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Pros:
- Affordable
- Does what it is supposed to
- Delivers a decent flange
Cons:
- Color can get a bit out of control
- Can drop your volume if set incorrectly
There is a huge controversy about Chinese brands making clones of famous pedals. Some have no problems with that, while others are not content with them stealing other people’s work. But in my book we can all turn a blind eye on the negative side of that process, since more often than not those clones do a pretty decent job at recreating famous sounds. Not everybody can afford to pay 200 bucks for a single unit and that should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Those Chinese brands give us the opportunity to experiment with legendary sounds without having to empty our wallets. They can be amazing tools for practice and in some cases even handle a gig. One of the manufacturers who maintains a pretty high bar in the affordable category is Mooer. Their products are always distinctive as their quality is not crappy or cheap. Plus, they usually sound pretty close to the original which is always a huge virtue. The one we are going to talk about today is E-Lady (a.k.a. Eleclady) which takes its inspiration from Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress. This tiny fella strives to replicate the same feel and it succeeds at that a great deal. If you want to try out an inexpensive variation of the original, then stay with me and keep on reading this article. Let’s begin!
Features
If you ever wished to have your beloved Deluxe Electric Mistress in a simplified, shrunken and cheaper version, than Mooer has listened to all your prayers and has put together E-Lady. As mentioned above, this baby strives the replicate the same sound and feel as the original and if I am being honest, it comes pretty close. It has an analog circuit that creates a warm ambiance in the sound. More importantly, it is housed in a metal shell that is not as durable as more expensive units, but it is good enough for such an affordable device. If you take care of it, it will not break apart that easily.
The design is pretty simple here: you get the combination of an ivory-ish body, black control layout with a huge white knob in the middle, and a couple of black encoders. Just like its source of inspiration, E-Lady features Normal and Filter modes. The former produces a typical flange, while the latter freezes the effect and turns the pedal into a static filter. The circuit is true bypass to make sure that your tone is not sucked when the unit is disengaged, making it easier to place this baby onto your pedalboard. Speaking of which, the enclosure is so small that it will easily fit even in the tiniest corner. That way you can have it ready for your occasional (or frequent) flanged urges. It cannot be powered with batteries which is only natural for such a small body. You can utilize a standard adapter, though, and you will be ready to roll. Though you will not find any bells and whistles here, this thing is still versatile enough for anyone. Great stuff, Mooer!
Controls
Since Mooer E-Lady tries to copy the character of Deluxe Electric Mistress, the control panel looks quite similar as well. We have a similar combination of knobs and switches, making it possible to nail many different sounds. This is a sort of unit that you will have to mess around with quite a bit to find the settings that work for you. Luckily, the controls have a nice range so I am sure you will come across your favorite sounds if you are patient. Let’s figure out what are the functionalities of each switch together.
The first one is, of course, Color. It enables you to alternate between different amounts of feedback and work your way through subtle and extreme settings; Range lets you set the limit of the frequencies that will be affected by flange in Normal mode while taking care of the filter matrix in Filter mode; Rate sets the speed of the effect in Normal mode and lets you spice things up easily, but it gets disengaged in Filter mode. We have one more toggle here: it enables you to shift between the above-mentioned modes and transform the character of the pedal easily. Finally, we have a footswitch on the bottom part of the pedal that activates all this goodness with a single stomp. Take your time with this one and trust me, the end results will be worth it!
Mooer Eleclady Sound
You are probably wondering if Mooer E-Lady resembles the original with its sounds as well. I have a good news – it comes as close as it is possible. It does have some flaws, but we cannot really complain about those for the price. After all, the sound of Deluxe Electric Mistress is not that easy to emulate. This tiny pedal manages to have a distinctive swirl that becomes more pronounced as you increase the settings. Do not get overboard and crank everything up to the fullest unless you want to ruin your sound. Color tends to get a bit too crazy to be usable so keep it somewhere in the middle and you will be fine. Rate delivers some interesting results, as well and enables you to speed up the effect for an intense outcome. E-Lady can easily nail the sounds from Pink Floyd, but do not expect Van Halen growling jets from it. All in all, it is not as perfect and warm as the original, yet it is still a wonderful pedal for that classic flanged sound.
Conclusion
To sum up everything above, Mooer E-Lady is an amazing cheap variation if you are looking for those Gilmour sounds. It will take you back in time and let those nostalgic moments pop in your brain as you perform with this one. It does have its downsides, but they can be ignored if you remember the price you pay. If you are on a budget, try out this one and see how it works out for you. Good luck on your journey, fella!
Click here to view more from 10 Best Flanger Pedals.
