Analog Man Boss DD-5 Reverse Delay Mod

I got both the high-cut and the reverse kill delay mod to my DD5. It's just a little more complicated to use than the stock DD5, because of the kill switch. I thought it would be able to footswitch on & off in pure reverse mode, but that's not the case. If you want to activate a pure reverse sound, you need to use it with a line selector and leave it on all the time. As it is, when I want the cool reverse effect, I have to step on the delay to turn it on, then reach down and flick the "kill" switch by hand... a minor annoyance. But it would be really improved if he could work out how to make it totally footswitchable.

Of course the DD5 is a digital delay, which Mike improved by leaps and bounds with his high-cut mod. He installs a three position switch. The middle is uneffected, in case you want that cold, accurate digital delay sound. Then to the left is some high-cut in the feedback loop, then to the right is MORE high-cut in the feedback loop. Putting the cut in the feedback loop is genius because it progressively degrades the echo repeats, similar to an analog delay. Because I like analog delay sounds, if I were going to use this delay just for a straight delay, I would definitely use the MORE high-cut setting. Anyway, Mike's high-cut saves this delay from the garbage heap for me. Cool!

The backward stuff you get when the kill switch is activated is just surreal and fantastic. I just got the mod done, so I need to get a bit more skilled at using it. I think I can learn how to make sounds that sound better reversed... you know, anticipate the way the attack will sound as a decay and vice-versa. The cool thing about playing a reverse sound in real time is that even though the sounds are reversed, because the delay time is only for a finite period, you can still guide the chord progression and (to a limited extent) the melody as well. As long as you keep your notes long. It's just fantastic. So much fun to noodle with. I can't wait to unleash it on an audience.

I use this delay with a Fender Jazzmaster guitar and a '69 Marshall Super Lead 100w amp. I use a few other effects, notably two other delays.. a Maxon AD999 (analog delay for solos & general niceness) and an Ibanez DM1100 (digital delay for weird loops). The backward DD5 is a nice disorienting addition to my psychedelic arsenal. Thanks Mike!

Looks pretty solid, but very little experience with it. Boss stuff is pretty tough.

Unbelievable turn-around time, super responsive communication. Cool guy!

This will fit right in with the sonic stuff I get into. Sounds great with the amp dimed!

The only reason I can't give the modification higher than an 8 is the whole switching issue. There must be a cleaner way to rig that.

Just flick the kill switch that Mike installs, set the selector to Reverse mode, and have fun;0)

Hey guys... it's a digital pedal and it will sound the same as before, save for the dry signal cut... I'm reviewing Mike's mod to it which didn't make it any noisier, so it gets a 10.

Boss pedals are built solid, and it's a quality installation on the new switch so I would gig with it sans backup.

Excellent customer service, quick turnaround for a mod... especially when Mike is so busy building Bi-Comprossers these days! (I'm on the waiting list for one of those too).

I had the mod done because We're in the studio working on our second CD, and I'm using the modded dd5 on one song to get a particular sound and feel... it's not the kind of thing I'll use a lot, but it is a very cool effect!

Super Simple! Set it to KILL and Mode 6 and and you get the REVERSE without the Dry signal mucking it up. VERY COOL EFFECT. Switch the KILL OFF and the pedal is back to stock.

Analogman's MOD doesnt change the fact that it's a Digital Pedal. BUT the reverse sound VERY COOL.

Well it's a Boss so it should Hold up. But I guess since the pedal was "Modified" Boss 5 year war goes out the door.

ANALOG MIKE IS THE BEST!!! Mike, quickly responds to emails and answers many of my DUMB questions! A TRUE CLASS ACT!!

I play mostly Alt Rock stuff. My gear is as follows and growing
Les Paul Special/Fender Strat 62 RI MIJ to boss TU-2, Teese RMC 1 wah, Carl Martin Comp/Limiter, Ibanez TS (808 mod), Boss DD-5 w/ analogman's reverse MOD to a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 201 combo and growing.
The effect is cool to mess around with and something you should consider having in your chain especially ifyou already have this pedal or are thinking about getting a DD-5 you should have this MOD done to have 1 more cool effect.

Check out www.analogman.com for details on how the mod looks and works. Mike will put a "kill" switch on top of the pedal, so it's as easy as flicking the switch!!! However, please note that once flicked, the switch will "kill" any of the direct signal in ANY of the DD-5's delay modes.

The mod does not seem to make the pedal any noisier (which I was worried about). The "kill" switch enables you to cancel the direct signal to only make the reverse delay sound come out. Although it works best for the "reverse" mode of the pedal, the switch will kill any direct sound on any of the other modes as well. I was having fun for a while just using a regular delay mode, set-it up reasonably long, then play a riff and being able to hear it played back for me 2 seconds later. It's funny how hearing back what you just played makes you more aware of inacuracies in your technique. (This might be a good practice tool to get some licks down).
Back to the reverse mode. The sound quality is great. You can really hear old Hendrix reverse tape tricks or licks ala John Frusciante in "give it away" (Red Hot Chili peppers). The first thing I did when trying it out was to zero out the feedback knob so I would only get one sound with no repeats. My big problem with this mod is that it is practically impossible to do anything live with it as what you are hearing is always delayed from what you are playing. Even when putting the delay time as short as possible, the sound takes a little while to come out. I guess this has nothing to do with the quality of the mod, but I just did not think about this enough to realise that live reverse solos were gonna be so hard to do. Again, the only thing comming out of the amp is the repeat, nothing else. So you have to think ahead. I'm sure a little practice might enable me more control over the timing of things. Nonetheless, this is a good mod for psychedelic players who like to creat soundscapes and such as it will give you some pretty trippy sound out of basic blues licks. Actually, a strong left hand vibrato makes for great reverse sounds. Try it out with a good fuzz face sound too.... yummy...

The mod looks solid. I have not tried it with my full pedalboard set-up yet (over a dozen pedals) but so far it does not seem to make the signal any buzzier which is important. I'm sure if I have any problems, that Mike "Analog Man" will help me out. Mike also stamped the pedal with his little logo as well as put a sticker on the front. I'm sure I'll get questions on it at my next gig... cause when it comes to effects, I look like I know what I'm talking about now! This is not your standard DD-5 anymore!!

Mike is a gentleman and is very courteous and very prompt.
His emails are nice and to the point. His mod took the least amount of time possible.

A solid mod that I think will be great for recordings, a bit hard to use for live stuff. Next time I don't know what to do for a solo, I'll use the mod and make some trippy reverse stuff!