Search for the quietest (low noise) delay

[jonshack]

Not all Boss DD8’s are the same! I found this out last week so I thought I’d share my experience here.

I tend to play with a lot of gain on the amp and my volume pedal backed off for maximum potential sustain. The drawback being any hiss given off by pedals can be too audible depending on the type of show and if I’m going through a PA.

I’ve tried several analog delay pedals (Way Huge Aquapuss, MXR Carbon Copy, BBE Two Timer) all of which produced an unpleasant artefact somewhere between a ‘boing’ and a ‘grunt’ when playing staccato notes. Not very loud but annoying.

Digital delays seem to be free of those ‘extra sounds’ but are often surprisingly hissy (battery or isolated power supply making no difference). I have a Dispatch Master and a TC Electronic Flashback II which are both great delays but not by any means quiet. I even bought a second Flashback to see if the first was faulty, the hiss was so loud, but no. The same, so I sent it back.

Last week I went to a local music shop hoping to try a bunch of delay pedals and it turned out they only had a few affordable ones. So I A/B’d a Boss DD8 with my Flashback through a Fender turned up nice and loud and lo-and-behold the pedal was totally quiet. Result! I brought home a box fresh one and guess what? Noise. Not nearly as much as the Flashback but not as dead quiet as the model I had demoed. So I went back the next day and tried my new pedal with the one they had on the shop floor and the difference was significant. The one I had originally tried made no audible difference when engaged. They were happy to swap it and I’m a now happy bunny (apart from my lingering disappointment with the Flashback II).

So if noise floor is an issue for you, make sure you try more than one version of the same pedal, they are not necessarily all identical.

If anyone has another digital delay that doesn’t hiss when switched on I’d be very interested to know.

Jonathan

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

I have a Zoom pedal that I will never use make offer if interested....