The Walrus Audio Vanguard is a stereo dual phaser pedal, made in the USA, that puts two phase circuits in series rather than running a single sweep1. The first phaser, always active, is a 10-stage phaser with standard rate, depth and feedback controls; the signal can then pass through a second phaser whose voicing you select with a toggle switch2. It arrived in late 2015 at a retail price of $279, available for preorder at announcement3.
Two phasers in series
Most phaser pedals give you one phase circuit and one set of controls. The Vanguard instead operates as a series phaser system: two phasers working together, with your signal sent through a single 10-stage phaser and the option to pass through a second phaser after it43. The user has three selectable modes to shape the series phaser4.
The second phaser is where the design gets its range. A toggle switch selects between three different phaser voicings: 10-stage with regeneration, 6-stage with pitch bending, and a filter voicing4. Premier Guitar's reviewer described the first phaser as "always active, is a 10-stage phaser with standard rate, depth, and feedback controls"2.
Because each phaser has its own controls, you can also use just one of them. Any of the four phasers on the pedal, meaning the main phaser with the top controls and the three selectable voicings on the bottom row, can run alone by setting the undesired phaser's controls to zero3.
Controls and presets
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dry mix | Sets the level of the untouched signal |
| Phaser 1 rate, depth, regeneration | Speed, intensity and feedback of the always-on 10-stage phaser |
| Phaser 2 rate, depth, tweak | Speed, intensity and voicing-specific adjustment of the second phaser |
| Wet mix | Sets the level of the effected signal |
| Mode switch | Selects 10-stage with regeneration, 4-stage with pitch, or 6-stage with filter |
The pedal holds three editable presets1. Presets can be saved via the Remote input using an auxiliary momentary switch, which can also simply switch the pedal on and off3.
The expression input works with most on-the-shelf expression pedals, and it goes beyond sweeping one knob: you can set high and low parameters for any control and fade between them3. There is also a remote footswitch input1.
The Vanguard ships in true bypass. To get trails instead, hold down the right footswitch while powering the pedal up and it switches to buffered bypass with trails1.
What reviewers said
The reviews split on character but agreed on flexibility. Premier Guitar's reviewer found that "It doesn't replicate the cushy, immersive sound of a good analog phaser, but has an edgier modern character," calling it "an unapologetically digital effect"2. Richard Purvis at guitar.com heard something similar, writing that "It's a digital effect, and the sounds do tend towards the metallic and flangey," while concluding that the control set makes "the Vanguard about the most fine-tunable phaser you can get"1.
Pedal of the Day's Mike B pointed to the second phaser as the heart of the pedal, writing that "the second row of controls relates directly to the 2nd phaser available on the Vanguard, and is really where this pedal" opens up and blows past most other phasers5.
The Vanguard and Walrus Audio's other phasers
The Vanguard was Walrus Audio's digital take on the phaser. Players who want an analog circuit from the same maker can look at the Walrus Audio Lillian, a multi-stage analog phaser the company released in 2019, which Guitar World's 2026 best-phaser guide named the best analog choice in the category. A fuller account of that circuit is on the Vanguard Dual Phase page.
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Questions
Is the Walrus Audio Vanguard analog or digital?
It is digital. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it an unapologetically digital effect, and guitar.com's Richard Purvis noted the sounds tend toward the metallic and flangey rather than the warm character of an analog phaser. Walrus Audio later released the Lillian as its analog multi-stage phaser option.
Is the Walrus Vanguard stereo?
Yes. It has one input that accepts a stereo signal with a TRS-Y cable, plus two outputs, so it can run in mono or stereo. guitar.com's review listed mono and stereo outputs alongside the expression pedal input and remote footswitch input.
Does the Vanguard have trails?
Yes, trails are available. The pedal ships in true bypass, but if you hold down the right footswitch while powering it up it switches to buffered bypass with trails, so the phase tail continues after you disengage the effect.
Does the Walrus Vanguard take an expression pedal?
Yes. The expression input works with most standard expression pedals, and you can set high and low values for any control and fade between them. There is also a remote input for an auxiliary momentary switch that can switch the pedal on and off or save presets.
Sources (5)
- Walrus Audio Pedals: Vanguard, Voyager, Descent & Jupiter, guitar.com, 2016-12-09
- Walrus Audio Vanguard Dual Phase Review, Premier Guitar, 2016-07-28
- Walrus Audio Introduces the Vanguard Dual Phase, Premier Guitar, 2015-11-04
- Walrus Audio Announce Release of the Vanguard Dual Phase, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2015-11-04
- Walrus Audio Vanguard Dual Phase, Pedal of the Day, 2016-01-31
