Electro Harmonix Memory Boy

First the good news.

If you want ehx memory man 'style' analog delay at a bargain price then this is a pretty good pedal. Maximum delay is reported as 550ms (that is probably about right) and it sounds pretty dark but if you are looking at this then you already know that don't you? If you are looking for long delay times and super clear repeats then, as others have said look elsewhere, but if you want the 'lofi' analog decay within the half second parameter then, for the price, this is a pretty good bet. The delays sound warm, the controls are straightforward (as long as you are careful with the feedback control as the pedal as an eagerness to self-oscillate), it comes with a power supply and that's all you need to know...

BUT the not so good news.

The modulation controls are pretty crazy and whilst you can get a nice modulated delay sound with the depth control a fraction off zero and the switches on triangle wave and chorus, anything more and you are in head swimming territory. The faster speed and the square wave modulations continue further into this 'experimental' territory. I haven't tried it with an expression pedal to control the modulation but I suspect that anyone but the most psychedelically inclined sonic experimenters will end up leaving the modulation well alone or on a very minimal setting.
I have managed to get a useable, though quite intense, chorus and a vibrato effect by playing with the controls but it's not exactly easy to dial in and I like, most I suspect, have perfectly good pedals to do these jobs for me.

I bought this as an analog delay pedal and, whilst the issues with the usability of the modulation controls are a negative, they don't stop this pedal being a success as a delay. Though it is a compromised success and if you are looking for a cheap, straightforward analog delay, without too much weird modulation, then you may want to consider the 'memory toy' for a little less money. Although when you factor in the fact this doesn't come with a power supply there really isn't much in it and you can always leave the modulation off!

What can i say about this unit it's one crazy piece of equipment when you first get to play with it. It's almost scary with the noises that it can make but after a while you can see why it's such a good pedal. It stands up rather well against it's big brother in terms of sounds and overall quality even though it's so much cheaper it lacks nothing significant that the more expensive originals posses.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this version if you really want a Memory Man but cannot afford 300 euro or so. It is in my eyes the best alternative you can get.

If you want a plain delay sound though you may want to look elsewhere while it can create that sound it is quite hard to get since the pedal has such a distinct set of knobs they really flavour the tone a lot.

If you don't wanna spend that extra money on a Memory Man this is a very good alternative. It has that warm analog sound and for it's price it's a really good delay.
And the question is whether you can tell the difference of a Memory Man and a Boy in a live situation? On the downside is perhaps the look, it feels a bit cheap like the rest of EH's cheaper pedals. But for the price I can live with that. Another thing worth mention is that it is picky with which power supply that is used. It work well with the one that is included, but with for instance the Harley Benton Power Plant Jr you get a crappy sound. But overall it's well worth the money.

An amazing analog delay that offers a wide range of tones ranging from natural, post-rock delay to more obscure, space-like effects.

The Memory Boy is arguably more versatile than any digital delay on the market however it does require some getting used to. I spent almost 2 days just messing with settings before I could find a usable tone. But once I found the delay tone that worked for me I haven't looked back.

This pedal also features different levels of delay: I found the vibrato level to be most useful for obtaining post rock sounds. However, the feedback knob must be turned beyond 10 o'clock in order for the note to ring. The chorus provided a subtle delay on sustained chords, which I find very useful.

Only minor problem is the handling. This pedal can be difficult to use at first, however in the long-term this is outweighed by the quality of delay this pedal offers.

I bought 2 of these to use with synths, panned left and right. the sound is great, modulation is nice but it would be nice to have a rate knob too, tho that can be modulated using an expression pedal or EHX 8 step program. compared to other analog delays in the same category its features are great for the price.

the problem with this and my other EHX pedals is that when you try to remove the knobs from the pots to swap for something with better grip, the pot shafts can get pulled out partially/completely. this has not been a problem with any other gear Ive had, knobs always slide off relatively easy. both my Memory Boy pedals had the depth pot pulled out. guitar players tend to set up their pedal and leave it alone, but electronic music producers like myself will adjust the settings in time to sequenced music, we dont use our feet on these pedals either. Its unacceptable imo, Im sure EHX know about it when they have to repair their pedals and remove the pcb for access, then replace the pots they may have damaged in the process

I wont be buying any more new EHX pedals in the future, they sound great but are not finger friendly!