MXRCarbon Copy Analog Delay (M169)

I'm far from a new guitarist, but have only begun adding guitar effects pedals to my lineup in the last year, largely due to the insistence of my bandmates. On my board constantly at the ready now is this jewel. For reference, I don't play through some major head and big ole honkin' half stack. I play through simple classics - a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Marshall AVT50 (both modestly priced, great amps for different reasons, but IMHO, pretty hard to beat the Fender...). The Carbon Copy pedal to me sounds terrific in slapback setting (being sure amp is pegged at 0 reverb). The guys were right. Certain pedals are a must for quality of tone and style in performance. The quality of my amps was plenty for me, but I was missing out. For the right songs and compositions, this pedal makes it darned hard to put my guitar down. I'm still more of a purist, setting the amp to modest presence and reverb, but seriously, the Carbon Copy is that nice. Anybody who tries it is hooked in a few measures. A few simple licks turns into a few songs, and pretty soon you wonder how you got by without that sound.Simple, clean, warm, no hiss, no buzz. Other pedals worthy and affordable - EH Little Big Muff, Boss Super Chorus, Korg tuner, and your choice for a preamp booster for solos (my vote - blow off the snobs and get an affordable Behringer preamp booster pedal) and a compressor pedal to keep it all even. That's plenty for virtually any gig.The price through Amazon was better than anything I could buy locally.

I've never owned an analog delay before and after going back and forth between this and the Memory Boy, I decided to go with the CC. Just got the Carbon Copy the other day and spent about four hours messing around with it. The delay signal is very warm and rich sounding... it's actually got it's own tone, unlike a digital delay which just replicates your original signal. That said, I was initially a little disappointed in the CC; I was expecting echo madness and got something more like a well made, subtle studio effect. My biggest complaint with the pedal (so far... I've only owned it a few days) is that the when the delay is maxed out, the signal is so warm and subtle it gets lost in the mix and is pretty much useless. That's where the Digi Delay really worked wonders, but again this is a different kind of beast.I opened up the back and messed around with the Modification Button's trim pots for Speed and Depth. Definitely worth doing, as the slight warbling tape effect of the MOD button was a bit too subtle to my taste. Turned all the way up it delivers a slight chorus type effect that isn't really noticeable until you allow your signal to ring-out. I'll be messing around with this a lot more.I haven't had a chance to run the pedal through my tube amp yet, and I'm hoping that really improves the signal with the long delay times and lets this pedal really shine. I've heard nothing but good things about it and so far I'm about 50/50 on liking it. It works REALLY well to beef up your tone and give a bit of echo. So far that's probably the highlight of this pedal, is that it sounds very professional, not just a cheap echo-box. HOWEVER, what I was after was a bit more into outer-space, if I wanted to go there, and I'm going to consider getting my DOD Digi Delay/Sampler fixed for precisely that reason. Once I get that done, I really enjoy the tone of the MXR, so I'll probably run the MXR through the DOD and get the sound I'm after.If anybody has any suggestions as how to improve any of these problems, please let me know!Two Days Later...Finally got to run the CC through my tube amp and it performed phenomenally. I don't know if this pedal needs a period of time to be "broken in," but it's now running perfectly and doing everything i expected of it and more. The oscillation of the MOD switch was more prominent than it's been before (I even had to open it up and reduce the speed... the width will probably have to be backed off a little too). The previous delay problems are gone and this thing is a serious monster! The most impressive thing about this pedal is still... the tone. Whether through a transistor (I practice through a Fender Princeton Chorus) or through a tube amp (Crate 50) this pedal will improve your tone like magic. I was really worried I was going to have to get my old DOD Digi Delay fixed... but after breaking this thing in and seeing what it can really do, there's no need for it. Buy this thing, open it up, mess with the MOD switch and enjoy. Well done MXR.

Great indistinct analog echo for fleshing out notes and fattening chords. I like an echo wash around my tone. I find using digital delay, especially the crisp and pristine delays, really needs tempo syncing or it clutters your sound if the echoes are out of sync with the tempo. Analog delay however, can add a great dimension to your sound without getting in the way, even if the repeats are way off tempo.Silent switch and true bypass. Beautifully finished in compact and solid box with sparkle green paint.Controls are nice and stiff so they wont get knocked off settings too easily.Sounds warm and lush - not dull. The modulation circuit really adds useful depth and width. Its like a psychoacoustic illusion. I always have the mod switch on - and I am a guy who cant get on with chorus pedals at all!I have three boards. Two of them have CC's - the other has a TC Electronics Alter Ego.Years ago I had a pink Boss analog delay - it was fantastic but I got sucked into the digital revolution. After owning too many digital delay pedals I finally realised I wanted my pink box back again. The CC has that sound - perhaps with a slightly crisper, more modern edge.The build quality is so good it has turned me onto some other MXR stuff that I wouldn't have otherwise considered.