Boss DD-20

It took me a few hours of tinkering around with it to figure out all the modes, and how to work them, but the manual is perfect! There are a butt load of sounds you can get from this machine!!!

My set up is a Epiphone Les Paul Standard -> BOSS TU-2 -> BOSS DD-20 -> Traynor Custom Valve 40, and it sounds awesome! There are 11 different modes, some more usefull than others, and as a lot of people have said TWIST is coll, but i would probably never use it in a gig. Im a big U2 fan and you can get all of The Edge's sounds out of this baby. Sound on Sound is the ideal mode for practicing solos, and taty licks, just lay down a basic rhythm line, and play some lead over top, it rocks!

I just bought it, but it is Boss, it will never die!

Never delt with them

If you're not big on delay it might be a bit to much for you, you might want a DD-3 or DD-6, but if you are big on delay it is perfect for you!

if you have owned the line 6 delay, or maybe another boss delay then it's fairly easy to use. i figured out how to use it about 75% without the manual, but after i read it i found out all the little tricks, like switching it to one head or two heads for the tape delay setting. the one thing i dont like is that you have to choose between having the right pedal be a settings selector OR tap tempo. to change it you have to hold it down for 3 seconds. i plan on getting the footswitch so i can use both.

this is my third delay pedal. i owned the dd-6, the line 6, and now this. i traded the dd-6 towards the stupid line 6. that thing died after only having it for 6 months. just straight died. stopped working. i have never owned a tape or analog delay or anything like that, so i cant say if the models on this pedal are great compared to those, but i can say that it sounds much better than the line 6, and practically has the dd-6 in it. i really really like this pedal. my setup is (come on everyone likes to flaunt their setup so just lemme do it): boss ns-2, ernie ball volume, boss tu-2, crybaby special edition, ehx doctor q (vintage), boss cs-3, boss oc-3, ibanez ts-9, mxr phase 90, ibanez cs-9 (vintage), digitech talker, then the delay. so as you can see i love boss pedals. basically, the thing is dope. much better than any other delay on the market today.

ever wonder why line 6 has a one year warrantee and boss has FIVE years? boss is the only brand of pedals that i have never ever had one single problem with. ever.

i have never had to deal with boss.

its definately a great pedal. who doesnt love boss? the one thing i do wish it had was the volume swell setting like the line 6 has, which is why i bought a whole new volume pedal when i sold the line 6. either way, definately worth checking out if you're looking for a delay.

Its pretty complicated. Takes some tinkering and playing around with, for sure. Its worth it though.

This has many sound qualities. A lot of tweakable settings, a lot of noise making potential. I play psych/garage rock, using a 2x12 tube combo and a large chain of effects. its definitely true that you need to right power voltage or you get noise. The pedal does have a bit of that digital edge to it, so if you really want pure analog sound you probably won't be so into this one. But, it does a good analog mimic, and can do a number of other things as well. I have found the 'warp' setting to be one of the best tools for soloing that I've ever come across. Very useful

So far so good.

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This is an amazingly useful pedal. Can do a thousand things. If you find a good deal and you're thinking about it, just get it. You won't regret...

It is very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. But being that it is delay and has a number of different delay types reading the manual is recommended. Example, when I was trying this out in GuiCenter I couldn't wait to get home to try the warp and twist (I wasn't getting right in the store), after reading the manual and then trying the warp and twist I realized I'll never use those delays again.

The unit is very quiet and is the last effect in my chain before my amp (Mesa Nomad 45 4x10). Again, the twist and warp feature are not for me I thought my amp was going to explode the one time I tried the twist feature. The Level knob seems to act as a wet/dry effect, the more level the more the unit just sounds like a delay. With the level at about 12 o'clock gives me the right balance of guitar and effect. The pedal shows no bias towards my LP Std. or G&L Legacy, it's quiet either way and my Les Paul's signal doesn't blow it away like it does my analog phaser (also a Boss Ph-1r). Aside from the "warp" and "twist" all the delays sound great. I especially like the analog delay, it's got that lo-fi thing going for it. I would give this a 10 if not for the warp and twist. If I was at a show and the guitarist kept using the "twist" effect I'd know that the guitar playing had been playing guitar for about 5 minutes to a week or that I was simply at the wrong show. The "warp" and "twist" almost made think I had bought a toy.

I've had this pedal for a non-gigging year and no problems so far. My other boss pedals refuse to stop working, amazing!

I've never dealt with the company outside of buying their products.

I auditioned the DD-20 and the Line 6 DL-4. I desperatley wanted to favor the Line 6 since it seems just about everyone is using one in some facet. But it just isn't better than the DD-20. You just have to ask yourself what you need and how you will use it. The Line 6 had more models, but more doesn't make it better, couple that with the fact that I only wanted a few. And I'm definitely not saying that the DL-4 is inferior. I almost used the "twist" and "warp" as an excuse to buy the DL-4. But I couldn't get past the backlit display on the DD-20. I appreciate being able to see where I'm at on the delay scale (how fast or slow), it spoils you. And then throw in the four slots for your own custom tweaks and the fifth (first) slot for on the fly tweaking. I am very pleased with this unit. I think the DL-4 and the DD-20 are both great delays, but the DD-20's features did it for me. I like the idea of being able to go between a splapback delay and reverse delay a the step of a button instead of a twist of a knob.Bands that are currently seeing high rotation in my CD player are Kaiser Chiefs, THE THE, The Cult, Queens of the Stone Age, Brant Bjork, Mary's Danish, Los Super Seven, Ryan Adams, Guided by Voices. I have a long drive to work!

It is not an easy unit to edit the patches and get the right sound. But it has a very good manual and after some hours using it I know how to do most of the things in this machine.

There is no noise. I am using the following setup: Yamaha RGX121D -> Onerr Wah -> Boss DS1 -> GT2 -> AMP Send -> Danelectro chilidog -> Boss PS5 -> DOD FX75 -> Boss CE5 -> Boss DD20 -> AMP return. The amp I am using is a Warm Music 112gt.

There are some features that are completely useless, such as the WARP mode and TWIST. I think I will never need them, but if I need they will be right there waiting for me =P.

But overall, the delay modes sounds completely awesome and I can have any delay I want.

It looks very well built. No opinion because I have been using it for 5 days.

Never dealt

This is the best delay I have ever seen. It have many many features and the sound is really good. If I lose it I will buy another one ASAP.

The manual is not nearly as helpful as I'd like.

Today's peeve: I spent an hour trying to figure out how to re-start a loop I'd built with the Sound On Sound (SOS) function. The answer: you can't re-start it. If you stop the loop, it's lost. Which is completely idiotic. The Line 6 DL-4 does this effortlessly.

Also, on the SOS function, once the loop is built, it's not very easy to kick over to the delays. The ease depends heavily on which pedal function you choose, and the best one for the SOS messes up the rest of my usage.

On the dual delay, the short delay only goes up to 100 miliseconds - which basically creates a chorus effect, but no more.

The sounds themselves are pretty decent, though.

It's well built.

Very easy to get a good sound. Editing is done with knobs, not menus.
The manual spelled it all out. There is a data wheel-type knob for setting the delay time (besides a tap tempo), which might take a few tunes to get from a short delay to a long delay. The 'tempo' button selects whether the delayed notes are whole, half, quarter, or triplet value. It would be neat if you could change this with your feet as well.

I use it for electronic ambient music as well, and I loop audio sources, filters, guitars, and synthesizers with it. A great pedal.

I usually run a setup like this: 335, strat, or acoustic into a Dyna Comp (for strat or acoustic)-Keeley modded Blues Driver-Ernie Ball volume-DD-20-Fender Twin or Laney acoustic/electric amp.
It isn't noisy at all. I love using it to create a very subtle wash behind what I'm doing (low fx volume, higher amount of feedback). SOS (sound on sound) can actually be used to create rhythmic loops for live use, but it's a little nerve-racking.

Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Terje Rypdal, Robert Fripp: this unit let's you have as much fun as them!

The Twist and Warp settings are scary: you could blow your speakers with them. The tape delay is great: the echos darken over time, lending a complexity to your signal.

Very reliable, solid.

I play ECM style chamber jazz and ambient music. This pedal is a great deal, and has opened up the world of longer delays to me.

Chose it over the Line 6 DL4, the smaller boss delays, and many more pedals because of the different delay types, the delay time, and the control surface (real-time knob turning).

Sometimes I wish for more time in the sound on sound mode, but 20 seconds is beautiful.

I can intuit music with the DD-20.

A simple intuitive interface, easy to work with and equally easy to remember. If you are unable to work this stay off the fwy.

The sound quality is remarkable it accurately emulates the tape delay and the bucket brigade. I Ab'd this against a Maxon Ad999 and it is as good if not better. The maxon does not allow you to eq the repeats the DD20 does. I am using this with a Bassman LTD and a antiquity equipped telecaster custom. The sound is staggering try the rest and then buy this pedal. I bought the T-rex, it went back after two days. The brown button on the T rex does not even come close to a bucket brigade delay over priced over hyped, the controls do not even make sense the delay time seems to me to work backwards. That could just be me expecting the world to follow given interface rules. This pedal will do it all, it is rare that a pedal will improve your sound this will. Oh I know it is not true bypass, go to Loooper.com. Yes I agree the Maxon is great but who wants multiple delay pedals on the floor? Not me. The Maxon is just too limiting. Oh and to close, Pedal power 2+ is now available so no longer do you have to run away from this pedal because of the PSA requirements 200ma. Voodoo labs say they will mod a pedal power 2 for free if you need this requirement.

Has a boss pedal ever died? One day we may have to build houses out of them rather than send them to the landfill.

Some of the other roland websites can be more helpfull than the US one but I remain optimistic. Come on roland US you can do better.

The only improvement I would like is an easier latching tap pedal and a smaller case. Fantastic Value, T-rex=$400, Maxon Ad999=$350 or $250 from jp. The DD-20 $179+20 for the supply. The economics on the other pedals do not add up. I would buy this again in a heartbeat.

i found it easy to use but hey this isn't my first piece of FX gear. the manual is OK and though it breezes over everything far too briefly to call it great, it does the job. i guess i had to reference it a couple of times in the beginning but only for deeper control (i.e. changing the output settings, etc), and to be honest this is hardly a bad thing, the non-obvious 'extras' are actually the thoughtful touches that really make this more of a professional piece of gear, and far more flexible than your average stomp box. real thinking was obviously put into this thing and it pays off. to take full advantage of it, i guess you'll have to put some thought into it yourself as well, but it's still easy to plug and play, so EASE = 10.

i hate to throw around "10s" for sound, but at the very least i agree with whoever wrote it's a 9.5 for sure. nothing's perfect, but i was really addicted to it right out of the box, which is rare. it's just that nice. i had been a bit annoyed with my fussy (old) analog delays, but i felt good about the DD-20 right away, and the definite lack of 1s and 0s in the sound.

i was also nervous about all the 'modes' if only because the more variety they (boss or whoever) throw at one unit the worse they usually end up sounding , but each one is distinct, tweakable and usable (and for what it's worth, i like warp and twist, they might not be bread and butter delays but they're far from bad sounding or useless).

also, i. hate. HATE. shrill digitalizzzzzed delays. BUT still found plenty, surprisingly, to like here. really, the bottom line is that giving the options to bend, tweak and shape fabricated effects in an organic way is always attractive (and musical). the modulate, reverse, and dual are my favorites, and more than justify the pedal's value.

the SOS (sound-on-sound) function is fun, but little else. i would want more flexibility with this (rather limited) mode, though i guess that's where the boss looper (also a twin pedal) comes in. other guitar players i know LOVE the SOS so maybe i'm just being picky. glad it's there, so can't fault it too much. and they do give you more time than you will probably ever actually use (20 sec. long samples ...? er...ok...)

another big plus: i will usually get over a little 'atmosphere' in my signal if the overall sound is worth it, but this unit is thankfully noise-free in all applications.

it's incredibly heavy-duty, no concerns.

a "9" cause it's digital (and i've yet to meet a completely reliable computer....)

well i'm glad they're doing it right before the boxes even get to me. no experience beyond that.

i especially like this box for it's overall value. given it's great sound, programmable nature, heavy-duty build, studio-to-stage versatility, and variety of modes, it has become indispensable. i don't mean to go over-board, i just wish more FX units were built to these standards (so why they aren't?)

if i had my every wish, the SOS setting would be global, and operate more like a sampler... but that's asking a lot (like a 3rd foot switch built in?) so i'll leave it at that. if you're looking for looping and sampling, try before you buy. nevertheless, i imagine the boss loop station and DD-20 together have a lot of possibilities to offer.

between the tone and mode parameters, you can get a really good variety of very-analog-like textures. a resolution and/or decay and/or/plus grain controls would be welcome upgrades... but again, i'm not knocking, just thinking wishfully...

the REAL kicker for me (my "favorite feature") is it's studio compatibility. better than most racks and still on floor. i've also used it as an outboard delay when mixing, pretty great. i guess you could do the same with a DD-3 or something similar but hardly with the same usefulness. love the display, stereo I/O, no-noise, tap tempo, +4 leveling, phones out...

seriously, the thinking behind the twin pedals is smart. hope it continues, with even better products. huge step forward, good job boss.

It's easy to get basic delays and weird effects on the go, but it'll take a little while to master some of the other effects. A good read-through the manual will get you sorted on this though. The manual's fairly well-written and not in Japanese-English either!

Admittedly, I'm not using what you'd call 'pro' gear (An Ibanez Artcore into a Roland Cube Amp) but the sound of this pedal is wonderful. It's pretty much noise free and the delays are warm and analogue sounding. You can get some very spacey-sounding effects (one preset is a Roland Space Echo). You get all the usual boss effects from a DD-5 and more. I'm particularly partial to the SOS mode. I've found you can create some lush atmospherics and loop them back whilst playing a melody line on top - excellent stuff. Whilst others have slated the Twist and warp modes, I like them. True they're not the most useful thing but used in moderation than can be very dramatic or c4reate amazing ambience.

I haven't giged with it but me and a lot of my mates have used it and it shows no sign of giving up. It's a Boss afterall, it'll be there with the cockroaches and Volkswagens come doomsday! One word of caution though, it eats batteries like nothing else - get a separate PSU with it - mine was thrown in for free after some bartering!

Never needed to. Enough said.

I play all sorts of things, what ever I feel like at the time. My main influences are: At the Drive-in/Mars Volta, Radiohead, Led Zep. This pedal really suits me and allows me to indulge my Pink Floyd moments if I feel like it (need to fetch the phaser out to!) Overall, you'll be really impressed with the DD-20 it's a seriously powerful bit of kit. It's also great if you just fancy messing about creating weird loops - we're all kids at heart!