DOD FX96 Echo FX

It's very easy to use. It has 4 knobs "Dry/Tape", "Echo/Delay", "Slap/Regen", and "Tape Quality". Unlike some DOD pedals, there aren't any cutesy names to confuse you.

The sound it produces is very similar to an old tape echo unit, such as the Echoplex. It has a very warm analog sound. Since it is analog, the delay time is short as compared to digital units. However, it does not mess with your tone like some of the digital delays will.
It is very good at producing Rockabilly style slapback. It can also do echo sounds from the 70's. The tape quality setting allows you to emulate that worn out tape sound that you'll hear in some recordings from that period.
In some settings (mostly with very low tape quality), you can produce some really odd sounds (like a bouncy squeak) that may not have been intended by the designers. Also, if you change the echo setting while sound is coming through it actually sounds like you're moving the head on a tape player.

It seems to be sturdy, but since I don't gig beyond jam sessions and since I rarely change it's settings beyond slapback, I don't know what it's long term road reliability would be. I would guess it would hold up as well as other, current, DOD products (their quality seems to have improved recently).

The unit I got had a manual for a FX69 Grunge pedal! So did all of the others the store had. Must have been a Monday morning or Friday afternoon on the packaging line.
The DOD web site is quite poor. I suspect that they don't have anyone working on it regularly. I'll bet a poor, overworked, net admin has it piled on his already overworked shoulders or they have it outsourced to some cult/company. I've been waiting nearly 6 months for them to get the manuals online. Get into the 90's folks!

I primarily play blues, rockabilly, and classic rock, so this pedal really worked well for me.
I had tried out several digital delays (mostly from BOSS) and I had not been pleased with them. When I was trying out delay's, I also compared it against the Korg Dynamic Echo, which I liked better in some ways. However, the Korg unit cost $70 more and the extra features weren't worth the price. I also compared it against the Ibanez and Morley analog delays. Those units cost more ($30-$50 more) and didn't sound any better than the EchoFX.
If I had to replace it I would probably get another one, although I would have to consider it against the DanElectro DanEcho and the Korg pedal.
Overall, I've been very pleased with this pedal, which the exception of not having a manual. If you have one, please email me some sample settings from it. I give the pedal itself a "10", but I'm cutting my overall rating down to "7" because of the poor DOD web site.

I didn't get a manual with it but it was still easy to figure out. I really didn't like it that much at the music store so it takes a little time to get used to it. I read the comment below that said there was some nice settings in the manual...

I keep it very simple these days- my rig is: Jackson (USA) guitars w/Marshall JCM2000 full stack.. I use only a Boss Chorus, Morley Bad Horsie and the FX-96.. I think the FX-96 sounds terrific for a $90 analog delay.. it is the closest thing to an Echoplex and without all the hassles.. I really like this delay.. I have previously owned a DigitTech PDS 1002 (really sucked) and a Alesis rack mounted reverb/delay.. this sounds better than any of the above.. Digital stuff just plain sucks..

It is really new.. I have had it less than 1 week.. However, it has a 3 year (Parts and Labor) warranty, that tells me it is well made. I am not rich or anything but could probably afford to fork out another $90 bucks as a back-up.. However, let me make a point.. a delay isn't like a tube amp or guitar.. if it breaks, i would make it through the gig without it.. it isn't 100% essential.. i don't need a backup delay

Never delt with 'em.. Never really liked DOD either.. I always thought they were like a second-rate BOSS. However, as negative as my attitude was I ended up selling myself on it.. Everyone I have talked to about the FX-96 loves the thing.. Some use it instead of an Echoplex

I play instrumental/hard rock.. I was looking for a warm and fuzzy (ala Eric Johson's Echoplex) delay.. This thing is close.. I have been playing for over 20 years (I am 28) and am very anti-effects. My rule: get a good guitar and a good amp, then do very little to hinder the natural tone.. I compared this unit to the Ibanez Analog delay and this was better.. A also tried a rack mointed Alesis Midi-Verb 4 which was nice but 4X as expensive

Sounded pretty decent for a little slap-back echo. Nice for Rockabilly tunes. The manual is pretty basic, but there's not much to the unit. Only difference compared to other delay pedals is the tape quality control. That's very useful for controlling the subtlety of the effect when you want a slap-back echo that is barely noticeable.

Sounded good for that subtle effect. I don't like it too noticeable. I'm currently using a Sovtek Mig-50 with a Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal. I've only used the FX-96 at one gig so far. Everyone seemed to like it. I didn't notice any extra noise. So far so good.

Being that I've just bought it, I can't really elaborate on it's reliability. I can tell you that I've owned three DOD delay pedals over the years. One digital, and two analog. They ALL died within two years. I wouldn't have bought this one had I not gotten such a good deal on it. I'm giving DOD just one more chance.

N/A

It's pretty limited as to what it can do. It won't do a long, slow, spacey echo. It's slowest delay time is still fairly quick. As I said above, it seems real good for a Rockabilly slap-back effect. Sounds best set for only one repeat. I've heard better, but this is not bad for the price

Pretty easy to use, same contols as any other delay. But, the new Tape delay nob is a great new addition! The manual has some good sample settings.

GREAT DELAY! Very cool how it emulates tape delays! The extra tape quality nob can shift the delayed signal from chrisp to muddy, just like changing the tape on an old delay, with a lot less hassle! The echo is great, smooth analog is way better than my old BOSS PS-3 and its digital sound.

It's DOD, they even made the battery latch better! I definetly would use this without a backup.

Never had to deal with them.

I traded in my lame BOSS PS-3 for this delay, and I have to admit that it was a good deal! That BOSS pedal new is over $200 (I got it used for $100) and I only got $67 Blue Book for it! Just goes to show you how much it SUCKS! I hate digital stuff now, music isn't meant to be super clean all the time. I tried this against the Ibanez Analog delay, Morley Analog delay, and Electro-Harmonix Memory man, and this was the best deal. The Memory Man was coll, but too much $, and this pedal had a slightly longer delay time than the other 2. NOTE: ANALOG DELAYS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE LONG, ABOUT A SECOND OR 2 IS ALL YOU GET (but really, how long of a dealy do you need?) The salesman knew me, so he gave me a break on the price because of the low book value. Overall, a great analog delay.