Delay pedals can add depth and texture to guitar lines, fill out dead space in between songs, or act as percussive instruments. From subtle tape-like flutter of Roland RE-2 Space Echo models to digital delay options with bass compatibility; there are plenty of bass-friendly delay options out there to choose from.
Controls on a delay pedal include effect level, feedback, time, mode and tap tempo – so let’s break these down to help you select the appropriate delay pedal for your bass guitar.
Analog Delay
An echo pedal has the power to transform the bass guitar sound. You can use it to add space and thickness, rhythms, modulations effects, as well as create rhythmic patterns or modulations effects.
There are two primary types of delay pedals: analog and digital. Both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages; it’s important to determine which best meets your style and needs. An analog delay will gradually degrade your signal over time compared to digital delays, creating more subtle variations in sound than you’ll find with digital delays; beginners or those not needing a wide array of sounds often prefer analog delays over their digital counterparts.
Digital delays utilize a computer chip to convert your signal into ones and zeroes, providing access to an almost limitless variety of sounds. They are ideal for experienced guitarists who desire greater control over their delay effects.
When purchasing an analog or digital delay pedal for your bass guitar, take note of its controls. In particular, take notice of its delay time setting – this controls how long your delayed sound will linger after being processed – do you prefer shorter digital delays such as 40-60ms for slapback echo (such as Boss DD-2’s Welcome to the Jungle delay), or something longer like over 2500ms such as with Boss’ DD-2 Welcome to the Jungle delay (over 2500ms)?
At first, it may be helpful to limit feedback; too much will cause your delayed sound to warble and distort, creating warbly and distorted effects. Additionally, you could add modulation effects like an LFO to give it chorus-like sounds; to do this set the delay level below unity volume and use all available time, while customising repeats for optimal effects depth control.
Some delay pedals, like the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man and TC Electronic Flashback, feature an option called ‘trails’, which enables echo echoes to continue decaying after your foot has left the pedal – this gives your sound a more natural-sounding decay and may be desirable in live performances. Other pedals also include tap tempo functions for synching delay time with your music’s tempo.
Digital Delay
Delay pedals can be used for an array of effects and come in two varieties – analog delay pedals (which utilize all-analog circuitry), and digital delay pedals (which use computer chips to emulate analog effects), with analog offering shorter maximum delay times than digital.
A delay pedal can add much-needed space and depth to your bass sound. By creating multiple echos that can be changed through various settings such as plate, spring, or hall echo settings – a good delay pedal can give your bass an expansive sound. Furthermore, when combined with distortion pedals or reverbers for added thickness.
Consider these factors when purchasing a delay pedal:
Analog or digital?
Feedback, delay time (in milliseconds).
EQ, HPF & Tone Control: Digital delay pedals typically feature these controls, which range from simple high-pass filters that manage the top end of your sound to full EQ setups that offer fine-grained control of all frequencies affected by delay effects.
Modulation: Many analogue and digital multi-delay pedals such as MXR Carbon Copy, TC Electronic Flashback and Strymon Timeline multi-delay pedals feature modulation functionality built right in – this can add a chorus effect to your sound; analog delays work particularly well when combined with modulation features.
Mix, Level: Because delay pedals can be loud, it is best not to use one for an entire song as this could easily overpower your punchy bass tone. When using multiple pedals at once, try placing it at the end of your pedalboard so it doesn’t interfere with other pedals in use.
An ideal delay pedal should be easy to use with controls that are intuitive and accessible, durable materials that withstand years of wear, stereo output capabilities as well as MIDI control for advanced users, and be constructed to last years of use.
Multi-Tap Delay
Multi-tap delays allow you to combine multiple delays into one pedal. They allow for creating various sounds for your guitar – from slapback and cascading loops, all the way through slapback reverbs. Most multi-tap delays give you control over tap count, repeat space between repetitions, echo trail length, noise gate, compressor or EQ controls and noise suppression options.
Simply stated, a delay works by duplicating and then repeating your signal at intervals measured in milliseconds. This creates an overlapping sound that can range from instant repeats to multiple echos that gradually fade out over time.
Delay can thicken basslines by filling in any “hot spaces” between notes. Take for instance Brian May’s guitar riffs from Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust”, Tom Morello’s vocal delays on Rage Against the Machine songs or Audioslave songs by Tom Morello or even U2’s “Where The Streets Have No Name”. These techniques all use delay effects effectively.
Analog delay pedals employ magnetic tape within their bodies to produce repeats, while digital models use bucket brigade circuitry for similar effects. Both may produce different sound qualities; however, digital effects tend to be cheaper and easier to maintain than their analog counterparts.
There are various delay types available, but you should first choose which kind suits your personal style. If you want an extensive variety of delays, a digital pedal such as Boss DD-500 or EHX Memory Man family may be your ideal solution; these pedals typically offer plenty of features including multiple modes, multiple settings for delay effects, and MIDI connectivity.
Setting up your delay pedal correctly in your signal chain is of utmost importance. Placing it before, say, your distortion pedal could alter its tone significantly. A general guideline would be to put your delay pedal at the end so that it takes in and repeats whatever sound comes through as opposed to altering previous pedals’ outputs.
Tap Tempo
A delay pedal can be an invaluable asset for bass players looking to add depth to their sound. From creating ambient effects or even rhythmic effects like the iconic 8ths by U2’s The Edge on Where the Streets Have No Name (to choosing one with tap tempo capability to match with drummer or metronome, these tools can add depth.
Tap Tempo is an effective and simple way of setting delay times to match the tempo of music by tapping a footswitch. This method provides more precise timing control than manually turning knobs while playing, plus can sync your delays with other effects like reverb or chorus.
Some pedals come equipped with built-in tap tempo functionality while others may be modified to accept external tap pedals. One such pedal, the Line 6 DL-4 digital delay pedal has been around for almost 20 years and many consider it the “Hulk of delay pedals”. Even today it remains popular on many pedalboards despite competition emerging; offering multiple delay types, 14 second looper, onboard midi connections, as well as tap tempo/modulation functions that enhance its versatility even further. Many people also choose to modify this pedal by adding external tap tempo/mod modulation effects to its effect and gain even further customization of this versatile effect!
The JHS Panther Cub V2 pedal is an affordable solution that features tap tempo as well as modulation features built-in. Connect it to an external footswitch for even greater tempo precision, making this an excellent option for anyone seeking analog delay with tap tempo functionality in a compact form. Based on its predecessor, Panther legacy, this compact pedal produces stunning analog sounds – not to mention some great modulation features! The Panther Cub makes an excellent companion pedal when traveling or taking up limited pedal space!