Help needed choosing a delay pedal, etc.

curmudgeoness

Greetings, music people.

While I would like to be one of you, I am not. So I come to you, lacking tons of knowledge, seeking help/ advice. Be gentle, please.

My son is a classical music geek who also enjoys experimenting with electrified instruments. He has a pick-up for his viola, and a small amp. He would like to get a delay pedal and a -- looper? looping machine? You know what I mean even if I have the name wrong, yes?

Would someone be so kind as to recommend good-quality examples of these items? Responding here or sending me a PM would be much appreciated. Help a mom help a budding musician! Thank you.

BinFrog

Delay:
A simple delay pedal: http://www.zzounds.com/item--BOSDD3

Loopers:
It depends on how long you want to loop for. My looper can loop for a max of 23 seconds and is perfect for my needs (throwing some chords into a loop and practicing scales/soloing):

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifie ... oper-pedal

but some people want loopers that can loop for much longer periods of time (like for an entire song).

For that you'll want to get something like the JamMan:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifie ... o-and-sync

or Loop station:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifie ... op-station

curmudgeoness

Thank you! I'll have him take a look at these and see what fits his needs/wants.

InsideMan

My board consists of the Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy delay and the Ditto Looper by TC Electronics. My looper has a record time of 5 minutes, I believe. Only setback is that it takes a little getting used too in order to get the timing right.

gimmesometruth27

InsideMan wrote:

My board consists of the Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy delay and the Ditto Looper by TC Electronics. My looper has a record time of 5 minutes, I believe. Only setback is that it takes a little getting used too in order to get the timing right.

+1 on the mxr carbon copy delay. it is an essential part of my set up.

i don't have any experience with a looper though.

curmudgeoness

Thanks, we'll check those out, too.

DewieCox

I second the Ditto looper. Really nifty little pedal without all the bells and whistles that really turned me off of other loopers. If you go for this one, here's a tip.... Theres a seller on Amazon that has them for $107 compared to the $130 they are everywhere else.

I also have a Boss DD20 Gigadelay that's pretty cool. Has several settings for basically any delay sound you could want and even a 23 second looper. Thing will last virtually forever.

I also have an Analogman ARDX20 Dual Delay. It's my go to delay, when I'm not going for the real off the wall stuff that the DD20 is capable of. Far as sound quality, you're not gonna find a better delay.

mfc2006

DewieCox wrote:

I second the Ditto looper. Really nifty little pedal without all the bells and whistles that really turned me off of other loopers. If you go for this one, here's a tip.... Theres a seller on Amazon that has them for $107 compared to the $130 they are everywhere else.

I also have a Boss DD20 Gigadelay that's pretty cool. Has several settings for basically any delay sound you could want and even a 23 second looper. Thing will last virtually forever.

2 of the 4 pedals that I've ever owned. Love them both. I'm not much of an effects guy, but these are sweet.

curmudgeoness

Again, thanks a bunch for the suggestions. I plan to sit down with him in the next few days and have him look at the different options. I'm afraid I do not know enough to ask you all anything specific. :oops:

gimmesometruth27

curmudgeoness wrote:

Again, thanks a bunch for the suggestions. I plan to sit down with him in the next few days and have him look at the different options. I'm afraid I do not know enough to ask you all anything specific. :oops:

go to youtube and search for demo videos of each of those pedals. some posters put up comparison videos where they compare 2 or 3 different types of pedals. there was one i was going to buy based on it's reputation several months ago and i went to youtube and watched these demo videos and was not impressed with that pedal. that is something you both can try.

gjvanmcamp

The delay pedal you chose will depend on what you want to do. A boss DD-3 is a basic delay that works great and has some customization possibilities. I have a DD-7 which gives you a little more control, can do reverse delays, etc. I suggest just going to a music store and playing around with them to see what you prefer.

As for a looper, I have 2 currently: Boss RC3 and the TC Ditto. I use my RC3 for my electric pedal board and my TC ditto for my acoustic board. Unless you want the ability for drum tracks and other customizable settings, the TC ditto will be plenty. It can take up to 5 min of recording (I think someone else mentioned that), has a very basic tap system and delete system. Only drawback is you cannot save your loops like on the RC3. But if he is really getting into electronic playing, the TC Ditto is tiny and takes up very little room on the pedal board.

mccreadyisgod

Since you are completely out of your element, not being a musician yourself; and since your son is a newbie to the world of electronic music toys, I have a few suggestions. First, my general advice would be to avoid buying expensive, high-grade gear to begin with. Get solid, basic models that get your son's feet wet, and then as he figures out how to use these tools, he will be able to find the specific sounds and features he wants. With both delays and loopers (really, with all things musical instrument), there are too many nuances that musicians will get into, and there's no use in trying to figure out now what your son will eventually like. Better to let him experiment with the basics, and then delve into the world of FX with a little useful knowledge.

For a delay, I generally like the Boss DD models for beginners. The DD3, DD5, DD6, and DD7 are all fine delay pedals that can do the range of normal delay effects. The DD20, I feel, is too complex for a beginner, although it's one of those Cadillac models that your son may eventually get into. Ditto the MXR Carbon Copy, one of the best analog delay pedals to come out in years; it's just not beginner-friendly, IMO. For viola, my favorite delays are either the Carbon Copy, or the Electro Harmonix Memory Man (or it's variants). But again, too complex, expensive, and tempermental for a beginner. If you really want to go for the best, though, the Line 6 DL4 is pretty easy to use but also offers some deeper features once your son gets used to the world of delay.

For loopers, my advice is to look at the Digitech JamMan or JamMan Solo pedals, or also the Boss RC20, RC30, or RC3 pedals. The JamMan and RC20 are discontinued, but you can easily find them in great condition, used, for good prices. I feel like the 2-switch looper pedals are way easier to use for beginners, like the JamMan, RC20 and RC30. The JamMan Solo and RC3 are a bit cheaper and smaller.

Two other pieces of advice here:

1) Please look at buying these things used, either at a local shop that sells used gear, or online (Craigslist or eBay). Effect pedals are generally tough, especially the models we've been discussing, so there is little risk of getting something that is damaged or non-functioning. These are also quality models with great reputations, so their resale market is healthy; that means, if you buy a Boss DD5 for $100 used today, you can pretty easily sell it for $100 a couple years from now.

2) You can also look at multi-FX units, which would give your son some additional effects to play with; this is a double-edged sword, as he will get a lot more value for the money, but also expose him to many other effects that he may want to purchase separately down the line. Basically, a multi-FX has several different effects built into one unit, like getting the equivalent of 50 different effects in one box. The counter-argument is that multi-FX units are of lesser quality than buying each of the 50 effects, but it's certainly good enough for a beginner with a small amp to play around with at home. Line 6 makes the gold-standard models in multi-FX, the M5, M9, and M13 pedals. Alternately, they make the POD systems for guitar, which your son could also make use of. The M9 and M13 both include a looper, the M5 does not. The POD HD300, HD400, and HD500 also contain loopers. These loopers are pretty limited, just 24 to 48 seconds, so take that into account. I also like that the PODs can be used with headphones, so your son could listen to the effects; since his instrument is acoustic, that means you would still hear the viola, but at least it wouldn't be amplified.

xtremehardy388

Already PMed you but the digitech Digidelay is a great pedal and not as expensive as the BOSS pedals. You can find it used for $40.