Budget Delays Part I

Ask the DudeThere is an enormous number of nice delay pedals and there is one within everyone’s price range.
Regarding the budget area, you will also find a lot of good delay pedals, analog ones as well as tape emulations and digital delays.

In this three-part series, I would like to present some delays of all three sections that are available for ridiculous prices.

Analog delays

For those, who are looking for a good analog delay, the Ibanez ADmini is definitively recommendable.
Sonically, it is oriented to its predecessors, the AD9 and the AD80. But its delay time is twice as long (600ms). Its enclosure is really compact and robust. The ADmini provides a dark analog sound and is available for less than 100,00€.

Regarding the sound, the concept and the design, the Mooer Ana Echo is pretty similar to the Ibanez ADmini. Because of the rather short delay time of 300 ms, it is rather suitable for slap back.

Electro Harmonix also offers a budget analog delay: The Memory Toy This pedal is oriented to the legendary sound of the Deluxe Memory Boy and actually offers modulation. Sonically, it is a bit darker than the Memory Man and the 550ms of maximum delay time come around in a compact enclosure.

If you like the sound of the Electro Harmonix delay, the XVive V21 Echoman Delay might also be suitable for you. The pedal is based on a MN3005 chip which is almost symbolical for fine delays. None other than Howard Davis, responsible for the Deluxe Memory Man, is involved in the design of the XVive delays. The pedal offers 600ms of maximum delay time and is built up pretty compactly. Its price is a little higher than the price of the Memory Boy, but the modulation can be adjusted via a pot and you have the choice between chorus/vibrato.

For those who are satisfied with short delay times of 300ms, the TC Electronic Echobrain might be a well-priced analog delay. In the sense of the first old analog delays, it dispenses with any further bells and whistles and only provides the classical pots for time, mix and repeats. For a price less than 50,00€.

Even more favorable are the Behringer VD400 or the Artec Analog Delay. Both are robust delays with a short delay time of 300 or rather 400ms for beginners.

And if you are looking for an analog delay with tap tempo, modulation and tone control, the DOD Rubberneck is what you need.

In the next part of this series, I would like to present some digital budget delays.