The Steel Guitar Forum

Looking for an alternative to Boss DD3 Digital Delay. Would possibly like to try an analog delay. Suggestions?

Discussed frequently. E.g.,

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=332041

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=349792

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=342602

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=282853

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=316320

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=306595

I like the MXR Carbon Copy.

I have doubts that anything out there is better than a Deluxe Memory Man.... bob

The Empress EchoSystems pedal is the only one I have kept over the last 5 years. It is very versatile and has "dual engine" capabilities. That is, it can run two different sound setting at the same time. The sound quality is studio grade and the wide variety of options and settings are virtually unlimited.

I like it because one can develop their own delay / reverb combinations that are actually useful for Pedal and Lap steel. And, once a particular sound is developed to your taste, it can be saved.

It ain't cheap, but it is the best I have found in it's class.

Here is one of the many YT vids on this item:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfqu_yLOs7w

My favorite is the Maxxon AD-9.

Some work better than others. I'm using the analogman ardx20. I've been through piles of analog delays. I always liked the Carbon Copy too.

Didn't like the Way Huge Aqua Puss and the JHS Panther Cub. I think that the sorta hot signal coming from a pedalsteel doesn't get along with everything.

Real bucket brigade analog delays are great. Nothing sounds better than when you find the right one.

Buy used on Reverb and you won't lose too much money on resale if you don't like it.

SIB Echodrive which I bought about 15 years ago.

It’s a huge old beast with a 12ax7 that imparts a nice tube-like warmth, on top of an excellent analog delay. It’s the closest that I’ve come to getting the old Echoplex sound.

Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man is great. The 550 tt and 1100 tt are the newer models offering up to 550ms and 1100ms of delay. It has lots of features, tap tempo, delay subdivision, expression pedal input etc, but to me, the best features are it’s tone and modulation.
I haven’t been able to find another delay that sits in a mix as well as the DMM.

I've been enjoying the Maxon AD9 lately. Very quiet and built like a tank. I have also liked the Carbon Comp in the past. I don't have a Carbon Comp at the moment, but I'd like to try the mini version of that pedal.

Probably shouldn't comment as I know nothing of the recent or current analog devices.

I'm still using an old school Ibanez '80s AD80. Their AD9 or Maxxon AD9 are nice analog pedals as well. I also had a Boss DM2 which was very similar. Simple basic one trick ponys....no tap etc.

Downside is that guitar pickers love these too and so they are traded preciously around the online sites.

Strymon Brigadier, well worth the higher price IMO.

David hit the nail on the head STRYMON!!!

Strymon aren’t analog. I do prefer my DIG to analog delays for steel, though I desire would rather use my Maxon AD-900 or Moogerfooger - I find analog delays too noisy with pedal steel.

The 'Brigadier' is indeed an analog pedal, a check of the Sweetwater Sound site will supply all the information that you need.

I think for a delay, it depends on what you use it for. If you're looking for multiple delays and tap features, there are certain delays that do it very well. For me, I use the delay only for s subtle slapback do give the notes a little more fullness.

What I look for in a delay pedal (and I have tried a bunch of them) is that delay tones have a certain warmth that doesn't announce to the world - "Hey, this is a delay!". It is also important to me that the delay not alter the sound of the original signal (to my ears, the Carbon Copy and the little Echoplex pedal do this).

We all give advice, and we hear things differently. Buddy Emmons played through a Peavey and, I think, a digital delay pedal - he loved it and it sounded great; it worked for him personally. You might have to try out a few (I bought a couple from Guitar Center and returned them - I don't know if they still do that) until you find one that feels like a good fit.

Best of luck!

Excellent___

https://neunaber.net/collections/all-pr ... on-echo-v2

I have a Neunaber Echelon on the way to me right now. I have heard a lot of good reports about it and have procrastinated way too long.

I like the old Ibanez AD9. I have an old beatup one but it still works. Really nice with two amps, even if one is a small low power one. The echo goes to the small amp and you get a great depth to your sound.

David Nugent wrote:The 'Brigadier' is indeed an analog pedal, a check of the Sweetwater Sound site will supply all the information that you need.

https://www.strymon.net/product/brigadier/

It’s DSP emulation of an analog circuit.

DSP yeah, only the dry signal is analog. There's something to be said for digital processing though. It's generally quieter and a more pristine, for lack of a better term, maybe cleaner? sound.

Many guitar pickers love only analog effects, but maybe many steel players prefer the cleaner sound of digital.

I dunno, I have some of both. My digi stuff is in multi-fx racks while the analog units are all stomp boxes.

It depends what you like. I'll have to say one of the best boxes I owned was a Behringer DR400 delay and reverb pedal. I'm sure it's all digital, but the sound of that unit is really nice, I think.

George Seymour wrote:Excellent___

https://neunaber.net/collections/all-pr ... on-echo-v2

and while we are at it I use this reverb in conjunction with the Neuanaber delay...with a 1973 Push pull, into 1973 Vibrosonic..as good a tone as I could hope to achieve

https://andygreenpedals.wordpress.com/buy-it-now/

The "Benado" is analog, isn't it?

The Steel Dream says "Analog Style Delay" - Link to manual

So I assume it's not "analog" - i.e., sampled-data in time but analog in amplitude - but I can't say for sure just from that description. Either way, I think it sounds very good.

IMO, there's nothing, per se, "bad" about digital, or "good" about analog. There are good and bad (to my tastes) in both.

My problem with digital emulations is that sometimes I can hear the overlays on the sound. The Strymon tape delay emulation used some sort of sample of a warble and added an artificial hiss to the essentially pristine digital signal. Once I noticed it it was sorta annoying.

I keep an H9 on my board for delays that I use sometimes. I mostly use some sort analog delay for basic tone like Susan does. I'm becoming disenchanted with my Analogman delay lately because I need to record direct and it adds to much noise. I'll experiment some more with an amp and see if that sound is still there.