Best Delay Pedals

As a guitarist, my favourite effect to use is delay. Especially in worship settings, delay fills up the guitar's sound, and smooths out a lot of rough edges in transitions between notes and chords. Pioneers in the worship industry, Hillsong United spearheaded the movement to include more and more delay in their music. Electric guitarist Nigel Hendroff frequently uses the coveted Boss DD-5 Digital Delay pedal on the dotted eighth setting during many worldwide famous worship songs. The delay effect pedal market is rapidly expanding to include numerous options from small stompboxes, to douple effects, to large modelers. Here are some of the best for various price ranges for guitarists of all skill levels;

Boss US

1. Boss DD Series Stompboxes - http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=958&ParentId=255 - 229.00-269.00 - 4.9/5

There are 4 DD Series Stompboxes from Boss, the DD-3, DD-5, DD-6, and DD-7. Each is generally the same with the 3 having the least amount of features, and the 7 having the most. Obviously because of that the 3 Series are the cheapest, with the price increasing each interval of Series.

Overall, these are extremely trustworthy pedals. With the stompbox frame, they can be dropped, kicked, and stomped on without any lasting impact on the pedal at all. Again, the small size of the pedal allows for easy transportation or attachment to a pedal board.

While there may not be an amazing variety of delay options, the control over the delays that are available are top class. The different time options are excellent, especially the dotted eighth delay. The down fall is that the tempo cannot be controlled unless the extra tap tempo pedal is bought.

Delay time can also be controlled, as well as Feedback. The Feedback control knob is one I use frequently, sometimes just to add an extra dimension to my sound, or find a pure delay tone. The DD series are simple, yet extremely efficient delay pedals. They should definitely be the first choice for anyone entering the delay market, or looking to begin to build the delay section of their effect setup.

Boss US

2. Boss DD-20 Giga Delay Twin Pedal - http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=531 - 329.00 - 4.5/5

This is kind of Boss's pinnacle of delay pedals. It combines every aspect of their DD series stompboxes into a twin pedal with so many options and such quality. This may be the most high tech delay pedal, and the one with the most options on the market.

Again, this is a sturdy pedal. Boss is known for making durable pedals, and the twin pedals are no exception. Essentially they are kind of like two stompboxes squeezed in together. The size isn't actually that much of a problem, and can still easily fit on a pedalboard or in a gigbag for transportation.

The pedal includes the same famous delay settings from the DD series, and also features more modes such as dual or analog. The coolest feature of this pedal is it's user memory. With 4 easy accessible, writable settings, the pedal allows for endless options.

Really, this is the upgraded version of the DD Series. For those that have enough money to take the upgrade, this pedal is amazing in what it has to offer.

3. Line 6 DL4 Stompbox Modeler - http://line6.com/dl4/ - 279.00$ - 4.8/5

Known for their expertise with delay pedals, this is now the only Line 6 specific delay pedal, after they discontinued their others models. Even with the other Line 6 models on the market, this was and will continue to be their best offer in the delay section. The DL4 is only 1 part in Line 6's stompbox modeler series, with the MM4, DM4, and the FM4 finishing the combination.

Amazon

The make and build, which are extremely important to the safety and longevity of the pedal, are structurally sound. While the pedal is larger, it is box shaped, and therefore easy to fit in a bag, or on a pedalboard. The frame is strong, and the front panel is sturdy.

The pedal features 16 delay models, ranging from practical U2 sounds, to exciting innovative ping pong delays. Four footswitches are included for easy saving and recalling of sounds. The pedal also allows for control over delay time, repeats, tweak, tweez and mix.

For the amount of options included, and the quality of the options, this pedal is one of the lead runners in the delay market. The size of the pedal is manageable, and the features of extraordinary. The DL4 remains one of the best.

Interstate Music

4. TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay - http://www.tcelectronic.com/nd-1-nova-delay/ - 395.00 - 3.6/5

While I have never actually used this pedal, I've only heard good things about it. Again, this is a pedal that utilizes technology to the utmost degree. Extremely programmable, this pedal has everything.

This seems to be a strong pedal, with a strong metal frame. The size and shape does seem to be a little unique. The pedal in its square shape is again very different, and therefore may not be the usual shape required for a pedal board.

The actual delay on the pedal is decently good. The control over the delay is amazing, definitely top class. There are 7 types of delays available, with control over the tempo, and multiple other options. Much like a computer, the pedal again allows for saving certain settings, and other nifty options.

The Nova Delay is a great delay pedal, and extremely innovative. TC Electronic is doing a great job developing their delay sound, and this is only the first step. Actually, the company recently released a new delay pedal called Flashback, and it is gaining a lot of acclaim internationally.

Amazon

5. MXR Carbon Copy Delay - http://www.jimdunlop.com/product/m169-carbon-copy-analog-delay - 227.00 - 3.9/5

Finally, the MXR Carbon Copy Delay. While the sound may not be as developed as some of the other delay options, the build of this pedal may be it's most impressive feature.

This pedal is extremely strong, built to endure almost anything. The size of the pedal is perfect, able to easily carry anywhere, or squeeze onto even the most crowded pedal board.

The actual sound coming from the pedal is also pretty impressive. However, there are not as many delay options as some of the other pedals on the market. This could be a good things for beginners, and possibly not as great for experts, but the pedal does include one special feature. There are two ways to run the delay through the pedal; modulation or no modulation. This feature allows for two very different sides of delay sounds to be heard at all times.