Guitar Pedals--Delay / Looper Question
July 17, 2023 6:17 AM Subscribe
I've been building out my guitar pedalboard and the last two basic pedals I'm looking for are a delay and a looper. Or a delay-looper combo. I'm having a hard time choosing between getting dedicated delay and looper or a delay that does looping. What do you recommend?
To say it upfront, I don't have the time or patience to spend the next three months auditioning pedals, so all of my "testing" has been or will be Youtube videos!
I've had a bit of a bee in my bonnet since seeing that the Mark II version of Line 6's DL4 digital delay (which includes a looper) is on an instant rebate until the end of the month. All the reviews suggest it is a worthy successor to the original, and I like the idea of being done with this pedal project.
However, with 30 delays, 15 reverbs, and a bunch of knobs, I worry that it would be overwhelming (which is the main reason I'm getting away from my Stomp XL multi effects modeler--it's just too much). And not only is it overwhelming, I don't need that many options. I'm certain I will find one or two sounds I like and never do anything else with it. I got to play with the Strymon Timeline, and get very tired of trying to dial it in to do what I wanted (despite the pedal being revered).
Alternatively, I could just a get standalone delay and a separate standalone looper--but TBH, I'm less certain what I'd get for either. I'd be happy for recommendations.
For they delay, I am NOT looking for lush shoe gazey sounds. Just a basic (but at least somewhat tweakable) echo sound.
On the looper, I am looking for basic functionality without too much complexity--either for practice or composing at home, or very basic stuff when jamming. I'm not busking or doing really complex overdubs. I've never tried a unit that either comes with a backing track (like the Trio+) or can be loaded with a backing track (like the Ditto). And of course, there are always the 500 different Boss pedals.
Other guitar people, what do you recommend? I'm not looking to go cheap--I to build out my board with stuff that I'll use and get deeper into over time.
To say it upfront, I don't have the time or patience to spend the next three months auditioning pedals, so all of my "testing" has been or will be Youtube videos!
I've had a bit of a bee in my bonnet since seeing that the Mark II version of Line 6's DL4 digital delay (which includes a looper) is on an instant rebate until the end of the month. All the reviews suggest it is a worthy successor to the original, and I like the idea of being done with this pedal project.
However, with 30 delays, 15 reverbs, and a bunch of knobs, I worry that it would be overwhelming (which is the main reason I'm getting away from my Stomp XL multi effects modeler--it's just too much). And not only is it overwhelming, I don't need that many options. I'm certain I will find one or two sounds I like and never do anything else with it. I got to play with the Strymon Timeline, and get very tired of trying to dial it in to do what I wanted (despite the pedal being revered).
Alternatively, I could just a get standalone delay and a separate standalone looper--but TBH, I'm less certain what I'd get for either. I'd be happy for recommendations.
For they delay, I am NOT looking for lush shoe gazey sounds. Just a basic (but at least somewhat tweakable) echo sound.
On the looper, I am looking for basic functionality without too much complexity--either for practice or composing at home, or very basic stuff when jamming. I'm not busking or doing really complex overdubs. I've never tried a unit that either comes with a backing track (like the Trio+) or can be loaded with a backing track (like the Ditto). And of course, there are always the 500 different Boss pedals.
Other guitar people, what do you recommend? I'm not looking to go cheap--I to build out my board with stuff that I'll use and get deeper into over time.
Is size a concern? Both the DL4 and the Flashback X4 take up the same space as three smaller pedals. You might also want to consider your specific use cases- Can you use the looper and delay functions at the same time? Can you do this with a minor amount of tapdancing? Do you even want to do this?
Unless there's a specific reason you want a delay/looper combo, I'd probably spring for smaller, individual units. The DL4 is amazingly fun, and I understand the gravitational pull of a deal on new gear, but you can always come back to it at a later date. Then again, I'm a bassist, so maybe I buried the lede here. :)
posted by tireme at 6:52 AM on July 17, 2023
Unless there's a specific reason you want a delay/looper combo, I'd probably spring for smaller, individual units. The DL4 is amazingly fun, and I understand the gravitational pull of a deal on new gear, but you can always come back to it at a later date. Then again, I'm a bassist, so maybe I buried the lede here. :)
posted by tireme at 6:52 AM on July 17, 2023
I think having individual units is easier and more flexible, but the TC Electronic Flashback delay does have both functions (but not at the same time). But it also has a lot of different delay models (albeit in a simple user interface). If you're really just looking for a simple delay, there are so many pedals to choose from that do just delays without too many options that pairing one of those with either the basic Boss looper or the basic TC Ditto would be my recommendation.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:23 AM on July 17, 2023
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:23 AM on July 17, 2023
Individual units is best, I think.
For looper:
-Easy: TC Ditto. Just the basic one
-Med/room to grow: Go for the EHX 22500. It gives you so much more range and I feel is more intuitive than you might expect
Delay pedal:
-Check out the Line 6 Echo Park. This is an awesome pedal. It will only be used because it is discontinued, but they are beasts and generally well functioning. It has options for days in an easy-to-use format and will help you learn what kind of delay you want or really like
posted by glaucon at 10:40 AM on July 17, 2023
For looper:
-Easy: TC Ditto. Just the basic one
-Med/room to grow: Go for the EHX 22500. It gives you so much more range and I feel is more intuitive than you might expect
Delay pedal:
-Check out the Line 6 Echo Park. This is an awesome pedal. It will only be used because it is discontinued, but they are beasts and generally well functioning. It has options for days in an easy-to-use format and will help you learn what kind of delay you want or really like
posted by glaucon at 10:40 AM on July 17, 2023
two dedicated units.
the boss rc500 is the best, most capable guitar looper onthe market. but the hardcopy manual is about 300 pages and the online supplement is about 150 pages. it. is. a . fucking. project. do not recommend for new loopers.
get one of the basics noted above.
posted by j_curiouser at 1:08 PM on July 17, 2023
the boss rc500 is the best, most capable guitar looper onthe market. but the hardcopy manual is about 300 pages and the online supplement is about 150 pages. it. is. a . fucking. project. do not recommend for new loopers.
get one of the basics noted above.
posted by j_curiouser at 1:08 PM on July 17, 2023
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I went for something I perceived as basic and relatively cheap - the Donner Triple Looper - but I don't know if £60 to you is cheap.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Donner-Triple-Looper-Looping-Progress/dp/B07XDQ2T9N
It has fairly intuitive features - stop, start, overdub, clear, undo - and three memory banks to skip between via a switch. And you can adjust the output volume. I pretty much use it for recording a chord sequence as a backing track to improv against but I'm sure you can use it more creatively.
posted by Brian Lux at 6:40 AM on July 17, 2023 [1 favorite]