Delays with lots of options, bells and whistles have always intrigued me, and many other players, I’m sure. I like these delays even better when they’re housed in a small enclosure, still offering the tones and sounds of some of the big boxes, but with a smaller pedalboard footprint. One I came across recently that met all of these criteria and more was the Obscura Altered Delay from Digitech. This pedal looks wicked,...
Read More
Well, the Kings of Delay are back at it again. Ever since their famed TC2290 Digital Delay was released back in 1985, TC Electronic has continually been on the cutting edge of all things delay, and with their new upgraded version of the Alter Ego Vintage Echo, they steer us in a slightly different delay/echo direction. Combining elements from both of these genres into one compact package, the AE2 is loaded with options, modes, sounds...
Read More
Many times on a pedalboard, simplicity can be your closest friend. Take, for example, the Mockingbird 3-knob Delay pedal from Backwoods Music. One of the newest additions to their sonic lineup, the Mockingbird will give you a wide range of delay tones, lengths and sounds in a neat-and-tidy, compact, pedalboard-friendly package, without sacrificing any tone, clarity or build quality whatsoever. Mix, Feedback and Delay make up the basic...
Read More
In this awesome world of pedals, it can sometimes seem like it’s all been done before: sure, there might be a couple of different toggles on this pedal and a new knob or two, but really unique, new and innovative stuff can elude the masses at times, until you stumble across a pedal that truly makes you stop in your tracks. Today’s piece of hardware did exactly that me, as I had never come across a...
Read More
The folks at TC Electronic have been creating incredible delay machines for decades now, moving from impressive rack mount units to some of the most incredible and well-known stompboxes that exist today. From the regular Flashback Delay, to it’s older brother, the Flashback x4, to the Nova Delay and Repeater pedals, TC offers a broad range of options and sizes for you to choose which delay is right for you. Today’s review...
Read More
As much as I enjoy a nice, small delay pedal that fits beautifully onto my pedalboard, I love the big box delay pedals, the ones that take up too much real estate but sound so incredible that you don’t mind the size whatsoever. In an attempt to satisfy my delay obsession, I may or may not have purchased a number of these pedals over the years, and one that I really dig is the Plush REP-3 Tube-Voiced Delay from our friends at...
Read More
Review episode Number Three of this “Fly Boys Week” takes our sonic adventures down a different path. The third pedal in this series from Totally Wycked Audio is the FB-03 Echo, a small and powerful delay pedal that works great for multiple musical applications. This little digital delay produces a bright and shiny echo sound, which works as a perfect companion to a darker analog delay in your chain. Sporting a maximum...
Read More
Having already reviewed the Memory Lane Jr. and Quantum Leap delay pedals from Diamond, I wasn’t quite sure what else they could do with their delay line, but thought I would check out the Counter Point anyway. Let me tell you, this is a beast of another kind, with new and wonderful differences from the other two, but still invoking that same sonic structure and delight that Diamond gives out with all of their pedals. And...
Read More
I’ve always liked the sound of a cool flanger pedal ripping through an amp, mine or someone else’s, it doesn’t matter. That jet stream whoooosh and whirl, especially when mixed in with some nice overdrive, really puts a fat ole smile right on my face. I’m also a fan of TC Electronic’s TonePrint series, so I was excited to test out a pedal I hadn’t really heard too much about, the Vortex Flanger....
Read More
Reviewing so many drive and fuzz boxes means I’m usually playing through my electric guitar setup, but recently I’ve been gravitating toward my trusty Alvarez acoustic, and decided to create a little acoustic mini-board to enhance my playing a bit. The first pedal I decided I needed, as I always do, was a delay, and after some research via the Interwebs, I chose to check out the Fishman AFX Delay as my first acoustic...
Read More
Analog Delay. There’s something special about it, you’re never quite sure what it is, but it makes you feel warm and comforted right down to your core. While there are a lot of digital delays still in production, analog has made a bit of a resurgence in the last decade or so, with new and better options arriving on the market year after year. One of those happens to be the AD4096 from Endangered Audio Research. Where to...
Read More
I really dig the fact that more and more delay pedals are coming out that include the option of some type of added modulation. Not that this is a super-new idea, mind you, but I like that it has caught on, and that there are some great options for pseudo-tape delays out there now, most for a reasonable price. If the old machines weren’t so huge and so expensive, we’d all have one, but alas, that is not the case. One of...
Read More
The stompboxes being put out over at Hungry Robot Pedals have really been coming on strong as of late, and their Hungry Robot Dual Overdrive is not likely to leave my board anytime soon. As for today’s review, HRP’s first foray into the world of delay is a good one, a no frills, basic delay that echoes (no pun intended) the tape machines and analog delays of ages past. Although the Moby Dick emulates the sounds and tones...
Read More
Delays have long been a favorite effect of mine, and I always like to see pedal companies take them in new and interesting directions. Red Witch Pedals has done just that with the first pedal in their new Chrome series: the Violetta Delay. Though it looks small, this little shiny beauty has a lot of options and great sounds sure to please any delay fan. If you’re looking for space-saving pedals, the Violetta is the way to go. I...
Read More
The Nova Delay from TC Electronic was actually my first delay pedal. I bought it because it’s just what my friend told me to get. But I’m incredibly thankful I did. Eventually I’d grow tired of it and move onto the Timeline, because everyone knows since the Timeline is more than twice the price of the Nova Delay it has to be better, right? False. If you’re looking for crystal clear, U2/ Early Hillsong .8th...
Read More
The old tube tape echo machines are responsible for some of the greatest sounds ever put on tape, with works by artists such as Chet Atkins, Miles Davis, Eric Johnson, Randy Rhodes and Andy Summers, to name a few. The Magnetic Echo from Keeley Electronics aims to recreate those classic echo tones, and actually studied an old Echoplex EP-3 and a Roland RE-301 Space Echo to tap into the sounds of those 2 great machines. All housed in a...
Read More
Ok, delay pedal lovers, here is another one: the TC Electronic Nova Repeater. This pedal is pretty self-explanatory, but for the sake of the whole Pedal of the Day review…let’s dive on in! First, let me say, if you are going to purchase this, use a true isolated power supply, don’t daisy chain this one. It will add white noise and hiss that will haunt your dreams. Ok, the delay sound out of this is amazing. The only...
Read More
If the DL4 were a person you’re looking to score with, you had better be willing to put in the time and effort. Easy enough to get interested with a quick chat up line, but requiring hours of invested time and genuine interest to get the most out of the sound when using live. Make no bones about it, the DL4 is a keeper and one you’ll want to settle down with – that is, if you have a penchant for ambient sounds, uber delay, or just...
Read More
Well, this is a big one. The current reigning champion of the Delay world in stompbox manufacturing, the TimeLine Delay from Strymon. I gotta tell you, I was a bit skeptical about this pedal, and had gotten a little sick of seeing it everywhere, to be honest. Roughly 3 minutes after I plugged my guitar into it, I understood what all the hubbub was about. This moderately-sized gray enclosure seriously holds the keys to all your delay...
Read More
It seems as though Strymon has become an absolutely dominating force amongst guitarists and their pedalboards as of late, and there’s a reason. Besides making space-age looking, beautiful, intelligent pedals, they have created some of the coolest sounds you could want coming through your amp, and the Brigadier dBucket Delay is a prime example of their craftsmanship and skill. As soon as you plug this guy in, you can feel...
Read More
Anyone who knows about the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo knows how sought-after and incredible they sound, but one of the main drawbacks for today’s musicians is the fact that they are really expensive and pretty rare. Well, look on eBay no more: the folks at Roland & Boss have an answer for you in the form of the RE-20 Twin Pedal Space Echo. We know, RE-201 purists, it’s not the same thing…but it is REALLY...
Read More
I have always liked to see an Analog Delay pedal with the ability to do Tap Tempo – don’t you? Aside from having that functionality, the ES2 Echo Shifter from Ibanez can do lots of other cool stuff, including oscillation, modulation and a slew of warm delay and echo setting that will leave you speechless. All this in a nice, small enclosure for board real estate…this is gonna be fun. The ES2 looks a bit futuristic,...
Read More
Morley is known for putting out fantastic wah pedals, and their list of endorsing artists is long, prestigious and eclectic, including Al Jourgensen, Steve Vai and Robert Smith. Trying to make a 2-in-1 pedal is a generally difficult task, especially when it’s 2 DIFFERENT kinds of pedals. Morley has taken on that challenge, and come up with a great new design that will fit anywhere – the MWV Mini Wah/Volume pedal. While...
Read More
The Twin Pedal Collection from Boss has produced some interesting and quite useful pedals – one of my favorites (and, a bunch of other guitarists, apparently) is the DD-20 Giga Delay. Flush with options, tones, sounds and surprises, the DD-20 takes some getting used to, like any pedal of this magnitude, but once you get it down, it’s a ton of fun to play with, and can really be utilized on stage and in the studio to meet a...
Read More
P.I.F Pedals is a small boutique pedal company with one mission: Pay It Forward. Their first offering is the Dual Preamp Boost – a dual boost pedal with inputs and outputs for both, giving you immense flexibility as well as superb tones. The right side of the boost is the “sparkle” boost, which is a BS170 FET transistor-based boost. This adds a shine to your tone and mixes well with warm humbuckers or semi-hollow...
Read More
First off, to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure why the TimeBender from Digitech is not on the delay pedal A-list. This thing is super powerful, sounds great and is relatively inexpensive. DigiTech has a prolonged history of making incredibly innovative pedals. The TimeBender combines conventional effects with some nutty, yet still sweet delay effects. The interface is great, and the ability that it gives you to...
Read More
Now here is a great looking and sounding echo/delay from J. Rockett Audio Designs: the Alien Echo. Designed to emulate vintage delays and tape echoes, the Alien Echo also adds in on-the-fly modulation to keep you on your toes and constantly guessing about what’s coming next. The narrow but surprisingly thick brushed chrome enclosure looks gorgeous, and features a number of knobs and switches allowing you to create some lush and...
Read More
Loopers. I mean, they’re just so much fun to use, and can be extremely beneficial as a learning and practicing tool. The Phrase Sampler + is my favorite – I know, it’s old, and “outdated”, and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that some of the newer loopers do, but it is just perfect for my setup. 5 easy-tap buttons that are labeled telling you exactly what each one does, so there’s no...
Read More
Putting a modern twist on the classic 2290 Delay, TC Electronic has produced the Flashback Delay, which offers many delay modes and options, plus a couple of cool added bonuses. The selection of delay modes on this compact pedal are really quite impressive, 11 all together, making your sonic spectrum broad and far-reaching. The 2290 setting is one of my favorites, and emulates the sounds (I would imagine, having never heard an...
Read More
Transparent Overdrive. Those words seem to be everywhere in the guitar effects community these days, and have for a little while now. But, there’s a good reason: they help to beef up the sound that already exists between your guitar and amp, but without coloring it in a way that changes the overall tone. They work as kind of an enhancer, as some say, to really get your amp to shine and pour out the awesome tones everyone is...
Read More
FoxPedals has done an amazing job with this beauty. Aesthetically, it is a masterpiece that stands out among anything else you would have on your board. But just wait until you actually hear it. Left side reverb, right side delay. The pedal is what you ambient players are looking for. The reverb is controlled by one knob; just adjust it to how much you want. It’s lightly modulated and provides a rich tone. Speaking of...
Read More
First off, the DelayLab is a BIG box, no bones about it. That said, it packs a heap of features and a million different settings to choose from, making it one of the funnest delays I’ve ever used. Simple digital readout in the top corner lets you know what bank you’re in, what the delay time is, amount of feedback being produced, etc., depending on how you turn the knobs. 3 footswitches allow for a multitude of banks (30,...
Read More
If you’d like to gain more exposure for your company, and help expand our site throughout the global music community, please contact us HERE. If you like the site and what we’re doing, and would also like to contribute, you can send a donation HERE. These companies and distributors have selflessly contributed gear for review to Pedal of the Day, making this adventure a reality. We can’t thank them enough for their...
Read More
As far as modern (affordable) analog delays are concerned, you’re be hard pressed to find a better pedal than the Carbon Copy Analog Delay from MXR. The 600ms of delay time is ample for most applications, almost twice what a lot of older delays offer, and you can dial in that classic slap back sound with ease. Plus, the optional Modulation button adds more tones and possibilities to your arsenal, and you can even trim the...
Read More
