Another day, another delay….and why not? They’re only the most fun effects out there, and we’ll review and demo ’em as long as companies keep making ’em! Speaking of making exceptional pedals, today’s gem comes to us from Mr. Black, longtime maker of intriguing devices and inspiring tone machines, and this one is no exception. The SS-850 is a solid state echo chamber delay unit, featuring a retro yet futuristic look and sound, and it’s guaranteed to make both you and your guitar smile.
The Echo Level knob sets how much of the effect you want present in your signal, from a subtle hint of delay to full-on cavernous, spacious echoes that linger long after your last nots is played. This technique is helped by the Regeneration knob, which varies the feedback and repeat numbers of the echoes themselves, again delving into the superunknown with wide soundscapes that traverse all you thought you knew about time and space. The third and final knob, Clock Error, lets you add in a bit or a lot of gnarly, analog warble, to use at your discretion.
A vintage yet futuristic-looking slider lets you set the delay time, and, as the name suggests, the SS-850 has a range of 85-850ms. There’s even an LED built into the slider that blinks the echo tempo. You can also set the delay time via the Tap switch, for on-the-fly adjustments. This switch doubles to produce a Hold function as well – keeping it depressed will send your last note or chord into the stratosphere, revealing instant and on-demand oscillation.
A unique and finely-tuned pre-amp lurks inside as well, and your dry signal is 100% analog when the pedal is in bypass mode. The SS-850 from Mr. Black is a true Echo Chamber, with loads of musical capabilities and settings that will keep you experimenting for years to come. We’ve got a little demo of some of our favorite sounds below – make sure to check it out and subscribe to our YouTube channel while you’re watching, cheers!
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