Delay pedal query

[Ken Carr]

I am toying with the idea of adding a delay pedal to my little rig. I watched a couple of YouTube reviews for the LR Baggs Align Series delay pedal. I must say it sounds impressive. I also was impressed with a video I watched of the Strymon DIG pedal. Although that costs a lot more than the LR Baggs unit. I don't need something that sounds too weird or over the top. I was thinking of adding some discriminate delay to make my fingerstyle playing sound bigger. I have never used delay before. My current setup is a LR Baggs Lyric mic into a HOF reverb into a Tech 21 Q-strip into a QSC CP-8. This provides a very clean and useful sound. I saw one positive review on the forum from two years ago on the Align Series Delay. Is there anyone else here who has used/is using the LR Baggs Align delay pedal and what do you think about it? Is there some other delay pedal or multieffects device you would recommend for acoustic guitar? I can't stand chorus/phaser/flanger/modulation effects on acoustic guitar. I'm mostly a fingerstyle player, I don't strum much anymore. I would appreciate your recommendations.

[windfall]

The specular tempus is worth a look. I play mostly acoustic and use it all the time, from subtle room reverb to spooky delay and everything in between. Amongst many others it has lovely tremolo reverb. The delay samples are near the end of this video
https://youtu.be/ZNz7NHp25Qc

[YamahaGuy]

MXR Carbon Copy was my first delay pedal. Nothing too fancy. Doesn't have real long of a delay at the max setting, but does what you're looking for. There's probably tons of used ones up for grabs.

If you wanted (you said you didn't, but...) something that can do a couple functions like loop (but not loop and delay at the same time), tap tempo, reverb + delay, and a couple other cool things, the Electro-Harmonix Canyon is my current favorite and has it's own spot on my acoustic pedalboard. A lot of pedal for the price.

[rmp]

I'm a big fan of the Line 6 DL4. Has a lot of options for delay types, and is pretty clean/clear and deep sounding.

You can have three preset options with a tap tempo which is handy for synchronizing the delay time with what you're playing (it also has a looper) The only down sides are it's pretty big footprint wise, and it's not cheap.

I have a pigtronix echolution delay as well, smaller foot print, sounds good but probably too many other options for just what you're looking for also has tap tempo..

[cdkrugjr]

Thing I Have: JHS Panther Cub. Analog delay with tap tempo

An EHX Memoryman or Memory Boy Deluxe with tap tempo would work. Slightly different sound

Thing I'd have if I'd an infinite budget: Roland RE-201 Space Echo (Original)

Things I'm Intrigued By:
Strymon El Capistan
Catalinbread Echorec

The analog signal chains have a darker sound that I prefer. Digital delay is clean and precise, and you can get some crazy long delays without sonic deterioration.

The general rule is that analog electronics are dead simple to clone, but digital algorithms are harder, so a cheap clone of a Memory Man is going to be closer than something that claims to clone a Strymon.

Listen and play through a bunch of them. Like donuts, they all have a slightly different flavor, but are all yummy.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by Ken Carr

I am toying with the idea of adding a delay pedal to my little rig. I watched a couple of YouTube reviews for the LR Baggs Align Series delay pedal. I must say it sounds impressive. I also was impressed with a video I watched of the Strymon DIG pedal. Although that costs a lot more than the LR Baggs unit. I don't need something that sounds too weird or over the top. I was thinking of adding some discriminate delay to make my fingerstyle playing sound bigger. I have never used delay before. My current setup is a LR Baggs Lyric mic into a HOF reverb into a Tech 21 Q-strip into a QSC CP-8. This provides a very clean and useful sound. I saw one positive review on the forum from two years ago on the Align Series Delay. Is there anyone else here who has used/is using the LR Baggs Align delay pedal and what do you think about it? Is there some other delay pedal or multieffects device you would recommend for acoustic guitar? I can't stand chorus/phaser/flanger/modulation effects on acoustic guitar. I'm mostly a fingerstyle player, I don't strum much anymore. I would appreciate your recommendations.

One thing I've discovered about using delay for the purpose you describe with acoustic guitar is that an analog delay, because of its darker repeats, tends to work best as a subtle way to add body and a sense of space. Keep the mix fairly low and mess around with the timing and the number of repeats until you get the feel you want. Digitial delay will be brighter and will give you audibly discrete repeats, which can get in the way of your rhythm unless you use a tap tempo an make the repeats part of the music. The darker repeats of analog delay will stay in the background out of the way, thickening the sound without intruding.

Two pedals I've used successfully this are the analog setting on the TC Electronics Flashback and a simple MXR Carbon Copy. The analog engines on my Source Audio Nemesis also sound really great, but it's probably overkill for your purposes (I use it for ambient effects on electric guitar). The Carbon Copy does have a special vibe to its sound that I haven't heard other pedals quite capture (and I tried a bunch of them before settling on the CC), but it might not matter all that much for what you are trying to do.

Louis

[Ken Carr]

This afternoon when I get off work I am going to Bluesangel Music to try out some of the delay pedals they have in stock. The first ones I will try are the Strymon DIG and the Carbon Copy. I don't think they have the LRBaggs Align Series Delay. Does anyone else reading this have experience with this one?

[Ken Carr]

Yesterday I went to Bluesangel Music, my local shop. I took my own guitar and amplification gear. They gladly let me try out whatever pedals I wanted. I tried out the Carbon Copy Deluxe, EH Canyon, and the Strymon DIG. The clear winner hands down is the DIG. I ended up purchasing it. All I can say is it sounds amazing. I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. It will do much more than I have got into. It will take me some time to learn the seconds functions, which I haven't even started with yet. This pedal easily gives me the sound I was looking for and so much more.

[windfall]

Glad you found what you wanted. I have never been disappointed by strymon and I have had quite a few of their pedals over the years. The El capistan is probably the more popular choice but it’s tape delay, analogue emulating and generally works to create darker tones. I can imagine the DIG would work better w acoustic guitars.