Best Delay Pedal to Buy in 2023
Analog or digital?
The first question to ask yourself is whether you want an analog or a digital delay. The practical answer is always digital. Digital delay is an identical digital copy of your playing repeated back through after a short delay. This is used by players like David Gilmour, The Edge and Tom Morello. Analog delay pedals use a bucket brigade chip. Your signal is sent through the chip, delaying its playback and degrading it to be more warm and dark.
Analog delays sound incredible. Just ask John Mayer and Dave Grohl. Most digital delays, however, will have a very authentic sounding ‘bucket brigade’ mode in addition to tape delay and many other variations. If you really are against converting your signal to a high-quality digital representation, we did include some analog delays on this list!
#1 TC Electronic Flashback 2
The Flashback 2 just does it all. It does it well and it comes in at a very reasonable price point. The Flashback offers many different delay sounds, including Analog and Tape, and even has a looper feature. If you are just getting started with delay effects or want a no-frills delay pedal that does it all, the Flashback is the way to go. If you like infinite possibilities with your delay, the Flashback offers a completely optional mobile app and computer software for additional editing. Check out the full review here.
£120 at amazon.co.uk
#2 JHS 3 Series Delay
Often discounted to as little as £85, you simply cannot beat the sound and build quality of the JHS 3 Series Delay for anywhere near this price point. You can switch between the crystal-clear digital setting and a warm analog mode. If a simple versatile delay pedal is what you are after, look no further than the JHS 3 Series.
#3 Boss DD-500
The DD-500 is one of the most powerful and versatile digital delay pedals. With a 32bit/96kHz audio processing unit, no other delay can match its sound fidelity. It’s quite expensive, but for £350 you get studio quality delay sounds with more control over each parameter than you will ever need. MIDI controls, stereo signal path, it’s all there! Its analog mode is also truly indistinguishable from the Boss DM-2W. Check out the full review here.
#4 Strymon Timeline
The Timeline by Strymon was a serious contender for the #3 spot on this list. The higher price, lower audio fidelity (24bit/96kHz), and bigger size make it slightly less appealing than the Boss DD-500. Still the Timeline is a studio-quality tool offering every delay sound you could want, including MIDI controls, stereo signal path, and many other pro features. While it does not have the extensive deep edit functionality of the DD-500, it is significantly more straightforward to use than the Boss unit.
#5 Boss DM-2W
The DM-2W by Boss is the first analog pedal to make it onto this list. The Standard mode offers a very vintage experience with a rather short maximum delay time and fast signal degradation. The Custom mode offers up to 800ms of delay time with much clearer repeats (still nowhere near digital clarity). The DM-2W is really easy to set up and it sounds great in every setting. Operating the delay time with the knob or an expression pedal produces really cool, almost Whammy-like, pitch shifting effects. Check out the full review here.
#6 MXR Carbon Copy Mini
MXR are one of the few companies that make their mini pedals with the same high build quality as their standard counterparts. Up to 600ms of bucket brigade delay. Option to modulate the delay signal. It even comes with a ‘bright’ switch, making it sound like the Carbon Copy Bright pedal. If you are looking for a delay to add to your tiny pedalboard – this is it.
#7 Walrus Audio Arp-87
Walrus Audio make beautiful effects pedals with a step up in build quality from the likes of Boss. The ARP-87 is the only smaller delay pedal on this list with a dedicated tap tempo. It has four delay modes, a tone control and conveniently top-mounted jack sockets. It is expensive, but definitely makes up for it in extra features and convenience.
#8 Boss DD-8
The DD8 is an incredible digital delay from Boss. Featuring a wide range of different delay modes, tap tempo and a looper feature. We feel that the £20 extra you have to pay for this, compared to the DD-3T, is worth it for the analog delay modes. While it is slightly more expensive than the Flashback by TC Electronic, the DD-8 supports an expression pedal to control the delay time.
#9 Behringer VD400
The VD400 by Behringer is a true analog bucket brigade delay pedal that costs £25. It is really hard to wrap your head around that price point. There isn’t even anything bad we can say about it, sound-wise. It has a bare-bones feature set (time, feedback and mix controls) and it sounds great. Expect every conceivable expense to have been spared though, including using a plastic enclosure. That said, I have never had a Behringer pedal break.
#10 EHX Memory Man Deluxe
The very first Bucket Brigade delay pedal, the Memory Man, was released in 1976 and is still in production to this day. With 550ms of delay time, it is a simple analog delay with a few additional features. You can add a chorus/vibrato effect to your delay sound. You can also separate the wet and dry outputs if you want to apply different effects to each. Also available in a smaller nano enclosure if needed.
Bottom Line
Unless you’re sure you only want warm and short delay sounds, we suggest you pick a digital delay. For the most part you will get a more versatile pedal that is easier to use. That said, there are some cool analog delay pedals out there with interesting features. At the end of the day, any delay pedal you pick up at any price point will open a whole world of new musical possibilities for you.