Which stomp box for delay?

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vanneste

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I'm not a fan of multi-effect processors. I only carry three or four effects and prefer to use a couple of good old well made, battery powered (quiet), stomp boxes.

Right now I'm trying to chose a delay and would really appreciate thoughts on units to consider. I love reading the Tokai forum because, pretty much by definition, the folks there have a lot of savvy and don't blindly follow mainstream tastes.

I have short-listed a Boss DD-3 as it's a unit I know and that still seems to be well thought of.

Has anyone found a better pedal? Being quiet in use and totally passive when not is a big issue for me. :-?

Thanks.
 
DD3 is kickass, and supposedly has a few points in its favour over the DD5 - better bypass and suchlike.

I'm hoping to get one soon myself.
 
My favorite is the half rack Rockman Stereo Echo. Sounds incredible and most like the old tape echos.

Ned
 
I'm gonna be like Mike.

The Tokai TDL-1 is one of the best Analog Delay units ever built. It is rich and natural sounding, and plays well with other pedals.
The DD-3 is a great digital delay but what type are you after?

Peter Mac
 
Sounds like you're on the right path with the DD3. I have one of those it's very nice for a digital delay in a stomp box - wide range of delay - mind you, I've yet to find a use for the sampler bit.
IMO though, a nice analogue delay is much better than a digital. Depends on what you're after of course - and sure you don't get the range, but the old purple Boss DM-2 was a great delay pedal - they're pretty hard to find now though (and expensive). Wish I'd kept mine, **** the 80s!
 
The Danelectro Dan-Echo has two decent sounds , a cheesy, honky 50s slapback sound and a more modern spacy sound. Its main virtue is that it is cheap ($99 new), and if you twiddle the knob on the left it goes: Weeeeeeoooowwwwrrrrrhh 8)

About the only thing I use much is an Ernie Ball volume pedal, a Boss bass chorus even less (I like its frequency range for guitar), occasionally the Dan-Echo and for laughs, a 1971 Fender Fuzz-Wah, which is almost as big as a cinder block and about as subtle.

Mostly I play big headstock Strats clean through a Fender tube amp, which is where it's at for me. :D

p.s. Just picked up Local Warming by Laika & the Cosmonauts and Mojo Box by Southern Culture on the Skids. Great raunchy guitar tones on both - worth checking out
 
Hi vanneste,

I have the Maxon AD900 analog delay, which has 600ms of delay, about twice as long as most analog delays, and use it in the FX loop of my Dr. Z Maz 18 Junior.

It's very nice, but there's a bit of an impedence mis-match using it in the FX loop (I've recently been told it's designed to go in front of an amp) so the dealyed signal is a little 'darker' sounding than I'd like.

Was thinking of the new Fulltone Tube Tape Echo (though expensive & a big hunk of a thing to carry around!) the Pete Cornish TES (absolutely top notch - but expensive!) or ther new delay Analog Mike is supposed to be launching shortly.

If you're going for a digital sound, I've heard many pro players say the older DD2 sounds way better than the DD3. You can pick one up on eBay for around $70 - $90 (try to get a Japanese one, rather than one made in Taiwan).

Good luck!
 
Hi,

If you are looking for a digital delay, You just have to try that new line6 echopark stompbox... it's great sounding and extremely versatile.

Bart
 
There's a whole load of Chinese versions and builds now coming onto the market. I've recently sold 7 Degitech RP50s to students. These are available at Boxymusic.com and thomann.de at about ?38 a go and have 40 patches and 40 programmable patches with 8 digital effects. A power supply is about another ?6. Now if you're going digital delay you'll probably want a bit of reverb as well and a little chorus - well you can programme that in and set up a varienty of versions. At less than the half the price of the Boss it's worth considering. (Or the Chinese Behringer version, or the Alesis version etc etc). Set the pedal up with plenty of guitar signal input and they aren't so noisey. Play the guitar in at a low setting and the corpressor will bring the level up AND a whole load of white noise as well.

Having said that Boss stuff is pro level indestrucable and excellent sound quality. If you need something for life then it has to be Boss I guess..... But you could buy two RP50s for the same price. Check them out at -

http://www.digitech.com/products/rp50.htm
 
I'm sparely using a Boss DD-2 but I'm on the hunt for a TDL-1 Tokai.I have one at a shot,hope it was avalaible yet.
Just for the record: I show my TCH-1 chorus to an excellent spanish builder and better fellow www.thundertomate.com and he told me this being similar to old Vox stompboxes construction.And one side of the board used only :eek: .The downside part is free of components.
About the sound: softer and less prounounced chorus effect than a Boss CE-2.And built like a tank 8)
 
I'm currently favoring the Maxon AD900. Pricey but nicey (doh!). I've also got a Guyatone MD3 which is fantastic for the money (~$99). I A/B'ed these when I bought the AD900 and the Maxon is clearly better. More transparent and a more natural, "rounder" sound. Great slapback. I don't notice the darkness mentioned above. The MD3 was definitely colder and more sterile in comparison. I've also got a Visual Sound H2O chorus/delay that isn't bad. I use it at home. But it really doesn't approach the quality of sound of the delays above or other analog choruses (in my humble opinion).
 
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