Top 5 Delay Pedals on the Market
Originally, when I was going to write this post, I was going to do it a little differently. I was going to pull some various resources to figure out the top 5 delay pedals on the market today. The problem is.. this is quite subjective. Top 5 could mean the best, but best is often not realistic (Does expensive mean best? Is exclusivity best? Is workhorse best? Is popularity best?). I wanted to compile maybe the most ‘popular’ or possibly the best bang for the buck set of delays.
So, I thought I would do something different and post my opinion, but ask for you to supply your own opinion of your top 5 delays below in the comments. Please add some explanations of your choices to help others.
For this, I compiled this short list of common delays available today. I know there are delays missing, but wanted to include delays that I often see on Pedal Line Fridays, and see in recurring discussions on forums, etc. If you feel one is not in here… and should be included, comment or contact me, and I’ll update this post. This list is in no particular order.
Empress SuperDelay
Diamond Memory Lane 2
Pigtronix PHI Echolution
T-Rex Replica Delay
Eventide Timefactor
Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo
Strymon TimeLine
Fulltone Tape Echo
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man
Akai Head Rush E2
Boss DD-20 GigaDelay
Boss RE-20 Space Echo
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
MXR Carbon Copy
Way Huge Aqua Puss Analog Delay
Boss DD-7 Delay
Boss DD-3 Delay
Maxon AD999 Delay
Okay, for my opinion of the Top 5 Delay Pedals on the Market.
1. T-Rex Replica Delay
2. Eventide Timefactor
3. Boss DD-7 Delay
4. MXR Carbon Copy
5. Electro-Harmonix Memory Man
T-Rex Replica Delay – I own this personally, and I think this is an awesome delay. Love the tone, love the tap tempo, very warm sounding
Eventide Timefactor – I’ve seen mention of this over and over. It’s on the higher end of the price spectrum, but there is no denying that this is a popular delay. It may be more complicated than what I like, but I would love to take it for a spin.
Boss DD-7 – I’m including this because it’s a work horse. I almost want to include all the DD series pedals. For the price, it’s a great sounding digital delay. I own a Boss DD-3 and it’s great for the rhythmic delay overlay. I always feel like I want to exclude it, but every time I play it, I’m impressed.
MXR Carbon Copy – I still wonder why I don’t own this. I’ve thought about buying it a ton. This is a perfect example of following Pedal Line Fridays. The amount of times I see this pedal on the line is ridiculous. Probably one of the most popular delays featured on Pedal Line Friday submissions.
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man – I would probably slap the Deluxe Memory Boy, Hazarai, etc. EHX makes some amazing gear, and this is a classic delay. Upper Mid-Range in price, but unbelievably solid. Love the tone. Jimmy Rolle (who does the demos) has an older Deluxe Memory Man, and the pedal is bad ass.
I have a feeling I’m going to change my mind in about an hour….
So let’s hear what your Top 5 is… and more importantly why. Remember, we’re not just picking the 5 most expensive pedals. I think showcasing ‘working man’ delays with the high end stuff is a good metric on the popularity and the effectiveness of the particular delays. Getting feedback from you guys is a great way to see what is hot or required for delay guys.
Popularity: 9%
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xx
