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Delay Pedal Shootout


3-D

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Anyone remember which issue of Guitar Player magazine had the Delay Pedal Shootout?

 

It was in the last couple years.

 

I am looking for a small footprint delay pedal that does the rockabilly slap back nicely.

 

Thanks

To Soar!
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Originally posted by 3-D:

Anyone remember which issue of Guitar Player magazine had the Delay Pedal Shootout?

 

It was in the last couple years.

 

I am looking for a small footprint delay pedal that does the rockabilly slap back nicely.

 

Thanks

Hi, welcome to the forums! :wave:

 

When you say "footprint delay" do you mean something that is the average pedal size? Or specifically a delay with a "footprint" encompassed in the design? I'm going to guess it's the first one because the second one could only be a Snarling Dogs pedal, I think(!)

 

An analog delay will cover the rockabilly slapback better than a digital. They do a great "bathroom" reverb too. The repeats are warm and lush, never sterile or brittle like digital units.

 

There aren't really many suitable ones being made new at the minute, that I know of(!) So you'll need to check on eBay for a deal on one used. The Maxon AD80 is good. Dating from around '85 it's small, simple and reliable with one 9v battery for power and housed in an "MXR" sized box...Around $150 in good shape.

 

The Ibanez AD80 is the previous incarnation, as Maxon made pedals for Ibanez. These were only made up until the early '80s I think. The Ibanez AD80 is shaped like an old TS808 Tubescreamer, except it's pink.

 

It runs on two 9v batteries, to give the 18v required! This results in increased headroom of the delay sound and a warmer tone, which would suit your needs perfectly...(I have one of these on the board in my avatar picture) Again, $150-$175 in good shape.

 

There's also the Ibanez or Maxon AD9 models. They look like a newer Tubescreamer, except they're also pink. I haven't tried these, but I've been told they are very similar to the Maxon AD80. May cost a little more, due to being newer models, expect up to $250.

 

Finally(!) The Boss DM2 is nice for slapback, the later DM3 is also good, but many prefer the DM2 and it does sound more analog to my ears, hence warmer and better suited to the rockabilly thing.

 

Hope some of this helps. Sorry I can't help you with the actual delay shootout, but I just wanted to welcome you aboard and share what I know about analog delays...

 

Best of luck with your search...

 

Tea. :thu:

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Hmmnn... can you remember one or two of the delay pedals that were included in the article?

 

Was it possibly the "Shoot-Out" article that covered delay and modulation (i.e., chorus/flange/phase/etc.) pedals?

 

Teahead is very up on current and vintage pedals, particularly so on those high-end and "boutique" units now available. If he recommends something, chances are it's a winner!

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Guys, I think when he said footprint, he means small footprint - as in, it takes up little floorspace on the pedalboard.

 

With that in mind, there are three models that I'm aware of that could fit your needs.

 

Danelectro makes a line of mini-pedals. They're very small, but I'm not sure if either of the two delay pedals are analog bucket brigade style units or if they're digital delays - the models are the "PB&J Delay" ($69 list) and the "BLT Slap Delay" ($39 list). www.danelectro.com

 

The other one is the Guyatone MD-3 Micro Digital Delay ($140 list, about $100 "street"). Those are also really tiny, but I have not heard one, so I don't know how well it would work for short rockabilly type slapbacks - I'm in agreement with everyone else that analog delay pedals are usually preferable for that due to the analog delay pedal's tendency to roll off some highs with each repeat. Even with a slapback delay, where you really only have a single "slap" echo, that is going to give you a more authentic representation of the sound from that era.

 

Here\'s a link to a Guitar Player review of the Guyatone MD-3 Micro Digital Delay from the Guyatone website.

 

Hope that helps!

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I picked up a BOSS DD5 about a year ago and have yet to be unimpressed with its' abilities. I got it used for $75 in near perfect shape.

 

Delays from 1ms to 2000ms mono or stereo. Tap tempo capabilities with an additional footswitch, hold mode for sampling passages, reverse, slapback 11 different mode settings.

 

It's a BOSS, I've got about 8 BOSS pedals and you can drive over them with a truck and they'll still work fine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/pek63/BOSSDD5.jpg

I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder.

 

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Thanks peeps.

 

Yeah I meant a delay pedal with a small footprint. I have a digital chorus pedal (from Ibanez) that does a short delay but I hate the digital delay sound from it. Likewise with some digital delay rack gear that I have. Therefore, I am looking for an analog delay that is preferably the size of the old MXR pedals (I will try to look for the Maxon that was mentioned.) I am pretty darn sure that GP magazine ran a shootout article where they compared a bunch of delay pedals. I hope that someone out there remembers it and can post which month it ran.

To Soar!
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There is a Maxon AD80 "New Old Stock" here on eBay! It's priced at $230 Buy It Now, with worldwide shipping available...The listing is just three hours old and I'd be very surprised if it's still there this time Monday.

 

If that sounds expensive, I assure you I have seem many of these, in a much more used condition, sell for $300 and above!

 

Good luck... and please buy it before I do! The temptation is awful!

 

Tea. :thu:

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I checked yesterday evening and it was sold, the auction wasn't even six hours old! I hope 3-D got it. :cool:

 

Of course, there will always be others, but probably not boxed and almost certainly not with warranty.

 

Not to be spammy at all, as I would have no part in the deal, but I do know of a used one ($190) elsewhere, if anyone is interested send me a PM and I can put you in touch with the seller, he's US based.

 

Tea. :)

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http://www.guyatone.com/images2/pedals/md2big.jpg

I tried one of these for about 15 minutes through

a couple different amps,and didn't like it at all.

Boss dd-3

x-series Digidelay

or if you can find one Dan-eco

If you got a pocket full of money then the line-6

delay mod is pretty cool pedal.

The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye.
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I had the Boss DD-2 which was truly a great pedal, that you could bypass the direct signal by plugging into the stereo output without any input source. It had a 12 or 16 bit 800MS delay but had warmth which made me believe there was a tube or leprachaun (It turned out to be 2 tube driven Leprachauns with EL84's)

Now I have the GP-100 which has 4 delays and constantly makes me wish I did not get rid of those Boss floor warts so quickly. I bet you could find the DD-2 for $15.00 on E-bay(and if someone wrote "Jimmy" with black majik marker under the flap I'll buy it back for 17.50)

You cant believe everything you see and hear,now can you?
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  • 1 year later...

As mentioned in another thread here, the *new* Marshall EH-1 Echohead (I think) is an interesting-looking beast. Trouble is, it's so now you may not be able to find it and give it a try.

 

Geoff

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the World will know Peace": Jimi Hendrix

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=738517&content=music

The Geoff - blame Caevan!!!

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