If you're after pristine, perfect repeats, this is NOT your delay. But if you want the best analog you can find, this might be The One.

As a metal player, the need for a delay pedal can be…. Let's say "limited". You'd usually just look for a basic digital delay that will give you some clean, uncluttered repeats, and call it a day. Metal guitarists' pedalboards often lean toward an "only the basics" approach: a wah, (maybe) an overdrive or distortion to boost the signal going into the amp, and not much more. Of course, there are those of us who not only like to get some unusual flavors and colors in our smithy o' doom, but also branch out into other styles here and there…. and for us, pedals with versatility, character, and personality help maximize our pedalboard space. A truly musical delay pedal transforms the signal you plug into it, ideally enough so that the pedal itself could almost be considered a separate instrument on its own. This is the breed of delay I was after.

"Tone" is a VERY subjective thing, so it's difficult to say with any authority whether a particular sound is "good" or "bad" - your mileage WILL vary. With that said, I made sure to check out as many reviews as I could find online to hear what the Deluxe Memory Boy actually SOUNDS like before I bought it. Mine sounds more or less exactly like what I heard online, after correcting for the sounds of my own rig that it's being plugged into - and I LOVE it! Rich, warm, chewy all-analog BBD repeats for days, plus all-analog chorus/vibrato/crazy modulation that stands alone even with the actual delay functions turned down to "0". If you're looking for pristine, sample-accurate repeats, keep walkin'.... this is an ANALOG pedal, and it's proud of it. The repeats decay as they're fed back through the BBD chips, just like they're supposed to - and the result is glorious! The short slapback tones, psychedelic "outer space" sounds, and long, cavernous echoes aren't just "realistic" - they're The Real Thing. It's not EXACTLY the same sound as its ancestor, the revered Deluxe Memory Man, but you can definitely tell where this pedal is descended from that one. The only "gotcha" to look out for is power - EHX includes the required AC adaptor, which is regulated, but I noticed that the pedal's clock can "leak" into the amp signal if the grounds for the pedal and amp aren't on the same rail. Nothing big, and easy to fix, but it took me a minute to figure out why a true-bypass pedal was "ticking" in my signal when it was bypassed. Pro tip: The DMB includes a low-cut/high-pass filter that you can use to adjust the tone of the repeats! This isn't obvious by looking at it, so as with any new device, RTFM.

I mentioned that this pedal is a descendant of the immortal classic Deluxe Memory Man pedal from the 70s, and shares some of the features that made that unit into a legend. However, this modern edition actually has MORE options than the original! Of particular note is obviously the tap-tempo feature, which is one of the key reasons that I (and doubtless many others) short-listed this unit in the first place. This works even better than expected, with excellent precision - if your foot can tap in time, this pedal will follow it! Having 6 different note divisions to choose from is phenomenal, this may be more than any other analog delay I've seen.

That's not all, though - the chorus/vibrato functionality of the classic DMM is replicated here, and some might even say it's slightly improved with greater range and new options on the "Depth" control. I do have to say that the right (clockwise) sound of this knob is puzzling; the square-wave modulation does something odd as it ramps up and down that I haven't figured out how to make musical use of yet. It's hard to describe, but you can hear it in many online reviews. However, the left (triangle-wave) side of the dial more than makes up for this - the range is TREMENDOUS! You can go from an almost-imperceptible shimmer to seasick sweeps to completely outrageous pitch bending, all controllable with the "Rate" knob next to it (which also has incredible range). Just like on the classic DMM, the "Blend" control can be used to tune the functionality of the modulation from chorus to vibrato to outlandish effects that don't really have a name, and these can affect just the delay repeats or your entire signal depending on the delay settings.

Another new feature is the "Gain" control. This replaces its ancestor's "Level" knob, and if you drop the delay and modulation settings to "0" and crank the "Blend" control for an all-wet signal, you can use this sucker as an overdrive! Pretty cool.

Finally, the pedal's additional I/O includes an FX loop so you can add even more tones to your delay repeats by patching in other effects, and an expression-pedal input that lets you control any knob except Blend or Gain with a treadle. This allows for some CRAZY effect sweeping at the tips of your toes, and IMO is something that more delay pedals should implement. There's even more to dive into with everything this pedal offers, but this review is already stretching its capacity so I'll let you play around and discover some of that for yourself.

If you've played with analog delay before, most of the basics are pretty intuitive - but with that said, READ THE MANUAL. I cannot stress this enough. If you don't like manuals, don't use technology. Just do it, and don't complain about it, either - the manual is your friend. It's not super-complicated, but the manual does a great job of explaining how the various knobs and buttons work together, and it reveals a couple of "easter-egg" functions that aren't obvious at a glance. Once you know how to operate the controls, the DMB is not just easy to use, it's insanely fun to experiment with how all the functions interact to create tones from the classic to the bizarre.

To summarize: This pedal is AMAZING. Sure, there are things it won't do, but it's not supposed to - you don't use a saw to drive screws, and you don't use an analog delay for crystal-clear repeats. But if you're after an all-analog delay with tap-tempo, super-flexible modulation, gain staging to fit any rig, and a personality that prompts you to have full-on musical conversations with it, it's easy to do worse and nearly impossible to do better.

A Straight-Up Modern Classic

The anticipation was killing me: I'd just purchased a used Deluxe Memory Boy (referred to henceforth as the DMM) by Electro-Harmonix (referred to henceforth as EHX). However, the store had to hold it until local law said it had not been reported as missing to the police. I got a great deal on the pedal, and couldn't wait to see what an analog echo unit with a tap tempo feature would do for me.

It turned out to be worthwhile. The DMM's brushed-steel casing was bigger than most compact single effect pedals, but smaller than most digital modeling units or even other analog delays. I'm always impressed when a pedal's construction is sturdy enough to use for defense in a home invasion scenario, but light enough that a toddler with a good arm could chuck it across a room.

I wasn't concerned about the lack of a battery port as I always run my pedals daisy-chained to a power supply anyway, but realize that this could be an issue for some players who prefer the independence conferred by a 9-volt rectangle. Still, I powered up the pedal and dove right in, and was immediately impressed by the DMM's rich, lush sounds. As an experienced user of echo pedals, it didn't take me long at all to figure out what was going on with EHX's latest entry into the market. Soon, I was conjuring everything from U2-esque triplet-accented arpeggios to blurry, My Bloody Valentine-ish swathes of color trailing strummed chords.

As always, when reviewing a pedal, I like to evaluate and consider it in every context in which it will be used. To that end, I'd like to start by discussing how the EHX Deluxe Memory Boy performs when playing without accompaniment.

The DMM's analog sound is big, big big: it adds so much girth to a guitar signal that, if used properly, sounding like 2 or even 3 guitarists is possible. The multitude of features basically begs the user to dig in and explore, and the variety of patterns and textures available lend themselves well to the creation of new guitar parts or even of full songs/instrumental pieces. Run in stereo, the DMM is even more formidable.

In a studio situation, the DMM is an ideal peformer. Its relatively low noise threshold (uncommon in the world of analog delay units) makes it a breeze to record. And because the user can control so much of what the effected signal sounds like, it's possible to get a setup going where there's minimal difference when switching the DMM on and off--always a huge relief for studio engineers.

When performing with a band, which is where my own Deluxe Memory Boy has gotten the most mileage, the pedal is highly valuable... Read More

Very nice analog delay.

Very similar in function as the Memory Man, however a bit more grainy and darker sounding.

Easy to use, great sounding analog delay, wide range of delays

The Memory Boy has every type of delay one could want or need. It's easy to use and learn to use, features tap tempo, and has great analog sound. Coming from someone still learning all the ins and outs of pedalboards and different delays and tones, this pedal is easy to use and perfect for anyone looking for a professional sounding, simple delay pedal. The knobs, when twisted, do all sorts of crazy things that range from applicable in music to downright comical. Either way, this pedal is great, highly recommended.

cracking pedal

its a cracking pedal and is suprisingly versatile for just being an analogue delay. the tap tempo is also really useful and lets you do some groovy stuff if you want

cool and clean delay

cool and clean analog delay with a big list of settings and dark sounds

Delay always on time!

Much like the Deluxe Memory Man with Tap Tempo, the Deluxe Memory Boy impresses! What draws the most attention are the five divisions of notes. Delay always on time!

Space

You have to play loud (live) to discover how deep it is! Full analogic, warm, spacey. Hard to work with, giving a great ambiance into a concert hall.