Boss DD-3: Tone suck?

[Blitzie]

I am torn between two pedals. I played with a Boss DD-3 in Guitar Center today and it sounded pretty good. Good enough, in fact, to make me question my GAS for a Hardwire DL-8. Especially since I can find used Boss' for around $80.

Anyone have any recommendations either way? My biggest fear will be that the Boss will suck my tone because I'll be putting it through the front of my amp. The Hardwire is true bypass but with a higher price tag, I am wondering if it is worth it.

 

[Mr. Willy]

I love mine. Haven't noticed any tone suck.

 

[Blitzie]

Are you playing with high gain?

 

[axemane]

Put the Delay in the loop(if at all possible)

 

[Badronald]

I've used a DD-5 forever and have never noticed any tone suck.

 

[steve_k]

Depends on what you are after with the delay. For home wankery, recording and wow stuff in an FX loop, the higher end boxes can surely shine. If it is for playing live, higher gain and in front of the amp, a DD3 is tough to beat for a little separation or as a hard hitting delay. I have a Strymon, Providence and Eventide delays which are now back in their respective boxes to be sold once I get around to it. In front of the amp, they just don't hit the way I want them to. The DD3 always wins for me and ends up back on the board. The one I use is an Analogman modded DD3 and I have had it for about 10 years now. I don't anything about the DL-8 though.

Steve

 

[Blitzie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjnw9AkFjQ

THAT is the tone I am after. I have a good reverb and I've been searching for the proper delay and I feel like the DD-3 could do it. I'm not gonna be playing out at all, I just mess around at home.

And I would put it through the loop, but I'm playing at home with my Splawn Nitro and I use the loop volume as a bit of an attenuator and by activating the loop, I can't use it like that. So I put the reverb and delay through the front of the amp.

Thanks for your input everyone. Much appreciated.

 

[Badronald]

Depends on what you are after with the delay. For home wankery, recording and wow stuff in an FX loop, the higher end boxes can surely shine. If it is for playing live, higher gain and in front of the amp, a DD3 is tough to beat for a little separation or as a hard hitting delay. I have a Strymon, Providence and Eventide delays which are now back in their respective boxes to be sold once I get around to it. In front of the amp, they just don't hit the way I want them to. The DD3 always wins for me and ends up back on the board. The one I use is an Analogman modded DD3 and I have had it for about 10 years now. I don't anything about the DL-8 though.

Steve

Hmmm.....I've had a lot of booteek amps and pedals over the years and at home they all sounded great, but with bands they didn't work for me.
That's a big discussion right there....

 

[Greazygeo]

So I put the reverb and delay through the front of the amp.

If your amp is distorted......it will not sound good.

 

[steve_k]

Depends on what you are after with the delay. For home wankery, recording and wow stuff in an FX loop, the higher end boxes can surely shine. If it is for playing live, higher gain and in front of the amp, a DD3 is tough to beat for a little separation or as a hard hitting delay. I have a Strymon, Providence and Eventide delays which are now back in their respective boxes to be sold once I get around to it. In front of the amp, they just don't hit the way I want them to. The DD3 always wins for me and ends up back on the board. The one I use is an Analogman modded DD3 and I have had it for about 10 years now. I don't anything about the DL-8 though.

Steve

Hmmm.....I've had a lot of booteek amps and pedals over the years and at home they all sounded great, but with bands they didn't work for me.
That's a big discussion right there....

Yeah, we haven't had a good delay discussion in a while but your results are worth talking about and similar probably to where I was headed with it. No doubt loads of fantastic delay units out there. I think one of the problems is that they are all analog echo sorts of pedals, which have a completely different thing going on. Maybe digital delay is where it is at for me and less of the vintage tape echo type FX. Just depends on what you are going for though.

Anyway, I will have a Strymon El Cap, a Providence Chrono and an Eventide in the 4-sale box if interested.

Steve

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I've said this countless times but Shenker still uses the DD-3 or DD-5 so clearly, nice boutique box doesn't mean much to him. In front of the amp, I was not a fan of mine. I think ya gotta go loop unless you are getting distortion from a box in which case it works awesome. It might also work if you have an amp set to just crunching up and then have a disto box on the ground and delay after that box. If I were you, I'd pick up that visual sound Axle grease delay. The more I watch the demos the more i dig that pedal! If my loop was not line level the Gmajor II would be gone in a second and replaced with one of these. 60 bucks can't go wrong. Hell buy two.

 

[cihankoseoglu]

well first off, if you are going to use the preamp distortion , your tone would suck anytime anywhere. you have to use it in the loop. and my personal opinion is that boss stompboxes are really not for me. if you're looking for a great deal on delay pedals go for the hardwire OR the flashback from TC. if you're looking for something cheaper , i'd suggest getting an EHX memory toy, which is not that much of a sucky pedal . i'd go for the flashback

 

[Blitzie]

I have a Memory Boy and I don't like it at all. I want something with preset delays and the Boss is cheaper than the Hardwire and the Flashback.

I will try it through the loop as well. I will just have to do a bunch more tone tweaking.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[steve_k]

I've said this countless times but Shenker still uses the DD-3 or DD-5 so clearly, nice boutique box doesn't mean much to him. In front of the amp, I was not a fan of mine. I think ya gotta go loop unless you are getting distortion from a box in which case it works awesome. It might also work if you have an amp set to just crunching up and then have a disto box on the ground and delay after that box. If I were you, I'd pick up that visual sound Axle grease delay. The more I watch the demos the more i dig that pedal! If my loop was not line level the Gmajor II would be gone in a second and replaced with one of these. 60 bucks can't go wrong. Hell buy two.

I've often run two delays as well for different settings. Set the DD3 to hit fairly hard @ 500ms or so, then have the Carbon Copy on the board set up for more of a smooth, lush echo/tape delay or tighter delay for more of a verb on leads. Some of the original Boss (MIJ) pedals are still the best around, if you ask me. But who's asking

 

[Black Ice]

Most delays won't behave nicely in front of a distorted amp, especially with any levels of high gain. Use that loop if its an option (didn't see you mention an amp above so not sure if you have that option)

For the DD3 itself, they get the job done just fine. Personally, bouteek delays are way overkill for my needs. However, that doesn't stop the curiosity the timeline has created for me

 

[steve_k]

Most delays won't behave nicely in front of a distorted amp, especially with any levels of high gain. Use that loop if its an option (didn't see you mention an amp above so not sure if you have that option)

For the DD3 itself, they get the job done just fine. Personally, bouteek delays are way overkill for my needs. However, that doesn't stop the curiosity the timeline has created for me

The DD3 runs fine in front of gain. That's why I keep coming back to it and putting the booooooooteeeeeeek delays back in the box.

 

[Blitzie]

Most delays won't behave nicely in front of a distorted amp, especially with any levels of high gain. Use that loop if its an option (didn't see you mention an amp above so not sure if you have that option)

For the DD3 itself, they get the job done just fine. Personally, bouteek delays are way overkill for my needs. However, that doesn't stop the curiosity the timeline has created for me

I'm running a Splawn Nitro. I use the effects loop volume as an attenuator, which is why I was trying to avoid using the loop.

 

[tripstan]

Most delays won't behave nicely in front of a distorted amp, especially with any levels of high gain. Use that loop if its an option (didn't see you mention an amp above so not sure if you have that option)

For the DD3 itself, they get the job done just fine. Personally, bouteek delays are way overkill for my needs. However, that doesn't stop the curiosity the timeline has created for me

I'm running a Splawn Nitro. I use the effects loop volume as an attenuator, which is why I was trying to avoid using the loop.

I do the same but run my volume pedal before the delays so it lowers the volume on everything. I love using a VP in the loop as a attenuator.

 

[Blitzie]

So I got the DD-3 and put in front of the amp. You guys were right in saying that I would have to have the level and amount of repeats pretty low, but it works PERFECTLY for what I needed it for. I'm totally happy with it.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Zachman]

I used an OLD Boss DD2 in the loop of mentoneman's Egnater TOL100 in this clip. I think it sounded great!