Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am interested in hearing about the delay effect units that you are using with your guitar.

I have tried the Boss DD-6 which has some nice features, but I am not that taken with it at $315 Canadian. There are a number of settings that are not particularly useful.

What delay unit works best for you?

I still like my Boss DM-3 analog delay.

Are you able to compare the Boss DM-3 with the Boss DD-6, Mark?

My favorite ever was the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man - incredibly warm sounding, and you could get it to self-oscillate in a more musical way then any other delay i've used.

Right now, I have an Ibanez DE-7 and a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay. The DE-7 is the best pedal value on the market, bar-none. Killer analog simulation for about $50.

The Giga Delay has basically inifinite possibilities, as well as four footswitchable presets, so you can change them on-the-fly. Very handy for live use.

I've owned a few Roland Space Echo tape delay units as well, they sound great and are fun, but the upkeep is not.

I use a Dynacord Echocord Super from 1962. Tape loops and tubes are available and of course there's upkeep, but I don't have to take it on the road, so it's OK for me.

This is the same unit as a Klemt Echolette; supposedly identical to the one used in Bruno K's clubs in Hamburg "back then".

There's also a delay feature on the Tonelab SE; not too bad but no comparison to a top-notch tape unit.

Jonh, I'm gonna have to pick up a DE-7. It sounds interesting, and I trust your eval as a working musician.

I generally use the delay on my Valvetronix AD120VTH. It has a good selection of delay types (delay, tape echo, multitap) but it is limited to setting the time via tap tempo buttons. This is actually not bad to have live.

When I play though my tube amps, I use an older BOSS SE-50 processor unit for delays (1988 I think). They sell for $50-$100 CDN on Craigslist these days, and there have been quite a few available. It has a great sounding stereo ping-pong delay and very convincing slap back delays. Not too bad for a digital unit.

Neither are as warm toned and spacious sounding as a real tape delay like the Space Echo or the Echocord though. Hmm.

...Dean

For the few times I use delay I use a DD-6 and it does pretty much what I'm looking for, Peter. $315 Canadian is heavy duty indeed!!

Last time I looked they were going for around $240 (new) on ebay here.

I like my Visual Sound H20..delay and chorus in one pedal...

"Right now, I have an Ibanez DE-7 and a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay. The DE-7 is the best pedal value on the market, bar-none. Killer analog simulation for about $50."

Interesting take on the Ibanez, John. I have their chorus and think it is very good (especially for the cost - about the same). After buying 2 others also and trying a few more in the store, I settled on the Ibanez.

"I am interested in hearing about the delay effect units that you are using with your guitar."

Well for me there is a delay affect between what I tell myself to play, and when and if my fingers will actually do it! I don't know if I'd call it a unit though!

I have a Deluxe Memory Man and its pretty cool. You can still get them new but they are drying up because the chips used in them were discontinued and EH is running out of them.

I'd like to get an echoplex eventually, but don't look forward to the maintainence. I noticed Fulltone has something along those lines that is much better, but it costs a lot.

http://www.fulltone.com/tte.asp

The Fulltone is made by an Echoplex principal. People are raving about them. About $1200.00 I think, and they are selling all they can make, from what I can understand.

I use a TubePlex... but you probably wouldn't like the price tag, Peter.

Peter, I have not used the DD-6, but I have heard there is a definite difference in the "warmth" factor, in which analog usually wins. The DD-6 is digital, but it offers stereo, which is an uncommon option. The DM-2 was actually a notch better than the DM-3, but they both are in great demand these days as production ceased long ago. It is a guitar pedal...many of the very expensive units have more applications. But I have no interest in getting a different unit--the little Boss box does the job very well.

A unit that has not been mentioned here, and one that is appealing to me, is that of the Line 6 DL4. Has anyone used this effects unit.

Peter, the Boss GigaDelay is along the same lines as the Line 6 unit and, IMO, does everything better.