Six of the best vintage-inspired delay pedals
Moog MF Delay
If more than £500 seems a bit much for the full-on MoogerFooger MF-104M delay pedal, this goes a long way to creating some of those vintage, analogue tones for a more modest outlay.
You get up to 700ms delay thanks to four bucket-brigade chips, plus 22dB of driving preamp and an expression pedal option for real-time control over time or feedback. Warm, evocative and easy to use.
4.5 out of 5
Read our full Moog MF Delay review
BUY: Moog MF Delay currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Let’s just say you had £1,200 to spend on a new, Echoplex-derived tape echo. And maybe we could fantasise a little bit that it was exceptionally well-built, road- and studio-tested, not to mention used by some of the most credible names in modern-vintage guitar tone.
Erm, well this is it. Play one alongside a digital simulation and make your own mind up. Not exactly a stompbox, but still... Drool.
BUY: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo currently available from:
US: Sweetwater
TC Electronic Alter Ego X4
This is based on the Danish company’s Flashback X4, but with 12 new models.
The Binson Echorec, Watkins Copicat, Roland Space Echo, Deluxe Memory Man, Echoplex, BOSS DM-2, EHX Echoflanger, and indeed TC 2290, all get a nod, not to mention the bonkers Tel Ray Super Organ Tone.
Three programmable sounds at your feet, four TonePrint slots, expression pedal and looping will keep you coming back... back... back... back.
4.5 out of 5
Read our full TC Electronic Alter Ego X4 review
BUY: TC Electronic Alter Ego X4 currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
Boss DM-2W
There must have been some consternation at BOSS at the thought of looking backwards and releasing a ‘reissue’.
Still, delay fans had been baying for the bucket brigade chip analogue pedal to return, and return it has, complete with an all-analogue signal path, but upgraded with an extra new mode to deliver more than twice the original maximum delay time of 300ms.
BUY: Boss DM-2W currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay
Fans of U2 and The Edge rejoiced in 2014 because for the first time, Korg’s much-loved 80s rack delay was reborn in pedal form.
You get eight delay types, the characteristic warm preamp, up to four seconds of delay, modulation, stereo, MIDI, filters... all in a programmable stompbox format. U2 guitar tech Dallas Schoo was consulted on the design, having got tired of looking for originals.
4.5 out of 5
Read our full Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay review
BUY: Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass
Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay
Players including The Edge and good ol’ Hank Marvin achieved their famous echo sounds using two delays set at different times, either using multi-head tape echoes, or with digital devices.
This pedal simply puts two identical 1000ms delays in one box, the second with an additional modulation option. Tap tempo, tone control, trails control and flexible output options combine to make this a compelling choice.
4 out of 5
Read our full Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay review
BUY: Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay currently available from:
US: Sweetwater