MXR '74 Phase 90

The MXR '74 Phase 90 (sold as the '74 Vintage Phase 90, CSP-026) is MXR's faithful reissue of the original script-logo Phase 90 phaser from 1974. It is a phaser pedal with exactly one control, a Speed knob, and it recreates the first version of the Phase 90, the one with the script logo produced from 1974 to 1977¹. Dunlop builds it with hand-matched FETs and a hand-wired circuit board, aiming for the same smooth, warm modulation and thick, rich tone that made the original the benchmark for phasers².

What makes this version unusual is where its circuit came from. Vintage Guitar reported that it is an exact recreation of MXR senior engineer Bob Cedro's personal 1974 script-logo Phase 90³. MusicRadar adds that Dunlop basically reverse engineered that original pedal, purchased by Cedro in 1974, to build the reissue¹.

One knob, no frills

The '74 Vintage Phase 90 keeps the original's single-control layout. The SPEED knob regulates the overall effect rate, meaning how quickly the phase sweep cycles⁴. There is nothing else to set, which is the point: this is a purist's clone of the very first Phase 90, with no modern tweaks added¹.

The pedal is finished in a dull orange shade like a vintage unit, printed with the MXR script logo, and housed in the classic orange finished box Dunlop describes on its product page²¹. Vintage Guitar called it the classic pumpkin orange chassis with black script logo³. Inside are hand-selected FETs, matched to produce deep and rich phasing, on a hand-wired PC board⁴³.

How it sounds

Dunlop says the pedal delivers the same smooth and warm modulation as the original, with the thick and rich tone that set the benchmark for phasers². Vintage Guitar's reviewer, playing it in front of a tube combo amp, found:

The same reviewer mapped out what the Speed knob does across its range: at 10 o'clock it offers a deep, liquid Van Halen-esque effect, and rolled up to 3 o'clock a very usable Leslie-like sound³. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen agreed that the silky quality of the phasing is the real deal here¹.

Power, bypass and the lack of an LED

The battery-only operation is part of the vintage recreation³. The switching is a Carling bypass switch with original high-quality Switchcraft input and output jacks⁴¹, and Vintage Guitar described it as a non-true-bypass switch with no LED³. MusicRadar likewise noted that no status LED is included, since no modern tweaks were added¹.

Where it came from

The script-logo Phase 90 was the very first version of the pedal, produced from 1974 to 1977¹. To build the reissue, Dunlop reverse engineered an original pedal purchased in 1974 by Bob Cedro, a Dunlop engineer¹. Cedro is a veteran MXR engineer and SR&D alum⁵, and the reissue is an exact recreation of his personal 1974 script-logo unit³. Vintage Guitar reviewed it in August 2008 at a list price of $159.99³.

How it differs from other MXR phasers

The '74 Vintage Phase 90 sits at the vintage end of MXR's phaser range. Compared with the alternatives:

• The standard MXR Phase 90 and the Script Phase 90 offer the same basic four-stage phasing in modern production form.
• The Script Phase 90 LED adds a status LED, which this pedal deliberately omits.
• The Phase 95 combines Phase 45 and Phase 90 circuits with Script and Block voicings in a mini enclosure.
• The Deep Phase adds a second knob for feedback and a mode switch, going beyond one-knob phasing.
• The EVH Phase 90 adds a Script switch for vintage and modern tones, aimed squarely at Van Halen-style playing.

For players who want the purist version, MusicRadar concluded the CSP-026 ought to satisfy demand from purists seeking an unadulterated clone of the very first version¹.

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