half stack, I was able to dial in classic, dynamic Memory Man tones with ease. While this
was very pleasing, I found with a little more
tweaking that what the Memory Boy really
succeeds at is creating strange, echo-laden
textures. Both the chorus and vibrato sections
are capable of producing some <I>extremely
wild<I> sounds. Coupled with a large backdrop of delay, the chorus section set to
square wave yielded one of the creepiest
sounding tones that I’ve ever coaxed out of
a guitar—perfect for space-age tonal backdrops and atmospheric compositions. With all
of its features, along with true-bypass circuitry
and a much sturdier enclosure than the original, the Memory Boy is a no-brainer purchase
for the player looking for analog tone with
personality on a budget. – JW
Buy if … you want classic analog tones with a
versatile effects section on a budget.
Skip if … you need delay times longer
than 550ms.
Street $98
Electro-Harmonix
ehx.com
EMPRESS SUPER DELAY
The Empress Super Delay is a 24-bit digital
delay/looper designed to deliver excellent
clarity without sacrificing tone. Housed in a
die-cast aluminum chassis, the boutique style
pedal is compact for such a feature-laden
devise. The Super Delay provides the user
with Mix, D-Time/Ratio, Feedback, 8-Mode
Rotary Switcher, and four 3-way toggle switch-
es that include Mix/Feedback, High Pass and
Low Pass filters Slow, Fast Modulation, and
Mode Specific. There are eight modes includ-
ing Normal, Tap, Auto, Rev, Rhythm, Tape,
Misc and a Looper. Each one of these modes
can also be changed with the Modes Specific
3-way toggle switch to open up even more
possibilities. Three footswitches are provided—Tap, Preset and Bypass—and there is also
a push button for saving to all eight presets
provided. Each preset can also be searched
without changing the current setting. It is
worth mentioning, however, that a preset is
not automatically loaded when powering up
the pedal, rather it operates with the current
settings on the controls.
The Loop feature of the pedal provides 6. 8
seconds of recording in 24-bit mode, while
the 16-bit mode provides 13. 6 seconds of
recording time. There is a slightly noticeable
drop in quality, but not much. And loops cannot be saved to the presets … when you turn
it off, the loop is gone. But overdubbing and
reverse looping is available with the looper.
Nonetheless, the Super Delay is a highly versatile unit with loads of features that will have
you reading the manual to learn all of its possibilities. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t sound
good right out of the box, especially if the
user has previous experience with other delay
modelers. That said, the Super Delay gives
the Eventide Timefactor and Line 6 DL- 4 a
run for their money. And analog purists need
not be afraid, because this pedal is transparent and will not color your tone. – BB
Buy if … you want an all-in-one, extremely
versatile delay.
Skip if … something simpler is in order.
Street $449
Empress Effects
empresseffects.com
MODTONE MT-AD VINTAGE ANALOG DELAY
Good tone should be available to anyone,
including those with a small budget. Mod Tone
does its share by making boutique-style, true
bypass pedals that are affordable for just about
all players. The pedals come in an MXR-style,
corrosion-free metal chassis, with unique paint
jobs to boot. The MT-AD Vintage Analog Delay
provides features that are simple to use and can
be tweaked on the fly. In a nutshell, the Time
knob adjusts length of the wave, Mix adjusts
the saturation of effect to the signal, and the
Length adjusts the amount the signal repeats.
Unlike the feedback feature that comes with
other delay units, the Repeat knob will repeat
forever when turned all the way clockwise,
which in most cases causes the volume to rise
and create an uncontrollable feedback loop.
The Vintage Analog Delay reminds me most
of a tape delay, especially with its dark vintage
delays and echoes. This, however, left it a little
lackluster when using it in a clean setup. But to
be fair, my Sound City is from the 1970s and is
not as bright as modern amps.
Starting with the Time knob turned all the way to
the left, the Repeat at 10 o’clock, and the Mix at
2 o’clock, the pedal offered up a solid slapback
delay. My favorite setting was Time at 11 o’clock,
Mix at 1 o’clock, and the Repeat at 2 o’clock,
which created the perfect short tape delay.
Coupled with a Keeley-modded DS- 1, I achieved
some soaring echo leads and melodies, and it
handled distortion in front of it superbly.
The Mod Tone Vintage Analog Delay is a well-built
little box that offers a few key delay and echo
effects that replicate vintage sounds quite well. If
you’re looking for the tones of old but don’t want
to break the bank, look no further. – BB
Buy if … you want a simple-to-use analog delay.
Skip if … you want more versatility from your
delay pedal.
Street $99
Mod Tone Effects
modtone-effects.com
5.0Rating...
4.0Rating...
The Stomping Grounds
4.5Rating...
PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 133 www.premierguitar.com
