Belcat DLY-303 Delay

3 Knobs: Rate/Depth/Repeat, no scale. Pots are weak, almost move by themselves.

Amazing. This is a very warm, very analog sounding pedal. Great slapback, nice kind of lo-fi, vintage delays.
Imagine the contrary of a Boss digital delay.
It sucks tone, ok, but less - or different - than my ibanez fl-9 and pt-9. It??s quiet.
I own an TC vintage delay and a MEK PT-80, both fantastic, analog sounding delays. The Belcat is a piece of junk with trashy pots, jacks and switch - but its sound is comparable.
I used it with a JTM-45 clone and my custom-made "Jazzcasters" with Texas Specials and Reverend P90s. I liked it.

I had it on my board and removed it - carefully . If I would have kicked it off, it would be broken now.
If you want to know if you can depend on it, open it. It??s a joke!
Do not step on it.

Ever dealt with China?

If you want I warm sounding, very musical delay for less than a good cable costs - buy the Belcat.
With eyes closed it sounds like 5 times its price.
I??m playing for 18 years starting with metal and ending up with Jazz. I do a lot touring with a pop/rock-coverband. I play without backups so I need stompboxes to stomp on.
If you use it at home and switch it by hand - you??ll like it.

Easy as falling off a bike, though less painful.

It has character, and for $50AUD it really is good value.
Little muddy, little dark

Generally short timed can be pushed by a bit of voltage on the middle pin of the delay time knob to go longer, but then you degenerate into static.

Can't be modded to self oscillate :(

I'm using it on synth and guitar. Can be modded by CV sources to do some unusual and cool things. Vibrato on pitch dropping echoes for one ;)

I actually broke it when circuit bending but some how it works BETTER than before.

Longer delay than before too!

The case is solid and the foot switch is of a decent design.
Its all surface mounted devices so not really "modder" friendly.

But if you DON'T go poking around it'll last years and years.

Its a good match for anyone who wants to get into delay on the cheap.
I've been playing since 92 but never really got into delay until relatively recently.

I've owned Line6's DM4 and have a Malekko Echo Dark as well as an Electro Harmonix #1echo.

Its pretty nice for the money, I prefer it over digital though it ain't going to beat the Malekko for pure degenerated dirt.

Three knobs.Very easy to use.Provided new with no manual.But do you need one?Bit of a one trick pony when it comes to getting a sound out of it.

As i have said....sound wise a bit of a one trick pony.Some people will say that it sounds warm others will say muddy.But for me it sounds fine.I do feel that Belcat would be onto a real winner tho if this pedal had controlable self oscillation(or infinate feedback).Will somebody respond to these reviews to say if there is a mod that will work to get self oscillation, and one that is user adjustable?

Only owned for one week.But looks like solid unit.

N/A

Good but very basic pedal.Would like to know if any modifications to this pedal would work.

Branded in Australia as "Crossfire", with a little sticker on the front.

Simple to use. Three knobs, RATE, LEVEL, REPEAT.

Up to 350ms which is perfect for me. On prior digital units with several seconds of delay I liked to use 333ms so this unit is perfect for me.

Great sound quality, no background hiss (unlike the chorus, grrr). Repeats are clear and juicy. It is amazing just how harsh and cold digital delay is after using this.

I have had digital delays, a Zoom 2020, Zoom 5050, G2.1u, and an Ibanez CS-5. The CS-5 rocks if you can cope with a short delay. The Belcat stomps over all the above for clarity of sound and fullness of tone.

Never missed a beat yet. Some things about it are that everything is mounted to the pcb, the switch, the plastic jacks, the pots. The case is strong and compact. As long as you don't step on the guitar leads plugged into the jacks which I imagine would break them, it should be fine.

I emailed them about hiss in my chorus. They wouldn't provide a schematic or layout but they did at least reply in a timely and nice fashion. The chorus got put on eBay about 5 seconds after receiving this email.

I really believe in the good sounds this pedal makes. It has good low noise, no hum, clicks, tick, pops or miscellaneous nonsense a bad design can cause.

It is a really fantastic pedal. I liked the chorus heaps to, but it has this hiss which through high gain amp sounded all the worse. This delay has no such shortcommings.

This pedal is simple to use!No instructions to confuse you and the controls are very straight forward.Some time references would be handy but for $45 Australian you can't really go wrong.

Pedal sounds great.I'm using mine between a preamp and power amp on a left(stereo setup) channel to get a doubling effect.
The minimum time is a bit long so if anyone knows how to change this it would be great.Havn't been able to contact jim<dot>com!(Previous reviewer)

Coz I have it rackmounted it's away from danger but I don't think it would have any problems at gigs.The footswitch is similar to those in the Line6 Floorboard so...Make ur own conclusion there...

In terms of customer support my unit is called a Crossfire DLY-303 and so was hard to track down.This is probably the only area that I don't like about this pedal.

Comparing this to a Boss DD3 in terms of sound quality it is gets a thrashing.BUT at $45 it's definately a keeper.If the minimum time was shorter i'd buy another!For my situation it does the job AND without too much noise.

Follow up to my previous review, third one I think- the one that mentions Keith Richards MXR sound. It's funny because one of the guys that reviewed after said the earlier reviews were vague, and IMO his was the most vague! Ok, now I digress... I've been using it for rehearsal several months now.

Why I came back, is one I found the misplaced soundtank echomachine. On an A/B, I'd say they were both equally cool for noodling solo (uh-huh-huh that's pretty funny butt-munch), but the belcat was more musical in a group situation. So this would be a good choice even for a gig pedal if you're on a budget and would leave the pedal on all the time for light echo. (True bypass is a moot point when you're using the effect!).

I'd say if it were plugged on a board and not stomped much it would last a while.

I doubt there is any, they are just private label products made under contract and have different brand names depending where you get it from. Sometimes they say Belcat or they may say Nevada and it's called something else in Australia, but they are the exact same box.

Hi marks based on the price.

Mods: connect 10K resistor in parallel with R4 to for infinite delays/feedback.
R18 controls delay time range swap out for 4.7K resistor for ultra short delays or 47K for super long (600ms maybe)

I bought this pedal from ebay after reading some reviews on this site and they were a bit vague so i bought it anyway and took a risk i mean it was only ??25 so what is there to lose? This pedal is so easy to use nothing too complicated just does what it says on the tin 3 controls, rate level and repeat.
There isnt a manual with it but the thing is so easy to use it would be a waste of paper to be honest.

There is a great delay on this pedal its just as good as some of the more expensive pedals and half the price. As soon as you engage the switch it comes straight on and begins the delay effect. I've not really experimented with too many delay effects pedals but if you are after a simple delay pedal with some slight delay variation speeds then this pedal will fo the job just fine.
I tried the pedal in different positions in my effects chain and found that it works best last in the chain (i.e the last effect before it connects to the amp). I think that it loses some of its sound qaulity if you put it after any other effects but placed last in the chain it doesnt seem to cause a problem.

I havent gigged with the pedal yet but it seems pretty sturdy. Its a metal construction with a rubber bottom and a plastic battery cover similar to the battery covers you get on cry baby wah pedals. I will be using it to gig so yes i think it is dependable.

I havent yet had to deal with the company and don think i will

I play a variation of styles but they mainly rotate around rock music. Ive been playing for 6 years and have experimented with many effects be they friends pedals or pedalss in the shops. If it were lost or stolen i wouldnt be overly upset but i would definately replace it with a similar model or i would upgrade to another brand. I think that some of these delay pedals on the market are a bit overpriced and if all you are after is a simple delay effect then the belcat is definately the pedal you should get. It helps a lot with my new band as in some sections they are after a kind of psychedelic feel and with this on board it really helps.

No manual but nice packaging. A jewelry type box the same size as the pedal to protect it if it's not on a board (and doesn't take up excess room in a gig bag). I bought this almost sight unseen with no H-C reviews i.e. the previous poster just put this in right after I received mine. I found one mention from a fellow in the UK on Usenet (groups.google.com) who also had a myspace link. Since it was posted a few months ago, I contacted him and asked if it's still a keeper and he said yes. Perhaps my email prompted him to review here?? If so, hi E! I'd say at the very least it will serve as a good rehearsal pedal. I'll have to use it in that regard for a while before trusting it.

I wanted to A,B,C this with a Maxon AD-900, the Belcat, and an Ibanez Soundtank "Echomachine." I misplaced the Ibanez however, so I had to settle for A-B. Quite honestly, the Belcat sounds a little better than the Maxon (a $400 pedal at the time). Of course with the Maxon you'll have more piece of mind when gigging as it's a very solid piece of equipment (get to my concerns with the Belcat next section). But the sound of the Belcat is quite cool, for a quick reference refer to Keith Richards' echo on "Undercover of the Night." IMO, the Maxon sounds a bit too clean, not digital clean but there's a sterileness and lack of sci-fi spaceyness to it which the belcat has. It won't feedback forever like a boss or Ibanez when tweaking the controls but it will woosh and swirl when twiddling the delay time.

One minor concern is the level control isn't granular enough at the lower mix (left) end of the spectrum. IOW, it goes from off to a somewhat strong mix a bit quicker than I would like as I prefer more option the left end, YMMV. The Usenet reviewer also observed that on the right side (higher) levels the repeats were too strong on the attack/beginning side of the repeat. I think that is the "Keef" factor of the old MXR echo which I actually like, but with the level lower it's not overbearing.

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure that it's analog and the only clue is the 350ish millisecond delay time. If it's not bucket brigade they did one heck of a modeling job, but I'm fairy sure it's not digital.

On the outside it appears tank like because of the metal "MXR" type enclosure, and this is a cool thing. It does have a plastic bottom, but it is pretty solid and the batt compartment is a neat design. Inside however, it's just a notch above those little Danoelectro "fast food" pedals that were out a few years ago (Where you can still hear the effect when the pedal is off). None of that crap with the Belcat Delay.

However, you have an approx 2x2" board with the 1/4 jacks mounted on it. The foot switch looks heavy duty on the outside, but on the inside it just depresses a little plunger type stick that pushes a button mounted on the board. Similar to the membrane buttons on a cell phone's board. So replacing with a true bypass switch isn't do-able as a drop and solder job (if do-able at all, I have no experience working with PC boards).

BTW, regarding the foot switch, I urge you to open it and press with your thumb while watching the inside. It will become obvious how to treat the switch; You don't need to pounce on it, and if your switch is a bit sticky when new you'll have no worry when you find out it's only a plunger to push down the real membrane switch, so treat it like a sticky key on a computer keyboard.

For $29 US -> N/A.

How can I give a 10 overall for something with 7's and 9s?? Because it's only 30 bucks/20 quid, that's why! Great deal for the money and not as goofy as a dano pedal.

In general, I think analog delays are a big ripoff (regarding the rest of the market, not the belcat). There can't be anything sacred about analog chips as they can be produced in the thousands for only a few dollars. Hopefully a device like this might bring down the competition. My opinion is that the best analog delays shouldn't be much more than a typical overdrive pedal.

As easy as my old Boss DM-2 Delay. Just rate, depth and repeat controls.

For ??20, very good. I could not build one for this price! It is not as transparent as some but I would use my Akai Headrush if I want prestine delays with a tap tempo. I bought this so I could have a delay when I am using that pedal as a looper.

Tried it with true bypass looper and compared complete bypasss to effect off but guitar going through the pedal. True bypass was slightly brighter but not as much as I expected. At a typical gig you would probably not even notice - unlike the similar price Behringer pedals which seem to kill all tone.

I have not gigged with it yet but pretty good impressions.

The box is a good solid metal one with removable battery compartment. This compartment is hard plastic so could snap if handled roughly (then so did the ones on old Dod pedals). Paint looks like powder coating but the transfers do not look so tough. The "Delay" on mine was chipped before I got it out of the box.

The switching is electronic (ie the switch pushes a micro swith on the circuit board so that would be a problem if it went wrong). If it did I would wire up a 3PDT switch for true mechanical bypass anyway.

I will keep saying this as the last and subseuent reviewers will: it cost me ??24, with packing and postage. I always say you cna never have enough distortion / overdrive pedals and I build my own and own several.

My pedalboard features T-Rex, Dyatone, Voodoo Labs, Boss and MXR pedals so I am pretty fussy about tone. I would use this at a gig.