Ibanez ES-2 alternative?

[frigid midget]

I think I have a pretty good idea if what's out there in terms of analog delay peds, but I figured it's worth asking, in case I'm overlooking something, or in case there's a delay-related NAMM rumor I haven't heard yet...

I never thought I'd end up replacing my ES-2, but at the same time I always knew the overal build quality was so-so...
I tried different cables and power supplies, but no dice: Since last noght there's a constant hummmmmm going on when it's in the chain

I don't want to make the same mistake again by cheap skating, but I don't have need for uber pristine super tweakable toanz either.

Ideally, I'd just want a better build ES-2, but I guess I could get by with just 600ish ms of delay time. So I'm after a no frills analog-esque delay, adventurous 'weird' delays (meet maude, limbo III, bitquest, etc) are way overkill for me...

My options so far, the way I see it:

- Moog MF Delay. Pricey, but the yt demos sound impressive imo, plus the drive seems extremely usefull...

- Digitech Timebender. Not at all a "no-frills analog delay", and I didn't get along with it the first time I owned one...But for the money it might be worth getting one modded to fix the volume of the repeats, which was my main gripe with the timebende

- Boss DM-2W. I remember REALLY liking my old DM-2, which didn't have enough delay time in the original non-wazza version.

- Digitech Obscura: Those couple extra modes and tricks seem cool, the basic analog emulation sounds decent in the clips I checked...But I remember a fellow ilf'er saying he was really underwhelmed by his Obscura

- EQD Disaster Transport Jr: Has almost everything I'm looking for in a delay, but it might get tricky finding a used on here in the EU :/ No top jacks, and not a single extra feature (tap tempo, stereo outs) to completely convince me it's worth the same sort of money for me as say the Moog or Boss

Other stuff, that's NOT on the list:

WH Echo Puss: Just sold one, in favor of the ES-2 The repeats sound perfect imo, and the modulation is somewhat useable, less cheasy than your average chorusy wobbly modulation on most delays. But unlike the other ones in my little list, it doesn't bring anything extra to the table that sets it apart from the competition. The tone control is nice, the top jacks are handy,...but that's about it No tap tempo, no oscillation switch, no stereo out,...

As far as MXR goes: It seems like pure marketing to put seperate 'dark' and a 'bright' versions in their catalogue, instead of just one pedal with a damn tone control. I'm picky I guess, but I like the darkness of the repeats somewhere inbetween, so I'm shit out of luck

I've had too much bad luck with ehx peds in the past, so especially now when dealing with quality issues on another cheap pedal, I'm reluctant to go the ehx route.

Another Ibanez delay, this one didn't make the cut: AD-9. Pricey compared to the DM-2W or Echo Puss, and a little *too* bare bones. It's mainly the 300ms of delay time that ruins it for me.

So...what say you?

[ProCarsteNation]

I hear Boss has an ES-8, in theory that should be 4 times as good as the ES-2?


But for realz: You are looking for no-frills, but at the same time are dissapointed at the lack of extra features in some of your choices,
so maybe you need to make up your mind first?

Did you ever get around to trying a Deluxe Memory Boy? To me that is a nice mix of no-frills & extra features.
The In Limbo seems to bring a similar feature set, but more & better build & ILF-cred.
I'd definitely wanna meet a Meet Maude also.

If you do want another Timebender: mine hasn't seen any action in a while...


edit:
what'S with that yodelmaster thing? Anyone have experience with their build?
http://www.servuspedale.com/index.php/e ... delay-echo

[Disarm D'arcy]

Just from what you're saying, it sounds like you really just have to narrow down which one you want between the Waza DM-2 and MF-Delay.

[Eivind August]

Yeah, I would probably go with the Waza out of those. Most AD-9's I see cost less, but if you need the extra delay time, it seems the Waza would be the one.

Also, they are widely available, so you could probably pick it up at your local store and skip shipping costs.

[frigid midget]

I hear Boss has an ES-8, in theory that should be 4 times as good as the ES-2?


But for realz: You are looking for no-frills, but at the same time are dissapointed at the lack of extra features in some of your choices,
so maybe you need to make up your mind first?

Did you ever get around to trying a Deluxe Memory Boy? To me that is a nice mix of no-frills & extra features.
The In Limbo seems to bring a similar feature set, but more & better build & ILF-cred.
I'd definitely wanna meet a Meet Maude also.

If you do want another Timebender: mine hasn't seen any action in a while...


edit:
what'S with that yodelmaster thing? Anyone have experience with their build?
http://www.servuspedale.com/index.php/e ... delay-echo

Yeah, I'm indeed a bit torn between simple and slightly tricked out...Still though, there's plenty of options out there that have "few frills" instead of no frills
One of the reasons I don't want a Nemesis or Time Factor or whatever, aside from maybe their footprints: Monies. Which isn't that much of an issue with the timebender. So even if I'll hardly ever use the looper or all the pitch bending capabilities, 120ish euro for a tap tempo delay with presets and a handful of nice sounding basic delays...Doesn't sound too shabby right

ProCarsteNation is right though, atm I'm leaning most towards the moog and the boss. So if someone could challenge those, let's hear it

Another strategy I'm concidering: Replace my RV-3 with an Avalanche Run, and have that cover all my delay + reverb needs. Also the exact opposite of "no frill analog delay", but it doesn't take up a whole lot of board space considering all the stuff it does. I checked the Yodelmeiser. Impressive piece of kit. Pretty big though, and also impossible to find used

[ThurberMingus]

I'm here to hype the AR.

It's dope.

[Iommic Pope]

Just from what you're saying, it sounds like you really just have to narrow down which one you want between the Waza DM-2 and MF-Delay.

Yeah MF delay is FUCKING SWEET DRIPPING HONEY.

[penelope tree]

Just from what you're saying, it sounds like you really just have to narrow down which one you want between the Waza DM-2 and MF-Delay.

I agree, and I think it would reasonable to expect either of those pedals to be well made and reliable. I have an ES-2 and I hope it doesn't capitulate any time soon. The oscillation mode is quite unique and it would be difficult to achieve a similar effect with the aforementioned Boss or Moog pedals.

One inexpensive pedal I have been quite impressed with recently is the Ibanez Analog Delay Mini.

[rfurtkamp]

Getting a Timebender modified may be expensive, and it may be something about how your rig relates to the thing or something particular what you're doing (which to this day I don't grasp, as mine goes full wet!)...going down that road may not get you want and end up being expensive.

[frigid midget]

Getting a Timebender modified may be expensive, and it may be something about how your rig relates to the thing or something particular what you're doing (which to this day I don't grasp, as mine goes full wet!)...going down that road may not get you want and end up being expensive.

Nah, turns out that's a known flaw. If you can even call it that, cause there's obviously plenty of people who hardly notice the lack of volume. I forget the technical magic behind it, but from what I remember (dunno if it was digirep or someone else) they basically stretched the volume of the repeats as far as they could, and ended up with max 60ish % of volume, OR full wet with with no dry signal at all. I know that I made it a lot worse by dialing in the tone knob for rather dark repeats, AND always using at least one dirt pedal in front. Dunno if running it trough an fx loop might help, but my current amps don't have loops anyway...

But yeah, I also suspect modding it would be pricey, if it's even at all possible in the first place...

[frigid midget]

Just from what you're saying, it sounds like you really just have to narrow down which one you want between the Waza DM-2 and MF-Delay.

I agree, and I think it would reasonable to expect either of those pedals to be well made and reliable. I have an ES-2 and I hope it doesn't capitulate any time soon. The oscillation mode is quite unique and it would be difficult to achieve a similar effect with the aforementioned Boss or Moog pedals.

One inexpensive pedal I have been quite impressed with recently is the Ibanez Analog Delay Mini.

Yeah, the oscillation mode kinda sets it apart from the rest of the flock. Plus 1 sec of delay time AND tap tempo...That's pretty unseen in that price range. Seemed too good to be true, right

Good luck with yours. I can just say I never abused mine, and had to send my first one back after one whopping week cause it completely died on me for no apparant reason....:/

That tiny Ibanez delay...Don't know, I'm not crazy about the idea of buying yet another cheap delay from the same company that gave me a cheap delay pedal that crapped the bed short after the warranty expired. But just like with the ES-2, the specs seem ligit. Less than half the size and price of an AD9, and twice the delay time...tempting :/

[Willem]

And what about a Supa Puss?
Otherwise, if you're in the game for an expensive analog delay, you can try to find a Diamond ML2.

[frigid midget]

And what about a Supa Puss?
Otherwise, if you're in the game for an expensive analog delay, you can try to find a Diamond ML2.

Well...There's expensive, and than there's $600. I could afford it, but so far there seem to be plenty of options in the 120-220 range
Awesome pedlol I'm sure, but for $600 I'd rather buy a guitar...Or three $200 pedals

Also, it doesn't have to be as tiny as that mini ibanez, but something like the ML2 needs a pedalboard twice the size of my current board

The supa puss on the other hand...Seems to have the right features/controls, without going overboard on gimmicks/price/size. And if the basic repeats and the modulation sound anything like on the Supa Puss I had, it should keep me happy for a while
I might have to keep my eyes open for one of these

[Willem]

I bought my DML2 for 300€, it's big but I don't regret that it takes up to 3 pedals space on my board I have 3 delay sounds in it too

[Boxbie]

I really didn't like the ML jr. Definitely not in ES-2 territory. Try a guyatone MD-3. They're the shiz or[TD-X if your superbad].