals, most of which use the same basic set of controls under more ordinary names.
The controls: Payload, Mach, Altitude and Thrust
The FX747 features 4 simple knobs, labeled with aviation terms that map onto the standard flanger controls1.
| Knob | Function |
|---|---|
| Payload | Level |
| Mach | Speed |
| Altitude | Width |
| Thrust | Regen |
The Mach control is the one that sets the FX747 apart: Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted that it has a larger range than most flangers, allowing super-slow flange speeds, slow enough to play "into" the sweep of the effect rather than simply riding on top of it1.
What it sounds like
As with any flanger, the effect comes from a delayed copy of the signal swept back against the original, and the FX747's controls shape how deep and how fast that sweep runs. Pedal of the Day described the range of the pedal this way:
"the FX747 is capable of making subtle, tasteful overtone sounds to borderline obnoxious, swirling, jet engine swooshes"
The reviewer's overall verdict was that the FX747 Supersonic Flange is an underrated classic of a pedal, one that can usually be found for an excellent price, with ease of use and value counting among its strengths1.
The FX747 was discontinued after production ended in 1998, so any unit you find will be secondhand. Pedal of the Day described it in 2016 as "another pedal now sought-after and discontinued before it's time"1.
Where it sits among flangers
Compared with current flangers such as the Boss BF-3 Flanger, the MXR Flanger or the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress, the FX747's distinguishing features are its stereo operation and the extended range of its speed control. Its four-knob layout is simpler than flangers that add preset, filter-matrix or momentary modes, and its aviation-themed labels are unique to DOD's design1.
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Questions
Is the DOD FX747 a stereo pedal?
Yes. The FX747 Supersonic Stereo Flange can be run in stereo, which Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted opens up a whole other set of sounds to play with and learn from. Beyond that, it is a conventional four-knob flanger pedal, and its aviation-themed control names hide the standard flanger functions of level, speed, width and regeneration.
What do the Payload, Mach, Altitude and Thrust knobs do?
The four knobs use aviation names for standard flanger controls: Payload is the level, Mach is the speed, Altitude is the width, and Thrust is the regeneration. The Mach control has a larger range than most flangers, which allows very slow flange speeds.
Is the DOD FX747 still made?
No. DOD produced the FX747 from 1996 to 1998, and it was discontinued after production ended in 1998. Pedal of the Day described it in 2016 as a pedal now sought-after and discontinued before its time, though one that can usually be found for an excellent price.
Can the DOD FX747 do very slow flanging?
Yes. According to Pedal of the Day, the Mach control has a larger range than most flangers, allowing super-slow flange speeds, slow enough to play into the sweep of the effect rather than just sit on top of it.
Sources (1)
- DOD FX747 Supersonic Stereo Flange, Pedal of the Day, 2016-03-06
