Looking for a delay...delay....delay

totallyfrozen · June 14th, 2006, 01:06 AM

Any preferences or experience you have to help me select a delay pedal. I'm not interested in a rack. And I'm not too interested in a multi-effect pedal. Just needing a good delay pedal...but I'm open-minded about it because I don't know which one(s) are the better one(s). I have only used the Alesis MIDIVerb II rack unit (yeah...it's old), and I have never used a multi-effect pedal. So, if I'm over looking something, I'm open-minded. Tell me what's up.

Thanks for your help.

konu57 · June 15th, 2006, 06:56 AM

I have a boss DD 20 and I can say it's excellent. If you would like something cheaper you could try the digidelay by digitech.

totallyfrozen · June 17th, 2006, 01:28 PM

That Boss DD-20 does look impressive. I don't need 23 seconds of delay but the other features sound like they might be good. Still, at around $180 or more, it's out of my range.

I've never tried a DigiDelay. Do you think it sounds better than the other Boss delay pedals?

I am also looking at the Danelectro Dan Echo since they're cheap and can mimic some vintage style effects. The reviews on Harmony seem decent. Anyone know anything about these cheap Dan Echos?

Strat-Talk · June 17th, 2006, 04:15 PM

I love my Delay Modeler from Line6. It has so many different delay options it covers all the bases and then some.

It's a couple hundred bucks I think, but as a guy that used to own a Tube Echoplex I'm just as happy with the Delay Modeler. Make that happier.

Jackie Treehorn · June 18th, 2006, 03:11 AM

I would choose the Boss DD3 over the Digidelay or Dan-Echo. The DD3 sounds better than the Digi and is more reliable than the Dan-Echo IMO.

konu57 · June 24th, 2006, 08:36 PM

Yes, the dd 3 is a good choice. However between digidelay and the dano delays I'd choose the digidelay.

jaybee · July 10th, 2006, 02:29 AM

I have an Ibanez DL-10, this is an older pedal that you can find for little money on eBay. It's comparable to the early Boss DD series, but much cheaper

Also very good is my Visual Sound HÂ²O - this is a digital delay coupled with a chorus. I'm not too wild about the chorus, but since I hardly ever use that and the delay is super, it's a keeper

hans-jürgen · July 15th, 2006, 12:55 AM

Did you also think of an older tape echo perhaps? I still like my Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo, because it sounds so "natural" to me. Here's an old band demo of "El Diablo" using my self-built Strat, a Mesa Boogie Mark IIB head with Marshall cab and the Roland:

http://home.arcor.de/hans-juergen.ba...diablo-pro.mp3

Stratosaurus · July 15th, 2006, 01:31 AM

That sounds great, Hans. Just had to say something.

hans-jürgen · July 15th, 2006, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratosaurus

That sounds great, Hans. Just had to say something.

Thank you, that one actually is our oldest recording on my homepage done in 1982 with two cassette recorders in our rehearsal room.

Here are two others, "Every breath you take" with a shorter delay and "Swingtown" with an even shorter slap-back echo on the guitar solo (same gear as above):

http://home.arcor.de/hans-juergen.ba...ery_br-pro.mp3

http://home.arcor.de/hans-juergen.ba.../swing-pro.mp3

The "-pro" in the file names means that they are encoded with mp3PRO at 64 kbps, so you don't hear the highs above 7.5kHz without the proper decoder. But they still sound OK with a normal MP3 player, a little bit better than AM radio then which doesn't change the guitar sound too much. A free Winamp plugin and/or the free Thomson mp3PRO player/encoder is available here:

http://www.mp3prozone.com/

Back on-topic: I'm also amazed how durable these tapes are, I changed it only once since I bought it in the early '80s, and it still sounds great, although it has to run full 2 hours every week at our rehearsal (doesn't have a stop switch for the motor like the RE-201). When I checked the heads for dirt before our last gig they still looked fine with only a bit of rubbed-off tape coating.

mrfuzz · April 25th, 2008, 01:48 PM

dd 20

imwjl · April 25th, 2008, 05:37 PM

I see it's an old post brought new, but I am pleased with my MXR Carbon Copy. It has a characteristic I'd describe as junkiness or lack of precision (meant as compliment) vs. sterile repeating of same tone that I noticed between expensive analog models and cheaper digital models, and it's a US made true bypass unit that doesn't doesn't break the bank.

That said I would also look at the Electro-Harmonix models. I liked them, but didn't want to spend any more nor did I need any looping capability because I have a looper.

Axis29 · April 27th, 2008, 08:47 AM

+1 for Carbon Copy! Love mine! SO rich and organic sounding.

I have a Dan Echo, which does sound good too, just not as good as the Carbon Copy. worth the difference in price? Maybe not... but my Dan Echo developed a funky sound when it was plugged in for more than about 30 minutes or so.

I also had a DD-3... too sterile for me... It was a nice echo for doing the Pinkest of Floyds and U2 stuff, but I don't do that except when I'm just goofin off. So I sold it on eBay yesterday.

Del Pickup · May 14th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Try to get an old DD-2 - one of the MIJ models. Very similar to the DD-3 but gives a slightly warmer analog type tone. And it has enough delays in there to suit most tastes.

FenderGuy53 · December 2nd, 2008, 11:57 PM

+1 for the Carbon Copy. Ya gotta hear it to believe it. Very Gilmourish...

dtfan4ever · January 2nd, 2009, 12:18 AM

I have a Carbon Copy right now and it is pretty awesome.

I'm waiting for the Joe Satriani Vox Time Machine Delay to come out. It will be released at NAMM and is supposed to be shipping this month. So maybe I'll see them in stores here in April.