T-Rex Emmie Delay - Cheap and Cheerful!

[László]

Evidently Denmark's T-Rex, who make boutique/expensive stuff in Europe, also make a few pedals exclusively for GC in China, and they're downright reasonable in price. The Emmie Delay is one such pedal, and if memory serves, it goes for $159, which is pretty cheap for an analog style delay.

I say "analog style delay" here for a reason: the thing sounds analog, and is priced to compete with the various analog delays on the market, but T-Rex is coy about exactly what it is; there's no information on the box, in the owner's manual, or on the T-Rex website. So I have no idea. Could be digital for all I know.

But if I can't tell whether this pedal is analog or digital, that is not necessarily a bad thing!

I've had a lot of fine digital delays by TC and Eventide, and analog delays by the usual suspects, and each has its charms. This one's no exception; the sound is clean, clear, and creamy. If you've tried the carbon copy, this is a lot like it, only clearer. And creamier.

Thing is, every delay does something a bit different. But the best thing about this one is that it is quiet. And I mean, really quiet. No hiss. Even in front of a gained-up amp. Even my wonderful Eventide delay hisses when you push the gain on an amp up past around 11:00. Same with my old TC Nova Delay and Nova System.

This doesn't. Which is why I went looking for a simple analog delay in the first place!

Anyway, it's a nice little piece of gear. Sounds very nice with the PRS amps I have. I like it and can recommend it. One last little tidbit: it has a boost function. You can switch the boost in, and dial up how much boost you need with your delay.

The boost is not something I need, so I haven't used it that way yet. Go try one, I guess. I can't answer any questions about that part of it.

 

[Boogie]

I'm of the opinion that every pedal collection should include both an analog and a digital delay. They are such different animals and don't stop on each others' toes at all, IMO. Admittedly, I only have an old Boss DD-6 in pedal format for digital options but the El Capistan and Carbon Copy just really do it for me. And honestly, the CC isn't on my board anymore. The El Cap is that good. It's also 2x the price of your T-Rex. You've found a hellova deal there!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Cheap gear is so good these days.

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

Thanks for this post Les. I am looking for a delay that is clean, clear, and creamy. I went to their website and watched a demo. The first video seems to get the tone I am looking for. They have one nearby so i will try to check it out tomorrow. I was looking hard at the Strymon Timeline and Brigadier The timeline has a nice setting on swell and digital that I like. Les, or anybody else.. What are your thoughts on the Strymon?

 

[László]

Thanks for this post Les. I am looking for a delay that is clean, clear, and creamy. I went to their website and watched a demo. The first video seems to get the tone I am looking for. They have one nearby so i will try to check it out tomorrow. I was looking hard at the Strymon Timeline and Brigadier The timeline has a nice setting on swell and digital that I like. Les, or anybody else.. What are your thoughts on the Strymon?

I like the Strymon, but as with all makes, it has a "Strymon Sound." Whether that jibes with a given player is a personal thing.

I prefer the sound of the Eventide box when it comes to digital delays, enough that I bought one and not the Strymon.

I think it's more natural sounding, less hyped. Note, however, that I also preferred the sound of my Eventide H3000 D/SE to any other reverb or delay I had in the studio back when I had a big analog console, in the days before plugins. And I had effects processors from Lexicon, TC, and others that were regarded as very high-end. Fact is, I simply like the way Eventide does reverb and delay.

The Eventide stomp boxes sound a lot more like the H3000 than I would have expected given the price.

But I'm splitting hairs here. That's one player's opinion, and many people prefer the Strymon. My guess is that you can't go wrong either way.