Boss DD-20

This pedal is pretty easy to use one knob controls the delay time the others control the effect level, tone of delay signal (nice touch) the modes (there are a ton of them) and the right pedal scrolls through your saved settings.Editing is a snap, heck of a lot easier than some of the other pedals out there. Comes with a manual and you should scoll through it if you want to figure out the more techincal functions. Only knock is that it does not have a dedicated on/off switch (have to remove the AC jack or remove the input jack) and it takes 6 AA batteries which is alot. BUY THE AC ADAPTER!!

Very quiet unit, and the effect quality is steller! I'm using it with a Fender Deluxe Reverb and Fender American Strat and have had no problems with using this unit. I'm a die hard fan of Dave Evans (AKA The Edge)of U2 and have gone through lots of delay units trying to get his sound.This unit switched to the "Modulation" setting nails his sound. This setting incorporates delay with a deep reverb with a hint of chorus. I'm also a big fan of Andy Summers of the Police and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine and with a bit of messing around with the unit you can get their sounds as well. Also if your into modern Alt rock bands like Longwave or the Yea Yea Yeahs you can get their sounds as well.But this unit can do it all from 60's Surf music and Hendrix/Beatles reverse guitar to deep reverb for country.

I usualy take good care of my effect boxes so I have had no problem with it. Its built pretty solid (like most Boss pedals) but I wouldn't jump up and down on it constantly. I have gigged with it and haven't had any issues.

Never had to call them.

If your a delay freak like me and like creating really interesting sounds then this is the pedal for you. Although it is a 200+ dollar pedal it has a just tons of cool settings. Like most guitar players I don't like throwing my money around unless its a good deal, and for the amount of potential this pedal has its definitely worth the price.

Easy to get starting, limitless possibilities.
Writing this so that Danieldust (previous review)could write some more about usit DD 20 as a loopingdevice.

Great!
Using it with Fenders, Gibsons and other guitars. Fender, Laney, Tech 21 amps + Yamaha DG Stomp, Behringer V-amp.
Not noisy in itself.

A little less tough than regular Boss-pedals

?

Great delay-unit, it's a toy and at the same time a real pro-tool.
Lots of different delay-types.
The best pedal delay around??

For someone like me, who is used to fairly basic analog stomp boxes, this is not as easy to use as I'm used to, but when there are so many variables to control as on this unit, it's not going to be too easy. Sitting down with the instruction booklet will give you an understanding of the basics in an hour or so, but the nuances remain a little nebulous.

The sound quality seems top notch to me. I use a Marshall Valvestate 40 V (model 8040), a Yamaha SBG-500 (Yamaha's answer to the Les Paul) and a bevy of other effects pedals.

This is a new product, but so far, no problems. I see no need for a backup. It seems very sturdy.

No experience with the company.

I got this unit for one basic reason: It's Fripp & Eno in a box. Lots of pedals can do closed loops that are a few seconds long, but none I have tried let you continuously add sounds while using repeat times that can last for minutes on end, _but still decay_.

It's hard to describe, but if you listen to Fripp & Eno's "No Pussyfooting" or Robert Fripp's "Let the Power Fall" you'll see what I mean. This thing will do THAT (and much more) perfectly. The fact that delay time goes anywhere from 1 millisecond to 25 seconds makes it extremely versatile. Add in 11 different delay modes that include reverse delay, modulation (chorus), adjustable, 2-head tape-style delay (like Roland's old Space Echo), a couple of gimmicky special effects, and more, and you've got one of the most (if not the most) versatile delay pedals on the market. It also does stereo, tap delay and has four editable presets that you can store and switch seamlessly. With the press of a footswitch, you can basically have a big loop going with a long delay and a long repeat time, and then switch to a short delay and do a solo on top using completely different settings -- while the previous delay is still going. There really are too many features to describe accurately here.

This can probably do way more than what the average guitarist will ever need, and the price will ensure that most average guitarists won't bother with it, but if you have the need for "extreme" types of delay for spacey, ambient or minimalistic music, this can do just about anything you can think of. While this is the most expensive pedal I own, I hardly batted an eye at the price once I saw what it could do. It's pretty much a pro piece of equipment. My only complaint was that the special 9-volt adapter made for this unit (whcih is virtually a necessity, as it goes through batteries fast) costs an extra $25.

Does it help me make music? Absolutely.

Any pedal that requires programming is going to scare off some people, but this is about as easy as it gets. I DO wish that values for the various settings came up on the display as they were adjusted so that settings could be documented.

Two things would make it better in my opinion:
1) Tap Tempo should be able to be programmed for each patch. For example, you could set memory number 3 to have the Tap function on, while the other patches do not have it on. As it is, you must hold down a pedal for a few seconds to turn the Tap on and off. There isn't always time for that.

2) There should be a mode where you can step through the four memory presets WITHOUT going through the Manual mode. There is sort of a way to do this by pressing both pedals simultaneously in one of the modes, but it takes big feet and accuracy that that is not always possible in the middle of a gig on a dark stage.

p.s. The LED that flashes to indicate Tempo is too bright. On a dark stage, it is uncomfortable and distracting. I put electrical tape over it.

Used with Tele type instruments and Fender Tube amps. Sounds great and replaces 3 separate delay pedals that I was using. Very low noise. Seems to accept a wide range of inputs without overloading or adding ugly distortion. The setting that offers delay plus a reverb-like quality ("Smooth") is particularly good.

This is the reason for my review. When it works, it works great. BUT, I had a problem with the pedal shutting off spontaneously during gigs. Some nights it was fine all night, sometimes not. I use a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, so doubted that the source was my power supply. I dont have a lot of time to screw with factory service and do most of my own tech work, so I decided to open up the box and bypass the Input and Power jack switching in case they were the problem. While doing that, I found two capacitors that each had one lead NOT SOLDERED to the circuit board in locations that were clearly meant to be soldered. Both were near the mono Input Jack. I re-attached them to the board, and the problem seems to be solved.

I have never, ever had any problem with a Boss pedal before, and hope this was an isolated case. I'll chalk this up to bad luck and will buy Boss again.

I avoid factory service whenever possible with any company.

In spite of the poor work (in my opinion) on the circuit board assembly (and my other wishes listed under "ease of use") I give it a good rating. This product is very close what I have been looking for: a programmable, compact, Delay Pedal that sounds great.

Easy enough - unless you're very impatient. I am quite the patient type (at least in this field!), so I had little problems learning how to use the unit. Since this is a delay unit, its hard to get a poor sound, since it does not alter your base sound, it merely repeats it. Of course, you CAN turn your way to nothing but musical noise, but it does not take long to learn how to use it properly. It's also very easy to create patches, and the manual is very helpful. Although I do miss a Power switch.

I basically use my Ibanez rg 560 to Dunlop wah to DD-20 to amp. Either a Marshall or a Peavey practice amp. Also, sometimes i use external effects (Like boss CE-3 Chorus or Boss OD-2 Turbo Overdrive for more distortion on the Peavey) or the integrated effects of the Marshall. I have no problems with noise. The only exception is when I use the SOS (Sound On Sound) mode to record several phrases with overdubbing and then solo over that again. If I use distortion, it will sound a bit messy, but this is expectable and acceptable. ( I only use this mode at home, when trying out polyphonic riffs.) Also, this minor flaw can be eliminated if you use 2 amps. You can then set the unit so that the recorded phrase(and the delay effects) are played one one amp, with your soloing on another. Very handy, and so much fun! Again, a minor flaw is that if you want to use 2 amps the way I mentioned above,and u want delay on your soloing amp, whilst having a rythm riff or two played on a second amp, you may be dissappointed. The delay signal for your soloing is played on the fx amp, namely your rhythm amp. The delay is still corresponding with your soloing, but it still bothers me a bit. The output is setable, so you can decide wether to use one amp for effects only,or not. One thing that is important to know about this product, is that you may vary the outputlevel. So if you don't change the factory settings before using it in an effect loop, the signal may be very silent. But this is explained in the manual. More good things to mention: When changing patches whilst playing, the transition is smooth. By that i mean that the effect signal youre currently using, will hang with you for a short time, even after you switch to another patch. Very good. And it is also important to mention that there are many different kinds of delay to choose from, and with great sound quality, I think this is the ultimate delay box.(I dont know anything about rack units.)

It has not failed me yet. I would and am using it without backup. No problem. And even though it doesn't seem as solid as other BOSS products, it is good enough for my use. But i wouldn't transport it in a bag with other things, I wouldn't want any of the knobs or the display to break. I transport it in its original packing.

Haven't dealt with them.

I play experimental melodic hard rock, and although I dont need it quite as often as I'd like (My band is restraining me) :) I haven't regretted the purchase even once. I bet it's great for anyone who plays f.ex. Pop or any experimental style. I think I would replace it if I could afford it at the time, I would not buy any other delay units anyways. I love its usefulness for composing at home, that it can be used in so many ways, and that it has 4 patches and 23 SECONDS OF DELAY!! The only thing I don't like is mentioned under "Sound Quality", dealing with the use of two amps. I compared it to T-rex, Carl Martin, Danelectro and other boss units. I chose this baby for its great value, low price and for the 23 seconds of delay. The only things I miss is the ability to save several loops(But I guess that would make it a loop station, not a delay unit.) and the possibility to use delay effects on your soloing amp whilst playng rhythm riffs on another amp. It definitly helps me making music, although I may give it to much attention at reherseals(But thats just my flaw). If your buying a delay unit, and want a bit more than the boss dd-5 (F.ex.) can offer, buy this one!!!

Very easy. Just turn the knobs till you get the desired sound, then push write twice. That's pretty much it. Same with the pedals: 1 to turn delay on or off; 1 to select four memories or to manual mode.

I use it in the FX-loop of two Koch Powertones. It's noisy only if you put the tonepot to the max, a little hissssss.
Powertone II FX send > Boss TU-2 > Yamaha GE10 EQ-pedal (old!!) > DD-20 > CE-20 > Stereo to Powertone I FX return and Powertone II FX return. DD-20 and CE-20 are coupled stereo.

It's Boss so it's roadworthy. No backup.

Had to deal with Roland for about fifteen years ago, very helpful.

Just before I bought this one I was using a TC Electronic G-major. I thought the G-major sounded too transparent, not my sound at all. Now I'm back with Boss, I've got the CE-20 Chorus Ensemble to, and I'm happy again, no MIDI, no footcontroller. Hmmmmmm.....

This unit is very easy to use, no problems with editing of patches, very good manual. Much easier than my Line6 MM 4, I used before. The display is great.

I'm playing all kinds of blues and bluesrock, using a Custom Shop Fender Strat and a Gibson Les Paul Standard as well going into a Boss TU 2 Tuner - Boss CS 3 Compressor - Boss PW 10 Wah- into the preamp of a Hughes & Kettner Mark II Triamp with 4 x 12 greenback cab. After preamp with parallel FX send into Line 6 MM 4 - Boss DD 20 - EHX Holy Grail reverb to Amp.

Most of the settings of this unit sound great. You can store 4 settings plus the standard setting, which makes 5 settings, two more, than you can store with the Line6 Delay Stomp Box. Very nice digital "standard" delay and some really new delay sounds. "Smooth" is my favourite. No noise at all on all settings.

Besides of the better sounds in relation to the Line6 Delay it is smaller and can be combined very well with my other Boss units.

Never had any problems with Boss. They are builded like a tank and last a lifetime. Would certainly gig without a backup.

Never had a problem, thats why I never dealt with them.

I'm making music and play guitar since the earls 70s. This delay is the best stomp box delay I've ever heard. Together with the EHX Holy Grail reverb, you can get really splendid sounds for either clean or distorted guitar settings. Most important for me besides the quality of the sounds were the five different settings, you can stomp through.

The DD-20 is pretty easy to use, but you'll want to read the manual; it's not just a hyped-up DD-5. The display really helps, and Boss hasn't gone overboard on the number of functions assigned to the knobs and buttons.

Mostly, I'm using a PRS Santana SE, running into a Boss GT-3, then through a bunch of delays and loopers. Digital delays are supposed to be clean sounding, if not transparent, so I don't expect noise. I haven't heard any noise with the DD-20, but it's possible that somebody got a bad box. Most of the effects are good, but Warp and Twist are kind of silly. (In a musical context, Warp and Twist are essentially noise effects, almost like something from the Digitech Space Station.) I use the Sound-On-Sound setting a lot, and the Reverse Delay. Some reviewers weren't very impressed with the Reverse setting, but it's one of my favorite effects; playing a musical phrase backwards is a great live effect. The Analog setting is alright, Modulate seems a lot like the Line 6 "Digital Delay w/Mod" setting, but Smooth is very nice, especially for ambient effects.

Although a number of my favorite artists use delays and loopers, I use effects to get my own sound. Having said that, I do think the DD-20 would be a great box for anyone interested in looping, or Frippertronic delay lines.

I trust my Boss boxes, but I always have at least two delays or loopers with me, so I always have a back-up. The one fragile-looking part of the DD-20 is the display; I wouldn't throw it in a bag with a bunch of other pedals, but somebody will. Because of the display, I give it a 7.

I was having a problem with online product registration, and sent off a quick "Hey, what's up with this?" e-mail. I had a reply within the hour, and my problem was solved. I see a lot of people ragging on Boss/Roland about support & customer service issues, but that hasn't been my experience.

I play experimental guitar, which tells you nothing. My influences include King Crimson (in all of its incarnations), the Residents, Stereolab, Bill Frisell and Vernon Reid. I've been playing since before BBD's.

I have a pile of delays and loopers, including a Headrush, a Line 6 DM4, and a Boss RC-20 Loop Station. Each is a little different from the others.

The DD-20 seems like Boss' answer to the Line 6; both have a selection of delay effects, or models, a few memory slots for user sounds, and a looper thrown in. The DD-20 has a longer delay time than the Line 6, but the looper on the Line 6 is more flexible. There's no way to play your loop backwards on the DD-20. Between the DD-20 and the DM4, I honestly can't say which pedal I think is better; both have features I like, although I really like the Reverse setting on the DD-20.

The Headrush seems pretty weak, compared to the DD-20. The DD-20 is much easier to use, it sounds better, and it has more features. I probably won't dump my Headrush right away, but if the DD-20 had come out first, I might not have bought the Headrush. The main advantage to the Headrush is that I would toss it in a bag with a bunch of other pedals, because there's no glass to break.

I like the fact that the DD-20's design seemed to address some complaints I had about the RC-20 Loop Station. The DD-20 has dual Input and Output jacks, which seem to be true stereo, and it has a headphone jack, for late-night looping; very nice. There's a jack for an external footswitch, another helpful plus. You can set the Output Mode, which is a neat addition. There are 4 choices, Stereo Output @-20db, A:Direct/B:Effect @-20db, Stereo Output @ +4db, or A:direct/B:Effect2 +4db. The A/B modes are great for modeling older delay pedals, and the different Output levels mean you're set for a guitar amp, or direct recording.

The DD-20 does what I wanted it to do, plus a little more. For once, there's nothing crucial that I wish it had. It's more expensive than most delay pedals, including the Headrush, and, of course, you have to buy a power supply, so expect to spend another $20 or $25.

If you're looking at a Headrush, I'd say spend the extra $50 or $60 for the DD-20. (If my DD-20 broke down or got stolen, I'd probably sell my Headrush to get another DD-20.) If you're looking at a Line 6 DM4, spend some time comparing the two; you're in for a tough choice. You might even wind up with both.

Just a note of response to the previous reviewer--my review is farther below. My DD-20 really is totally silent--perhaps the store you tried it out in had an RF interference problem. I say this because I am INSANELY INTOLERANT of a noisy signal path, and dumped my Akai Headrush because of this. Or, alternately, I wouldn't be surprised if Roland had a bad run. But don't write off the pedal entirely!

I like the DD-20 for its functionality and features. It's a great competitor to Line 6's DL4. Once you've read the manual, it's quite easy to use.

Here's the reason for this review:

The DD-20 is noisy as hell!
I can't believe the other reviewers haven't noticed this.
It's just a matter of comparing the noise with and without this thing (in -20 dB mode) between guitar and amp (crunch or gain channel). Now switch with another boss (delay) pedal and notice the absence of the noise of the DD-20.

And it isn't just my pedal. I tested another one in the shop (different guitar / amp / cables) and it was just the same. It was clear to the dealer as well.

It was sent back to Roland and they returned it without comments other than that is was okay. So Roland probably will not want to acknowledge this. And it is probably a production problem and applies to all DD-20's.

No comment.

Since Roland did get an accurate problem report but nevertheless didn't comment on the noise, it's below par.

No comment

After you read the manual it's a piece of cake.

I use a Ibanez s540fm for metal and a Gibson LP custom bb reissue for pop/rock into a jcm2000 dsl100 and a wide variety of effectpedals. This thing can be used on every style you can imagine. Its totally not noisy but it does color your tone when disengaged.(that is the ONLY point that the dl4 does better imho) My favourite delaytype's are smooth,standard and tape(not that it really sounds as a tapedelay but it does sound great...) I compared it with the dl-4 for half an hour in the musicstore before purchasing and i found the boss to have a warmer, less harsh tone.

I had it for a month now but it seems reliable plus it's a boss and it's not for nothing that you can still buy thousands of perfectly working bosses from the seventhies on ebay

Never dealt with them

Best versatile delay out there imo.

A bit complicated, especially the memory functions and mode-specific parameters, but easy enough once you've got the hang of it. The displays are clear and well-considered.

This unit sounds excellent. The "analog" setting is great, and the quality of the loop in the "sound on sound" section is head and shoulders above that of the Akai Headrush, which I sold in order to buy the DD-20. The standard digital delay is crisp and clear, and the "Smooth" delay--a digital delay with reverb--sounds good, too. I like "Warp" too, which lets you introduce volume swells into your delay sound. But the "Twist" is only on there to have something neat to add, it is only marginally useful, and though it's pretty cool-sounding (kind of a reverse-whammy) you will not want to put it on more than one song. Also, though I like the tape sound on the Space Echo simulator, the tape flutter effect is too strong, and sounds a bit gimmicky at high feedback levels.

In a day and a half, it hasn't broken, ha ha!

It took me about five minutes to get a human on the phone. What I wanted to know was this: why is the 23-second loop (sound on sound) ERASED when you turn it off? This renders it much less useful when accompanying yourself over a chord progression in a song--you switch it off for a chorus, and then you have to re-enter the verse. The tech told me "it doesn't have a looping memory--it's not a looper, it's a delay." But of course this is BS--if it has 23 seconds of memory for delay and knows when the loop stops and starts, there is no conceivable reason why you shouldn't be able to turn it on and off at will. Except the obvious one: BOSS DOES NOT WANT THIS PEDAL TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE LOOP STATION. They f***ed up their own piece of technology so that it wouldn't overlap the market for another one of their pedals. This is the only thing I hate about this pedal, and makes me want to scream.

Except for the self-erasing loop, it's great, and worth the money.

Dialing a sound is easy, once you've read the manual, which is quite clear. You choose a delay-type and then it's just like your old digital delay pedals, level, feedback and delaytime. when you've ever worked with any multi-effect, you'd be able to figure out the dialing and saving of sounds. Some effects have extra features, which you can change when pressing the on/off switch for a longer time. By doing this you can change the 'tape-delay' from 1 to 2 heads, or the amount/speed for the 'modulated delay'. The second switch can be used for switching pre-sets or tap delay, when pressed for a longer time.
Off course there's much more to figure out like different display settings and different tempo functions...

I run my guitar (usually a les paul or a telecaster) through a Koch Pedaltone, into the DD20 and then into a Fender dual Showman 100w all tube amp, on a Marshall 4x12" cab. I used to own some digital delays from Boss and Ibanez, which are replaced by the DD20. Depends on what sound you choose, but I think the analog, tape and offcourse the standard digital delays sound very good. The analog has a very beautiful decay and the tape delays even simulates the detune you get with running tape. the digital delay is high quality, what you're used to get from Boss'former pedals. What's better than all the previous pedals, is that you have up to 23 seconds delay-time. Another major improvement is the tone knob, makes your digital delay sound less sterile, if that's your thing...
Then there's the more experimental sounds, like warp, twist, smooth and reverse. Reverse is fun, but doesn't sound very natural to me. No Hendrix here. The warp does nothing more than giving you maximal feedback and level, when pressing the on/off switch for a longer time.
The twist is supposed to be a simulation of weird tape manipulations. It sounds more like a car in a bad computergame to me, but perhaps useful in noisy soundscapes.
The modulated delay goes from light chorus to almost leslie sound on your repeats. The smooth delay adds a hint of reverb to the repeats, which is too subtle for my taste.(that's why they call it smooth, probably)
Finally there's the sound on sound mode, which let's you loop up to 23 seconds and then overdub, until infinity. Sounds very good to me, although it can be a bit hard to get the right timing, with holding and releasing the pedal on time.
What I really miss is the ability to make real noise by twisting the delaytime and feedback knobs, what made older models go into real noise. When you turn the delaytime knob, the time changes in steps and the pitch will correct itself. You can still make noise with it, but it's not like with the older pedals. Overall a very usefull pedal, with a lot of functions, of which some I will never find use for, but still enough to convince me into buying. The more conventional sounds are very useful.

Weighs a ton and looks like any other boss pedal, so will probably survive lots of gigs.

Haven't encountered any problems yet, but hope I won't, because the Boss company doesn't seem to be very helpful, if I may believe other reviewers.

Like i already mentioned, this is a very good delay pedal, although for my taste it has a few features that aren't really useful or good sounding. But I'll guess I just won't use them. The sounds that are good are too much fun anyway. You might consider keeping one of your older delay pedals to make noise with.

It's not as easy to use as the DD-3 or 5 or 6 but still it's not all that difficult to use the DD-20 either. Editing patches is just like a multi effects unit: you need to use your brain and hands and you need to play around with the unit and plan for how you will be utilizing it. The manual is a necessity as it explains the specialty functions of the DD-20 and the programming options. The manual makes sense.

The DD-20 sounds excellent! It has 11 modes (similar to the DD-5 and 6) but there are so many varieties that have previously been unavailable on a Boss unit before.

Sound on sound is a looper. It's not as user friendly as the Loop Station, but it's functional and does the job. Requires a little practice but you can do it. Has 23 seconds compared to the 5+ minutes of a Loop Station, 14 seconds of a Line 6 delay pedal, 23 seconds of a Headrush, 2-4 minutes of a Boomerang. Sounds as good or better than all of them.

Twist and Warp are special effects that are always on when in those modes. They become active when you depress the pedal and when you're not stomping on the pedal, they are basically digital delays. Both are very different from each other and can be useful IF you're willing to experiment. The Warp is featured on the DD-6.

Tape mode is a model of the old Roland RE-1 Tape Echo. It can mimic one or two heads (whereas the Line 6 can do 4 heads). Sound here is very good.

Analog is a recreation of the Boss DM-2 (Line 6 also has a good version of this). This delay sound fine; warm and dark. It's one of my favorites on the DD-20.

Standard mode is a digital delay. You all know how nice Boss does digital delays. Same great quality here.

Dual combines a short and long delay in a series. Takes some messing around with to get used to it but has great rhythmic possibilities.

Pan does just what it says.

Smooth mode is a basic delay but the repeats sound like there's a hint of reverb added to the tails. Very nice and lush.

Modulate mode adds modulations to the repeats of the echoes. It sounds very nice but not as juicy as a E-H Memory Man. The Line 6 version sounds a bit better to my ears. Still, it is effective (pun intended).

Reverse is just that taht tsuj si esreveR. Very trippy. Another one of my favorites. You just have to watch out that you don't start drooling when you get lost on this one.

Add to all of these options the fact that you have up to 23 SECONDS of delay mania to wallow in. There are no bad sounds here in my opinion and I am a delay/echo freak. If I had to give up all my other effects and keep just one, it would be delays. The DD-20 is quiet and provides so many options. Oh yeah, when you move through the 4 memory channels + the manual (that's 5 presets available to you) the echos trail off blissfully into the next without abruptly cutting off. Far out!

One of the reasons I am into Boss gear is reliability. Plus their stuff sounds good! I have a dozen Boss pedals, 2 Loop Stations, a V-Wah, a VF-1, and a BR-8. NEVER have had a problem ... yet. Don't worry that I will.

???

The DD-20 rocks, and sways, and undulates, and swirls, and ...... I'm very into folkadelic type jam-based stuff for the past 25 years and having a pedal that takes the place of a few delays makes this a must have for all delay freaks. Over the years I've has delays from Electro-Harmonix, Akai, Korg/Toneworks, Line 6, Digitech, Rocktron, and TC Electronic, not to mention my Lexicon stuff that I still have. While the DD-20 may not offer the warmth of say a Deluxe Memory Man, or as many models as the Line 6 Modeler pedal, or the sound clarity of TC Electronics, it does offer great sound in its own right and a reputation for quality and is easy to use. In fact, I think it's much easier to use and tweak than the Line 6 pedal (which is really it's only competition). I use it in conjuction with a string of Boss pedals and it runs into a Loop Station. I trade gear all the time and the DD-20 is one of the first pedals in a long time that has really blown me away. I'd get another if something happened to this. Check it out, it's a fun pedal! Peace

This thing can do way more than advertised. I figure, "hey I've had the dd-5, what can be different" but once reading the manual man oh man did they integrate a lot on this pedal. Reading the manual is a must with this beast! You can't get by, by just tinkering(well you can but you miss out on a lot of the added features). This pedal wasn't purchased for its simplicity so I won't knock it for being advanced. . .just realize if you're going to shell out the bucks for this thing you should at least take the 10 minutes required to understand all the features.
Oh, and in addition to the last review; the reverse setting can be made to only have the wet signal on. You can mix the two(dry and wet).
There is a connection for an external footswitch(momentary or latch depending on how you wish to use it). This is so you can choose one of 3 options with the external foot controller: 1-on and off switch(latch style) 2-tap input(momentary) 3-memory switch(momentary). I was going to rack mount this pedal but I couldn't figure out how to switch memory settings untill I actually received the pedal and noticed this addition. BOY WAS I HAPPY! Now I can rackmoung the pedal and send a line to a momentary switch and just switch memory settings with that leaving the dd-20 in a solid housing.
Other features. . .Here's what I thought was REALLY NICE! The twist mode as well as like 3 others this pedal has to offer, is not only controlled with a tap tempo but what you can do is hold down the on and off pedal and a light comes on. . .what you can now do is press on the on and off pedal with any amount of pressure and the effect will react in that manner. If you've messed with the ps-5 you'd understand. Mild effect, light pressure. . .very pronounced pedal to the floor. So when you play with this pedal and switch to modulation and you wonder "why isn't this something different" well you have to mess with it first. Would I have known to hold the on and off to gain access to controlling the effects realtime without reading the manual? No way! BUT! that's why you take the time. Without coming across that bit I'd have dismissed the other options as being stupid or unsuitable for real applications.
Ok, just a few more features undocumented on websites:In addition to setting up repeat time there is now a display that shows what beats it repeats at. Before with the dd-5 I'd tune the delay time so that it repeated on beat; now I set the time signature(so to speak) and then mess with how long I want the delay, very nice and simple. The SOS(Sound Over sound feature) not only gives 23 seconds of recording but went without mention is the fact that you can apply your delay settings to the recorded part OR you can overdub several times over(crazy huh!) Let me see, what else can this do. . .Oh yeah, you can switch the output modes. The options are 1:stereo output(-20db) 2: A-DirectSound B:Effect Sound(-20db) 3:stereo output (+4db) 4:A-direct sound B-effect sound (+4db). One misc feature that has nothing to do with anything. . .you can change how the memory leds work(lol). There are 4 memory settings plus the manual. You can either have it to where the led above the number shines so signify which setting you're using ORRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! You can have the number of leds on symbol which setting you're using. Say you're using setting 2, 2 leds are on. Memory setting 4, 4 leds are on. I figure this is for dark stages when readying things tend to be difficult. Instead of wondering if the red led is above the 1 or the 4, you can just set it the other way and count how many leds are on to know which setting you're on.
To recap, 3/4 of the effects on the dd-20 have parameters you can change. So like I said before, instead of switching to "twist" and then scratching your head wondering as to why it hardly sounds different than any other setting, understand that the oscilating sound directly correlates with how you w

My Setup:
MesaBoogie Mark IV
Mesa Boogie 50/50
MesaBoogie Midi Matrix
Mesaboogie Abacus and 12 space rack
1 4x12 oak cabinet,1 mesa boogie 4x12 recto cabs, 2 2x12 mesa boogie recto cabs(totalling 12 12in vintage 30 speakers)
Furman Power conditioners, Korg Dtr Tuner, Sonic Maximizer 482
Boss pedals(EQ-20,PH-3,BF-3,Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus)

All in all the sound quality is superior than the dd-5 and I'd expect the dd-6. THere's an included "tone control" that will cut or boost the highend frequencies depending on your taste. I've only tried the pedal with reverb and clean(barely received the pedal yesterday) but it functions as my dd-5 did and I was very pleased. If you're familiar with boss' previous delay pedals know that this one is better. No hum no hiss no unwanted distortion, I'm pleased but it's what I expected from boss.

Can I depend on it? Yes
Would I gig without a backup? Yes because I don't have 400+ to buy two:-p

Boss Customer support sucks for the most part,bar none. If you want something replaced chances are you're not gonna get it for free (in a sense) what with all the homework you're gonna have to do to learn what their tech number is and how to get prompt service

This pedal is the shiznit! What can't it do? I purchased it for the fact that it seemed like 5 dd-5 pedals in one but man oh man are there soooooo many added features I never even knew they were adding into the pedal. The tone knob will be a Godsend to some people that complained about the digital tone. The added features will hand out erections to all the tech geeks(did you know you can physcially push in the delay setting pot and that further adjusts the delay setting?!) Compared to the Line 6 DL-4(is it?) pedal which is going at the same price, this thing rocks it hands down. This pedal isn't cheap but you get what you pay for. 5 years warranty and hands down one of thee most usefull pedals out there to date. Let the goodtimes roll!

Basic operation of this pedal is relatively simple, but as soon as you want to switch between delays or edit your sounds more in depth, you HAVE to reed the manual - there are a lot of things you can't find out without it. That would also be my biggest complaint - contrary to most other BOSS pedals I know this one is very un-intuitive to use.

So far it sounds great, like you would expect, no noise, good sounding delays... I don't necessarily like all the different delays it offers but that's a matter of taste. It lacks really special/weird delays though, like the Line6 DL4 offers.
Personally, I think the "warp" and "twist" functions are nonsense and could be replaced with something more useful, like a reverse delay that does NOT repeat the forward sound, but only the reverse... but that's the same in the DD5.

I just got it a few days ago but it looks like you really have to try hard to damage it. Like all the other BOSS pedals I guess.

wouldn't know.

I guess I'm one of the first people to ever buy this so I'm curious about other opinions... this pedal has a lot of functions so I won't go into too much detail. Just my personal viewpoint:
What I like about it:
finally I can program my BOSS delay! I''m using several DD5s to switch between different types of delay, now 1 pedal can do the job.
If you switch from one sound to the next, the first one rings out, for a long time if repeat was set long.
what I don't like: this is really an instrument that you have to practice with, a lot of it's functions like switching between sounds, editing certain parameters etc are working in ways that take time to get used to.
with the looping function, it is VERY inconvenient that you have to hold down the pedal while you overdub, and that you can't really switch the loop on and off - once it's switched off, it's deleted!
On the other hand, if you take the time to learn using this pedal you'll find out it behaves very differently from the other sophisticated delays like the Line6, the Akai headrush etc so it gives you lots of new possibilities.
If you are using delays a lot a lot (like me) this may be for you, if you just use it a bit for extra colour and space in your sound you may be better off with something else.