DOD FX96 Echo FX

the beauty of the pedal lies in its simplicity. Its easy to get many good sounds. It takes a good ear to get a great sound, but it can be done.

Superior quality for the cost. I am running this with about 7 other pedals. I experience no loss of tone or volume when pedal is on or off. I am playing it through a vox ac-30 and a les paul jr. with p-90. You can really get a nice slapback delay with just the right amount of warmth and decay thanks to the tape knob. The tape knob allows you to get a decent clean delay, and when turned up, it gives it just right dirtiness. I played it in comparison with an Ibanez Ad-80 and there is definitely a difference. This pedal can actually sound cleaner while still providing the warm tape like decay. While the ad-80 has a great sound, this pedal can do similar things and a little more. I would say i prefer the cleanliness of this pedal for a live pedal board, however , in the studio the ad-80 cannot be beat.

very solid except the plastic foot switch. I have another dod pedal of the same build which has experienced a bit of hootenany in its day, and it still remains solid.

I play experimental, alternative, shoegazey kind of music and this pedal was a great compliment to my sound. It provides the short dirty delay much better than newer digital pedals (line 6 mm4, boss gigadelay). Its perfect in combination with distortions, which enhance the grittiness. I feel great about the purchase and I would recommend it to those seeking an alternative to the Ibanez ad-80 or other more expensive analog delays.

Right, this pedal seems straight forward enough to begin with. It's only got 4 knobs so how hard can it be? Well, as another reviewer has remarked, I think DOD has missed some important info in it's manual as I will sxplain...

When I first got mine ( a tape reel graphic version ) I was not that impressed. I placed it in the serial effects loop of my Mesa Boogie studio .22 and powered it with a 9volt adapter (soundlab pedal power). The levels seemed quite low, I couldn't really get a satisfactory balance between the dry signal and the effected signal. The delay times were pretty short and the tape quality knob added a kind of grainy distortion to the repeats the more I turned it clockwise. So it was okay but not great, certainly compared to an Arion SAD1 analog delay it didn't really stand up very well.

So next I tried it in front of the amp. This was a bit better and gave me a better balance between the guitar signal and the repeats. Set up like this I would have been happy enough to use it as a slap back/short echo.

BUT then I bought a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2+ and like a couple of people have suggested, I tried powering it at 12Volts. WOW!! It made a MASSIVE difference to this pedal. The levels were much higher, the delay times much longer the repeats carried on far longer. The tape quality knob completely transformed. Before it added a grainy distortion to the repeats but now all the way anti-clockwise it darkens the repeats, turn it clockwise, the repeats get brighter. I can also get it to self ocsillate easily, something that it wouldn't do before at 9 volts.

At 12volts this thing sounds brilliant and I now prefer it to the SAD1. The pedal is supposed to simulate a tape echo, at 9 volts it really didn't convince me at all. The step up in voltage actually made this pedal what it claims to be.

Mine was second hand from ebay but it was New Old Stock and was pristine condition. Nothing has broken yet...
The switch is plastic and doesn't feel that great but the rest of the unit feels robust enough.

No need to contact them thus far.

At 9 volts through the effects loop I would have given this a 5.
In front of the amp a 7 but with it running at 12 volts it goes up to a 9.

If you have one of these and haven't tried running at 12 volts then give it a go (entirely at your own risk of course!). It really did make a huge difference to mine, it was like getting a totally different (much better) pedal. It just shows that you really need to experiment with some pedals before deciding they suck...

For the money this was great value and I'm really pleased with mine.

i was lucky and got one for just 15 GBP (30 dollars) on ebay.

This is an ANALOG echo/delay pedal. Very different from a digital sound. I have the newer version which does not have tape reels drawn on its casing, and comes with an adjustable trim pot inside (more on that later).

im using mine with a boss psa 9v adapter (regulated and smoothed) as i hear that batteries are pointless in this pedal as they wont last any time at all, and affect the sound in a bad way when not at max strength. note: if using an adapter dont use a cheap one, ..trust me!

At first the pedal was confusing but after a while i started to figure out exactly what the knobs do. there are four knobs. the first knob is the MIX(level) knob, which controls the 'loudness' of the repeats/echo. the second knob is the DELAY TIME knob, which controls the time in milliseconds between each echo. the third knob is the REPEAT knob, which controls the number of repeats, and the fourth knob is the QUALITY knob which seems to be like a filter and affects the overall 'tone' of the echo (it also seems to affect the overall echo effect in other ways, it's best to just experiment yourself with that knob rather than me try to explain it). The manual for this pedal is available from the DOD website, and is a good read. the manual contains some example sound settings and they work well.

at first i wasnt sure if it was the right pedal for me, but after figuring out how to use it properly i now love it, i think it sounds fantastic. i had tried a marshall echohead previously (a digital echo/delay pedal) and i hated it. no personality or life in it at all.

the echo sound i have been searching for is something like the old wem copicat sound (an old tape echo device), and i have managed to dial in a real nice version of it on this dod pedal. you cant expect this pedal (or any pedal) to be exactly the same as a real echo tape unit, but this pedal does a really good job in its own way. the sound i get is thick, full of life, and a bit magical.. ..that's analog for you! i have no interest in any other echo pedal now, this is the one for me and im happy. id seriously actually rather have this than a real wem copicat device, for sheer size and convenience.

this pedal is not noisy but only use a QUALITY adapter (like boss PSA), NOT any old adapter, and AVOID batteries with this pedal). i use this pedal with a marshall JCM900 valve amp combo and a gibson SG. the old valve sound of my amp and the analog sound of this pedal (plus quality gibson humbucker pickups) all work beautifully together.

there is an adjustable trim pot inside this pedal and it allows you do make the delay time longer. the problem here though is, if you set it too long, then the echoing notes are all distorted and messed up (both in pitch and overall sound). that might work for some wierd experimental hippy band, but definately not for my needs. assuming you are like me then, i figured out the best way to adjust the trim pot so your sounds are mostly always USEABLE (assuming you dont max out all the knows though!).

get your pedal running but have the back off the pedal so you can adjust the trim pot quickly and easily. you need to put the mix knob straight up at 12 o clock. put the delay knob on max. put the repeat knob on max, and put the quality knob straight up at 12 o clock. now hit a string on your guitar and mute it quickly. you will hear the notes start to repeat (assuming your trim pot is currently set reasonably well!). ok, let the echoing sound stop/stop it, and now turn the trim pot a bit, and repeat the process. what you are aiming for is so that you eventually find a point with your trim pot where you have quite a long delay time between echoes, but the echoing notes are NOT messing up/distorting as they fade away. when you find that point, your trim pot (in my opinion) is set just right. that's all there is to it.

after i set my trim pot up this way, i tried the example pedal sound settings in the dod manual on their website, and my sounds sounded just like dod had described. so, i'm assuming that setting the trim pot using my method gives you an end result similar to dod factory settings for this pedal.

it seems well built, although i dont like the footswitch much. it feels a bit 'spongy' when pressed. the pedal looks great, it's fairly heavy compared to my boss pedals, as well as wider. feels good and solid. has a rubber base like with boss pedals. adapter input is on the side of the pedal, i really wish it was on the back instead!!

i have not dealt with dod. their website seems ok and contains user manuals.

although i'm not highly experienced with analog delay/echo pedals, im very happy with my purchase, and im not gonna go on an obsessive search trying other echo pedals and wasting money. my dod pedal does what i want (an old analog tape echo device type of sound) and it does it very well! it took me a while to find the right settings for me using this pedal, but i got there in the end.

it is quite a versatile pedal so you really should learn how to use it fully before deciding if you like it. i think this pedal is special and i'm glad i didn't have to buy some overpriced, overrated, ego driven boutique crap!

It's an analog delay pedal, pretty easy just 4 knobs.

i've got the older model with the tape reels painted on, but it has the trim pot inside and both description names on the knobs so I don't know what i've got, I live in argentina where I bought it maybe it's an export model of same sort. About the sound, it's great I've used digital delays before even digital tape delays simulations (Yamaha dg-stomp) and this little thing is so different, it feels great i'm using it with a fender super 60 and it retains the feel of the tube amp unlike digital gear. It's rather dark sounding even with the tape quality knob on max so I don't use it too much and even on bypass i notice the treble roll off but I can't complain it's a cheap pedal. I can't use batteries with it, the delay time is very short and rather distorted (it's cool for a lo fi slap though) what I do is to use a 12v power supply to increase the time and it works great that way.

For what I paid used, It's great. I mainly use it for a slap so the short delay time doesn't bother me (the manual says 800 ms haha It barely goes to 300-400) what bothers me a bit is the treble roll off on bypass, but well, nothing's perfect.

Pretty easy with 4 knobs. I've got the old version with the painted on tape reels.

I use this thing with various tube amps to play blues/rock harp. I previously had a multi-fx pedal and a digital delay pedal, but I sold them and decided I just wanted a great sounding slap-back delay to thicken up my harp tone. It works beautifully. I keep getting a jones for the latest digital effect wonder, but then I play a gig with this sucker and my desire for the fancy digital stuff evaporates. It really sounds beautiful with a good tube amp--gritty, analog, and warm.

I got mine used and have played it for more than a year. No problems.

I haven't needed to call.

This is a real bargain for the $. It really shines for getting that deep organic harp tone. I'm gonna hold onto this sucker!

Easy, but can be time-intensive because there's a lot of good sounds to be had. The range in the "tape/dry" knob behaves deep and delicate, imo, and I find myself making SMALL tweaks for this to get the mix just the way I want it. Not hard, but I fiddle with it a lot just to get it JUST right.

No manual, got it used. The "tape quality" takes a bit of playing to find where you want it but I'm in no way complaining, I love this feature.

I'm always changing my set-up but this is a keeper. It's VERY musical, blows away many many digital delays out there. Seems to really like mid-to-sorta-long settings (between 1/4 sec. and half, or more). Really short slaps need extra tweaking, fewer repeats, etc. and this is true for any deep delay so it's not a negative, just not as set-and-go as some might like. I don't mind tweaking when you're getting more range, so no problemo.

It is a bit 'dark' overall, and does seem to have a SLIGHT effect on the initial signal and tone when engaged, and can darken the tone a little. This is true for most analog delays though (i.e. Memory Man) and, for me, is quite natural and mostly forgivable. Tweaking that touchy 'tape/dry' knob can quell the 'darkness' though, for sure.

When not engaged by itself I don't suffer the feared tone loss. However, use a lot of DOD and Boss (and the like) in a row and you'll notice some. It's not this pedal's fault, but rather inherent to the mechanics. The mighty DM-2s and -3s aren't true bypass either, so it's hard to fault DOD.

This pedal does indeed self-oscillate, very cool, and very musical, the feedback sounds nice and not like RUN FOR IT the building just caught fire or something.

I've had DODs that are pretty old (10-15 yrs. or so?) and still kicking. The OUT jack got a nasty crackle but I blew it out with canned air and changed the patch cable, not sure what the culprit was but problem solved.

I'm not crazy about the plastic stomper, but the rest of the pedal (and other DODs as well) is quite sturdy and gives a feel of good build quality (well, save the battery cover, but I use power plugs anyway). Metal I/O jacks, I like that.

I'll give an 8, no bad experiences for me, but then again they gotta be cutting corners somewhere considering the prices (or who knows maybe not, hard to say I guess).

I've had it for over a year, lots of use, no problems.

Never even considered it. Their website (last I checked) was pretty junky and somewhat embarassing... c'mon it's 2005, get on the ball.

I'll give a 5. Given some of the online treats, samples, info, and support that other companies offer, I think a 5 is pretty generous (with my apologies if their site is overhauled as I write this).

I play a lot of guitar-centric music and a good, organic, 'real' sounding delay is a must. I have several delays at this point (too many maybe), my current most used being a DD-20 (fantastic for a floor unit), but this little DOD ECHO FX is a favorite too. I use it alone or with the DD-20, with very musical results. I was about to get a Memory Man but glad I found this first, it was not only cheaper but more compact (a plus imo) and the overall fidelity sounds as good if not better to me. The 'tape quality' parameter is very cool and gives you a very natural yet a little warped sound, much like the Memory Man. Great ole' analog delay. BTW I have the tape reel art on mine. I've heard these may differ in small way from the others (like pictured here on this page) but I can't imagine they're all that different.

I very much wish all delays had a tap tempo feature, but it's analog, what can you do. Sounds terrific though, what else can I say?

I'll give it a 10. Since I expected to pay as much as $200 for a Deluxe Memory Man, it's nothing short of a "fantasic value."

This pedal is easy to use. A lot of options for knob twiddling and everything is laid out easy to use. The manual is OK. I have the newer model (the one without the tape reels on the font).

The sound is very analog. By that I mean the repeats are not crystal clear. That is what this pedal is supposed to do. Don't get it if you want clean repeats or more than 400ms of delay time. I use this through the effects loop of a Peavey Delta Blues with Strats and Rickenbackers and the FX96 doesn't add any more noise and it seems to not suck any tone when bypassed. When the delay time is set almost to the max the repeats get really ugly as can be expected with analog. That might be good for freaky sound effects.
One weird thing is when the Mix knob (effect level) knob is maxed it puts out a 100% wet signal. And I mean that literally. You cannot hear the initial note played. You can only hear the repeats. Don't know why that would be useful. It's just weird. I give this catagory a 9 because I was looking for a used analog delay that was under $100 and this fits the bill, but it's not perfect so it doesn't get a 10.

As a side note: I had the earlier version FX96, with the tape reels painted on, and it was not the same as this newer one! The older one has a very short slapback delay time and the only way to tweak it is to follow the advice from the guy a few reviews down and solder a larger value resistor across the delay time pot. I chose not to do this because I found this newer one for sale right after I got the first one. I returned the old one and used that money to get the newer one and I'm much happier with the delay time. The old one I could get to self oscillate like a freakin banshee, but this newer one is more subtle and controllable.

This is my first DOD pedal and I've heard horror stories about the switch breaking and of course the notorious battery cover falling off. The one I got had a broken battery cover but I fixed it no problem. I don't literally stomp on my pedals so I think it will hold up just fine.

Never dealt with them.

This pedal suits my needs perfectly. I just needed a subtle delay that can get gritty at times. I wasn't going to pay out the nose for a vintage Boss or Ibanez analog delay, nor do I want a huge Memory Man on my pedal board. And compared to new digital pedals like the Digidelay and DE7 that mimic analog, the FX96 blows them away in mojo. I'm superstitious about my gear and feel that for some reason I play better through tube amps and analog effects. It's all in my head. I also like how the Tape Quality feature rolls of the high end for some nice lo-fi repeats.

To simple! Four knobs:
Dry/Tape: to set the effects level.
Time: to obvious to explain.
Rate: to obvious to explain.
Tape quality: with it, you can filter the signal to recreate grainy sound, like tape echo efects.

Well, i would to say, it's a bit tricky to avoid the hum -that was a big problem with all my stompboxes-. Get some device to convert the high impedance to low impedance, you'll get zero hiss and hum, and stuff.

About the pedal, very configurable, it's analog; C'mon, i think most of the guys how give low rating to this and other pedals, really don't research, don't experiment the settings; you must give some time to get better results -i can't deny some pedals are crap, but you should give it some chance-; also, considerate when you bought and try some effect, you can guess about the quality. Then, boys if you'll rate some fx with "7" or lower, the only what i can say is YOU'RE NOT GOOD BUYER.

Well, i have more effects, akai headrush E1 easily can supply the FX96, but when you can't get backups, as it is you must gig. But it's solid, when you handle with care your stuff, you don't need backups, i think.

I play alternative music. Radiohead it's my influence. I'm really happy with this pedal. If were lost, i'll try to get other, but i believe in new brands and i'm sure before i get other FX96 i'll try other options; it's a big world. There are to many women on earth, also many pedals.

Very easy to use in my opinion, pretty self explanatory really.

I used various Fender guitars through my effects board. These guitars include 3 Strats, a Jaguar, A Jagstang and a 1960 Musicmaster. The effects I use include a Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Wah, an Ibenez Flanger/Chorus, a DOD Steroe Phasor, a Digitech Whammy Pedal, a Johnson Tremolo Pedal, Big Muff and a DOD Thrashmaster (The Duke) and I love the sounds I get with this pedal using it with or without the mentioned pedals. I've used other delays and couldn't get the sounds I've been wanting to get with those effects. And FUCK Digital delays. I'm not giving this pedal a 10 though, that would be silly, ah hell with it, a 10 it'll be, just to piss off the bastards who don't like this pedal.

Well, to be honest, I can't really say so far. I just got it back from Digitech getting repaired. I only had it a couple of weeks when it petered out on me. I knew before buying it off ebay that it had minor issues though, so it wasn't a big deal to send it off to get it fixed. Hopefully it won't crap out, I love the sounds I get with it.

Kicks ass! I sent them my pedal, 20 bucks and less than 2 weeks later it's delivered by UPS. Very quick and very friendly folks to boot.

I play shit from 60's Acid trip soundtrack music to 90's grunge, stuff all over the place and I have to say, this pedal helps me get there. If this bastard ever gets ripped off or dies, I'll get another just like it if I can.

Very easy to use. This is the second edition of the FX96; it does not have the tape reels painted on it.

This pedal is superior to the FX90 and many other analog delays for one reason, the tape quality knob. I love this thing. It's sort of tone knob but it also changes the timbre to lo-fi or distort a bit which may just be my ears but it really sounds great. You can dial in a more bright repeat for live use when most analog delays get lost in the mix or get that super warm sound that everyone loves. I don't know why more delays don't have this feature. The delay is a bit longer than the FX90 but just as warm to my ears. The only reason I give it an 8 is because I've had trouble getting it to self-oscillate even with a trim adjustment but that may be because of the power, I hear a strong new battery will do the trick and adapters can cause the lack of oscillation. It seems to be on the verge so perhaps with more volume and the fresh battery it will go berserk like I want it to. But this is a great delay and will be part of my board for some time.

Built like a tank.

I can't say enough good things about this pedal. Great delay.

Just bought this on Ebay, very easy to set up sounds from "cool rockabilly surf" to "Police" type echos and "solo" repeats.
No manual supplied or required-its a breeze DUH !.

Sounds fantastic, i have an Ibanez AD-9 and Boss DM-2, this sounds a little different but holds up very well against both of these "boutique expensive" delay pedals.
Setup is as follows: 1-Maxon CP101 compressor 2-Dod FX96 3-Jacques tubeblower 4-Marshall JMP-1-to-poweramp or mixing desk.
Quiet and doesnt "suck tone" from my Strat!!.

Dont know as its too new, built like a tank though, so i imagine there will be no problems.

Dont know yet!

This is a great bargain analog delay, the "big two" are getting way too expensive and this one is a sleeper, go buy one now!.
I've had almost every pedal out there, during 22 years as a "muso" this is my second dod, the other is the vintage 490 phasor, which is also fantastic.
Great for ambient dub to rock solo's.
It eats batteries, so use an adaptor instead, thats my only negative and is true of most analog delay pedals, so no biggie.
This will inspire you to make great "trippy" music, you can throw your digital delays in the trash, now !!.

I love this pedal.I bought it used still in the box but it was returned to Guitar Center and never used by anyone. it is very easy to use. I have the older model with the tape reel printed on it and the screwy names. regular names: (dry/tape, delay, regen, tape quality).
the screwy names:(dry/tape/echo/slap/tape quality) I have the manual and it gives a good decsription on how to use it and some user settings to get started.

I use a Hamer SP cherry flametop with seymour duncan humbuckers
into a 1965 Fender Vibro Champ. My chain is as follows: Dunlop Wah >
Reissue Big Muff PI or a ProCo Rat > Rotovibe or EH Q-Tron+ > A/DA Flanger(vintage 70's) > DOD FX 96 delay > EH Holy Grail Reverb into the amp. It is not a noisy pedal and has a great sound. I can get slapback echo or a nice warm delay to a long crazy delay. Also if you play with the tape quality knob while playing you can get some wacked out sounds. It also sounds good with all my other effects.

I definatley could depend on it any time, it is housed in a solid casing and I have dropped it a few times and it always works great. I would gig without a backup,no prob.

never used DOD customer support

Overall this pedal was everything I wanted in a delay. Sure I could spend a boat load of money on something a little better with more delay time but I don't think the boutique delays or some of the vintage holy grail delay's everyone creams about are that much better. If it were stolen I would be pissed, I love it too much to try and find another although I think I could find one and definately would get another maybe 2 more.

The controls are fairly easy once you get sued to them. Others have listed what tehy are and what they do. I love how it is possible to set this little purple box for self oscilation. Really interesting pedal.

You can not beat this for the price. It is a very nice analog delay with a very warm texture to it. Great for slapback, shorter to medium delay times, and fattening up your tone. It also does a very nice tape echo immitation that I love for different occasions when a grittier low fi echo is needed.

No problems just yet, but the footswitch could turn shoddy with extreme use. Otherwise than that, its built pretty well and the wireing is nicely done and neat too.

Never dealt with dod, but their associates over at digitech sent me free replacement knobs for my digidelay.

Just incredible for the price. You can not find a better analog delay sound for going rates of these things in the used market. Its not the best analog delay in teh world, but its very useful and nice when compared to digital delays. Also, this is not a digital delay, if you need 1+ secs of delay, don't buy this and then complain about its lack of delay time.

It took about a year and a half to get a delay that I really liked, but the layout is pretty basic

It's NOT digital, so if you want a digital delay, this is not the pedal for you, however if you want analog, this delay has a very warm sounding delay but it is no Echoplex, so the sound is a bit different and can take some time to get use to. It also sounds best when you use an AC adapter, simply because this pedal eats batteries.

Metal casing, and no problems after a year and a half or so

haven't dealt with them

even through I wish that I could get a Korg SDD-3000, this pedal is definitely a keeper, and I would replace immedately if destoryed or stolen

Here's the deal, folks. There were 2 versions of this pedal made... the orignal purple version with the tape reels painted, plus silly names for the knobs, and the later more blueish colored version with no tape reels painted around the knobs. Both versions are based around the legendary MN3005 bbd chip. This is the same chip used in the over-hyped Ibanez & Boss analog delay pedals. The maximum usable delay time with this chip is about 300-330ms before it starts sounding like POO!!! The DOD FX96 Echo FX sounds every bit as good as those over-hyped pedals in my opinion.

The original version does not have any internal trim pots to adjust the max delay time. Rather, there is a fixed 100k ohm resistor across the delay time pot. The maximum delay you are going to get out of this with the stock 100k ohm fixed resistor is about 200ms. To increase this time to the usable limit of about 300-330ms, increase the resistor value here to about 115k-117k, but no more. I personally modded mine with a 110k ohm & 5.6k ohm resistors in series here. Icreasing it more will make the max delay time go beyond the usable 300-330ms, and sound like POO!!!

The later version of the pedal has the internal trim pot I believe. With this you can adjust the max delay time beyond 300-330ms, but that is not recommended. It will sound like POO if you do.

This is the first series of the DOD FX-96 Echo FX Pedal with spooled tape paint job.

Four knobs to tweak, Dry/Tape, Echo, Slap, Tape Quality. Knobs have smooth travel with no scratchy pots. Unit is quiet when engaged (no real noticeable click.

I managed to get some cool old school echo sounds out of it right away.

Setup is Boss GT-6 Guitar Effects Processor with DOD FX-96 in the external effects loop. I play a Fender american standard telecaster. This is then stereo out into PC (home studio).

No noise with everything clean (no preamps or effects engaged).
No noise noticeable with VOX AC-30 preamp engaged.

I can get that runaway feedback sound by turning the slap and tape quality all the way up (this is why I bought it in the first place). I also own a DOD FX-90 and I noticed that the delay time is much longer on that unit. One drawback of the FX-96 is there is no potentiometrs to tweak on the inside (to increase delay and runaway feedback)like the older FX-90. I can get some far out stuff by using them together in the FX loop (AKA Radiohed, Bauhaus, Pink Floyd).

Built like a tank.
Got the FX-90 to back me up.

No thing is forever.

I emailed DOD to verify if this was a TRUE analog delay (with the Motorola chips that are not manufactured anymore). They responded promptly to verify YES and that this was the last series of their true analog delays.

There is a .pdf manual avalible for download on their site.

I've been playing for 16 years and always liked the creative uses of the analog delay. The tape quality adjustment makes this one a keeper though. I still prefer the old FX-90 due to the tweak factor and longer delay time. I will make them co-exist together! (example: FX-90 before FX-96 in loop. I would suggest grabbing one of these underated (and currently cheap) analog delays before they are impossible (and expensive) to get.

Like anything else, it takes a little time. Goof with it and learn its nuances. Hey, this ain't statistical analysis. It's a floor pedal.

It sounds as close to an old nasty Echoplex as anything you'll find for under $200. That's the point, right? If you want long delay times buy a Boss or some other digital garage door opener. This is a pedal for adults with good basic gear who fully understand its applications and limitations.

You could shoot this thing out of a cannon. However, I don't suggest washing it in the sink. You'll be fine, booby. Use a little common sense and it will out live you.

Doesn't apply.

I wanted a simple, inexpensive analog box that would do Sun Records slap-back. I've been in this for 20 years and I've learned that "less is more". P90s, tweed amps and a very few analog gizmos are sufficient. I used to be into the digital garbage, but then I learned how to play guitar. Would you slather a $40 Delmonico with ketchup? A little cracked analog pepper and you're home free...(For all of you teenage digital afficianados, a Delmonico is a steak).

You know the basic controls...see other reviews.

Here's my bone to pick. I read all these reviews looking for another delay pedal to complement my EH Deluxe Memory Man to go for the U2-ish stereo delay type thing. The effects forum people also recommended it, so I laid down the money. When I got it, I plugged it in and it sounded like crap. I love analog grit, and get a good bit from my memory man, but this was just plain awful. Whenever the delay setting was anywhere about about 400ms the echoes just turned into these caughing sounds. The pedal was decent for slapback and stuff...but gosh. FYI I run a Les Paul with Duncan pickups ('59 in neck, Alnico II Pro in bridge) into a Mesa Boogie Maverick 4x10 (all-tube, el84 class A with Jensen P10R alnico speakers) so I have a great base sound...the memory man sounds great with this setup. The FX96 confirmed my opinion that DOD pedals suck. All of 'em. Funny how no one ever sees any on professional pedalboards.

By the way, I'm a tweaker by nature...I set this pedal down 4-5 times to take a break and come back with a fresh perspective before I finally gave in and sold it for a loss. Live and learn.

seemed sturdy, boss-like construction.

Don't buy it. Heck, even the sterile Boss digital delays sound better. Buy a used DM-2 if you can't get a Memory Man.

Labeling on the "Quality" knob was a little confusing at first, but other than that, all the knobs are pretty intuitive.
It gets a "7" because turning the "MIX" knob hardly effects the sound between about 8:30 and 3:30, and it get really sensitive between minimum and 8:30 as well as between 3:30 and maximum. They could have chosen a better taper for this knob.

I use this effect downstream from a mixer which is combining signals from several vintage keyboards, including a wurly, am old korg cx-3, a clavinet, and a moog. after that the siganl goes into a fender bassman 1x14 50-W frankenstein combo from around 1968.
I had some trouble with this effect initially because it likes the less-hot guitar-level input signals. If i sent the keyboard signals full-strength, the echoes would really start to break up and distort in a harsh way, even with the "quality" knob at max. Now that i've taken care of that problem though, i think it makes some great warm sounds when the inputs are at the right level. It's got most digital delays beat because a lot of them can't seem to figure out what to do with a wacked-out moog signal and you end up with a really obviously-digital sounding echo.
It's not noticibly noisy in a live setting, haven't used it in a studio much.
I've found a use for almost every possible setting on this thing. I never thought I would use a "slap-back" sound but now i'm a believer.
Sounds a hell of a lot a Roland Space-Echo.
I'll give it an 8 though because it lacks the ability to do the "infinite repeat" thing.

Hasn't shown any problems yet. Then again, I've only had it for about half a year.

Never dealt with them.

This is a great effect if you are into warm organic analog sounds like 1970's herbie. Plus it's way cheaper than the vintage-priced DM-2's and such, and more compact than the MXR analog delay and the E-H Memory Man. Probably not the thing for you if you're into a lot of digital stuff.
I like it's overall analog character, such as being able to twist the knobs while playing into it to get that time-warp effect. Also the warm, pleasing sound it puts out.
Bad points would be awkward taper of the "MIX" knob, and it's inability to handle hotter signals.
If it were lost or stolen, i might check out a few other units but there's a good chance I'd buy the same thing again.

Quite easy to adjust, doesn't take a lot of effort to see what the controls do. The manual is adequate, but is really not needed. Just hook it up and fool with it a bit.

With a 9V battery, not very good. With a 9V power supply, not very good. BUT....
When I boosted the voltage to 13 volts using the switch on my Voodoo Labs pedal power, this unit came alive. My guess is that the design is marginal for 9 volts, some probably sound pretty good there but this one doesn't. Could be the tolerances of the components. But at 13 volts, this thing does everything any analog delay can do, and does it well. So I'm gonna rate it lower because I had to figure out how to make it sound good. C'mon DOD, you guys are missing the boat!

I use it all the time without a backup. It keeps working, even at the higher voltage, but since I'm running it on a higher voltage, maybe it will fail sooner, although I don't expect it to. But if I catch another one at the great price I got this for ($40 in box) I'll buy it and put it on the shelf for a rainy day. Check out the prices it's competitor pedals are fetching now days!

Pitiful. Got an airhead email response to a straightforward email question asking how much current it draws in mA.

I play any/every style from the '60s to the present. I've been playing 35 years. Yes I would get it again. Love the price and the way it sounds. It is very musical. Don't buy one so I can by the rest real cheap!

It takes some time to figure out what all 4 knobs do in relation to each other. Its a little different than other analog delays. There are 4 knobs: Dry/Tape Mix, Delay Time, Regen/Feedback, & Tape Quality/Low-pass filter. The Mix knob is very sensitive in the lower sweep; the delay is very noticeable after 8o'clock. The Delay Time is adjustable from 10ms to about 1000ms. You can get the longer than stock delay time of 800ms by turning the pot inside the unit, but you sacrifice sound quality on the repeats. (It gets into the grainy sounds here). Using the Regen knob cranked, the repeats will oscillate when the delay time is low, and the mix level is high. The Tape quality knob is just a low pass filter that shunts high frequencies when the knob is turned counter-clockwise.

For the record, I haven't used an AD-80 or an AD-9 (or the Moogerfooger, Guyatone, Ross, or Maxon, etc.). I have heard the 80s DM-2, and DM-3, and currently own the 90s AD-99 and the mid 80s MXR Analog Delay. I previously owned the Deluxe MM. This pedal (DOD)is very comparable to the AD-99. It is more subtle than the other delays when trying to coax spacey sounds, and has semi-clean but sort of gated repeats like the AD-99. The repeats aren't as thick as the MM, or the MXR. The DM-2 sounded similiar, also. The AD-99, DM-2, and FX96 just, to my ears, have a thinner compressed sounding repeat than the MM, or the MXR, but thats not bad, for subtle sounds, it is good. Though, the DOD FX96 is easily the quietest out of the bunch in terms of noise. Having control over the tone of the repeat is a great addition. It can get almost bright, and it can sound just plain muddy. None of these units comes close to the sterile unnatural sound of a digital delay. I would say that that the MXR has the thickest repeats, with the MM second. The other pedals are about the same. As far as clarity goes, the MXR again wins. The DOD holds its own very well. But, different people like different pedals for there own reasons.

As long as the Philips chips hold up, it should be okay. This is from '98. We'll see.

Harman is a big company. Don't expect boutique company service.

For most 60s and 70s rock the FX96 should be okay. For reggae, dub music, certain songs from the 70s (Zepplin, Stones)you would need the real thing. Don't be lead into believing that all DOD pedals blow. Some are very good, such as this one. Most DOD pedals though, load the input pretty hard, so your guitar tone is compromised. A very good sleeper pedal thats a good alternative to a digital delay, if you can find one. Some stores have new old stock, and it can be had for a little under a $100.

Delay time, repeat amount, tape quality, and wet/dry knob(how much the effect is added to sound)Very easy to find setings to get what you want.The manual is a real help,but i liked how fun my other manual was. This was generic to-the-point-reading.The sample settings are nice, as always.Even gives a effect-chain placement, even though i use my own placement anyway.Very nice info.

Holy sh=! this thing is beautiful!I love the sound quality, the tone is barely touched.And i mean so barely touched the fbi lab couldnt get a read on it.The tape quality does get noticeably loud when the effects echos start doubling over themselves(if u let notes ring and play another with the tape q. turned way up)But i use it at about 11:00 and its nice.The sound is repeated very precisely, hammered on notes ring wonderfully nd so on.turning the delay time down to about 10:00/10:15 makes a slapback/reverb type sound which i used, but i like the delay and repeat at max.long repetative notes for an eery sound.and yes if you fiddle with the delay time while playing a sound just like a stretching tape comes out.Also the echos of a muted string sound crazy, try it.

Ive played dod pedals for a while and they hold up. But because of that hiss when batterys go down its a nine

never needed it.

Very nice for its price, very clear and nice sound.The color is very cool, if ya like pretty pedals.I fit were stolen id kill the bastard and send his dead body peices to his house.DOD continues to keep me as a customer.Other delays are very high priced, and this is too nice to pass up.dod ussually strives to keep a sound no one else has, but this is a pedal that has every delay sound analog lovers want.Hey no complaints, dod, but keep having fun withnames and paint jobs.I love originality.

I had my sound in 15 minutes i liked the manual it was cool

I was using this with a mesa V twin preamp through a ADA 200 poweramp i ran it through the front input i liked the sound truely analog and and nice and round at least to my ears.I held this in my right hand and a Boss in the other and this was heavier i like heavy pedals its a superstition with me....

I think it's built like a tank and yes i would get another if i had to i like it that much.

N/A

I like to play my delays with a hard rock style like the way black sabbath sounded in heaven and hell i love that sound during the middle solo.

If you can't figure this pedal out, stay unplugged. It is simple three knobs.

I was looking for as close to a vintage echo plex tape delay sound. I tried Boss and Ibanez digital pedals. This pedal is super for my rockabilly stuff. I like the feature where you can dial in the tape quality as to even make it sound like you are using a worn tape. It is a great pedal for what I wanted so it gets a 10

Appears to be built very well. The pedal switch looks like you could break it if you stomped on it. It only requires a very light touch to turn it on or off, so don't stomp it.

For my rockabilly style, for my surfabilly, crapabilly, playing this pedal is great. It is simple to use and it gives me the sound I wanted.

well I got it used in VERY VERY GOOD condition, but without a manual. I got a bit confused screwin around with the knobs and I think I've just about figured it out. If anyone has a manual they can scan and send to me, that would be great!

when the tape control is up even medium it is a bit distorted on the low end (when the settings are set a certain way) but really the tape control eliminates some of the buzz noises from the pickups.

well no problems yet-works fine. Don't know too much about DOD, but I don't smash my pedals round either.

not yet

Very good for what I paid for it on EBay. It was pretty straightforward as far as controls went and sounds nice too.

The unit itself was stupendious!!!
There are some knobs and theyre easy to use
Then you stomp on the pedal!!
So easy!!!
(Pretty good considering ive never used this!)

Well..Im using a 90 watt amp!
(But this works really well considering i dont have one!)

I CAN DEPEND ON THIS!
(I dont have one though)

The Tech. support was CRAP!!!!
I called them once and it was like 2 in the morning...and NOBODY answered!!!!
I was very enraged by this!!!
(Part of this problem was due to my phone never exsisting!)

Ive been playing for 2 years...
I have seen many pedals come and go through out the years...
This pedal REALLY sucks....

The 4 knobs on this pedal are pretty straight forward. I'd recommend reading the user manual, as it gives good tips on getting started with the unit. Make sure the user manual is correct to the unit--some complained about receiving the wrong manual.

As with most effects, this unit gives feedback when kicked into gear. There are numerous tricks to defeat this, however. The unit gives a good delay if you play more of a rythem style. I wouldn't recommend the unit if you play mostly leads, as the sound is a bit thin at times, and a bit punchy at others. I'd say it's hard to really locate the exact sound on this unit. I use the pedal with a Fender Princeton Chorus amp and a Fender Toronado guitar. I play a lot of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Various other Prog. Rock. The sound is good, just better with rythem guitar.

These pedals are built. Some criticise the plastic stomp section--personally, I treat my peadals kind--there is no need to stomp excessivly hard on these boxes. DOD pedals are PERFECT live. The battery holder (located towards rear of unit) keeps it in, comparred to Boss pedals with the battery under the stomp-section. I've used DOD pedals for 5 years on the road, and NEVER had any trouble.

While I've never had any trouble with DOD units, I've e-mailed them questions. They've yet to respond. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you waiting for responce from DOD.

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years. DOD has been my choice for most of that time. I was shocked to see so many critical of DOD. In my humble opinion DOD and Boss are very much the same thing. DOD comes at a much better price, and, yes, Boss pedals are nice as well, but you may pay dearly for something you may not have needed. I've worked with enough professionals to see the DOD is used just as much as Boss. I would totally recommend DOD effects to anyone (playing style pending); however, I must state it is important for all guitarists to rely more on their playing, rather than on an effect box.

Since DOD likes to label their pedals with stupid catch names for features (check out the death metal pedal) it is a bit tricky at first. There was a manual that had some actaully useful settings and ideas.

I use it with an old Ampeg tube head and cab, and a Fender Cyclone. It is noisy, but the cool analog delay feedback sounds really good because the pedal has a very muddy sound. The effect is anything but weak. It is very similar to a tape delay in sound, therefore, like I said, it is muddier than most delay pedals. The delay is short, but compared to other Analog Delays (Memory Man, Boss, Ibanez AD-9) it is long. DOD actually makes good delays. Doesn't have a crisp sound at all, very round warm tone; distorts very easily.

Dependable, its one of the new, extremely solid DOD pedals. I'd gig it wihtout a backup. It is cool to use live for gentle feedback sounds.

I play in a rock band, and it sounds pretty cool in some applications but I never bring it anymore. If it were stolen, I just wouldn't get another delay, outboard delay in the studio is much better.

As easy as any delay pedal. It takes a while to fine tune it to where you know how it will respond but that's the case with any delay pedal.

This pedal has yet to sound great. I've gotten it to sound passable but that's as good as it gets. It sounds horrible through the effects loop on my Carvin MTS-3212 combo. Instead of guitar echo it just gives off a "thump, thump thump" kind of return. Run through the front, once again, it sounds passable. The level knob is hard to set to the extent that it either gives too much slap back or not enough. I haven't had any problem with noise. I bought it because it emulates the old echoplex boxes of old. EVH always swore by his echoplex so I thought that was a great endorsement of the sound. I don't think it's possible to get the EVH sound with this thing though. I wanted a warm analog type echo but this is really muddy even for analog.

It is not usable with a battery. It sucks so much juice that the effect disappears shortly after you begin to use it. I power it with my Boss Daisy-Chain using a Boss NS-2 as the power source and that seems to work fine. The battery issue wasn't too big of a deal for me because I was planning on powering it with an AC adaptor anyway. But it's still pathetic. Beyond the battery problem it has not failed.

I e-mailed DOD about the battery problem the week after I got it and they never responded to my question. That was about 4 months ago.

I have never held DOD products in high regard. I've always thought they were image over content and this pedal has done little to change my evaluation of DOD and their products. I consider it to be just barely usable in the capacity that I bought it for. I can get some decent slap back out of it but compared to other analog delays it is not very versatile at all. I play 70's, 80's & 90's rock in a band that gigs once or twice a month. I've played seriously for about 7 years now but first learned guitar 25 years ago. I'm not an effects hound in fact I try to keep it as simple as possible but when I want to add an effect into the chain I expect it to behave the way the manufacturer has advertised it. The only reason I bought it was for the tape simulation feature which is something I'll grant it but the over all impression of this effect is boring even by analog standards. This really is not a pedal for anyone other than the novice practicing how to use effects. I would not buy it again if I lost it or it was stolen. There is nothing I love about it. Several things I don't mind about it and several things that make it a piece 'o' crap. It doesn't help me make music or inspire me to search for more sounds. It doesn't get in the way but it tries real hard.

This is an update of a previous post.

In a band setting at real volume levels this thing sucks. It is too noisy and it produces an annoying hum. I sold it. Basically, all DOD stuff is noisy and shoddy. I liked it at first by eventially had to dump it. In fairness to the unit, I probablt could have continued to use it if I would have used a noise gate. I didn't, and this thing was LOUD. In fact, I dumped all of my stomp boxes in favor of a T.C. Electronics G Force (List $ 1750). This little pedal can't even approach the kind of delays the G-Force can produce. But, in reality, it would take like 17 of these pedals to equal the price of the G-Force so....

No manual came with my unit which sucked.

Honestly, I could find no use for this pedal. It really couldn't get a nice Eric Johnson type delay sound. Rack stuff is where it is at for me. I do a lot of recording and can't deal with all of the noise stomp boxes produce. Save your money and buy a rack mounted multi-effects unit, you'll be happier.

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.