Strymon Zelzah

The Strymon Zelzah is a dual modulation pedal with two independent stereo phaser effects: a vintage-style 4-stage phaser on the left and a 6-stage phaser on the right, each with its own footswitch so you can run one, the other, or both at once¹. Strymon describes the experience plainly: "Step on Zelzah, play one chord, and you're instantly taken back to a world of classic phaser tones as they were always meant to sound, perfectly voiced, with tons of vibe"². It was Strymon's debut phaser pedal, announced in August 2021 at a US street price of $349³.00 as of August 2026².

What the Zelzah does: a 4-stage and a 6-stage phaser in one pedal

The two sides of the pedal behave differently. The 4-stage side is a vintage phaser with Speed, Mix and Depth knobs plus a three-way Sweep toggle offering classic, barber and envelope modes⁸. Recording Magazine's reviewer called it "your classic 70s-style pedal phaser, think guitar and electric piano"⁹. The 6-stage side has its own Speed, Mix and Depth knobs plus a Voice knob that simultaneously controls over 30 different parameters².

The barber setting on the 4-stage side is unusual: Recording Magazine reports that it uses three 4-stage phasers running concurrently to produce the barber-pole sound⁹. On the 6-stage side, Strymon developed an architecture containing a modified all-pass filter as the basis of the phaser, which the company describes as expanding the time response of the cascading all-pass filters seamlessly and continuously²¹⁰.

Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found the 4-stage side could stand in for the classics: a Depth setting of about 10 o'clock matched a script logo MXR Phase 90, and around one o'clock matched an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone. He also noted the 6-stage resonance is like engaging the Color switch on a Small Stone¹¹².

Routing: series, parallel and split stereo

The two phasers can be configured three ways, set from a routing menu¹²:

• Series (GREEN, default): the 6-stage phaser's output feeds into the 4-stage phaser when both sides are engaged¹².
• Parallel (BLUE): the outputs of both phasers are mixed to the outputs while maintaining stereo independence of the left and right signals¹².
• Split: each phaser is routed to its own output when used in stereo¹.

The input has a Mono/Stereo switch: with a mono input signal the output is stereo, and with a stereo input the output is stereo². Use Out L alone for mono output, or Out L and Out R together for stereo².

Power and connections

The Zelzah runs on 9V DC center negative with a minimum of 300mA, and a 9V power adapter is included⁷⁹. Strymon warns that subjecting the pedal to any voltage above 9V will damage it and void the warranty⁷.

Other connections on the back panel: a TRS stereo input, stereo outputs, an EXP/MIDI jack and a USB C jack for computer-based MIDI control and firmware updates²⁹. Hardware specs from Strymon include 1 Meg Ohm input impedance, 100 Ohm output impedance, +10dBu maximum input level, 109 dB typical signal-to-noise, and dimensions of 4.5″ deep x 4″ wide x 1.75″ tall (11.4 cm deep x 10.2 cm wide x 4.4 cm tall)⁵. The enclosure is an anodized dark purple aluminum chassis².

The input level can be set for instrument or line level sources, such as a keyboard or synthesizer, with the Line setting adding 10dB of headroom. To change it, press and hold the 6-Stage ON footswitch while connecting power, turn the 4-Stage Speed knob to choose the mode, then press either footswitch to store it. Input Level is a global setting, persistent across power cycles and not saved per preset¹³. Strymon notes the 6-Stage phaser has a bit less headroom than the 4-Stage phaser by the nature of the signal path, so a hotter-than-instrument input can saturate the 6-Stage side; this saturation is normal, and switching to Line level avoids it¹³.

Presets, MIDI and expression

The Zelzah holds 300 presets, with MIDI control providing access to them through the EXP/MIDI jack¹. The same jack accepts a standard TRS expression pedal for continuous control over any of the knobs¹. Incoming MIDI clock controls the LFO speed, and when synced the Speed knobs act as a multiplier or divider of the incoming clock tempo¹⁴. A secondary function determines whether the pedal responds to CC 100, which controls the designated expression pedal controls via MIDI¹⁴.

For preset access without a full MIDI setup, Strymon's MiniSwitch gives access to one favorite preset and the MultiSwitch Plus gives access to three presets¹¹. There is no built-in tap tempo: Premier Guitar's reviewer noted you will need an external switch if you rely on tap tempo¹⁵.

What reviewers said

Reviews were positive across the board. MusicRadar called it "a MIDI-compatible stompbox with 300 presets" with selectable true or buffered bypass, and concluded that "it makes a persuasive case as an all-purpose modulation pedal"⁸. Guitar World's verdict was simply "Two great-sounding phasers in one box"¹¹, a phrase MusicRadar also listed among its reasons to buy⁸. Recording Magazine's Paul Vnuk Jr. recommended it as a high-order modulation multi-effect⁹.

Strymon itself has published a guide to recreating favorite phaser sounds on the Zelzah, covering tones in the vein of Mild High Club's modern indie chorus, Rush's flanger, the Isley Brothers' phaser-with-fuzz, Smashing Pumpkins, Van Halen, Billy Joel and Khruangbin¹⁶.

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