Delay Pedal Buying Guide
Delay effects are one of the most universal effects for electric guitarists of any style, right up there with overdrive and reverb. With a basic delay pedal you can add subtle ambience, vintage slapback, psychedelic echo trails, and make your solos soar with just a few repeats. Since delay is such a crucial effect for guitarists, you have seemingly endless options to consider. Let’s take a look at some of the most iconic delay effects pedals that have stood the test of time (and the stage!).
What’s a Delay Pedal?
Delay effects pedals make a copy of the input signal, delay it by a certain amount, and play it back to create an echo effect. Most delay pedals feature a Feedback or Repeats control, which can range from a single repeat to long delay trails. A very basic delay pedal will have controls for the number of repeats, the level of the delay effect, and the delay time (length between repeats). More complex delay pedals can give you more control over the tone of the delayed signal, and some may even offer a separate effects loop just for the delayed signal.
MXR M169 — VINTAGE ANALOG DELAY
MXR was a pioneer in pedal-based delay effects with the introduction of the M-118 Analog Delay in 1975, now discontinued. The MXR M169 Carbon Copy analog delay pedal — introduced in 2008 — has become a go-to analog delay pedal for countless modern guitarists, offering 3-knob simplicity while delivering everything guitarists love about analog delay.
Analog delay is often described as “warm” because the repeats become “darker” as the delay trail decays. This means you can create a bed of ambience that adds richness and rhythmic interest to your playing, without competing with the notes that you’re currently playing. On top of excellent analog delay effects, the MXR Carbon Copy also features a Mod switch to turn it into a modulation effect for even more creative potential.
Why Players Love the MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay Pedal
- Warm, vintage analog saturation doesn’t compete with your playing
- Internal trim pots allow you to fine-tune the "shape" of the delay effect if you wish
- Mod switch turns it into a dimensional/ambient modulation effect
Similar Analog Delay Pedals
- Donner Yellow Fall — simple and effective 3-knob analog delay in a mini-size case
- MOSKY Blue — no-nonsense analog delay at a very low price
- MXR M299 Carbon Copy — the same Carbon Copy delay tone in a mini-pedal format
BOSS DD-3T — DEFINITIVE DIGITAL DELAY
BOSS have been making some of the most-used delay pedals since the ‘70s. It all began with the analog DM-1 Delay Machine in 1978, and the digital DD Series was born in 1983 with the DD-2 Digital Delay. Digital delay’s pristine, bright character is a sharp contrast to the warm, velvety sound of analog delay, and played a huge role in the overall sound of ‘80s music.
Today, guitarists choose digital delay when they want to create a cascade of repeats that maintain their fidelity as the delay trail decays. The BOSS DD-3T is one of the most popular digital delay pedals currently available, combining a simple control set with convenient tap tempo control and all packed into the rugged, road-ready case BOSS is known for. If you’re looking for a simple digital delay that covers all the bases and is likely to last a lifetime, the BOSS DD-3T won’t disappoint.
Why Players Love the BOSS DD-3T Digital Delay Pedal
- Tap Tempo makes it simple to sync the delay effect to your song’s tempo
- Simple to use, easy to dial in a wide range of delay effects
- Built to last, stands up to the rigors of live use
Similar Digital Delay Pedals
- JHS 3 Series Delay — straightforward 3-knob delay with switchable digital and analog modes
- Walrus Audio Fundamental Delay — simple controls, cool vintage vibe, and selectable digital/analog/reverse modes
- BOSS SDE-3 — dual digital delays with two stereo modes for expansive, 3D stereo delay effects
- TC Electronic The Prophet — 3 selectable time divisions add rhythmic interest to your delays
ELECTRO-HARMONIX DELUXE MEMORY BOY — PLAYER-FAVORITE ANALOG EFFECTS
It’s natural for guitarists to chase the gear that pros use to shape their signature tones, and the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy is right up there with some of the most popular delay pedals in the world. Guitarists including The Edge (U2) and Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) used the original EHX Memory Man as a core component of their distinctive signature sounds. The Deluxe Memory Boy introduced in 2009 takes the rich tonality the Memory Man was known for, and adds a somewhat staggering amount of creative potential as well.
In addition to a dedicated tap tempo footswitch, the Deluxe Memory Boy offers five selectable time divisions to fine-tune the rhythm of your delay trail. You can create modulation effects including chorus and vibrato. Hook up an expression pedal and use it to control delay time, feedback amount, or other parameters. You even have a send/return loop that you can use to connect other effects pedals to apply only to the delay trail — you’ll have practically endless creative options to explore with the Deluxe Memory Boy.
Why Players Love the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy
- Huge range of delay and modulation effects in a single pedal
- Expression pedal input gives you an entirely new way to interact with your effects
- Built-in effects loop allows you to add other effects pedals like fuzz or reverb to the delay trail without effecting your core guitar tone
More Feature-Packed Analog Delay Pedals
- MXR M292 Carbon Copy Deluxe — vintage analog tone with modulation, tap tempo, selectable time divisions and more
- DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay — up to 1.5 seconds of delay, momentary time and pitch bends, switchable trails, and big tonal flexibility
- Way Huge Supa-Puss Analog Delay — unique Chase mode cycles through different time divisions for next-level rhythmic effects
BOSS RE-202 SPACE ECHO — ICONIC TAPE ECHO EMULATION
The earliest delay effect units used magnetic tape to record and play back repeats, instead of analog circuitry or digital processing. The original Roland RE-201 is a legendary tape delay machine that transformed the sound of music, both with its vibrant delay effects and also with its preamp circuitry that bolstered signals on the way in. Today, the BOSS RE-202 Space Echo re-creates the experience of the original, complete with controls for wow & flutter, tape saturation, built-in spring reverb, and more.
When you’re going for a vintage vibe, it’s hard to beat the sound of tape delay. With a tape delay pedal like the BOSS RE-202 Space Echo you can generate trails of echoes with just a hint of analog degradation, or you can apply heavy wow & flutter to maximize the tape effect. And thanks to the way the repeats slowly degrade over time, you can create some amazingly creative sound design effects with a long delay trail. Along with analog bucket-brigade delay circuits and digital processing, tape delay is one of the core types of delay effect, and the BOSS RE-202 Space Echo is a prime example.
Why Players Love the BOSS RE-202 Space Echo
- Preamp can add harmonic intensity to your tone like a transparent overdrive pedal
- Powerful processing creates all the nuances of analog tape delay and spring reverb
- Rich and vibrant sonic character invites you to dig in and play the effect like an instrument
Popular Tape Delay Emulation Pedals
- T-Rex Replicator D’Luxe — uses a real analog cassette tape for authentic tape delay effects
- BOSS RE-2 Space Echo — packs the sonic character of the RE-202 into a single-width pedal
- TC Electronic Gauss Tape Echo — authentic tape echo tone with a simple 3-knob control layout
THE ULTIMATE UNDER-$100 DELAY PEDAL SHOOTOUT
Once you start searching for delay pedals in the modern market, you’ll soon find yourself down a rabbit hole with so many options. The team at No Fear Gear compared a bunch of delay pedals under $100 in this video demo, putting them to the test to see if there were any hidden gems to be found.
You can hear the following pedals in a head-to-head shootout:
- JHS 3 Series Delay
- Flamma FC17
- Kmise Analog Delay
- Behringer VD400
- MOSKY Blue
- Donner Yellow Fall
- GAMMA Narcissus
- TC Electronic Echobrain
Want to hear more delay pedals under $100? Check out our full article, The Ultimate Under-$100 Delay Pedal
Accessories for Your Overdrive Pedal
Not all overdrive pedals can be powered with a battery, and most do not include a power supply. The vast majority of pedals on the market use the same type of 9V power supply — a power supply designed for guitar pedals like the TrueTone 1 Spot is a smart purchase, as it can power multiple effects pedals simultaneously from a single power outlet.
To connect your overdrive pedal to your amplifier, you’ll need a second instrument cable (just like the one you’re using to plug in your guitar). If you’re connecting your overdrive pedal to another effects pedal, you can minimize your cabling by getting a short jumper cable to connect your pedals instead, like D’Addario Classic Series Patch Cables.
