EHX Deluxe MB, Line 6 Echo Park or Dr. Scientist Sunny Day?

MysterMunky · #1 01-08-2011, 02:43 PM

Hello TB!

I'm currently looking into getting another delay to throw in my chain. I have a DD-7, which I use for super long digital delays, and I want to add a little analog or some tape delay to my palette. I really like making noise with my pedals, so the crazier the better! I loop a lot and I am interested in off the wall sounds.

The EHX (analog only) sounds pretty good and has some pretty cool features.

I know the Line6 is probably modeled, but thats unimportant.

And from the sound clips and videos, the Sunny Day (analog) is just dreamy, but I don't know how well it translates to bass.

Right now, i'm feeling the pedals in this order
1. Sunny Day
2. EchoPark
3. DMB

Any and all advice welcome.

Thanks

MaxMaps · #2 01-08-2011, 07:07 PM

I have both the Sunny Day Delay and the Deluxe Memory Boy.

If you want crazy delay, like very crazy crazy with a ring mod type of sound the the DMB is your pedal. I liked it but it was not my type of delay sound. There are a lot of neat tricks you can do on DMB. The sawtooth wave with the sequence engaged was a lot of fun. I did however notice a volume drop in mine and had to crank the gain to get to sound where I wanted it.

The Sunny Day Delay ..... is so dreamy. It may be my romance period with it but it sounds amazing on bass, no loss of tone or bottom end and you can get just lush delay sounds out of it. The Sunny Day Delay can also go into the weird range but not nearly to the extent the DMB does.

I vote for the SDD but only because it nails delay for my sound quest.

Chrisk-K · #3 01-08-2011, 10:33 PM

Why not try a Carbon Copy? I love mine. Having said that, I love all the delays in my Line 6 M13. You can't go wrong with a Line 6 delay.

MysterMunky · #4 01-10-2011, 11:43 AM

From the videos, the carbon copy just doesnt grab me. I've thought about it, maybe I'll try one out in person. Hopefully, I can try it next to a DMB to see what does it for me. From what I've seen and heard about the Line 6 stuff, I have really liked. I bought a Spider 3 to mess around with at work (it lives under my desk away from prying eyes!!) and I really like the quality of sound I get from all the effects. Not the best, but better than what I expected from a tiny gee-tar combo amp.

@Maxmaps How significant is the volume drop? Does raising the gain to compensate mess with the sound or the effect negatively? Do you have any SDD bass clips?

Jared Lash · #5 01-10-2011, 11:46 AM

I think the Echo Park is a fantastic pedal for the money, but it doesn't really cop a great analog sound and it's best features are things you probably already get from the DD-7.

I'm on record as not liking the tone of the new EHX analog delays, but if they are something you dig, the DMB looks like a lot of fun.

My vote would be for the Dr. Scientist among the three you've listed.

But another option to consider is the Malekko 616 which I really dug when I had it.

RCCollins · #6 01-10-2011, 11:47 AM

the analog (DM-2) sim mode on your DD-7 is pretty darn good, so I'd lean towards a feature-rich pedal like the DMB as a second delay rather than just getting an analog delay for the sake of having an analog delay

MysterMunky · #7 01-10-2011, 12:01 PM

The thing is, I use the DD-7 a lot for its digital delay. For some of the stuff I play, I need super long and clear delays. So the DD-7 stays in digital for the time being. I'm after the rich, darker, not so perfect delay sound.

Jared: How would you describe the DMB? What about it turned you off?

RC: Have you used the DMB? Are there some other delays that you can recommend?

Jared Lash · #8 01-10-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysterMunky

Jared: How would you describe the DMB? What about it turned you off?

It's hard to put sound into words but the basic character/tone of the delays was not my thing. Even for an analog delay I found it too dark and indistinct.

Bear in mind that that was for the Memory Toy and Boy and not the Deluxe which I haven't tried. But I assume the basic delay tone is the same.

sunbeast · #9 01-10-2011, 09:19 PM

If you want crazy sounds, the Deluxe Memory Boy is the obvious choice in my opinion. I finally got a CV expression control to use with mine, and the possibilities are pretty endless. You can assign one expression control to any of the parameters- I have been using it to control feedback, so I can teeter on the edge of oscillation (or reign in the oscillations at will). You can also do all sorts of crazy things with the feedback effects loop- if you put a volume pedal in there you can use it to control the amount of feedback, then you can use the expression input for another parameter. An EQ or reverb could probably also get some interesting tones when used in the feedback loop.

People that don't like crazy tones will complain that the modulation depth control is overly sensitive, but this is perfect for really seasick warbly tones (and I haven't actually had trouble myself with dialing the depth low enough for more "normal" chorus-like tones). I leave the depth on mine in a fairly subtle sawtooth wave most of the time...

I will agree that it is not as lush/complex or clean an analog delay as the old EHX Deluxe Memory Man or the Malekko (which is my fave sounding affordable analog delay that I've tried), but it can do a whole lot of cool tones that no other analog delay in the price range can touch (that I am aware of!). One thing I've noticed that I don't like about the tone of DMB as compared to these is that there seems to be a fairly strong gate effect to help cut out noise, but which seems to muddy the repeats a bit more than I'd like ideally. And you can get pretty long delays with the DMB tap tempo, but the high noise in the longer delays makes them mostly unuseable even from a lo-fi lover (for my purposes anyway- I love distorted repeats but hate loud hissing!).

Electro-Harmonix pedals seem to always fall short of perfect for me in one way or another, but they DO often include odd extras and quirks that can inspire me to try things I never would have thought about otherwise. For crazy noise enthusiasts they are key!

Explorer · #10 01-10-2011, 11:53 PM

I really liked the EHX Deluxe Memory Man, although it has noise issues.

At some point I tried the Echo Park, and haven't been tempted by another delay since. It has a great sounding tape mode with an amazing warble, and is amazingly useful. For the price, I don't think it can be beat.

warwick.hoy · #11 01-11-2011, 12:14 AM

Out of the 3 I'd be interested in the Dr. Sci Sunny Day,...mainly because I'd rather give Ryan my money. EHX and Line 6 get enough from the "Guitar Band" franchises.

sunbeast · #12 01-11-2011, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Explorer

I really liked the EHX Deluxe Memory Man, although it has noise issues.

Do you mean the Deluxe Memory BOY? They are two very different pedals/designs!

MysterMunky · #13 01-11-2011, 11:23 AM

I hope they were talking about the Boy, the Man is similar to my DD-7...

I called GC and they have the smaller Memory Boy, an Echo Park and the Carbon Copy. I'll probably go try them out, even though I'm still dreaming of Dr. Scientist. I would rather give my money to a small business than go to GC and give my money to giant companies like EHX and Line 6. But at the end of the day, I'm looking for a sick analogish delay

MysterMunky · #14 01-20-2011, 11:25 AM

Yesterday, I went to GC and tried the Memory Boy, EchoPark, Carbon Copy and the Aqua Puss.

Looks like the Memory Boy can make some pretty crazy sounds!! The repeats coming out pitch shifted and just whacky (pretty cool!!). They didn't have a DMB there to try. How do the MB and the DMB compare? Should I wait for the DMM that was just announced at NAMM?

The carbon copy sounded just kinda blah to me. Nothing to special.

The Echo Park had great sounds and lots of tweakability but the footswitch didn't feel good. It felt really weird to me compared to the true bypass switches and the BOSS style. I wasn't really prepared for that and it ended up being a huge turn off.

I decided to try an Aqua Puss. It wasn't even on my radar but since it was there, I went for it. For me, it was the best sounding delay of what I tried there. I liked the echo quality and the darkness in the sound. I've been thinking about that Aqua Puss since I left GC.

Does anyone have experience with the Aqua Puss and the Dr. Scientist? Would having both be redundant? My awesome girlfriend said she should get me the Aqua Puss for my birthday (and then I can still get the SDD!!)

strke-fender · #15 01-20-2011, 11:29 AM

I just sold my DMB in anticipation of the UDMM announced at NAMM. I loved the features of the DMB but lacked in sound quality. I'm probably going to get a digital delay to pair with the analog.

MysterMunky · #16 02-11-2011, 03:32 PM

Well, its has come to an end...

I received my Dr. Scientist SDD last night and it is exactly what I was looking for. Super warm analog sound with the aid of infinite repeats (digitally). You can get a nice happy "AAAAAHHHHHHhh" feeling from sound but crank up the modulation rate and depth and it gets dark and warbley. Very very very good quality of sound. It is everything I thought it would be!

In terms of delay pedals, my G.A.S. has been relieved..... probably for good!