Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

ease of use huh ?? well, i guess its as easy as something this great sounding could possibly be. in my humble opinion - EVEN IF THE BOSS DD-3 WAS 10-TIMES HARDER TO USE THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, IT WOULD STILL BE WELL WORTH THE EFFORT !! i got a used one on ebay, went to the Boss website then downloaded and printed the owners manual (thats very convenient actually). i only had to take a few minutes of looking at the owners manual and the front of the pedal itself with its little "roadmap" of " S - .50ms , M - 200ms and L - 800ms " so, after playing with it a few minutes i pretty much thought i had it all figured out, but then, i saw the little "direct out" 1/4 inch jack and it was like "hmmm, i wonder what that thing does??" ........thats when it got interesting.........

let me first say that i bought this thing because recently i have been seeing some live guitarists with incredible tone and i knew they all were using some type of delay. so, i wanted to expiriment. i went to harmony central (like i alsways do before buying gear) and read alot of info about the delay effects that are available. now, i have an older, MIJ, Boss CE-2 that i love, so i went with the older, MIJ, DD-3 (mine is the very first generation, this was mentioned specifically by some of the previous reviews). so..........

i first set it up like this, 1998 PRS CE24 > Boss DD-3 > Mesa Roadster head > Mesa 4x12 cab W/ V30s and let it rip. WOW !! WOW!! is all i can say. there was a guy who said it best in a prior review, this pedal LOVES you, it loves you, your cable, your pick, your guitar, your amp, your tone, your ears, your fans ears, i can not say enough about this thing ! when i get the Roadster really cooking all by itself, guitar stright-in, on the heavy rectifier crunch of channel 4 its an incredible thing, but when i add just a slight amount of the DD-3, like maybe 40ms, with the effect level and feedback at about halfway, it is flat-out rediculous. the chunky thickness it adds to the sound is addictive, i could not stop smiling, then i moved up the neck and started to hit single notes and bends, it is truly spectacular. i also have a line 6 pod XT live i use to direct record with my band, i have used the different delay effects on it and honestly i did not know that the right delay could do what the DD-3 does. ..........now for that "direct out" i mentioned, this thing will let you (if you have 2 separate amps) run the guitar into the DD-3, the "output" will be the "effects only" signal (no dry signal) and the "direct out" will be "dry only" guitar signal so i went like this :
1985 les paul standard>
Boss DD-3> "effects-only" signal to the Mesa roadster, channel 4, all gained out>Mesa 4x12
then i sent the other "dry only" signal from the DD-3 through an entire regular live rig amp/effects chain :
Boss NS-2>
Keeley modded MT-2>
Boss CE-2>
EHX small stone nano>
MXR phase 90>
Mesa Express 5:50 head
Avatar 4x12 cab (2 greenbacks, 2 V30s
set up like above the sonic possibilities were endless.

also, the DD-3 has a "hold" feature, so if your set it right and chop a fast "chug-chug" then press down the pedal (and hold it down) the "chug-chug" will continue forever (or until you let your foot up) and you can play like crazy with the reapeating CHUG-CHUG in the background, fun as hell to play with, i just haven't got it incorporated into a live performance yet.
also, my pedal is not noisy at all.

my pedal is 20 years old, so who knows. i think if it was a weak product it would have died by now. i would gig without a backup because it's just a delay, it's not like i can't play if i don't have it. but, if this thing breaks i will find another exact replacement for it ASAP.

once i ordered some of those funny little round rubber grommets for the battery access screw holes that all boss pedals have, boss had those things in stock, they were expensive, so boss expensive but helpful.

i spent alot of time and money to get to this point, there are many facets that make up my whole guitar sound (amps, guitars, effects, experience, technique) i am amazed by the fact that one single product seems to have helped all of the separate things that make my sound. a hundred bucks for a product like this is basically free.
i don't let this thing go to far so i probably won't lose it and please don't steal it.

I'm reviewing this pedal on the grounds I knew exactly what it was capable of before I bought it.

All mentioned before, four simple controls - effect level, Feedback, Delay Time and delay time mode.

A huge reason I wanted to check out one of these is that I want something simple to use live, no messing around - and I think it does that really well.

The 'Hold' function is pretty useless, if it could loop sound a bit longer it would be cool, but I didn't have any plans of using this pedal as a looper anyway.

I use a 50w valve amp, running the delay in the FX loop with a rocktron Tremolo.

I've been looking at delays for months, analogue and digital. I was really close to ordering an EHX Memory Boy but after listening to a heap of sound clips - it's just too dark.
Analogue pedals sound AMAZING when you are playing by yourself, or recording - but they disappear when you are playing live, completely.
I know of a few people who bought Analogue pedals to later sell them a buy a digital pedal for live use.

Now the sound of the DD-3 is very simple and clean, it really does just what it should - create repeats of varying time and feedback, without introducing ANYTHING.

I play mainly classic rock and blues, so I wanted a no-frills delay to do classic delays - slapback short and medium length delays - and it's perfect.
The clean repeats will also be heard live easily.

One thing I was worried about was the bypass, some Boss pedals kill your signal when bypassed - but this pedal is quite transparent, it sounds fine in the FX loop.

I'm going to give this a 9 too, if you know what you want and what this pedal does - its great.
If you want thick muddy analogue echos - you're going to hate it.

Don't get me wrong, I want a good analogue echo - but for live use, this pedals sound and simplicity can't be beat.

Bought 2nd hand and its working fine.

As I said I play Classic Rock and Blues mainly, we do throw some psychedelic sorta parts in there too for contrast.

I play a G&L Legacy, A Modded Squier, through a modded Vox V847 - EHX Double Muff - then Rocktron Tremolo and DD3 in the FX loop of my 50w Ashton valve amp.

All I wanted was a pedal to create simple delays, I want Slapback, medium and longish echos for Pink Floyd kinda lead.
I don't need looping, over 1 second delay, reverse, modulation etc etc.
This pedal is great because it has no gimmicks, it just creates nice clean delays.

I'm thinking I might throw a switchable Low Pass Filter on the feedback so I can darken the repeats.
I kinda wish the Hold function was in some way useful, even then I don't think I'd use it.

In Conclusion -

Buy this delay if you want something which will cut through in a band situation, is cheap, is really versatile in classic style delays, and is simple to use.

Dont buy this delay if you actually want something that sounds different than the signal you're putting in it. It will NOT sound like a vintage delay, EVER.
Don't buy it if you want it to be able to do 100 different types of delays and other crap. It only does simple delays.

compared to rebote/mimic man analog delay which i already had, this is perfect! copies the reproduced sound exactly it was played, unlike analog delay, which the sound decays fast, this one lingers like a nostalgic memory, also it is warm enough to be mistaken as analog.

I was skeptic before purchasing one but I was wrong.

This unit is very easy to use. 4 knobs, volume of delay unit, feedback
and last 2 knobs for the lenght of repeats.

Sound quality on this is amazing. Pristine quality, this is digital, but
its so warm. This unit loves you and your guitars signal. It can make you cry, thats how it sounds.

never had problems with boss units. totally dependable, would use without backup in any gig.

Out of all my equipment, guitars, amps, effect units, cables..
this is the first unit, I knew from the beginning, I will never give up.
Its important to have that little edge, little something added to your guitar sound that doesnt leave it dry, especially, when you play
pop/rock music, coldplay, etc.

Very easy to use

Everything said here positive is true. straight out of the box I started having orgasms. For now this thing is just sweet for me, it sometimes makes me cry, It loves you that much, you and your guitar
this is just warm.. digital, but warm

just bought it

just plain simple digital delay, nothing more nothing less..
but it does it nicely.

the features are already described in the past reviews. this was my first delay and as a newbie i didn't had any problems getting out the sounds i was looking for, it's pretty simple to use.

it's a digital delay, not analog... but still it doesn't sounds that cold or something. i use it with a gretsch 6120-59, a marshall super lead + the boss od-3 (as a booster) and this setup is not noisy. also, didn't notice any significant colouring of the sound.

for now this is my only delay. might get a re-20 in the near future, but not for replacing this unit. i use it at gigs, no backup. it's a boss, it's solid as a rock.

never had any kind of problems with boss pedals... so i have no idea about that.

i use it for slapback or for fattening up chorus's of some songs and it does the job really good. i have it for years now, i would miss it if it was stolen, i'd probably get another one. the other boss dd delays doesn't really interest me as i don't need longer delay times or other options that those are offering. i like the simplicity of it.

Simple enough to play with and figure out in a short time.

The DD-3 definitely sounds better than most other contempoary Boss digital delay models. It definitely sounds many times better than the DD-6 I have which sounds far too cold and digital for me.

The DD-3 has a lot more warmth than most digital delay pedals I've owned or tried at stores. Now, it isn't as warm as the vintage older analog delays or expensive boutique models that can be bought, but for around $110.00 it is unlikely you will find a better sounding pedal.

This pedal is QUIET, too !!! There is no line noise, no pop or click when it is engaged, no volume increase or decrease, just a wonderful pedal in this respect.

I wish I would have found this DD-3 before I bought the DD-6, I could have saved $120.00 !!!

For a digital delay pedal, this DD-3 sounds REAL good, and has a surprising amount of warmth to it, not much of that digital coldness that most other digital's have.

I play a 1977 Les Paul Custom thru a Fender Bandmaster or my Fender Twin. The DD-3 sits at the very end of the line in a pedals board with 9 analog pedals ahead of it. This pedal does not change the tone I have grown to love from my Fenders, either.

Boss has a hit with this one, I don't know why they need to make other delay pedals. They really didn't improve on the DD-3 with subsequent models.

No Opinion.

N/A

This is a pretty decent digital delay pedal, and I am NOT a big fan of digital pedals, or Boss pedals for that matter either. Every other pedal I have is either old world Ross pedals or boutique analog pedals. I started with all Boss pedals because of reviews I read on this site and hated every one of them. Digital just isn't the sound I am looking for. That is what surprised me the most about this DD-3. It DOES sound as good as everyone here has stated. I wish Boss made their other pedals as good as this one.

Buy one, you probably won't be sorry. They are good sounding pedals !!!!

For all of you that never had a delay pedal, and are thinking about getting one, they are easy as pie. you have 3 basic knobs on most of them, delay time(range), feedback(repeats), level(delay output) with adition on the mode knob on the DD series, that alows you to choose the differen ranges of delay available to make things easy. just play around two minutes with this one and thats it, every single setting on this box is good for a different purpose, everything its on your fingertips.

i always found it stupid buying a DD-3 instead of a DD-6 and now the DD-7, cause of the price difference and features, now that im more experienced i think that the DD-3 its maybe all you need, depending on the style you play of course, dont spend money in something you dont need. also the quality of sound is not the same with more components in most of the cases.

ok i have a dd-3 that has a blue sticker on the bottom that says MADE IN JAPAN that is really old... dont know about the new ones, but this pedal is awsome!!! alot of components are analog in my box. sounds WAY BETTER than any digital delay found on multi effects, sounds metallic but not ear piercing on slap backs like other digital delays (digitech digidelay). i wasnt a fan of delay until i got this one, i cant stop playing it now!!! i traded it for a ts-9 reissue (i just got a maxon od-9, needed to get rid of the ibanez) i glad i made that move. sounds perfect for what it is, no strange noises or nothing, just good quality delay. i cant explain it, lo-fi but pristine maybe?

im sure is more than 20 years old, no problems at all so far, as i said, no hiss or nothing like that, and previuos owner didnt had problems either, the pedal never got repaired, the only thing is that the knobs are a little bit loose now, no big deal HAHAHA

the best customer support is the one you dont need to contact, all i needed on the past from BOSS i found it on their web site. i think they are great. i work on a call center as customer service and tech support for a dsl and telecomunications company, i know how things work... i dont expect alot, like having my cloth washed and dinner cooked by BOSS. now days this pedal is kind of cheap, if you think about it, you get more than what you pay on customer support thats a 10!!

im not a veteran, i've only been playing for 9 years, i have alot of pedals on my studio, but only 7 on my pedalboard, i dont think i'll remove this one in a while, sounds great!!!

this pedal is extremely easy to use. 4 knobs, all pretty simple.. if you don't understand how to use it, just use your ears. i bought it used so i don't have the original manual, figured it out no problem

I am using a new orleans custom guitar, fender fm 100h amp, boss me-50, carl's custom tonebender/fuzzface, dunlop vintage crybaby, and this pedal. the pedal is very quiet, no white noise or anything, it seems to work well with my other pedals. i'm trying to phase out my me-50 and use just single effects boxes and i chose this for my delay. it does everything i need it to at the moment. i mainly use the delay for solos. it can achieve pink floyd type sounds, but i only really use it for soloing really. it sounds good, not as good as the carbon copy, but i got this for half the price and money's tight right now

this pedal is build pretty solid. i got it used and you can tell it got smacked around a bit, but it's still in overall good working condition. i assume years from now it'll still work just fine even with regular gigging. however, i don't know how well i'd depend on it if i used batteries. when i first bought the pedal, i didn't have an adapter and this thing uses up batteries in a matter of hours. to keep the battery life lasting longer, you should unplug the input cable when it's not being used as with most all pedals like this. i put brand new batteries in it when i got it and left everything plugged in (the pedal was bypassed) and left it like that all night, and the next morning the batteries were dead. i made a mental note not to leave the input cable in again, but a couple of days later the same thing happened.. so.. i invested in a 9v adapter for it, you should too if you expect to do any gigs with it, i wouldn't trust using it live with just batteries.

never needed to deal with them

this pedal is definitely about as good as it gets for the buck.. i wish the battery thing wasn't so bad, but other than that, it sounds good, pretty versatile.. get's the job done. if it were lost or stolen, i don't know that i'd run out to replace it, i'd probably save up and get a nicer analog pedal like the carbon copy or the deeelay (mcats?) pedal.

DD3. Easy, intuitive and efficient. Instant gratification

I love this pedal, specifically because it doesn't contain the fidelity of more modern delay units. It samples @ 8 Bits, which is why it sounds the way it does. Also it contains a unique QUANTIZING component that rounds off delay time to a small ratio in relation to input material.



I give it a 9, because if it was pristine, it would have no character and suck.

After a nuclear war only three things will be left on the face of the planet:

1. Cockroaches,
2. Keith Richards
3. The Boss DD3.

LOL!

You'll never need it. EVER.

Unique application: 2xDD3's in series:

Not even EVENTIDE, Lexicon, TC can even approximate the amazing configuration of two Boss DD3's in SERIES, in mono.

In this configuration, setting the first delay shorter and the second longer (2-3 ratio and effect level slightly louder), the DD3
performs a remarkable SELF OSCILLATION, slightly quantizing the summed output to a profoundly beautiful and unique and dynamic poly-rhythmic tapping that to this day, no other device on god's green earth can replicate... Seriously, no one has ever managed to come even close to this effect, and for that alone, it's worth every cent.


I challenge any company to attempt replication of this application.