PastFx Hot for Flanger

The PastFx Hot for Flanger is an analog flanger pedal that recreates the circuit of the 1970s MXR 117 Flanger, with extra features the original never had. PastFx describes it as "our take on of the 1970's MXR 117 Flanger with extra features"¹. It runs on the same 18V DC supply as the original but in a much smaller enclosure, and it uses a NOS Panasonic MN3007 bucket brigade device (BBD) chip, the analog delay chip at the heart of the vintage M117's flanging¹².

Where a stock MXR-style flanger aims for clean jet sweeps, the Hot for Flanger leans thick and textured. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing the prototype in August 2022, wrote that it "gets you exactly into that spot - with gloriously thick and textured output"². It sits in the PastFX lineup alongside the Elastic Mattress and Reticon flangers as one of three MN3007-based vintage circuit recreations³.

A thick, grungy take on the MXR M117 flanger

The original MXR M117 Flanger of the 1970s is the circuit the Hot for Flanger recreates, and PastFx built the pedal around the same NOS Panasonic MN3007 BBD chip the vintage unit used¹². BBD chips are analog delay lines: they pass the signal along a chain of capacitors, and mixing that delayed copy against the original creates the flanging effect. The MN3007 is the chip Guitar Pedal X identifies across all three pedals in the PastFX "flanger trifecta"³.

The character PastFx goes for with this one is not the clean, hi-fi end of flanging. Reviewing the V2 in November 2022, Karlsson called it the grungiest of the three PastFX flangers, writing that "if you like your Flanger a little grungier - then the Hot for Flanger should be your first look-in", with a "Thick & Greasy" profile³. In a later 2024 piece he was more measured on versatility:

That points at the pedal's center of gravity: the "EVH thing", the Edward Van Halen univibe-through-a-jet-plane flanging associated with the MXR Flanger, which the related MXR EVH117 Flanger and MXR EVH Flanger carry in modern production form.

The controls and the Waldo switch

The control set follows the M117 layout, with the additions PastFx built in. The maker lists the controls as Blend, Level, Regen, Width, Speed and Manual, plus two switches¹². Guitar Pedal X's prototype review breaks down what each does²:

The Blend control is worth noting for players who find full-strength flanging too much: PastFx says it "allows dialing back the wet modulated signal for a more subtle effect"¹. That Level control was itself a response to feedback. On the prototype, Karlsson reported "a slight volume drop - meaning I would really have liked some kind of level control"², and the production pedal and V2 carry one.

The two switches are where the Hot for Flanger departs from a straight M117 copy¹²³:

• "Waldo" 3-way switch: Up is a subtle top boost, middle is stock, down is a bass cut¹. Guitar Pedal X describes the switch as upping the clock capacitance timing, an EVH-style voicing option².
• +/- feedback switch: A positive / negative feedback selector, listed by PastFx as a new addition over the original circuit¹.

Power: 18V, 45mA

The Hot for Flanger operates off 18V DC with a negative tip, drawing 45mA, matching the original MXR 117's supply arrangement while fitting a much smaller enclosure¹.

What changed in the V2

Guitar Pedal X reported in November 2022 that PastFX updated its flanger trifecta, with the Hot for Flanger V2 gaining external mini Level and Regen knobs on top of the original control set³. PastFx's own page lists an updated, wider delay time sweep "closer to the original" among the pedal's features¹. Pricing was standardized across the three pedals at $299 AUD / $210 USD at the time³; the prototype had listed at $249 AUD / $175 USD in August 2022², and the MN3007 version was still listed at $210 USD in Karlsson's November 2024 piece³².

PastFx credits Scruffie with assistance on the project¹, and notes on its product page that specifications are subject to change without notice¹.

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