Carl Martin DeLayla

I wanted to add a bit about the clock noise issue because while the first pedal i bought didn't have an issue with it the second I recently picked up did. There are two little trim pots inside. They are right there very obviously when you remove the back plate. By adjusting them slightly you can get rid of the clock noise (or make it much worse). I was able to dail out the clock with a very slight adjustment. Carefull it's a bit fragile inside.

Things i didn't see mentioned here: 1) you can plug the output half way in and access the delay only. This is very helpfull in a parallel effects loop. 2) using the stereo in/out you can connect TRS to TS cables and set up a crude feedback loop.

It is absolutely great. I have to disagree with many things i've read in other reviews here. I cannot hear any bleed in the bypassed signal. I can't hear any clock noise or other noises other than the normal sound that any good analog delay will make with the feedback turned all the way up. I do not find the repeats to be bright like someone said. I find this pedal to be very fat, and warm. By the second repeat there is almost no treble left. I was afraid to buy one of these because of some of things i read here and i'm happy to report that none of it was true for my unit. I own many great analog delays mxr green machine, ibanez ad-230, ad-9, arion sad-1, yamaha e1005... this can hold it's own with anything. It uses the same panasonic bbd chips as the moog 104 so i think it has the right pedigree.

Side by side with an ad-900 it is impossible to tell them apart by sound, The delay vs. dry on the maxon can go a little more to the wet side. That is the only difference, but the delayla beats the maxon for the super fat sounds that it can generate with the second tap. As mentioned above you can get the delay only sound by putting the jack halfway into the output.

I very much like how you can set it for two full volume repeats (main and tap) and no regeneration. It allows the sound to be much more full and lush than a single tap without that pesky reapeat trail following you around mucking things up. The regeneration has a great decay but i don't like that all the time as it can get in the way and cause wrong notes to trail over where they don't sound right against the new passage or chord i'm playing. The second tap is the best of both worlds.

Another cool thing about the tap. If you set the first tap so it is one the verge of running away you can set the second tap up to push it over the top then turn the second tap off right before all hell breaks loose. if you time it right you can bring the second tap in and out and never go all the way into full runaway. I find this is one of the coolest delay tricks of all time and no other pedal can do it.

another place this pedal shines is short slap back delay. With the tap on the "bathroom reverb" sounds you can create are more rich and complex than any other analog unit i have heard. I would not use anything else (other than my tape delay) for these sounds after hearing the delayla.

It is also worth mentioning here that the newer delayla XL is a digital delay, so it's not really an upgrade to this unit. The bbd chips used in this unit are no longer manufactured.

I've got 6 carl martin pedals that i have used for many years with no issues.

They are very fast with support.

I really think this is one of the best if not the best analog delay pedal out there. I prefer this to the moog unit which i used to have but never liked it's decay characteristic. This sounds very close but i find it more usefull for guitar.

A simple delay with the usual features, plus the extra head for that old style gallop feel.
No battery compartment, comes with a plug.

As it says, echo.
Warm fuzzy and alive, it is not a pedal for those who wants pristine sounds.
It gives an almost reverb like sound, the echo is dark'ish, not as much as a DM-2 or a Maxon AD-999 or 900.
I play with a highgain setup, so this pedal works very well in that system, I don't get that piercing delay I normally get with digital delays, as I use a very open sound in my setup.
My amp is a Bogner Shiva with the 6L6's, the echo fits perfectly with this setup, my speakers are 4 Classic Lead80 Celestions.
Sometimes I just use the clean channel with a distortion and a overdrive pedal, then it also gets stuck into the loop when I only uses the amps own drivechannel.
It handles both both places nicely.

Bought mine a two months ago, I heard about the old ones reliability troubles, but the seller insured me that the troubles was fixed.
Well they are, no trouble what so ever.
Solid and maybe a big tall pedal, but it does not bother me, it is the sound that counts, and it has a very distinct touch.

Asked about the stereo options, got a repsonse within a day, all well explained.
Good company that takes it customers serioulsy.

A very good oldstyle echo box, it has its own personality, and now with the past troubles corrected it is also a reliable pedal.
Most of the time I just use with the main echo only, I really like the pleasent sound it has, and it can take off like there is no end to it, indeed lots of fun too.
The XL may have tempo tap, but I do not use that, I guess that I'll get one more, maybe their upcoming Red Repeat??
Sounds like an equal good delay.

This is an update of my earlier review, I have been in touch with someone at Carl Martin who confirmed my suspicion that there was indeed a problem with the Delayla. However, he reassured me that they now have the problem sorted out and have a policy to repair any unit free of charge no matter how old. This is service as it should be and I can't wait to get my Delayla back.

Analogue delay, very straightforward to use, the only thing that took some figuring out were the "tap" controls. The built in adapter is a very nice feature.

This thing has a fantastic sound to it, very warm and crisp. I find that it really adds something extra to the tone of my setup. It is a little noisy especially on the longer delay settings. Also, on certain settings (especially with long delay and a lot of echo) it would go bezerk in the sense that it would seem to spiral into an orgy of noise.

Well, after I had it for perhaps half a year it broke... First it started sounding like a Harley-Davidson with engine trouble, then it quit altogether. I'm a bit dissapointed because it is expensive and appears to be well built.

Haven't dealt with Carl Martin directly.

I think overall the sound is fantastic but the reliability is crap, especially considering the price.
I play lots of styles, mainly more rock-ish oriented, it is quite good for that, esp for U2 type stuff or more classic rock oriented things. I've been playing electric for about 10 years now. I compared this unit to digital delays and it blew them away sound-wise. I wish it had a feature that would let you set the tempo by tapping some pedal (like the boss digital delays) but I understand that it's hard to do in an anologue delay.

This unit it very easy to use, pretty straight forward.
Editing is 4 knobs Echo, Tap, Time, Repeat.
No detail manual, but it does provide some samples.

My set up: Strat- Carl Martin Delayla-Fulltone FD2 Fuzz-Amp.
The unit is extremly quiet and transparent/true bypass.
The sound is always Clear, clean never weak in signal chain.
Rivera R100, Roland JC77
My set up is design to paint the picture of me, so I don't try emulate another artists sound. I play everthing from Jazz Funk to variety music.

Built like a tank, I can depend on it.

The company representation is the best I ever encountered. I called several times for information and they were always willing to show support.

If stolen I would buy this unit or the most recent version. This unit is worth the money and is a top quality unit

EASY TO DIAL IN THE SLAPBACK DESIRED

WONDERFDUL

TOTALLY UNRELIABLE

NON EXISTENT

Buyers Beware!!!

I tried every single analog delay on the market and found the Carl Martin DeLayla Analog Delay pedal to be the sweetest slapback, however, it is unstable and is no longer in production, so I'm sending you this email as a WARNING not to buy one new or used! It has been in my pedalboard for the past year that I purchased from AMS on line in 2003 for $264.50 The first one crapped out in the middle of a live open air show in Germany last year and it started warbling terribly. Thank God I use a master volume control (Boss FV300H) and was able to and shut of the signal rapidly and disonnect it from the signal chain quick fast and in a hurry. It was a little embarrassing. When I returned stateside, I went into Victors Music in Paramus, NJ (the parent company) who swapped me out with a brand new one on the spot. Then the second one crapped out two mos ago during another live show in Texas. Same quick fix. I was given a credit for it yesterday and will apply it to the Vox Tonelab SE Monday. Neato! I'm as excited at its arrival as fifteen whores at the New Jersey State Fair dick sucking contest booth ...

Very easy to adjust the parameters and smooth operation of the knobs

Set up is various strats through Nomad 100 & Line6 modulation unit.
I purchased mine mail order from a shop near Manchester and after playing for 4 minutes of home use the device broke down with serious loss of all tone and echo! Music shop was great and send me replacement and this one so far ( 1 hour of use is still working ! )
Sound is very similar to the old fashioned taoe units like a copycat. It has a much warmer strength and real delay ta any digital units I've tried ( Boss mostly )

See above. I heard that the were prone to failure howvever not after 4 minutes hom use!

I emailed questions directly before I purchased to the Denmark staff and they replied same day. The distributor Sounds Great were fantastic and their service was 100%

Easy enough to use, the tap thing can be tricky for someone who doesn't understand delays, but the four knobs and two switches make it easy to figure out.

My rig is:
B-bender teles, boss VWah, guyatone st2 comp, boss od3, fulltone octafuzz, akai p1 phaser, ross phaser, mxr original 70's flanger, delayluh, mxr noise gate, boss volume, boomerang, all into a fender 75 combo. The delayluh is, without a doubt, the best analog delay out there for the price. I used to own two ibanez ad9 delays, and sold them for a line 6 delay. Biggest mistake of my life. The line 6 is lifeless and sterile compared to the real thing, nothing beats the bucket brigade IC's. The CM is so warm, just like my old ad9's, with more delay time, and the tap option, which doubles the delay time. The cool thing about the tap is you can set the level of the second delay, the shorter repaets, to be softer than your main delay, creating a subtle overlayment that adds a lot of texture to what you're playing. The tap delay even gets slightly staggered, just like running two analogs in tandom with eachother. I have experienced the dreaded whining noise when the delay is past 330 MS, but my noise gate works to eliminate that, and I never have the delay up that far anyways. No old analogs had more than 330 ms of delay time anyway.

Had it a week so far, and it looks solid. My buddy has had one for two years without problem.

In the world of digits, it's good to see that some people still cling to the warmth of analog circuitry. I love this pedal, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure you could get the maxon ad900 and pay $400, but why? The delayluh is just as good, in my humble opinion. I've been playing for 10 years, and in that time, I've gone through just about every guitar and amp, not to mention literally dozens of fx pedals. Each part of my current rig is there because it's needed, and the delayluh will not leave my pedal board for a long time.

very easy to use, one reason i bought it

beautiful sounds, when it actually works

This thing is terrible. i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I paid $250 for a paperweight. The box broke with in 6 months, being under warranty, i sent it in for repair, 4 months later i got it back, it worked for about 2 hours and broke again, now it's out of warranty and there is no effect what so ever.

These guys suck. I'm sorry to sound so critical, but i wouldn't buy another pedal from them. Understand their products sound incredible, but the reliability and difficulty in getting repairs done is not worth it.

again, this pedal is incredible sounding, but not reliable in the least. Buyer beware.