The Danger Zone is a handbuilt analog stompbox from Option Knob, a company also known as Wingman and later as WingManFX, that combines a phaser and a tremolo in one enclosure12. The two effects sit side by side and run in parallel, tremolo on the left and phaser on the right, each with its own footswitch, so you can use either one alone or both at once2. The pedal was introduced at the 2019 NAMM show as the company's first actual stompbox, after it had made its name building foot-controlled knobs23.
What sets the Danger Zone apart from most two-effect pedals is how you control it. Both Rate knobs use the company's WingMan foot-control design, so you can adjust the speed of either effect with your foot instead of bending down mid-song43. The enclosure leans into the theme with tactical fighter cockpit graphics and joystick-style controls5.
The controls
Each effect has its own set of Volume, Rate and Depth controls, so the tremolo and phaser can be dialed in completely independently5. The maker also describes an independent volume control for each effect as standard issue1.
| Control | Side | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Tremolo | Acts as a boost, setting the tremolo sound as laid back or up front as you want; also a Rate LED7 |
| Rate | Tremolo | Controls the speed, from smooth and mellow to what Pedal of the Day called "all-out vibrato-infused insanity"7 |
| Depth | Tremolo | Sets the intensity of the effect7 |
| Rate | Phaser | Speed control, built as a WingMan foot-control knob43 |
| Depth | Phaser | Intensity control, mounted at the pedal's outer edge for foot access2 |
| Volume | Phaser | Independent level for the phaser side15 |
The tremolo side is a square wave design, which gives it a harder on/off chop than a sine wave tremolo7.
WingMan knobs and the Jet Wash footswitch
The WingMan knobs are the pedal's signature feature. Option Knob was a custom controller company before it built pedals, and the Danger Zone carries two of its foot-control knobs as standard, one on each effect's Rate control43. You adjust the rate knobs through a "top" movement, rocking the knob with your foot from above, while the Depth knobs are placed at the outer sides of the pedal so you can run your foot along the edge and change them with a side motion2. In practice that means speed and intensity of both effects can be shaped while you keep playing.
There are three heavy-duty footswitches: Arm for tremolo on/off, Fire for phaser on/off, and Jet Wash in the middle5. Jet Wash is a second phaser type that provides deeper coloration and a more intense overall effect, which Guitar World characterized as a vintage/modern phase choice57. Delicious Audio described it as accessing a slightly different sounding phaser2.
MACH II and other extras
The MACH II switch is the pedal's wild card. The maker's page bills it as flipping on "sonic boom capabilities"1. In concrete terms, it is a toggle switch that increases the phaser's rate by 1k times, which creates effects reminiscent of ring modulation and bit reduction2. Pedal of the Day described it as "igniting the Rate of the phaser into an additional dimension of multiplied sound possibilities far crazier than it is normally"7. Guitar World's reviewer Paul Riario found that "flipping the Mach II switch really does add more vigor to the phase tone"5.
"The Danger Zone combines analog tremolo and phaser with tactical fighter cockpit graphics and joystick-style controls."
Introduction and demo
WingMan FX introduced the Danger Zone at the 2019 NAMM show as an analog phaser/tremolo stompbox2. The pedal is handbuilt14, and designer Chad is credited with the WingManFX crew for it125. The Depth knobs sit at the outer sides of the pedal so you can run your foot along the edge and change them while playing2. A demo video of the pedal was shot inside Delicious Audio's Stompbox Booth at NAMM 2019 with 60 Cycle Hum42.
The maker's product page hosts an English-language manual as a PDF download, and Guitar World lists wingmanfx.com/dangerzone/ as the company's contact page15.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Guitar World
OptionKnob
Questions
Is the Wingman Danger Zone analog or digital?
It is analog. The maker lists the circuit type as analog, and Guitar World's reviewer described it as handbuilt with analog circuitry. Both effects, the tremolo and the phaser, run on the same analog circuitry in one enclosure.
Can you use the phaser and tremolo at the same time on the Danger Zone?
Yes. The two effects are organized in parallel, tremolo on the left and phaser on the right, and each has its own footswitch, Arm for the tremolo and Fire for the phaser. The pedal was created specifically to provide combineable analog tremolo and phaser effects, so both can be engaged together.
What does the MACH II switch do?
Mach II is a toggle switch that multiplies the phaser's rate dramatically, by around a thousand times according to Delicious Audio, creating effects reminiscent of ring modulation and bit reduction. Guitar World's reviewer found that flipping it adds more vigor to the phase tone.
What are Wingman knobs?
WingMan knobs are Option Knob's foot-control design. Instead of turning a knob by hand, you rock it with your foot, so you can change the rate of an effect mid-performance. The Danger Zone comes standard with two of them, one on each effect's Rate control.
Where can I find the Danger Zone manual?
The maker's product page links an English-language manual as a PDF at wingmanfx.com, in the downloads section of the Danger Zone product page. Guitar World's review also lists wingmanfx.com/dangerzone/ as the contact point for the company.
Sources (7)
- Danger Zone by WingManFX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Wingman Danger Zone Phaser/Tremolo, Delicious Audio, 2019-07-24
- Option Knob Unveils New Danger Zone Phaser/Tremolo, Guitar World, 2019-01-22
- Option Knob Introduces the Danger Zone, Premier Guitar, 2019-01-16
- Wingman FX Danger Zone review, Guitar World, 2020-07-30
- Summer NAMM 2019: WingMan FX Danger Zone Demo, Premier Guitar, 2019-07-21
- WingManFX Danger Zone Analog Tremolo / Phaser, Pedal of the Day, 2019-07-06
