Delay and Lead Guitar?

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

So, I'm getting more and more into lead playing and am looking on improving my lead tone...I'm close...I just feel it needs a little more body.

I'm not much of an effects guy, but I have recently been considering getting a delay pedal...it seems that many lead guitar parts, especially live, have delay somewhere in there.

I have tried reverb, but it really doesn't do it for me....for cleans, it's awesome, but not really my thing for leads...

So, would you recommend delay? Do you use it, and if so, for what purpose exactly?

What specific pedals should I look into (I will be running it in the loop)...I hope not to spend too much, but will if it is seriously worth it....could I live with the Boss DD-3/6?

 

[Refixer]

Knowing you're a Tremonti Fan, if you have the money to shell out try looking at the FX unit he has in his rack (G-Force right?). Otherwise, yeah try the DD-3 or 6. Maybe try to find a used Line6 DL4 or Boss GigaDelay

 

[Eric]

For the money ,Boss dd-3. I've used one for a couple of years and it sounded pretty cool to me.

 

[MesaENGR412]

I've got the DD-6, it's pretty nice. I just wish that I'd have spent the money on a used RV-3 so I'd have both reverb and delay in one unit.

-AJH

 

[SabuJSE]

Things I use delay for:

- Echo
- Fill out the sound with a soft, quick slapback
- Tap Tempo at a louder delay volume to mix things up for solos and rythym parts.

Really, there are many things to use it for. Something to keep in mind though is get one that has a lot of features so you can experiment with it. You may use it in a different way from the next person.

I use the DLS Echotap - it's not cheap, but it is true bypass so no tone coloration.

G'luck!

 

[Humbility]

Line 6 echo park. Best Digital delay pedal I have ever used. Second best was the Danelectro Delay. Boss DD3 had a feature where you could hold the button down and record a short bit of your guitar playing. It was pretty good too.
But yeah...the line 6 is really nice. 200 bux though.

Hum

 

[mxr2000]

Boss DD20 8)

 

[Platypus]

EH deluxe memory man.. best pedal I have

 

[recto-robbie]

Hey gentlemen,,,I dont want to highjack this thread but reading through it all, it seems I may find my answer here if you dont mind me asking.
Im looking for a delay pedal. I have always had multieffect pedals in the past so I just used what they had and never gave them a second of thought. Reading the info on pedals I find that they offer a wide range of maximum delay times. Some offer 300ms,,,500ms,,,800ms and even 5 seconds on some. I plan to use it for lead playing from clean to full gain. I know I dont need 5 seconds of delay time for anything and I dont care for those slapback type delays either. I know all guitarists have different likes but what would be an all around typical delay time most rock and metal guitarists would find right for their lead playing????
Thanks for any suggestions

 

[eltrain858]

i default to around 375 ms, but sometimes like as much as 800-1200 ms.. i haven't found a use for anything longer

 

[Humbility]

the delay timing should be "song" dependant. Speed of the song, feel of the song. Those are things that I adjust on the fly at a show. Some people mark their settings others just remember. I find though there is no real "universal setting" that works for everything. Maybe thats just me though...who knows.

My 2 cents
Hum

 

[SabuJSE]

That's what I love about my Echotap - one side is set for a specific delay time and the tap tempo side takes care of the situational stuff...

 

[stompboxfreak72]

If you get a Boss ....get the DD-20 because it is tap tempo. Analogman.com also modifies the DD-3 or DD-6 so you can have tap tempo. A delay that cannot be used in realtime is useless to me.

I dislike Boss delays immensely. I bought a TC Electronics Vintage Delay and it is excellent.

I never turn my delay off. Ever. I use it as a slapback to fill my sound out. A dry DR or any other amp sounds lifeless to me without some sort of ambience.

 

[X-1]

I recently purchased a used Scholz Delay/Chorus module. It takes up a 1/2 space in a rack and is a nice analog short delay or chorus. I really like it.

 

[Vigo1999]

wherever you look, dont EVER try to consider Carl Martin's Red Repeat :evil: , it's so fucking "unby-passed" that's annoying, even my bandmates noted it with full band playing volume when it was off . . . it's THAT bad . . . :shock:

 

[eltrain858]

back to the original question, i agree with stompboxfreak72, if you're looking at a DD-6 you may as well get the DD-20 for the extra $20.

not only does it have the tap tempo feature, but also has a "tone" knob you can use to dull the delay signal a bit. many people complain boss and other digital delays are too bright compared to an analog delay that returns progressively duller tone.

also has some other cool features like the "modulate" mode that acts like a subtle chorus effect on top of the delay you dial in.

my only complaint about it so far is that the delay time controller is a digital scrolling knob (not that they could have done it any other way for a 1ms-23,000ms delay..) and not a potentiometer, so its harder to make cool spaceship noises with it. however, this also means you have a tangible number to count on (rather than just a knob position... is it 9:00 or 9:06??), which makes dialing in particular settings more precise, and if you're mathematically inclined you can match the precise delay time to the tempo of the song (e.g. w/ click track in studio)

 

[PHYX]

If you have the money get a Hughes & Kettner Replex Tube Delay Echo. You will love it. You get a clean sound out of them.

Jim

 

[David.W]

I just today picked up a Maxon AD9. About 300ms. I was gonna go with the Ibanez, but the true bypass sold me, and the fact it was in stock. I had considered Keeley's modded Ibanez AD9 which is also true bypass but after reading alot about the differences in analog pedals, chinese made vs japanese parts etc I choose the Maxon. If my product research is accurate itis a superior made unit.

More importantly, I really like the sound, warm, and worked well with the recto. I opted against the EH stuff due to size. Thats why I sold my diamond ML, to much bulk, im considering a pedal board so I want simple small and transparent. I dont use delay for everything so this is the one for me.

 

[mikeyp]

wherever you look, dont EVER try to consider Carl Martin's Red Repeat :evil: , it's so f%&# "unby-passed" that's annoying, even my bandmates noted it with full band playing volume when it was off . . . it's THAT bad . . . :shock:

Uh, I have one of them and I love the thing. You must use an ac adaptor or it will do goofy ****. The bypassed sound with mine is totally uncolored. Try one out for yourself. Like I said, if you bye one get an adaptor. It'll eat a brand new 9v in about an hour of light use.

 

[phyrexia]

Another DD-20 fan here.