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Fireguy8402 « Nice analog delay. »
Published on 12/23/11 at 08:20The MXR Carbon Copy has a completely analog audio path. This pedal has around 600ms of delay time with optional modulation. The pedal has a basic three knob setup for a delay pedal, Delay time (0ms up to 600ms), Mix (lets you adjust the amount of delay on the dry signal), and Regen (the amount of repeats after the original sound). The special thing about this delay is that they throw in a modulation button to allow chorus sounds on the delays. The width and rate are available for tweaking from inside the pedal via two user adjustable trim pots. The pedal is true hard-wire bypass so there is no tone sucking at all. The pedal runs off a single 9-volt, but it drains batteries like crazy so you’re better off using the 9 volt power supply. A bright blue LED lets you know if the pedal is on or off from a distance on a dark stage.
UTILIZATION
The pedal is very easy to hone in, just set your amount of delay and how many repeats you want and how loud you want them compared to your original sound and that’s it. No need for a bunch of menus or useless functions. I would have liked for MXR to have put the rate and width adjustments for the modulation on the outside of the pedal. The on and off switch is big enough to tap with your toe if you are a sharp shooter, making this switch a little bigger would have been better, but at the cost of a larger size. This thing is only the size of a Phase 90 and that’s part of the charm. Solid feel and a solid switch on this pedal.
SOUND QUALITY
This thing sounds very great for a modulated delay, or for an analog delay sound. The repeats are very rich and warm, so if you are looking for an exact sounding repeat you might want to look at some Boss pedals from the DD line. This isn’t a digital sounding delay, and I think that’s a great thing. It’s very natural sounding and musical, it blends with your tone and adds ambience, it doesn’t just repeat it. There is also no annoying click when you turn the pedal on like there are with some delays. No tap tempo or presets, so it’s a one trick pony unless you are able to bend over and change the settings during a song. It does a great slapback to fatten your rhythm tone, or does a great “Gilmour” tone with the modulation on and can get rather spacey.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great pedal for a basic straight up delay sound. The quality of tone is there for all your basic needs. It has great warm repeats that are in a very usable range, I don’t know who needs much more than 600ms of delay, but it’s plenty for my needs. Mixes very well with other pedals and is built to stand up to the test of time. I think there was a bad run of these when MXR put them out, but since then I have not heard of anyone saying anything but positive praise on these pedals. A great barebones delay for all users and at a fairly decent price for the quality you are getting.
UTILIZATION
The pedal is very easy to hone in, just set your amount of delay and how many repeats you want and how loud you want them compared to your original sound and that’s it. No need for a bunch of menus or useless functions. I would have liked for MXR to have put the rate and width adjustments for the modulation on the outside of the pedal. The on and off switch is big enough to tap with your toe if you are a sharp shooter, making this switch a little bigger would have been better, but at the cost of a larger size. This thing is only the size of a Phase 90 and that’s part of the charm. Solid feel and a solid switch on this pedal.
SOUND QUALITY
This thing sounds very great for a modulated delay, or for an analog delay sound. The repeats are very rich and warm, so if you are looking for an exact sounding repeat you might want to look at some Boss pedals from the DD line. This isn’t a digital sounding delay, and I think that’s a great thing. It’s very natural sounding and musical, it blends with your tone and adds ambience, it doesn’t just repeat it. There is also no annoying click when you turn the pedal on like there are with some delays. No tap tempo or presets, so it’s a one trick pony unless you are able to bend over and change the settings during a song. It does a great slapback to fatten your rhythm tone, or does a great “Gilmour” tone with the modulation on and can get rather spacey.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great pedal for a basic straight up delay sound. The quality of tone is there for all your basic needs. It has great warm repeats that are in a very usable range, I don’t know who needs much more than 600ms of delay, but it’s plenty for my needs. Mixes very well with other pedals and is built to stand up to the test of time. I think there was a bad run of these when MXR put them out, but since then I have not heard of anyone saying anything but positive praise on these pedals. A great barebones delay for all users and at a fairly decent price for the quality you are getting.