Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

Intuitive controls.Delay/Chorus/Vibrato select.

This is as good as it gets when it comes to analog delays! If you are looking for tape delay simulation - this is it!!! I use this in place of my cherished RE-201 Space Echo,and Echoplex for live playing.This is the only delay that will truly emulate the sound of the Space Echo,and Echoplex units.(See Analogman.com for more info on the DMM)
The chorus is not intended to act as a traditional chorus... It was designed as a "motor emulator".It perfectly recreates the "warble" of a tape echo motor.I own an S.I.B. Analog Echodrive,a Diamond Memory Lane,Mimic delay,Boss DM-2/DM-3,Ibanez AD9,Rocktron,Line 6,Akai "Head Rush" 2,and others.No delay comes as close to true tape echo sound as the Deluxe Memory Man...period! The Diamond Memory lane,and the S.I.B Analog Echodrive are great-but not as good as the DMM.(The Diamond Memory Lane has a sound all its own...I would never sell it!)
Don't F-around trying to decide on what to buy...the analog IC's are no longer produced.

Built like a tank.

Never needed it.

Please read "sound quality" section...

New 2008 Version:
Easy to use since there is a true bypass switch build in now. This can lead to different volume levels when on/off.
For the first time (on the new version) you can see if it's on or off !!!
Don't need the manual for using it - all I need is the Internet and Harmony Central for getting the Information I need about a product.
The manual doesn't say much.

The old pre 2000 Version:
Not easy to use because it's killing sound when in off mode. (I had mine in a banzai true bypass loop so I didn't care much about that).
The build in Preamp would also work when switched off. (Some might say this can be usable for boosting/buffering the signal, but I think it destroys the sound too much)
The biggest problem was the missing light indicator for on/off switching.
It's rather crazy they forgot such an important feature every other pedal has.

I use Fender Strats and Telecasters into:

Loop 1:Deja Vibe/Wah/Phaser/Tremolo.
Loop 2:Ibanez TS9/Marshall Guv'nor.
Loop 3:Big Muff/Fulltone OCD & UO
Loop 4: Electric Mistress/BossVol Pedal/Memory Man.
into DD3/Line 6 Delay Modeler.

My amp is a Hiwatt Custom 100 with 4x12 ( Celestion 65 watt speaker).

I love this pedal for it's warm, dreamy, spacy sound. For that reason I own two of them. Especially the chorus sounds fantastic to me when dialed in just a little.
It reminds me of U2's The Edge / David Gimour / The Police.
The DMM can only be noisy at high feedback levels when letting a chord ring out.
While playing notes you won't hear this.
Self oscillation is not getting as loud on the new 2008 version of the DMM.
Like I said before you loose sound on the old version of the DMM in bypass mode.
If you're looking for a clear delay tone without the ability to oscillate/distort/cream... you should go with a digital delay instead. (I like using both).
The Line6 (Delay Modeler) version of the DMM sounds like crap compared to the original.

I used it without a backup for 5 years. Then one night it failed - Suddenly the Memory passed out of my life. ???!
The overall Level/Gain knob is still working and the red on indicator is still shining bright, but no more mr. space guy.
I hope I'll find someone to fix it.
Bought me the Diamond Memory Lane instead. It's very solid and has nice features but it sounds different.
So I bought me a backup: The new 2008 version of the DMM with nice new features I mentioned above. Let's see how long it will last ... !?

I wrote them a mail after I bought my first DMM, complaining about the missing features on the product. (True bypass/Light indicator for On/Off/The overall gain controll disturbing the sound).
They never gave me an answer but fortunately they fixed all my needs on the new version now, so ....

I hope i get my old DMM repaired to have a backup !

My main band is called Interstellar Overdrive.
We play nothing but the music of Pink Floyd.
I play the guitar for 30 years now. I'm a collector of guitar effects and I like what I keep.
If stolen I would buy one again.
I compared it to nearly all styles of delay pedals when I was working at a guitar store some years ago. To me there are lots of good ones out there like the Diamond Memory Lane, Ibanez AD9, Boss DD3, but the Memory Man is the most touching one !

Really quite simple, plug it in, turn it on... you're pretty much there. It is sensitive and can really put out loud when the feedback knob is up high. Manual is an a5 sheet of yellow paper... not the most informative. Mine is the standard DMM, doubt I'll ever mod it. I give an eight because to work it to how i want took a few plays.

I haven't tried to get another guitarists sound... what's the point? I think the sound quality is great, If you like the warmth of analog effects then this is it.... if you want clinical, cold delays, stick to digital (Boss DD series). Its a positive delay so can build on you if too hard on the feedback knob. Can be a nice washy slow delay, can be a tight slap-back...all of it it handles excellently. With a clean Tele through a Fender Twin... next level... beyond anything I've heard. The Chorus and Vibrato work really well... the Chorus is really nice and warm, Vibrato can be a little strong for me. I was listening to John Martyn recently and some of his warm delays sound like this... acoustic sounds really nice through this to.

I've never had a back up... not needed to yet. Though saying that, I'm every pedals dream and don't give it a hard time at all... not that sort of guy. It's been fine for the year or so I've had it. With no sign of ever wearing out.

But, I tech for a band and the guitarist has got through 2 in the year I've worked for him. He really stamps down though...I looked round and he was just standing on it?! I don't get why people try to kick their pedals through the bottom of the stage... not cool but if you're heavy footed then be cautious.

I've not had to deal with the EHX team, though judging by this pedal they must be cool.

I play folk, light folk rock, indie... Its all good for me. Been playing in bands for two years and compared to other delays I would always pick this. With a Jekyll & Hyde ( by Visual Sound) after it, it sounds so good...this pedal can be so vibey and trippy. I love it. If stolen, i would steal someone else's. If it could have anything, I'm a sucker for reversed guitar (which i know the Boss DD-6 can do) so it would have that too. My least favorite thing about it is the fact I've had to draw lines on it to remember my settings for songs... Petty, I know, but would be solved by having about four of them... just can't afford it... It's such a good pedal, great sound... everything i play through it sounds so sweet

simple operation, everything is self-explanitory

some funky "vintage" sounds, noisy, massive build quality issues. to be honest any good digital FX processor can duplicate everything but the noise...

as stated before, some of the worst build quality I have ever seen in a "stomp box". if you stomp on this tin pile of junk, it will fail. to make it useable I added a hardwired 325ma powersupply, resoldered EVERY connection, did some point to point wiring on the board, reset and epoxyed every IC on it.(if you have strange noise/crackles/pops/hum, try it), installed rubber shock blocks to supports the flimsy board, replaced the pots and switches with decent quality ones. gig without a back up...NEVER, even after all the mods I still cringe everytime I switch it live. the only cool thing about this pedal is, because I don't really care if it blows up I added a rheostat to the power supply input to "brown out" the power (pulls down to 12v), and the delay quits working, and the pedal makes a great smooth crunch. a rather expensive overdrive pedal. but unique

fixed it myself, BTW for a made in the USA product, everything inside is made in ASIA

don't care if it blows up, would not care if it was stolen, would never buy another. this unit alone has made me stay away from NYC electro harmonix products.

For all the guys who are having trouble with a distortion pedal, put the memory man into ur amp's effects loop. that makes everything INFINITELY better.

Lots of knobs, but very easy to use. Lots of useable sounds, it just takes time to find your settings. The feedback and self oscillating makes the pedal. The chorus vibrato is a sweet extra.

Ok, here is where the controversy begins.I have an original DMM not the reissue. It has 2 delay chips, not 4 like the newer ones. The post date it to 91-92.
I have had my DMM for 5 years or so. Its noisy, not true bypass, and has a strong tendancy to distort at low volumes. Stock i would give it a 5 just because I had to run it in my effects loop or at the very front of my chain just so it wouldnt overload the input buffer. The mild distortion if fine but when it sputters so bad it cuts the signal, thats not good. I now realize that mine is over due for an adjustment. Thats what all of the trim pots are for.
I recently replaced the opamp with a TL072 modern dual opamp. WOW big difference. The overloading is gone, and the beauty of this fickle beast is back and shining. I love this box, alot. I have used a DD-6 since it came out and loved it. I set it for tap mode and use a truebypass loop so it never leaves the tap mode. I will still use it, but only for the tap function. The DMM takes top honors on my board. After the mod i give it a 9, but because of the stock issues i will give it an 8.
Here is my set up. '94-96 G&L ASAT or Fender '72 RI Tele Deluxe/ Ernie Ball Vol/ Heavily Modded Crybaby/ Keeley Blues Driver/ Fulltone FD-2/ Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive/ Heavily modded Vintage Rat/ Modded Phase 90/ Boss OC-3/ BYOC Chorus/ Boss DD-6 w truebypass loop/ Modded Deluxe Memory Man/ Boss TU-2/ Matchless Lightining w tone tubby ceramic

Its not the most reliable box out there. It sat broken on my shelf for almost 2 years, untill I was able to fix it my self. the legs on a voltage regulator or Mosfet looking thingy were left too long and eventually separated from the board. While inside, the wiring was a mess, solder joints werent that great, it looked like a few random parts were used and the switches are cheap.
I will use it without a backup only because i dont have the money for a backup. Although, it would be a good idea to get one. I will be rehousing mine very soon with new switches, and wiring.

I have never dealt with EH.

If it were lost or stolen, i wouldnt immediately run out and buy one. I would be super pissed, but i would use my dd-6 for a while and think about getting one again. As fas as true analog delays go, its and excellent value, and imo the best. But I might replace it with a BYOC delay someday, even though its digital, it will self oscillate, it has a high cut filter,its much more reliable and around $60.

I've waited 15 years to write a review for this pedal. That's how long it has been a staple on my pedal board! It's analog, so it sounds very warm and smooth. It's super-easy to use, the knobs are pretty self-explanatory. I don't think I ever got a "manual" for it. My particular model DMM is from the early 90's (with the built-in three prong power cable).

I never really try to get the sounds of other artists when I incorporate pedals onto my board; what's most important to me is its usability with my own music and sounds. This pedal has its own very distinct sound to it (even when not plugged in). I'm a bass player, so most guitar pedals sound really wonky through a bass rig. This pedal definitely has the balls to cut through anything and works best of all the delay pedals I've tried on my bass.

I use an old solid state Peavey Mark III and Mark IV heads (alternately) through a Mesa/Boogie 4 ohm 15" speaker cabinet. I find the DMM to be surprisingly quiet when off in this set up. I find if you are going to use a buncha pedals on bass, the solid state amps from the 80s are perfect for it. The main thing you have to watch out for on this pedal is the feedback knob. I have seriously blown a 15" speaker right out of it's baffle by keeping the feedback knob up high! I didn't feel bad, it was a crappy Hartke cabinet... heeheehee!

I can absolutely depend on this pedal. The only things that have broken on it are the on/off switch and the chorus/vibrato switch (they are so crappy compared to the rest of the pedal; I have a Bass MicroSynth that had to have the same type of switches replaced). The only thing I had replaced was that clunky kachunka footswitch. I could hear it click through my amp and that just wasn't going to work. With the new switch, it's been solid as a tank.

Being that I have scoured NY and LA to try to find another one of this same version of the DMM (they all sound different to me) and haven't been successful, I suppose I've been forced to gig without a backup and it's still going strong. It's honestly never let me down.

My experience with EHX has been great. I just recently sent in all of my old EHX pedals for their ten-year tuneups and the guys were super communicative and helpful. I got my pedals back in a timely fashion, too.

I play everything from electronic music to punk to world music and this thing has been on my board for 15 years. It is by far my most important pedal and I've only done one gig without it my entire career.

I use the DMM with the above specified amp(s), along with some other pedals: EHX Bass MicroSynth, Crowther Prunes & Custard, an old Boss CE-2 Chorus, Barker Assmaster, and a host of others that rotate in and out. Of these pedals, the only ones that never leave the board are my trusty EHX pedals. They're great for bass!

Honestly, you just have to plug into it to get a great sound. I was able to get a great sound without touching a single knob when I demo'd it. As far as finding "your sound" it may take some time due to the vast amounts of cool tones you can achieve. EH manuals are pretty vague and usless but if you just twiddle with the knobs for a few minutes you can quickly figure out what they do.

There are 2 things I want to say before commenting on the sound. 1) I hate giving 10's for sound because tone is VERY subjective and 2) When you buy a piece of gear like this PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE play it through a quality setup before bashing it. My rig is a '65 Blackface Bassman Head/Showman 4x12 cab-->BK Butler Tube Driver-->EH Holy Grail Reverb-->Boss DD-3 delay-->ABY with a '65 Fender Twin Reverb RI and the EH Deluxe Memory Man. Okay....I really do not know how you could not get a cool tone from this pedal. If you are a fan of delay, reverb, vibrato, slapback echo, ambient swirls, feedback, and chorus you will love what this pedal can do. I use it in conjunction with the Twin and the clean tone is the very best I have ever heard.

I have bought a few EH pedals including the Small Clone, Holy Grail, and now the Deluxe Memory Man. They seem a bit light and flimsy from the exterior but for some reason I feel very safe with them. The first 2 have NEVER given me a single problem and they work flawlessly. I cannot speak for the DMM yet but I have seen plenty of old ones still kicking from the '70s so I'm guessing that I won't be having a whole lot of trouble. Probably 100X more reliable than the dreaded Line 6 DL-4.

I can't say, their products haven't crapped out and I haven't had to deal with them.

My stylistic influences are Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and a few others. I like having the diversity to play nice clean passages, loud distorted madness, and everything inbetween. This pedal helped me complete a huge part of my rig that I had been missing. Being that this sucker is freaking expensive and hard to find, I cannot say if I'd get another if I had to. I might try out the Boss DD-20 because of its versatility and footswitchable options but it really doesn't match the DMM in tone. I really wanted to save 100 bucks and lie to myself but I just couldn't. I highly recoment getting this pedal over the Line 6 delays, Boss delays, and probably even some high dollar rack delays. It's just amazing.

It can get out of control but its simple enough once you learn how it reacts. Its analogue so stuff can jump ahead of you, its a sensitive bit of gear.

I've never written a review only read them but had to do it because I got this pedal (old one, no chorus/vibrato with blue on front) for free coz my boss didnt want it. I just love it so much! Everything it does, the preamp sounds great, the echo is lush and you can make it go freakin mental just by messing around with it.

I even have a new song that uses the pedal as a background drone just going woooonnnnnnnnngggggggggg, its unbelievable

I think this one was built in the 70's

Just so so cool a pedal. Its not like its terribly practical like a DD6 or whatever but its just got such a vibe about it and its so much fun to play...its basically an instrument in itself!!!

If you've used a delay before, make that analog delay or sim, this should be fairly self explanatory. Knobs are: Level, Blend (wet/dry signal), Delay time, Feedback, and Chorus/Vibrato amount (I leave it off). There's a switch to switch between Chorus and Vibrato. It's a really simple pedal honestly.

Manual? As usual EHX makes pretty sorry manuals, but they're fine for most people using pedals.

Sound quality. Well it's a beautiful analog delay. The day I got it - I plugged it in and told my girlfriend to listen to this new pedal - her words were - "don't you already have one of those?" and... "wait.. that one sounds REALLY good, like warm melting."

That's my review.

It sounds like "warm melting".

Beautiful!

Not sure yet. It's used. It looks ancient, so I'm guessing it'll stick around awhile longer. Plus as others have said - it feels better built than some of the other EHX pedals. It feels really solid.

Oh actually! Whoever owned this before must have had a problem with the On/Off switch at some point, because they've hard-wired the unit on. So to turn it off I have to turn off my power strip. No biggie.

Don't plan on dealing with them....

I play mostly postrockdronenoisefuzzguitarsolos.

If it was lost or stolen? Yeah I'd try to find another one - or a Boss DM-2 if I came across one cheap.

DMM is a great pedal. If Behringer can even come close with the clone they have coming... I'll be absolutely blown away! Oh and buying 4 of them...