All user reviews for the Ibanez DE7 Stereo Delay/Echo

Modes - Echo (vintage-analog sounding) or Delay (more digital and clean)

30 ms to 2.6 seconds of delay time

Time, repeat, level, and a Range Switch (short or longer delays)

Tone-Lok knobs - These are Ibanez proprietary "set and forget" pots that lock the settings by pushing the knob down into the pedal.

Sturdy metal housing

9v battery or adaptor input

UTILIZATION

This unit is very easy to use. All you have to do is plug in your guitar, twiddle the knobs, and enjoy! The Tone-Lok knobs are a life-saver on gigs, as they prevent the settings from accidentally being changed. I know that these are Ibanez pots, but I wish they were included on every single pedal ever made. The stomp switch is rugged, as is the housing, and I feel like I could throw this out of a moving vehicle and still use it during a gig that night.

SOUND QUALITY

This pedal sounds great! Not just great for the price, but great period! I use the Echo mode exclusively; it gets some great self-regeneration, and sounds like an old analog delay pedal. The Delay mode sounds good, just not as good as the Echo.

This is an excellent pedal for slap-back delays, and for weird/ambient soundscapes. For the "always on" tone, that guys like Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson use, this wouldn't be a bad pedal to throw into one's effects loop.

OVERALL OPINION

I love writing reviews, but I was a little averse to writing this one, as I'm scared the word will get out on this pedal. It's an absolutely fantastic little box that can be found for next to nothing. If I needed another delay in a pinch, I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat. This is a pedal that I like so much I would gladly own more than one of just to have different settings in the same setup!

In the same price class, one can find the Rocktron Short Timer. That pedal is also pretty decent, but doesn't do as much as the Ibanez DE-7 can do.

The Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo is an analog pedal delivering slow echo to trilly fast reverb all on the stomp of the box. There is a 1/4'' in and two 1/4'' out's, as per usual for these pedals. The knobs on this pedal are a little tricky. There are two black toggles, 'mode' and 'range', meaning echo or delay and range of tone (khz) that will be affected. This means there's all sorts of different reverb or echo combinations. In addition there are three knobs 'delay time' 'repeat' and 'level.' These are all pretty sensitive and control various amounts, speeds and lengths of reverb and echo.

UTILIZATION

Truthfully, it's hard to differentiate delay and echo in general, let alone a relatively low-end analog pedal. Echo is kind of close to reverb as it allows the original notes to sustain longer in sort of unison. A lot of old R&B and classic rock uses wash of echo and delay to make their voices/guitars sound bigger and more rock. Whereas delay actually repeats a note or series of notes. A perfect example is when Roger Waters sings "How could you go...when you know how i need you...need you..." etc. from The Wall. This is delay. So the pedal purports to do both things, but I find it best for delay. Also note that once the pedal is turned off the tone completely cuts, making it rather difficult to exit the effect; other pedals have a '3 second fade' making the delay sound more natural. The best remedy is to strike a note just as you turn the effect off.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is the shining point as the delay and the echo are both rich in tone as many Ibanez pedals are. It is also durable with push button locking positions (they knew how sensitive the knobs were). Guitar, keyboards, even vocals and bass are suitable for this kind of effect. I use it for long lines of frequently repeating tone, so for example Pink Floyd style this is a great start.

OVERALL OPINION

Like I said, the off option is a bit rough, cutting the effect dry, but for psychedelic passages or to clip the delay to a sharp short blast for modern rock heavy rhythm, it's a fun pedal to have in your arsenal. The sound of the tones are high quality, but you may, down the road, be a little disappointed with the tonal choices in the 'range' option. A good first delay/echo pedal for sure, and it's fairly priced.