I bet you have put the phrase “best delay pedals” onto the search engine many times only to find out glamourous advertisements about high-end models. I did that, too!
After a while playing the guitar and gathering information about delay pedals, I found out the Musical Study website and received tons of useful advice from its owner, Kevin Deal. Then, I decided to write this detailed guideline for both seasoned guitar geeks and newbies to share my experience.
Remember that everyone has their own needs. Therefore, there is no best delay pedal, only the most suitable one.
How To Choose The Best Delay Pedal For Yourself
Simplicity
There is a wide array of delay pedals produced for different groups of customers. While newbies tend to select plain versions with no bells and whistles, a famed guitarist needs more advanced features for excellent performance on the stage.
Of course, a multitasking pedal is more expensive than a simple item. Ask yourself which one should you opt for first.
Budget
Typically, quality goes hand in hand with the price. Therefore, you need to consider your budget for buying delay pedals. Then, pick up some affordable products and start investigating each of them.
Precision
What kind of precision do you want?
You need to set the specific delay time to an exact BPM when the pedal does not let you control other parameters. Unfortunately, this method delivers just enough precision to go by, not the maximum.
Also, you could edit the preset as precisely as possible if you can manage other parameters.
Tap Tempo
You may wonder, what is a tap tempo?
Different pedals employ a particular tap tempo, which is either a button or footswitch that you can tap on to set your preferred delay time. A footswitch is ideal for performing on the stage as you can adjust the settings with your feet.
On the other hand, using the button is better if you play the guitar while sitting down.
Presets
Some delay pedals allow users to save presets, while others do not. This feature may come in handy if you often use various settings in a song.
Looper
A built-in looper allows you to practice and perform live on the stage more comfortably. There is a variety of delay pedals with integrated loopers, and you only have to choose a suitable one.
Analog Versus Digital
There are two main types of pedals, including analog and digital. Both types refer to the method the effects pedals apply to alter the signal.
The digital pedals will change the analog signal into digital to modify specific characteristics. Then they will transform the sound back into analog form for the amp to understand. The use of digital pedals is common in many songs, especially rock-n-roll.
According to Kevin Deal, you will have more room to modulate the sounds with a digital pedal. Plus, more parameters and features as well. However, the signal tends to sound artificial.
Analog pedals alter the original signal by using electrical components. Although it provides limited effects, it keeps the sound natural with the core characteristics.
Parting Thoughts
Now you have reached the end of this article, do you know how to choose the right delay pedal? Your decision will have a profound influence over your performance, so make a wise one. Want to know my secret? Refer to this delay pedal infographic from Musical Study for a colorful summary of what I mentioned above.
If you find this article useful, do not hesitate to like and share. Thank you for reading!
