Delay for Acoustic Guitar
 

How useful do you folks find a delay for live performance on acoustic guitar? Seems like it would have its' place in some repertoires. More specifically, anyone have experience with the MXR Carbon Copy analog delay with an acoustic guitar live?

Any input appreciated..........

Depends on the kind of music you play. I've used slapback to nice effect on some country songs. Also used delay on some specific contemporary Christian music songs that I've played (the YT video from the original artist even talks about using delay and the settings).

So, yeah sure - useful for specific things. I'd classify my use of delay as "sparing"

Led Kaapana grew up listening to Les Paul and the Ventures (with a long antenna wire connected from the transistor radio to the top of a coconut tree) and developed a taste for echo in his guitar sound. It's part of his signature sound today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FikLX9SN5M - He uses a Boss DD-3 for his delay with classic slapback settings.

Fran

I love delay on acoustic in the right spots, sometimes it's nice to have a light trail on solos and also on some finger picking parts.

I have had a few delays including the Carbon Copy. The CC is a great delay and has its place, but in my opinion, Acoustic is not one of them. Its a great delay for electric and semi-hollow body guitars and it also depends on the pickups and electronics that interface with the CC.

My experience with acoustic work has lead me to the Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail. I play a Taylor with the ES 1.2 system so consider that in your reading of this post. I find the Vapor Trail to be smoother, less dark than the CCopy. Also provides a little more flexibility in tonal control and modulation. I have mine set up so the only dial I ever touch is the delay time. One setting for country oriented songs and another for our rock side. I put a small dot for each setting by the dial.

Ibanez made a delay a while back called the Echo Shifter which I found sounded really good with my Taylor also however took up too much real estate on the small pedal board I use. I still have it because it sounds really good.

I have also tried a few of the Strymon delays. The only one I bonded with was the Brigadier which I still have also.

Have fun in your search for the perfect tone.

Brad

The only delay I've been happy with for acoustic sounds in an old analog Maxon AD-80 and then just a little mixed in.

Delays that aren't as warm sound too jangly to my ear, hard to get the mix right.

Buckaroo, the MXR Carbon has been my go to for it's warm analog tone...I use it lightly just enough to phatten up my sound as a solo working musician.

Here's a recent post/video I made about it: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...90#post5192790

I don't use any regeneration, mix at about 45 to 50% depending on song and delay at about 10 o'clock just to
shadow what I'm playing and not get in the way.
the modulation feature is nice and I use it occasionally, however you have to remove back plate to set the speed/depth. I also like that it is true bypass and noiseless. I highly recommend it, a rugged, proven unit. :up:

Hope this helps & best wishes,

eric

Has anyone tried the Line 6 DL4 with an acoustic?

I'm very interested in this topic as well.

I used its smaller brother, the Echo Park. I liked it but ended up selling it when I found other pedals I liked better. I never really gave it a good effort on acoustic work. Still its a good pedal and the DL4 has been the go to pedal for a lot of professionals.

Brad

My favorite delay for acoustic is my Boss DD-7 ,on the modualate setting, using it for some slap back. When you play a chord, it gives some chorus/modulation.

I've been using a TC Electronic Flashback Delay for quite a while now on my acoustics. Mostly to thicken the lead sound on both steel and nylon strings (and for fingerpicking on the nylon, too). Just a little analog delay, although I've been experimenting in one band lately with heavier effects, and in that context I find myself leaning on the tape delay sound a lot, and a particular "Toneprint" I like with some heavy modulation.

In any case, the Flashback sounds great and offers a lot of options if you're inclined to experiment.

Louis

I also use a Flashback (the Mini, since I only need one setting), and just for thickening.

I set it up so that I can just perceive the delayed sound, then I dial it back slightly so that you can't really hear distinct echoes, but something seems to be missing if you bypass it. I leave it on all the time.


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IMO, digital delays tend to sound better on acoustic than analog. That pristine quality seems to match the warmer tones of an acoustic guitar. Although I am not a huge fan of TC Electronics, their Flashback mini gives you that digital delay option while also including a very easy to use tap tempo mode.

Hi,

if you dive deeply into effects on acoustic guitar, get a Line6 M9. Very simple to use, lots of reverbs, compressors, delays and EQ. Add a tuner and a D.I. and you are ready to go.

cu

erniecaster

A friend once told me effects on acoustic guitars were a crutch for the unskilled.

Sadly that influenced me a little until I started using reverb and then years later another friend gave me a very good demonstration of digital delay.

I play a lot of open airy instrumental music, light Jazz style pieces, among covers of popular music. Delay is an important tool for me to add depth/dimension and separation when I play leads. The TC Electronics Flashback Delay is very clean and transparent.

Postlude: What my friend didn't do was perform and/or play acoustic plugged in. My experience is, plugging-in is giving your guitar another voice, ability to shape that voice, and create a multitude of voices.