Are fancy delays worth the effort?

TheMarlin

I don’t know what it is about the flashback, for for all its tweakability, I find it to be utterly uninspiring, I’ve tried three times, had to get rid. 

The Black Fountain delay is hugely inspiring. That an an El Csp,  a good reverb add Nocturne Brain is all I need 

Matt_McG

I’ve tried a bunch, and the delays on my HX Stolp are good, but the one I use most often is the Skreddy Echo, which is a PT2399 based delay, rather than genuinely analogue. He voiced it just right, though, imho.

That said, the GAS is real, and I keep looking at other options, even though delay is not a central part of my playing.

blobb

I had a go with exactly this recently. I bought a Delay LLama Xtreme and an ultratap. The former does analogue but with the xtreme mode can do wacky stuff. The later does digital ding...ding...ding / Drrriiinnng / etc...

After a load of playing around, I found the ultra to be a bit pointless. I like the xtreme modes on the dlx, they are really creative and sound good but 9 times out of 10 I use just the delay llama straight. So my conclusion was that a good sounding analogue wins out. I probably would have been content with a straight delay llama but I'm glad I've got the xtreme options. It really is a great sounding delay. 

So I would prioritise quality analogue sound over having the fancier options.

stickyfiddle

I love delays fancy delays, but it's mostly just about finding something that works for you and keeping hold of it. 

I've tried all sorts over the years* but I'm settled with the Asheville ADG-1, Eventide Timefactor and Strymon Volante, depending on the need at the time. HX Stomp/One also works well if I don't want to dedicate board space just for the perfect delay. I also recently got a UA Starlight which is very good too. But all have something that makes them imperfect. Timefactor has stupid switching that means you need an Aux or MIDI, Volante is just plain huge considering it doesn't do loads of sounds, the ADG-1 hasn't got Tap (srsly it'd be the best analog delay on earth if it had Tap..)

*DL4, Timeline, Keeley AD9, Guyatone somethingsomething, M9, HX-various, Carbon Copy, DIG, Echosystem... I'm sure I've forgotten some 

EDIT: ... Disaster Transport, DD5, Alter Ego X4, Mako D1... 

Majorscale

One of the nicest sounding delays is the Diamond Memory Lane Jr.  Have bolted one to my home board. For more options and my function band gigs I use a Providence Chrono. Can heartily recommend both.

Like @TheMarlin I just don't get the love for the flashback. Had one, thought it's delay tone was poor.

stevrossthepipe

Ha I've seen a cheeky in. My alexander Quadrant is for sale. 4 delay modes which is enough, ability to tweak and tap tempo button. It has presets also. Sounds great and does the dm-2 reverb feedback cloud setting. Loved it for years just need some reverse on my gig board.

Bargain and really well made not like TC stuff which having had 2 different things both have broken and don't sound that good in my opinion. 

Over the years I have had the nemesis and the hx stomp and easy to get distracted by the 100s of options. 

26.2

Delay has been an integral part of my sound for years. I bought a Timeline at the end of last year as I was always curious about whether it would cover *everything* I need. Although it’s a fantastic pedal in many ways, it’s now been sold. I found it very easy to use, but not practical for live work, as I found it very easy to inadvertently change bank or stomp on the wrong delay. I also found that I always wanted to see the info that *wasn’t* in view - if I wanted to see the name of the delay, it read bpm, or vice-versa. That’s fine in the studio or at home, but a pain onstage. 

I guess I might have got used to being more precise with my stomping, but the clincher for me was that, although many of the delays sounded good, there was lots of tweaking needed to get say, an analogue delay as good as a DMM or a DM2. Most of the presets were too OTT to use immediately. 

Going back to simple units with one sound and switching them in and out according to what I need/fancy for a particular task has been an absolute joy. What was I thinking! No more tweaking! There were no sounds on the Timeline that came close to the greatness of the DMM, Catalinbread Echorec or the DM2W. I bought a RE2 Space Echo last week and it’s also magnificent for a different flavour of tape delay. Even the humble Boss DD series absolutely smoke the digital delays on the Timeline. Maybe you can replicate them all with careful fiddling, but why would you want to? Less is more. I also really like the big target of a footswitch on the Boss.

I don't say the Timeline is rubbish, far from it, just not a good match for me. I agree with all the positive comments about the El Cap above - I may acquire another if I see one at a good price. I think those smaller Strymons combine great sound and useability with just the right amount of options. 

So yeah - strong support for the small boxes here  

jakeolly

Thanks so much folks, much food for thought and everybodies expertise is much appreciated . I may dm individuals as appropriate 

rickd2112a

I like the Strymon Brig (the new small version).

This gives options for DM2 and DMM style delays, plus tweaking if you like.

To me this is a perfect delay, simple to use, but at the same time very versatile. 

The Brig (and older Brigadier) are the forgotten pedals from the Strymon range. I think mainly as people struggle with the idea of a DSP pedal doing an analog delay. But for me it really works well.

garfy

I’ve been very fortunate to have owned some wonderful delays…TES, 2290, Skreddy echo, DLX jr, timeline, el cap, echoplex (Dunlop), boonar future factory, etc etc. but I’ve finally settled on a DL4 Mk2 with a tap switch, sure they give approximations of some of the most iconic delays out there and apparently has some glitches with midi (which I don’t use) but for a few £100 it’s a great buy and once you get it set up properly it’s sounds fantastic. 

newi123

I`ve tried a few `big` ones - always end up with a DD3t or Aqua Puss for gigs - just because it`s tweakable instantly between (and during) songs for mix / feedback etc.

But this is for basic rock / pop stuff - nothing delay dependant beyond a bit of U2.

robinbowes

Someone recommended the EH Delixe Memory Man earlier. Well, the Xvive Echoman V21 is a mini-version of the Memory Man designed by the same guy.

Check our Brett Kingman's demo:

Revolutions

Flashback X4 was on my board for about 10 years. I’m still searching for something that works for me like that did,

the last year or two, I’ve fallen out of love with digital delay & I’m back to basics: DM-3 or EHX DMM.

jakeolly

@Sporky  and @slacker  have dm’d 

Creed_Clicks

Do you need tap tempo?

markv

My delay "journey" started with a Flashback too (an X4) - like you, loved some of the sounds but was curious about what else was out there or what I might be missing.

The benefit of trying lots is that you can narrow down exactly what you like. And it's fun! The downside is, of course, the expense.

fwiw I learned that I like bucket brigade style delays with quite a lot of modulation on the repeats. I now have two, a Strymon Brigadier (superb, very controllable) and a Seymour Duncan Vapour Trail (very similar to the MXR Carbon Copy but with controls for the modulation on top). I also have a Strymon DIG specifically for poor Edge imitations (my limitation, not the pedal's)

You mentioned presets: it's worth noting that the older Strymon pedals (e.g. the Brigadier, El Cap mk 1) can toggle between 2 presets using an additional, external footswitch, and also that the newer Strymon pedals (e.g. the El Cap mk 2, Brig) can do 3 presets, again using a (different) external footswitch, or loads using MIDI.

Kebabkid

I've gone through a few delays and currently have the Boss SDE3000 EVH, which is the most expensive Delay I've ever bought and it's fantastic but I can hear a big difference between this and others, including the very good Keeley Halo which I had before it but didn't quite bond with. There's a warmth and clarity to the delays and they don't get in the way, if you don't want them to.
I'm not one for manuals or experimenting and the presets were perfect right out of the box.
Whilst I don't use the Wet/Dry/Wet option that is one of the main things that separates this from the regular SDE3000, I do use the feature unique to this model and that's the in-built Noise Suppressor. It also does Chorus and faux Reverb stuff.

That said, at the cheaper end, I've had the Zoom MS-70 CDR and original TC Flashback for a long time and they still do the job and remain on my boards.

jakeolly

@Creed_Clicks  don’t ‘need’ but ……

RaymondLin

I've got...

Strymon Timeline
JHS Panther Cub
Chase Bliss Thermae, Tonal Recall
Effect 4114 Flux
EQD Dispatch Master

I think they are worth it but one doesn't really need that many...The Dispatch Master can do almost everything I want, Timeline is there just because, honestly.

earwighoney

I'm in no way a pedal expert, I've picked up a few delay pedals over the years though. I've got a few of the pedals mentioned already but I always find my way to using my Boss DD5, that I've owned for over 20 years.

 It's the most digital sounding and brightest, but it seems to work the best with my dark fuzzes.  However if I had a really bright sounding guitar with a bright fuzz, I'd lean towards an analogue delay pedal. 

Like with any pedal, it's about how it fits together with other pedals, amp, pickups and so on.