Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

Takes some tweaking, and experimentation to get your settings right but is definitely worth it. Since there are no exact delay times to dial in you have to experiment with it. If you want a delay that you can dial exact times in, this pedal is not for you.

First off i have 2 of these units. I have one of the new re-issues with true bypass and rounded knobs. The other version i have is the older 90's early 2000 version with tapered knobs and this one is not true bypass.
Both units sound amazing hands down. You wont find a delay out there that sounds this great, very musical analog sound.
Ok now for the downside, for the new re-issue version when you turn the effect off your signal volume drops with it, so you'll have to make an adjustment (these units werent meant to be true bypass)
Now the older version (non true bypass) I bought one of these to remedy my signal drop. Since its not true bypass, your signal is affected by the level knob on the unit ie. even with the delay off your signal is still running through the preamp of the DMM so you have to adjust your signal accordingly. I've heard these versions dull your signal when the delay is off but i dont notice this.

Now for the preamp on this badboy. These units are well known for great sounding delay but dont forget how great the preamp is on the DMM. You can use this in front of a nice tube amp to add some grit and push your amp into a nice overdriven sound without any overdrive pedals. Just turn up the level on the DMM and turn the delay all the way down and wow what a sound.
I'm a bit of a delay pedal freak. I have 2 DMM, Boss DD-20, Korg SDD 2000, and Roland SDE 1000. Alot of the time i use my DMM with just the pream only to boost my other delays such as the Boss DD20....sounds absolutely amazing. Similar to a Korg SDD 3000.
Vibrato and chorus sounds great on these units too, but just a tiny bit of chorus for some nice modulation, as too much becomes detuned. Vibrato is great too, again i use just a bit for some texture. I use this with several amps...mainly a Vox AC30CC. Amazing sound.
This pedal screams early U2 stuff.

never had an issue with it. seems well built. I have 2 and would gig with both.

I've contacted them a few times, responded very quickly. Very helpful.

Overall a great pedal. A definite must have for early U2 stuff. Been playing for about 10 years, if this pedal were stolen....well thank god i have another..haha. but if both were stolen, well then i'd hunt the person down, lay a beating and take my pedals back. I will never sell these units they are fantastic.

The first time you see this pedal you may be overwhelmed by the number of knobs, controls, buttons, etc. It looks like the front panel of a spaceship! After the initial shock, you'd better plan on spending an afternoon dialing in your sound. Part of the beauty of this pedal is the myriad of sounds you can coax from it. Twisting the feedback, delay or level knobs can produce an infinite amount of sound variations - from quiet, trailing delay to loopy space echo stuff. It's not brain surgery, but if you expect to just turn it on and go, you'll be disappointed. I briefly scanned the manual and then jumped into it. By the end of the day, a star was born.

As most of the other reviews have stated, if you're searching for the definition of analog delay, this is it. Period - end of story. I haven't had the luxury of playing through an old echoplex, but I have used a few others i.e. Maxon, DOD, etc. This pedal is in a completely different class. It'll give you that "old school" type of delay - clear as a bell, but very natural. It is not a bright sounding delay; by that, I mean it doesn't inject any artificial clarity into your tone. I have this on all of the time in the effects loop of my amp - chorus and delay are a basic part of my sound; whether clean or distorted. The DMM gives you a very warm analog delay; notes tend to decay naturally as opposed to a digital delay that reproduces every nuance. This is an effect that will ENHANCE your tone and make it sound huge, as opposed to adding a signal that overpowers everything else. Some people have complained that this pedal adds an annoying hum; I don't hear it (although I play a strat and some hum is always present). I never use the chorus/vibrato on this pedal- just 100% delay, so I can't comment on those functions. All I can tell you is this the delay that I have heard in my head for all of these years - I finally found it. It's very subtle (if you set it up that way), slightly dark and very warm.

Built like the proverbial tank. Very well constructed and sturdy. I've only had it for a few months, but no trouble so far. As I said, I'm not stomping on it a lot; it's always on when I'm playing.

No contact with the company yet. I doubt if I'd send it to them anyway; there's plenty of knowledgeable techs around here.

Overall, this is the pedal that I've been searching for. I currently use an Eric Johnson strat played through a Dunlop Wah and B.K. Butler Tube Driver. I've got the DMM and a TC Electronics Chorus in the effects loop of my Marshall JTM30. The first time I got everything dialed in, I played Trail of Tears by EJ and almost creamed my pants! I am able to nail his clean tone exactly with this pedal. I also play a lot of Rush; again, this pedal allows me to duplicate many of Alex Lifesons tones. There is no comparison between this and a sterile digital delay (I've got one of those also for infinite repeat stuff). If this were stolen, I would hunt down the cheap bastard and feed them to my dogs. Then I'd buy another one! You can play with the knobs and totally wierd out with space age noise or you can set it for a beautiful delay and leave it alone. I would recommend this pedal to anyone. Trust me, there is no substitute

Very easy to use with many fine sounds HOWEVER, I only run it POST MIC.

I am playing an Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster through a Roger Mayer Axis Fuzz into an attenuated Marshall 1959 Super Lead Reissue with a 4-12 cab loaded with 25 watt Greenbacks. Sometimes I throw in a Roger Mayer Octavia. I mic the cab with an SM57 that runs straight into the Memory Man (set at 100% wet mix) and then into a little tweed amp that is strictly for the echo return. I will NEVER place a delay between my guitar and amp, it absolutely destroys the tone. In a post mic situation, I really dig this delay. The chorus adds a beautiful shimmer. I set the delay time at around 400ms with about 5 or 6 repeats. I can't imagine being happier with a delay in this type of post mic setup.

Mine has held up great and since I'm not stomping on it, I expect it to be around for awhile.

I have been playing for ages and was bitten by the echo bug back in the eighties when I used to rely on an Echoplex and an old Roland SDE-1000, remember those? Well, needless to say, my 'plex died (on tape in fact-lovely) and I began to realize how much of a tone killer time-based effects are when placed between the guitar and amp. Long story short, I had pretty much given up on echo in a live situation. The post mic setup solves the problem and the Deluxe Memory Man seems to be the perfect box in this situation. My favorite players are Jimi, Jeff Beck, Andy Summers, Adrian Belew, Eric Johnson and John McLaughlin.

Very easy to figure out. I got it as a hand me down when I couldn't even play guitar. I used the delay ,chorus and vibrato to simulate the ability to play a guitar. Mine is original 1980 something, I didn't know that there was a manual until now.

My dad played this pedal for years through a '64 Gibson EOB Bass, and a Lab Series Bass amp with a single 15" speaker. I have run lots of combos with it since then (I am 33 and been playing since 14, had it the whole time). Seemed always better to set it up at the end of a pedal chain rather than the beginning as it is kind of noisy. I temporarily shelved the Memory Man for a while until Korn had the song "Freak on a Leash". I knew 'that sound' and sure enough the EH was in the thank yous in the album liner. Aside from Korn covers I haven't found the vibrato as usefull as the chorus. Still, I have used it for strange effects that very few can duplicate.

I wish I knew when my dad bought it, but I would guess that this pedal has been working hard for about 20-25 years straight. It has never let either of us down. I would, do ,and did gig for years without a backup. I don't baby it either, it has an inch of dust and bargrime on it.

never met them, but I hear they're nice

Dad played country, I played metal, then Southern Rock, now I play country. This pedal has worked out for all of the above. I play a Gibson BluesHawk electric, a Gibson Hounddog Dobro, and a Takamine Acoustic/Electric through a Crate GX-60. If it were stolen I would hunt the perp down Chuck Norris style. I've had it so long I couldn't imagine playing without it. I would rate it a 10 if it were a little kinder on the tone and noise. BTW Elvis was on to something fried peanut butter and bannana sandwiches are the bomb.

Very basic standard E-H manual, one page but is basically tells you all you need to know. Took a bit of playing around to get a good sound but once I got it, it was great. When I first plugged it in it was a bit muddy and boomy, but soon sorted. I have the 5 knob version which has; Delay time, Feedback amount, Delay/Original signal blend, Chorus/Vibrato level and Volume. Two switches, Power and switch betweeen Chorus and Vibrato.

Here's my setup: 1979 USA Ash Strat through MXR 102 Dyna comp, Boss BD-2 Blue's Driver, Boss CE-2 Chorus, E-H Electric Mistress, E-H Deluxe Memory Man into - currently - A Fender 15G.
It adds a really nice warmth to the clean sound but it has just a tad too much low end, with a 6 band EQ that could be dialed out no problem. Dirty is where it really comes to life, it makes anything distorted just sound SO much more alive. I like to have my amp clean and control my distortion through my pedals so its perfect for that. It can be a little noisy, though turning the volume down helps that without cutting the actual output too much which is great. You can adjust the blend of how much delay is output, from just the delayed signal to only the original signal. The Vibrato is nice and you can control the speed nicely, I really like the CE-2 sound so I havent tried the chorus setting but I've been told its not that great. The warmth of the analog delay is great, re-enforces my decision to go analog. The digital delays just cant touch it.

The pedal itself seems rock solid, I can't see it breaking in a hurry though when I recieved it the Chorus/Vibrato switch had popped out of its casing which meant I had to pull the pedal apart and do some of my own repairs, very simple though only took a phillips screw driver and a pair of needle-nose pliers. The power plug however looks like it would fall out easily with maybe just a stomp a little too hard. I think I'll wire it up permenantly so it's not such a worry.

Never dealt with them but I've heard they're good.

I havent been playing too long (A Year and 3/4) but I'm settling into a prog rock style, this pedal suits my style perfectly. If this were stolen I would definatly replace it. Very good all round pedal, a few small niggles but thats what you expect with an analog pedal. I do wish it had delay time on the delay knob so it could be set against other pedals but thats pretty minor.

Super easy.

Telecaster, Lindy fralin pickups, class A amps.

This is the energizer bunny of delays. Don't need a backup.

N/A

Rockabilly.

This is a good pedal to start with. After sending it to Howard Davis, who can be found in the Analogman links, it became an awesome pedal. Do yourself a favor: Send your DDM to this guy. He works magic that I can't describe.

This is very easy to use and pretty self explanitory. The manual helped out quite a bit. As I read some other reviews that left low scores for sound quality I wanted to let them know this is not a chorus or a vibrato pedal. The chorus and vibrato switch is to add a chorus or vibrato effect to the delayed notes, not solely as a chorus or vibrato unit. Sometimes it helps to read directions if you don't know what you are doing.

This unit is awesome for delay/reverg effects. I also have used the Boss DD effects, a H&K Replex and this is pretty much my favorite. Can Eric Johnson be wrong when it comes to delay!

Haven't had one problem with it!

Never had to call customer support!

This unit does enhance my overall tone! I love the huge sound you get from it. I play vintage Marshall tube amps, love the VH tone, and this is a perfect match for vintage tube amps!

This review is for the newest version, with true bypass. Easy to use right out of the cardboard box (!). One in and 2 outs, wet/dry. Manual is just to clue you in on the knob functions, that's it. Self explanatory unit.

My chain is, Les Paul Custom, USA strat w/fat 50's, and RG520QS, modded 95Q, TS9/808, Mesa Boogie Mark III simulclass head, A/DA flanger, Deluxe Memory Man in loop, out to 2 Thiele/EV cabs.
The DMM is a very musical and lush delay. This replaced my DD6, once EHX made them all true bypass.Mine is always on to some degree, unless I need it for a feature effect, something over the top.It's either set at a reverbish delay, or a slapback usually, unless I need it for Pink Floyd, U2, Zeppelin style ambience.The choru/vibrato is useful to give it a fuller sound, but only in small doses..
I'd compare the sound quality between the DMM and DD6 to, vinyl LP and CD. The DMM is just warmer and smoother. VERY noticeable.
I raraly used the DD6's extra features, and never liked the tone.
The EHX Deluxe Memory Man is the last word in analog delay, period.

Probably not as rugged as a Boss stomp, but I depend on it highly. It's certainly a large part of my tone. If it broke, I'd get another or have it fixed immediately.I do take care of all my equipment, as they are important to me. This DMM sits next to my A/DA flanger which is rare and highly sought after, and treated no differently.

Never dealt with them. I live close to analogman. So, he would be repairing it most likely anyway.

Play everything from metal to classical, but am really a blues/rock/jam player. Delve into ska, punk, metal, jazz etc. Playing since 1980.
I've learned the hard way, to buy great sounding gear, and not buy lesser stuff that's "good enough for now". You end up with a pile of crap that's worthless and useless.My rig now has everything I need/want, and is quite simple. I can cover alot of ground in one set, and sound appropriate for the song.EHX makes high quality gear, and great tone in all their equipment..I compared this to the AD9 before buying, by direction of the salesman, and found it not nearly as full sounding as the DMM.I didn't pull the trigger on the EHX until it was true by-pass. The vintage ones I tried colored my "off" tone too much.This has all the features I need, and plenty long enough delay. The only thing I wish would be a speed control for the chorus/tremolo. But I use the A/DA for that so, for me it's really not necessary. But, it would make that effect more useable for sure..

no problem.twidle the knobs till you get the sound you want. or switch it from chorus mode to vibrato.

i use a highway 1 strat > boss od/dist > deluxe memory man > vox ac 50 and fender champ at same time with splitter cable.

i like the sounds you can get with the combination of delay and feedback. gets a very nice reverb sound. as for the chourus, its not very good. if your looking for a pedal that can produce chourus, this is not it. your better off getting a boss super chorus. the vibrato is fine even though i dont use it often. the blend control is a nice feature on this as it helps get a variety of sounds. but when you have the pedal on and turn the level up, it produces the crapest overdrive i have ever heard. not that i want to use it but dont expect it to sound too good if your planing to make it loud on a clean setting. but the thing it dose worst, is alter your tone. it makes it thick in a really nasty way. and im not even too keen on the direct output. especialy playing a maple neck, it make it sound more like a badly made rosewood. it definantly makes a background hum as well.

pretty solid. hasent fallen apart despite how old this one is.

altering a guitars tone is the thing i hate most in a pedal which considering i got this one free from a relative is why i never buy pedals which have a direct out like this one except the boss digital delay im experimenting with at the moment which dosent alter the tone. if you want a delay system, go for a boss. i suggest trying making some nice delay/reverb lines in songs like little wing (srv version) which i play alot. i just wish it didnt alter the tone. otherwise, i would buy another one if stolen. but i think this will probably be sitting in my draw for quite a while until i can find someone to sell it to.

I found it fairly easy to figure out, but mine didn't come with a manual because I bought it off of ebay. It probably takes about a 1/2 hour to get familiar with what all of the knobs do.

I used my Les Pual Firebrand with 57' classic pickups through my Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10. To my dismay I immediately realized that the delay only went up to like 300 ms or something not even enough for the first song I tried playing. I should have done my research. I also realized that it dulled the sound of my beautiful amp even when it was bypassed. If you have an OK sounding amp then you may not care but when your amp sounds as good as mine it's really noticeable. I did enjoy some of the neat effects you can get when you combine trem and delay and stuff but most of the sounds are one trick ponies. When I tried this with DISTORTION it sounded like the most unbelievable piece of CRAP, and I immediately put it back on Ebay. It's unusable with distortion and noisy as heck when it's engaged clean.

It seems strong and I wouldn't really worry about it breaking.

Never dealt with the company

I play mostly spaced out rock, some funk. I've been playing for about 14 years. I was pretty dissapointed with this pedal because based on reviews that I read it was supposed to be good but it's a piece of crap. Trust me. If yu're not that serious of a musician then try it out. I wanted a good analog delay so I did a lot of research and picked this one but I just bought the Maxon ad999 and now I'm going to pawn this off on some sorry soul. Oh well, hopefully it's not you.