Those who miss the Electro-Harmonix late ’70s 18-volt “V2” Electric Mistress flanger, will be happy to know that the PastFX Elastic Mattress Flanger, hailing from Australia, is a modern take on that device.
This pedal recreates the legendary “swoosh” of the original while expanding the spectrum on sonic possibilities thanks to two extra controls: a Blend knob that allows to reintroduce the clean signal under the effected one, and a Bright switch.
On top of that, an internal trimpot allows to to set the effect’s volume level.
The other controls are the same one found in the original, including the Filter Matrix, which stops the oscillation and lets the player use the range knob to set a delay amount that generate static phase cancellations.
Check out the PastFX Elastic Mattress in the videos below.
PastFX Elastic Mattress Flanger, Builder’s Notes
The PastFx Elastic Mattress is our original spin on the famed “V2” version of the Electric Mistress pedal made by Electro-Harmonix in the mid to late 1970s, and famously used in live and studio recordings of David Gilmour as both a solo artist and with Pink Floyd. We have created a pedal that captures the unmistakable lush yet articulate base and swooshing glitz that characterises the original Mistress, but without any of the limitations of the original… and with a lot more control on tap. Indeed, there’s quite a lot in common, sonically, with the aural qualities associated with the V2 Electric Mistress—definitely capable of more subtle chorusy flanging, with slightly less saturation and better overall note definition than later EM models. Our Elastic Mattress, true to its name, bends into one’s playing with pillowy grace. In doing so, it retains the unmistakable core tone, vibe, and texture that Mistress lovers and seekers desire. And let’s not forget that our Elastic Mattress can get downright funky, trippy, and wild if subtlety isn’t the player’s forte. More modern EM tones are in there with some tweaking, but the pedal excels with its generous range of usable chorus and flanging depth. We believe that this is an extremely versatile EM-style flanger which requires limited pedalboard real estate!
Players will find the familiar external rate, range, and color knobs, but we’ve also added a blend knob for controlling wet/dry ratio. In addition to the standard EM Matrix feature, which can be accessed by switching its toggle right (towards the corresponding blue LED), we have added a bright switch toggle that allows players to choose between our stock setting or a custom value set by an internal trimpot, allowing players the ability to dial brightness to taste and switch between two presets. There is also an internal trimpot to set the effect’s volume level, so you can dial it in to unity gain or even boost your signal when engaged. Altogether, our Elastic Mattress flanger offers all the expected pleasures and sounds of the original EM, but with lots of ability to shape and control the effect in unprecedented ways, in a highly intuitive, compact box. We invite all-comers to lay down a groove on the Elastic Mattress! 🙂
Specs:
NOS Matsushita / Panasonic MN3007 Bucket Brigade Device
External controls for Rate, Range, Color, Blend/Mix
Brightness switch – Stock / Custom settings
Internal trimpots to control Volume Level and second Brightness preset
Visual Led indicators: Filter Matrix mode (blue LED, right toggle) and Normal (green LED, left toggle)
True bypass operation
18V DC centre negative power supply requirements (25ma current draw); no battery option available
Dimensions: 112 x 60 x 31mm / 4.4″ x 2.36″ x 1.22″ (enclosure only)
Neutrik Instrument and Lumberg DC jacks, with audiophile grade parts sourced from MMK, Wima, Epcos, Vishay, Panasonic, Nichicon, etc
