Boss DM-3 Analog Delay

I matched one of the youtube demos which starts at max delay v. the programmable delay on a bass podxt, it's 310ms + or - 5ms.

Very easy, top notch, simple, u crazy cats know what i mean

THis is a really really nice sounding effect, now i know boss pedals normally get slammed and slayed. But analogue delay is something they really dow pwn!

I bought a MXR carbon copy, 2 weeks prior, i used to use a boss DD3, and i thought, analogue kicks and the mxr has a similar delay lenght, 600,

after playing the mxr, i thought, yeah this is a kickin sound, but its analogue, and digital has a place too,

digital is like, my guitar sound is a brick wall, and the top of the bricks and crumbling and corroding making a cool echo sound, and annalogue is like a whole bunch of people banging on the back of the wall not getting through and muffled, both are fantastic sounds, so now i use both, but seeing as i was keeping the DD3 on my board, i decided to feel free to get a shorter "more boutique pedal" being the boss dm3, i got it for about $200AUD on ebay, and instantly its sounds amazing. not as dark and warm sounding as the carbon copy, but its wierd, it sounds so good. much better with overdrive than the carbon copy.

dont get me wrong, i intended to resell the pedal i liked the least, but i think i might keep the carbon copy too, lend it to someone or put it in the sock draw, because its a really cool sounding pedal.

similar to the malleko 600 dark,
where as the DM3 is like a mallekko 300 bright.

why not do what i do, in a country where analogue delays arent in stores to try, be adventourous and buy a few, try them all sell what u dont want,

this this is second hand and at least 20 years old, looks loved, but works fine.

never needed it

i rate the sound of the pedal 10/10

sure the delays arent the longest, maybe about 320-400mms.

but anyone will love it.

worth getting it now before they go up in any more price!

It has only 3 knobs : Repeat Rate, Echo & Intensity. Simplicity is always the best to my opinion. Very easy to dial-in conventional delayed sounds, or single short-delay.

I mostly use the DM-3 for rehearsing at home with a '07 Fender Special Run Palo Esrito Telecaster (MIM) and a '79 Fender Princeton Reverb with boost switch, with a little touch of reverb.
Sometimes I connect an extra '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb to the direct output to create a bigger sound with the 2-output system that makes the DM-3 superior to the DM-2.
The DM-3 analog delay is very warm & clear sounding, not noisy at all and very pleasant to your ears, I think that's the main reason why this pedal has become so popular.

Boss compact pedals are build like a tank, I will use it at a gig without backup (only some extra rechargeable Ni-Mh 9V batteries and a battery charger).

Boss user manuals, schematics & additional information can be found on the net, so no problem for that.
I could even track the serial number 674400 of this DM-3 on www.bossarea.com, turns out that it was made in Japan in june 1986.
I bought this DM-3 on 03/17/08 and it didn't work at all, but I've been looking around for this pedal since the late eigthies when I started to play electric guitar, even then it was already difficult to find one, so I took the risk and bought it, took it home, removed the bottom plate and quickly noticed that 1 of the 2 wires connected to the pedal switch had a bad solder joint. Resoldered it, et voila, this baby works fine again.
I've never needed any customer support, I repair all my gear (amps, cables, guitars and effects) myself, if it would break I'll fix it again.

I play mostly blues & jazz, I like to cross the narrow line between these 2 music styles, my idols are Ronnie Earl, Anson Funderburgh, Duke Robillard, Jimmy & Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hollywood Fats, Junior Watson, Freddie King, Albert King, BB King, Albert Collins, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Gatemouth Brown, Johnny Guitar Watson, T-Bone Walker, Lonnie Johnson, Jimmy Nolan, Wayne Bennett, Billy Butler, Tiny Grimes, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery etc...
Basically for blues music you only need a Fender or Gibson electric guitar equipped with good pickups and with heavy strings for serious tone, a small Fender tube amp that you can crank with onboard Reverb & Tremolo (Fender Princeton Reverb or Fender Deluxe Reverb) & this DM-3 analog delay to add some warm delay sounds when needed, its the perfect match.
Started to play acoustic guitar along with blues records around 1986, after 1 year acoustic I made the switch to electric guitar and kept on playing the blues, later on jazzy blues or bluesy jazz.
Over the years I've collected a large collection of Silverface, Blackface & Tweed Fender amps, Fender Strats & Tele's, 1960 Gibson ES-330-TD (the same guitar Grant Green used in his early period, yeahhh)
For effects I only use the onboard Reverb & Tremolo on the Fender amps, Fender Vibratone, Fender Tube Reverb & finally a (Fender) Mender made by Hicks Electronics Corporation to add some real tube overdrive to my dual channel Fender tube amps.
If the DM-3 were stolen or lost I would get me another one asap.

Not hard but not easy to get a good sound out of it, its 3 knobs but there are only 2 knobs that really need tweaking:

The 'Intensity' and the 'Echo' knobs really need to be fine tuned.

Great Sound! Freaking old thing made me smile when I played it! I usually play this thing by itself on my pedal board not really into mixing it with other effects but why would you want to? It sounds lovely alone. Anyway ONLY thing is that this thing sounds too FAST the repeat rate is set way too quick because I got mine all the way down and its still not enough but I have found that I still use it in all my songs that use delay anyway because the thing sound sick-like a reverb in the background or something...I know its analog but I think its just a great sounding delay...

Well I got mine used so I cant complain really but the AC adaptor jack in the back is a bit twitchy and dodgey of the power signal :(

but other than that its still tough

Im not too familiar with other delays just onboard delays ive tried on certain amps and I hate 'em but I got a Boss dd-3 which I love as well but compared to this it sounds sterile and lifeless but of course it cant get the same repeat rates so...Im using a fender HRD 212 and telecaster and it sounds pretty Hip for being a pedal they dont sell anymore so I'm glad I picked this up because before I was thinking the dd-3 was all I needed.

What a lovely surprise when I bought it on a whim

Has only three knobs but it will take some listening to get the sound just right. Its not hard, just that its also very easy ruin your tone with this.

Brilliant. Or maybe, NOT brilliant, which is the whole point. Warm sounding lo fi delay. Its analog, and that was exactly what I was looking for. Its great for thickening tone especially on distorted solos, but it sounds great in giving dimension to clean tones. It adds that creamy thickness to your sound. Its not the most versatile pedal, but you can make tons of crazy spaced out sounds by playing with the time knob when your guitar starts to feedback. Mine isn't noisy at all. Personally, I still can't believe that it took me this long to realize what my tone was missing, but then again these things aren't the easiest pedals to find anymore.

Mine looks like its been through a war. And it STILL works great. BOSS has a reputation for the sturdy make of their products and this one is a living testament being one of the pretty old models from the 80's when BOSS still made their pedals in Japan.

Besides, I don't know where to find back up for this if ever it should break.

These things haven't been manufactured since the last ice age, so you'll be lucky if they even recognize the model.

Looking around HC one can notice the influx of appreciation for these "vintage" analog pedals. Although I will never slag new technology ("Old is good, but old is old") there really is something special about these old geezers. I play hard rock, mostly compositions and have always wanted that extra thickness and dimension to my tone. That is exactly what the DM 3 gives me. It has a nice character that suits the older styles and it has the raw analog warmth that is so... I dunno, Rock N' Roll. Its not the most versatile pedal, but if you knew what you were looking for with an analog delay pedal then that shouldn't be surprising.

Soundwise its a great product, that is assuming you know what sound you want to get. If you're looking for long delays look elsewhere because this isn't it. These things are getting so ridiculously expensive in the used gear market. Supply and demand I guess. If you can find one cheap grab one. Happy hunting!

three knobs, big knobs too - what can really go wrong?

the quality of the sound is not why we all go gaga over the analog pedal is it? the dark, dubby, early edge/U2, king tubby bubbling delay is why the DM3 is the schizzle. A most musical pedal, there no need to eq the pedal its always just right - how many pedals can you say that about.Shes a nine because who really wants pristine anyway?

20 something years and still rocking - better than most people I know

never had to.

I also have a DM2, and tracked this lil baby down - these pedals are the final word on analog delay. I personal prfer these over the memory mans because the personality is always musical, always just right. These pedals are the bisness. If you can get one keep it.

Simple...3 knobs.

Primary guitars 1978 Hard-tail Strat and a Epiphone ES-335 Sheridan. I use a Musicman 2-12 HD-130 and a GK 250 ML through a Marshall 4-12 as my amps. I have a Tubeworks 901 overdrive with a 12ax7 tube in it in front of the DM-3. I also use a BF-2 Flanger and a DOD DFX-94 Digital delay for looong delays.

I love the smoothness of an Analog delay. The Digital delay is only used when I need really slow delays, and it sounds very sterile, and lacks the creaminess of the Boss DM-3.

To obtain a slower Delay with the DM-3, I took it apart and adjusted the pots inside. It does make the pedal a bit noisier, but you can find a compromise between delay length and noise.

Gives a GREAT early U2 sound.

Can't break it.

Contrary to above reviews, it doesn't eat batteries...especially compared to digital delays.

N/A

Would buy another on E-bayif it was stolen.

Like all BOSS pedals, it requires a rocket scientist to figure it out. Ever notice how simplicity and brilliance go hand-in-hand (BOSS, Les Pauls, Telecasters).

Works with any set-up, guitar (electric or accoustic) or bass (Bassists: try using it for Pink Floyd's "One of These Days"). Warm and quiet.
Telecaster / Les Paul Studio - SansAmp GT2 - DS-2 - CH-1 - DM-3 - whatever amp is in the practice studio/ direct into board at the club we play at occasionally.

This is why I am submitting this review. I have owned my DS-3 for 20 years and have never once had any problems with it. Have NEVER though about replacing it, certainly not with a digital delay. Oh, but it's hard to dust in between the dials.

Roland's web site is pretty helpful. For what little info that is still available on this pedal, go to the "About Boss" page and click on the "Compact Pedals History." However, as this pedal will probably be passed on to your grandchild(ren) as is (minus a few paint chips), customer support is not really an issue.

This is the first pedal I ever owned, so if it were stolen or lost, I would be terribly unreasonable. Plus, replacing it is next to impossible: they were discontinued in 1988 after only four years of production, which means that there are not that many of these babies around. If you can find one, get it - it has its own sound that has a warmth I have never heard from a digital delay.

This is about as easy to use as other delay pedals; the controls are self-explanatory.

I was a bit surprised by this unit. Tested with a 2x12 Marshall set to clean, the DM-3 sounded exactly like the digital delays of that era (80s). Ditto when a Boss overdrive or distortion was placed before it--very hi-fi.

Boss pedals are quite dependable. I wouldn't gig with it only because of a relative lack of delay time flexibility.

It's unfortunate that Boss hasn't made .pdfs of their owners manuals on their site; they're probably the only musical equipment manufacturer that hasn't.

A usable, workhorse unit that sounds digital in spite of it's analog circuitry. I suspect the earlier DM-2 might offer more of an analog 'warmth' and grit, but it's been a while since I've used one.

So easy a three year old could use it!

The DM3 gives a lovely dark dubby analog sound-not a particularly long delay.Not really why I bought it!-I do studio stuff,so I look for interesting pedals to mangle sounds with.This is orgasmic - wind up all the controls,wait for the feedback,then pull the left knob down slowly and wait for your poor guitar amps to make some FOUL noises!!!

It's a BOSS pedal.

There is none!-N/A

For the type of noises and squelchiness that I look for in equipment such as this,this is great.Not the most flexible delay pedal I've come across,but for the sheer horribleness that this thing produces,BUY IT!!!