Amp with Good Reverb, Distortion, and Delay?

[Marty Canaday]

I'm playing a PRS S2 Custom 24 with a Blackstar HT Club 40 MKII amplifier. The Blackstar has great reverb and distortion but does not have delay. I could use a delay pedal in an effects loop, but I would prefer the amp to have a delay option.

Does anyone know of a tube amp that has good reverb, distortion, and delay?

 

[László]

Marty, the only amps I’ve seen with built-in delays are modelers and solid state stuff at the “practice amp” end of the market.

Most players who are kinda serious about their stuff seem to prefer to pick their own delay boxes. Not saying whether that’s good, bad or indifferent, though there’s no way I’d want a built-in delay on an amp, and that’s why.

 

[Marty Canaday]

Marty, the only amps I’ve seen with built-in delays are modelers and solid state stuff at the “practice amp” end of the market.

Most players who are kinda serious about their stuff seem to prefer to pick their own delay boxes. Not saying whether that’s good, bad or indifferent, though there’s no way I’d want a built-in delay on an amp, and that’s why.

Yeah, you're right! I've never seen a delay on a tube amp. I was just wondering if any tube amp had a delay. I'm ok with using an effects loop. Of course, doing so will mean I need to find a good delay pedal.

Have you heard of or had any experience with Tone City pedals? They are quite affordable and sound good from reviews I've researched on the Internet.

Tone City's Tape Machine delay pedal is $60. Their sales pitch is, "The Tone City Tape Machine Delay pedal gives you warm analog sounds by feeding the dry signal through an analog circuit and the delayed signal through a digital circuit. With almost no sound coloring regardless of its place in your pedal lineup and crisp delay, the Tape Machine is a simple, great-sounding delay to add to your board."

 

[elvis]

You can get a used Carbon Copy or Flashback Delay for reasonable $. They are both great pedals, depending on the tone you want. I have both the Flashback and Mini Flashback. LOVE THEM.

 

[Marty Canaday]

You can get a used Carbon Copy or Flashback Delay for reasonable $. They are both great pedals, depending on the tone you want. I have both the Flashback and Mini Flashback. LOVE THEM.

I just want a delay pedal that doesn't change the tone of the guitar.

 

[elvis]

It changes the overall tone. You can use a darker delay or a brighter delay. Or one with modulation. Definitely affects tone. You can go for a hi-fi digital delay as well, which would have the least tone effect, but may clutter the frequency range.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Yeah, I know what you mean by wanting one that doesn’t change the tone. But with delays, that doesn’t apply in the normal way. Yes, you want one that doesn’t affect your original guitar tone, but the tone of the repeats is many times the biggest factor in which delay people use. Something like the Flashback that Elvis suggested is a good first one, because it allows you to try pristine delays, then several versions of darker repeats. You can try analog, tape, etc. and see what you like, and sometimes only with real use can you see which type is best for your needs. Then just leave it there, or go by the best version of that type of delay.

 

[László]

Yeah, you're right! I've never seen a delay on a tube amp. I was just wondering if any tube amp had a delay. I'm ok with using an effects loop. Of course, doing so will mean I need to find a good delay pedal.

Have you heard of or had any experience with Tone City pedals? They are quite affordable and sound good from reviews I've researched on the Internet.

Tone City's Tape Machine delay pedal is $60. Their sales pitch is, "The Tone City Tape Machine Delay pedal gives you warm analog sounds by feeding the dry signal through an analog circuit and the delayed signal through a digital circuit. With almost no sound coloring regardless of its place in your pedal lineup and crisp delay, the Tape Machine is a simple, great-sounding delay to add to your board."

I don’t know that one. I use a Fulltone Tube Tape Echo for delay that’s a clone of the old Echoplex EP-1, and it uses real tape and real tubes; also the Eventide H9, that does beautiful sounding delays, modulations, reverbs, you name it. But both are on the expensive side.

Real analog tape of course colors the sound! It’s supposed to! So obviously if the tone city machine claims not to color the sound, you can be sure it sounds nothing like a real tape echo. Sounds like more of a hype machine than a tape machine.

 

[Ovibos]

Go try a Boss Katana. I love mine. It's got digital modeling and effects (like delay, with tap tempo on the footswitch) but also has an analog solid state power section. Takes pedals well. Cleans are good, but the dirty is where it shines for me.

From what I see in the FB group, seems like it's becoming a goto gigging amp for those who aren't at AxeFx levels.

 

[László]

He did say ‘tube amp.”

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What about one of those older Line 6 Bogner amp things? They’re tube, have all the effects, and are pretty cheap.

 

[dmatthews]

What about one of those older Line 6 Bogner amp things? They’re tube, have all the effects, and are pretty cheap.

DT25?

https://line6.com/dt25/

I have no experience with it myself, but a guy I know loved his. Not sure if he still has it.

 

[Rider1260]

Ive always used Delay and Reverb when I had my MK2 Mesa the onboard reverb was always on a bit then added a delay pedal, I actually use the delay to add a bit to treble ( shimmer some would say ) I now use a TC Electronics Nova System to handle both Reverb and Delay they can be had for about $200 ( and other NON over drive effects )
I was pretty happy with the old Boss DD3 if you want a simple pedal, Strymon makes killer stuff

 

[Big Mike]

As far as delay, I'd just get a Boss DD3 and stick it in the loop. You won't notice it changing your tone much if at all. Not enough you couldn't adjust it with the EQ.

Sometimes changing the tone is good. Sometimes it's not.
But sometimes we all overthink this stuff.

 

[andy474x]

I think the Marshall Haze (discontinued) and Hughes and Kettner GrandMeister also have delay and other effects. The Haze never caught on, not sure if it was any good or not. Lots of players like the H&K amps though.

If you go the pedal route, definitely check out the TC Flashback, as mentioned above. Some of the guys here turned me on to the TC stuff and the Flashback is my favorite. You can do the 2290 setting, which is a very “true” sounding repeat, or one of the many other included settings, as well as being able to load settings from your smartphone directly to the pedal, no cables, no Bluetooth, very cool - and there are LOTS of them to choose from. I won’t say it’s the “best” sounding delay pedal out there, but it’s certainly very good, and for the price, it’s almost unbeatable. There’s a version 2 out now, so you could probably score a killer deal on a used version 1.

Most new pedals won’t color your “dry” tone, it’s the delays that come after that will be altered from the original sound. The exception being some old delay units, or pedals designed to mimic them - for example, the Echoplex is almost more famous for the way its circuit boosted the base tone, than for its delay sound. If you want true clean delays, you want a digital delay, and not one that is modeling some other sound. Analog (or a digital emulation of analog) will color the delays, and tape even more so.

 

[László]

There’s an old-school of thought that teaches putting effects in front of the amp; that they sound more organic and integral to the signal that way.

I happen to be the principal of that school, as well as the custodial staff, and captain of the football team.

Lots and lots and lots of records that have been all-time benchmarks of guitar tone were made with effects plugged into the front of the amp, as the Universe and their creators intended.

Not surprisingly, these days people complain that they can’t get those wonderful tones. Well, no wonder! Look what they’re up to: They’re playing in a world full of effects loops, digital re-creations of gear, cascading gain stages, and the other effluvia and detritus of the Toneless 21st Century.

Is it any wonder that pop music has gone all-synthesizer again? I think not. People don’t want to hear today’s craptastic guitar sounds. I won’t even call them tones. Just sounds.

GUZZ GUZZ GUZZ DJENT DJENT GUZZ GUZZ GUZZ DJENT GUZZ GUZZ

You’ve established your good taste in preferring real tube amps, and I congratulate you on your perspicacity and ears. Now go all the way. I’m pullin’ out a Guy Fawkes mask here. Join the Front of Amp Resistance! (And No Hashtag!!)

 

[dkilpatrick]

There’s an old-school of thought that teaches putting effects in front of the amp; that they sound more organic and integral to the signal that way.

I happen to be the principal of that school, as well as the custodial staff, and captain of the football team.

Lots and lots and lots of records that have been all-time benchmarks of guitar tone were made with effects plugged into the front of the amp, as the Universe and their creators intended.

Not surprisingly, these days people complain that they can’t get those wonderful tones. Well, no wonder! Look what they’re up to: They’re playing in a world full of effects loops, digital re-creations of gear, cascading gain stages, and the other effluvia and detritus of the Toneless 21st Century.

Is it any wonder that pop music has gone all-synthesizer again? I think not. People don’t want to hear today’s craptastic guitar sounds. I won’t even call them tones. Just sounds.

GUZZ GUZZ GUZZ DJENT DJENT GUZZ GUZZ GUZZ DJENT GUZZ GUZZ

You’ve established your good taste in preferring real tube amps, and I congratulate you on your perspicacity and ears. Now go all the way. I’m pullin’ out a Guy Fawkes mask here. Join the Front of Amp Resistance! (And No Hashtag!!)

My Alma Mater!

 

[László]

My Alma Mater!

I knew I liked you for a reason.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Well I'll be danged! Now we know why you don't like me!

 

[Tone-y]

You’ve established your good taste in preferring real tube amps, and I congratulate you on your perspicacity and ears. Now go all the way. I’m pullin’ out a Guy Fawkes mask here. Join the Front of Amp Resistance! (And No Hashtag!!)

Dammit, I'd already joined the Amp Resistant Front, now you're telling me there's a Front of Amp Resistance? Next you'll be telling me there's a Popular Amp Front...