Electro-Harmonix Walking on the Moon

The Electro-Harmonix Walking on the Moon is a signature analog flanger built with Andy Summers, guitarist of The Police, and released in 2023¹². It is a tribute to the modulation sound Summers carved out in the band's early years, when he ran an EHX Electric Mistress to create shimmering, chorus-like textures on songs like "Walking on the Moon" and "Message in a Bottle"¹³. Electro-Harmonix describes the pedal's territory as "liquid flange effects that hint toward chorus with extra depth and nuance"¹.

Under the Artist Edition graphics, the circuit is essentially the classic Electric Mistress. MusicRadar's reviewer Alex Lynham put it plainly: "Although this is badged as a signature pedal, it's in fact just an Electric Mistress with a new design and chassis"⁴. Guitar World's Paul Riario calls it "a near-sonic recreation of an original Deluxe Electric Mistress" in the same compact die-cast chassis EHX used for the discontinued Deluxe Electric Mistress³.

What it does: between jet flange and chorus

The pedal's identity sits in the overlap between flanger and chorus. Electro-Harmonix says the Color control moves "from subtle chorusing effects to classic jet woosh sounds"¹, and Guitar World's launch coverage summed up the target tone as "sitting somewhere between jet flange and chorus tones that give a beautiful shimmering sound that is unmistakable"¹⁷⁸.

In his Guitar World review, Paul Riario found the two extremes behave as advertised: turning up Color and Range produces "a thick jet-like swoosh similar to a tape flange," while dialing them back gives "a juicier flange with lush chorusing sound at higher settings"³. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham noted that after setting Color and Range, "the rate becomes chorus-like past the 10 o'clock point"⁴. He also flagged a limit: "For EVH-like 'jet plane' flange sounds, a more metallic distortion is required"⁴, so players chasing the most aggressive jet sounds may want to compare it against something like the MXR EVH Flanger.

The controls

The control set is three knobs and a toggle, the same layout Electric Mistress players have known for decades²⁹.

The Filter Matrix mode

The Filter Matrix is the feature that separates the Electric Mistress family from most other flangers. Flipping the toggle disconnects the low-frequency oscillator that drives the sweep, so the flanger stops moving and holds a fixed, resonant filter point¹². Electro-Harmonix's own description: "a FILTER MATRIX which disengages the LFO from the flanger circuit, freezing the flanger giving a fixed filter effect"¹.

Reviewers found plenty of usable ground in that frozen state. Pedal of the Day describes it as adding "chime or metallic overtones to your sound without the movement of a traditional modulation pedal"⁸, and Guitar World's Riario notes it opens up "alternative filtered tones including metallic and boxy-sounding ring modulations," just as it did on the original pedal³. MusicRadar's Lynham describes it as stopping "the LFO at a specific point, adding the resulting resonant, metallic feedback"⁴.

Power and connections

The pedal runs on 9V DC at 40mA on a center-negative plug¹¹⁰. A 9.6VDC-200mA power adapter comes in the box, and an optional 9V battery can also power it, though the battery is not included¹³. Guitar World's review confirms true bypass switching³.

On the connection side there are three jacks: Input, a Flanged (wet) Out, and a Dry Out for splitting the affected and unaffected signals³⁴. It is worth being clear about what the two outputs are not: Guitar World describes them as "a dual (but not stereo) output, with Dry and Flanged options"². Players who want a true stereo EHX flanger are pointed by MusicRadar toward the stereo Electric Mistress, which is the standard EHX flanger carried by retailers⁴.

A Deluxe Electric Mistress in Andy Summers colors

The lineage is the story here. Summers used an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress on "Walking on the Moon" and "Message in a Bottle"³¹¹, and Guitar World's history of the Electric Mistress describes the Walking on the Moon as EHX's rebranding of the Deluxe Electric Mistress³. Gearnews notes that if you want something similar without the signature treatment, EHX also offers the Deluxe Electric Mistress XO and the stereo Electric Mistress⁹.

Guitar World's Riario frames the Artist Edition as "more of a commemorative tribute than a collaboration"³, though Summers himself had a hand in it: "I think it came out good because I worked on it," he told MusicRadar¹¹. In that same interview he admitted the flanger label surprised him, saying he would have called it a chorus¹¹, which lines up with how the pedal behaves at gentler settings.

The presentation leans into the nostalgia. The chassis carries Special Artist Edition graphics with Summers' signature, in a vintage Letraset-style font with simple moon art that nods to both The Police and EHX's late-'70s heyday¹²⁵. Each pedal ships with a tribute "Walking on the Moon" poster with art by Laura Josephson, packed in what Guitar World called "an awesomely retro cardboard box"¹².

Who uses it

The pedal's named player is its designer, Andy Summers, who says of the original Mistress circuit: "I would use it on songs like 'Walking on the Moon' and 'Message in a Bottle'. It became a sort of characteristic of my guitar sound"¹. The song "Walking on the Moon" is the obvious tonal reference point for the pedal².

What reviewers said

Published reviews have been positive across the board:

• MusicRadar's Alex Lynham: "Excellent flanger"⁴
• Pedal of the Day: "another gem in the long list of Electro-Harmonix pedals that look and sound great, and are accessible to every level of guitar player"⁸
• Guitar World's Paul Riario confirmed the circuit recreates the original Deluxe Electric Mistress sound in a compact chassis³

On price, the figure has moved over time: the pedal launched at $129 in July 2023¹²⁵, while Gearnews' October 2025 buying guide lists it at $99.00⁶.

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