This is a no-nonsense cheap analog delay, and is very much an analog delay with its own distinct character. I've had this for a few months, so I think it's fair to give an assessment at this stage. I've used it for guitar, bass, synth, both live and in the studio, and also for a few studio applications i.e sound design, running vocal tracks etc. through it.
PROS
- The price, obviously. Don't think you can get anything much cheaper than this, outside of dodgy Ali Express sites.
- It seems to build very well, a simple but rock-solid design. Beer has been spilled on it already with no apparent issue, and it looks like it'll be fairly easy to take apart and clean if that ever is a problem. It certainly doesn't feel like a cheap product - even though switches and the like are usually the first to go bad on cheaper pedals, this one feels higher quality, as do the knobs.
-The switch is very quiet. Sometimes with analog delays you'll get a little pop which rides out the delay when you switch it on, this doesn't seem to happen much with this pedal.
- The jack inputs are on top, rather than at the sides. Handy.
- Low noise overall. I haven't had any issue using this to process things in a studio setting, to be honest it's quieter than I was expecting.
- The actual sound is beautiful, and very particular. Slapback echoes work fantastically, and sound just right, The repeats really darken as you would expect them to in an analog delay, so the delay can be used to thicken up the sound of whatever you put through it. The character of this delay is absolutely perfect for surf guitar sounds, and the kind of psych-garage stuff coming from California (think Ty Segall, Meatbodies, etc. ), and you can push it to get that high pitched, just-on-the-edge-of-oscillation squeal. For a gorgeous, cold, post-punk bass reverberation, it's equally effective.
- This thing self-oscillates like there's no tomorrow. It's really easy to push the repeats into feedback. I realise some people might consider this a drawback, but I love it, and it's brilliant for making mad noise. It's not too hard to manipulate the oscillations into a particular beat/tempo, as the repeats feed off the time.
CONS
- It's a cheap bucket-brigade style pedal, so the max delay is only about 300ms. This is fairly short and if you need more time on your delays, you might want to look at something digital, or a more expensive analog option.
- The mix knob is not quite 100% wet signal when it's turned up to the last, there's still always a hint of the original signal coming through. This of course won't really be a problem in the majority of situations, i.e playing instruments through it at a gig, but it would be nice to have a 100% wet option for studio use as a parallel effect.
- Solid but weighty. It is noticeably heavy, and it's bigger than most other single switch pedals. The top-mounted inputs definitely help saving space a bit, but it it worth noting that it's a big pedal.
Overall, this is worth having, and as is the case with any good piece of equipment, it serves the creativity of the music making process very well.
