Boss DD-5 Digital Delay

You'll need to read the manual 'cuz there are lots of settings. It will take you some time otherwise. The manual is descriptive, and mine came with a sticker with all the settings which goes on the side of the pedal for easy reference.

This was my first delay pedal and I didn't know better. After playing other better pedals I must say the sounds from this one are thin and brittle. Sort of sterile. It's ok for that "brick in the wall" sort of thing if you're into it, but not for much else.

Mine was brand new but after a year and half there was a problem with the power. It would refuse to switch on at random. I've not seen this sort of a problem with other boss pedals. However my older DS-1 also died after 3 and a half years so maybe the QC is going downhill these days. I would look elsewhere.

What customer support?

Sort of OK pedal for a beginner but not something I'd trust for a gig.

You can't get easier to operate.

A bit sterile, but acceptable...

Monte Allums has a DIY mod to make it more 'analogish' but...

No pitch alteration whilst twiddling the delay knob?!Q?

OUtLANDixsh!!!

Don't use a PS with 500ma or more. This pedal will fail...

Boss PSU is 9v and 200ma... learn. X{P>

?

Does Boss supply actual people?

I hate it...

Bought on premise that I loved the DD-3 my friend had. Loved the pitch bend of the delay knob, but the DD-5 'fixed' this 'problem'?!?!

The pedal crams too many features onto a stomp box. The knobs are small and very difficult to change on the fly. You can forget about using tap tempo.

I play a Baker into a Reverend Kingsnake.
My pedal setup is: Budda Wah > Maxon OD-9 > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Pigtronix EP-1 > Pigtronix Echolution

The pedal doesn't suck tone or create noise, it sounds like a standard digital delay. If you like the pedal you can improve the tone with a high-cut mod by Analogman.

Features:
There isn't enough delay time (5 seconds) for looping to be constructive. The reverse delay does its job. The short delay times work well for reverb emulation. The tap tempo verges on being useless; it takes too much time to get going. I used the pedal for standard delay and it didn't fail me. Pray that you never have to change the settings on this pedal.

Despite conventional wisdom, BOSS pedals are not the sturdiest. I had no problems with it in terms of reliability.

I play jazz, blues, classic rock, and funk. I have played guitar for 11 years.
The pedal is inexpensive, packed with features, and will seem attractive to many. The pedal, however, is too difficult to use on the fly. I'd recommend investing extra money in a pedal that isn???t mediocre.

The ease of use is the main appeal for this pedal. The external tap tempo is super convenient for keeping up to the live tempo of a song, particularly when using the delay as a short-timed delay. I primarily use it for Christian rock/worship music.

Disappointing. The DD-5 reminds me of the RV-3 which has a thin brittle tone which I absolutely detest. A big reason these are selling for top $ on ebay is for the external tap tempo capabilities (w/o having to hold down the pedal for 2 seconds like the DD6). I don't mind the "clean" repeats that replicate a pristine delay. I just hate the trebly top end it creates on the repeats. Don't get me wrong, I use a Line 6 DL4 for more atmospheric analog stuff, so I don't want the DD-5 for that. I guess I wanted something close to the DD-2 which I currently use, but with an external tap tempo. The DD-2 is a better delay pedal by far tone-wise. In fact, I'm going to radioshack tomorrow to do a high-cut mod in one of my pedal mod ebooks from indyguitarist to try and get the pedal to sound less brittle and warm and more punchy like the DD-2. I will definitely a/b them side-by-side to try and tweak it to just the right treble roll off.

Boss pedals last forever.

I bought this pedal because a lot of well-known christian bands use it. Now I wonder if they like the convenience more than the tone. I think I'd like the pedal more if I never had the DD-2 to compare it with.

I've been playing guitar for a little over 10 years (blues, rock, christian worship/rock, funk) and I confess I am a gear junky. I do a lot of modding to pedals and tweaking to taste and have thus reached a point where I love all the pedals I have currently on my pedalboard. So, I definitely know what I like and do my comparisons based on these. If this were stolen, I don't know if I'd replace it... probably would if I dig the tone after I mod it, can't say otherwise.

Soo easy to get the sound u want. It does exactly what you tell it to do unlike some other boss delays.

The pedal sounds hectic for what we play. As i stated before ive ran dd6's and dd3's and delays from many other brands and none of them sound lyk crap compared to the dd5. I dont no wot it is but it just in my oppinion is a much better pedal than the rest which is why i spent so much on tracking one down for myself.

Nothing ever goes wrong, its soo simple to use and incredibly reliable. It will do what i want it to do straight away unlike the dd6.
The simple on/off footswitch i like too as having an external tap is no problem for me.

never had to deal with them

I play in hillsong united and all our guitarists are total delay freaks. So far ive had a dd3, everyone looked at it and laughed, i then owned a dd6, discovered it would never do what i wanted it to on the first go on stage and at times this could prove to be extremely frustrating. It sounded ok but the one pedal everyone from hillz were in love with was the dd5. Its sooo much easier to use, pretty much we just set it to doublings and have an external tap for the tempo which proved to be incredibly convenient on stage. An easy on/off switch unlike the dd6 in which u have to press and hold!!!

It was really easy to use.

It sounds good. Used it to play some Mars Volta and it sounded nice.

For Sure.

Haven't had to yet.

Best pedal ive ever bought....and the only one. Sorry guys I kind of got a steal on this one.

I bought this 2nd hand and so have no manual. As other users have mentioned the knobs are a little small to handle all the functions. However mine does allow you to change delay range/type while playing so not sure what a previous reviwere was referring to. With over 10 functions it is not simple but that's not why you buy these multi delays - lot's of stuff to play with! It would be nice if the tap tempo could be operated on the pedal and not need another footswith to operate.

Right, this is a large-scale manufactured DIGITAL Delay and sounds like one. If you crave the warmth and decay of a boutique analogue delay run as far away from this as you can, they are very different animals. If your idea of tone ecstacy is the purest signal going into valves polished on the thigh of a cuban virgin driven amp this pedal will not cheer you up.

However, if you want a reliable & practical delay this is a very useful pedal. There is a massive range of delay (upto 2secs) as well as reverse and hold function. The hold function is pretty useful for lonely guitarists as it allows you to loop upto 2secs and then play over the top. Unfortunalty you can't totally cut the dry signal when using the reverse but it's still fun to piss around with.

From a reasonable "slap echo" to non-sense runaway etheral feedback this pedal wil capapbly look after you everyday needs.

Mine is old, still works. Boss are pretty consistent

No manual avaliable from Boss. I know you don't make it any-more but that's hardly fair!

I bought this to make huge long swooshy noises and it suits this pupose admirably. As delay tends to radically change your whole tone I can't say any of my kit seems to get along with it any beeter than others. Humbuckers and Single coils all get the same treatment. I have found that using huge delaytimes and feedback can be a bit much for my little 5W combo and it's 8" speaker. If you going for noise, you'll need a bigger boat!

There are a huge number of things to change and set, so nope, this stomp box is not easy to use, but it's a whole load of fun playing with all the settings. Well you can't expect to have just ONE control on your digital delay, it's not a phaser or a simple volume pedal, so in all fairness I'll give this a 8.

I use it with a standard Japanese strat with 011 gauge strings. It is not noisy, just very clean and nice sounding. Remember folks this is a DIGITAL delay, yes d.i.g.i.t.a.l, not analog, so don't expect this to sound like your old analog delay unit. I used a capacitor across the feedback pot and got a bit of high rolloff and it does sound like an analog delay after that change, though it's a real right royal pain to unscrew everything and access those leads.

It does what it's supposed to, and does a great job. I've had mine ... I dunno how many years, probably 6-7 (?) and it has never given me a problem.

Never any problem so far, I'd gig with it.

Never needed.

This is a great delay, but my only concern is power consumption. When I measured using an ammeter, this baby was up to 59 milliamps, while most other pedals were around 8-15mA. I believe the DD-6 consumes less power. This may be a concern when daisy chaining the power supply. I looked at the Boss charts and it says this pedal takes 62mA, so mine is in the ballpark.

Yeah, it's a great pedal, but if lost, I'll take a look at the bazillion other delays out there, maybe there's something which I'll like more.

Mine is a Humphrey Audio analog MOD unit, MUCH better tone!
Easy to use if you know anything at all about what you want in a delay unit.

I own 6 of his modded pedals. JUST DO IT!
He can get all the best out of your stuff. He also sells new and used pedals that are modded.

5humphrey@charter.net is the contact.

I use an original Dean ML, A newer Fender MIM Strat, A Carvin Bolt, and a Gibson FireBrand SG from the early 80's.

I use a Carvin Legacy combo as my primary amp

Mark Humphrey has taken what was an OK delay and made it great with his Analog MOD. Now the repeats are a little darker sounding and that digital /Thing' is gone.

Very heavy pedal, well built.
I trust Humphrey's internals also, so I'm not worried.

Mark Humphrey answered every question I had before, during, and after I purchased pedals from him, or had him work on mine.

I know I have a friend in tone!

I play southern rock and blues stuff all the way to '3 Doors Down' and everything in between.
Started playing in the mid 70's, haven't let up yet. Had about every guitar, amp, and effect out there.
This is the best sounding delay I've had by far.
Now that Humphrey took the edge off it, it sits sweet in the mix.
It's a keeper.

The small "Boss knobs" do not suit this pedal very well. It can be frustrating selecting between 8-10 modes with a small knob that isn't labeled. Well labeled knobs and a digital screen are a necessity in a pedal that has this many functions. See the Boss DD-20 Delay Pedal. The ability to use the Stereo Outputs is a nice feature.

This pedal gives your clean guitar signal a sterile robotic sound. When switching through the modes, the sound is cut off. That makes on the fly delay changes impossible. A very poor design.
After playing the Boss DD-20 I've realised that all Digital Delays are not created equal in the tone dept. The Boss DD-20 has a much fuller and more natural sound. It also has a "Tone" knob that allows you to change the color of your sound a bit. If you play strictly distorted notes through this pedal you may not notice. But clean guitar suffers coming through this unit.

Boss pedals are built like tanks. I've never had one die on me. But be careful with the knobs. They could break off fairly easy.

Boss has a nice website. I've never had to deal with them. 10 pts. for an imformative website.

I've been playing guitar and creating music for over 7yrs now. I'm a versatile guitarist, but I really enjoy playing music in the vein of Bloc Party, Coldplay, U2, Doves, and Blur. I play 2 Fender Teles through a Fender Blues Jr. at practise, and a Fender Hot Rod Deville live. I'm very picky about my gear. I look at Build Quality, Sound Quality, and Price. I found that you always get what u pay for. But I always find the best equipment used.
I bought this delay because of its multiple functions such as: Reverse, Stereo Outputs, ability to plug in external pedal for tap tempo. Currently I've found the Boss DD-20 and it blows this pedal away hands down in every category.

If you want a digital delay that has many functions, I highly recommend the Boss DD-20

If you want the digital delay sound, it can be had for much cheaper than this unit.

Use your ears and decide for yourself. Good luck.