Any music expert knows that a single instrument alone can hardly play a great tune. That’s why we need a myriad of accessories for our guitars. From the simple capo to a more complex add-on like delay pedal, your performance can be extremely different thanks to a small change.
The thing is, how can you pick the best companion with your guitar. In today’s blog, I will reveal some of my secrets in choosing the best guitar delay pedal in the different price ranges.
Guitar Delay Pedals At A Glance
If you are researching about a delay pedal, I believe that your level must be upper-intermediate as the delay is such a distinctive music effect. When you are using a delay in playing music, it will copy your signal on a time basis and play it back.
The pedal is like a stompbox to produce that fantastic effect.
You can adjust the period of time and the frequency of the playbacks to create an array of sound. Therefore, a guitar delay pedal is of great help when it comes to performance.
In the musical instrument market, you can find two variations of guitar delay pedal: the analog and the digital. The main difference is the circuitry that makes the delay effect.
The initial drive behind the first analog delay pedals is magnetic tape in which the guitar signal is recorded into and generate later. After that, a bucket-brigade device or BBD for short was invented to replace the tape as the tape memory is too limited. The BBD system is still in use nowadays. Playback sounds from analog delay pedals tend to be warmer and more profound.
Digital delay pedals, on the other hand, take advantage of the digital signal processing, also known as DSP chips to modify specific characteristic that changes the analog signal into a digital sound. The outcome will be more flexible though the quality is not on par with analog delay pedals.
Price Segmentation On The Guitar Delay Pedal Market
Budget-friendly Guitar Delay Pedal
As difficult as it may seem, you can still find an ideal guitar delay pedal at a price of less than $100. Although the functionality of this kind will be limited, it’s the most suitable for the lower intermediate who wants to make quick progress in performance.
If you are at that level, simplicity is of the utmost importance. Too many options may make you confused and even discourage you. Moreover, once you master one tempo setting, you will be able to produce your own music. Of course, if you are creative enough.
Mid-tier Guitar Delay Pedal
Guitar Delay Pedal from more than $100 to $500, you have more control of the parameters. Besides the basic settings such as effect level, repeat, and duration time, most of the models allow you to modify the rate, intensity, tap, and so on. They also offer a certain number of delay types of presets so that you can generate a particular sound quickly and easily.
At this price range, the delay pedals are more portable but still sturdy, so it turns out to be an excellent investment in the long run.
Musical instrument manufacturers also compete fiercely at this price segment. Therefore, you are likely to pick a delay pedal at the best cost.
High-end Guitar Delay Pedal
For any guitar delay pedal at more than $500, I consider it a super expensive accessory for a guitar. Still, the price comes hand in hand with the quality. This notion is always true when it comes to musical instruments.
Some of the luxury models enable you to set the precise duration time detailed to BPM or Beats per Minute. Also, you can rearrange from one parameter to another precisely. There is a massive range of delays, which makes it compatible with stage performance or studio recording.
As a result, I wouldn’t recommend this kind of guitar delay pedal for personal usage as it’s such a waste.
–Now that you know the primary segments in the price range for guitar delay pedal, can you decide what is best for you? Don’t forget that the perfect one is the one that fits your needs as well as your budget.
-Article by Kevin Deal from Musical Study
