Exar AD-02 Analog Delay

Very simple. Mono stompbox wih pedal switch; just 3 knobs - time, repeats and effect/dfirect balance.

NOt very noisy.Dark bucket brigade delay, simpe analog. Not very noisy. S/N ratio about 75 dB.
I use AD-1 which has only 1 DC connection and 470kOhm input resistance (2 connections and 1MOhm in AD-2). Delay time is 10 - 360 ms, but it could be encrease by vari pot inside unit onthe rigt side PCB. In my AD delay time is 460 ms now. It could be longer (more than 600ms) but then repeats becames noisy and distorted.

The box is ZnAl made, very reliable. The faintest elements is plastic switch that can be easily broken. Fatal varnish, shells on every series 01 and 02 EXAR effects.
I use it permanently since few months, still works good.

I never send any effects to repair, sometimes I do it myself.
If it 'll deffect - another costs 25 bucks.

Great analog delay.
I play alternative, reggae, dub, experimental. Guitarist since 20 year.
I own many guitars (fender, framus, migma, epiphene and other) and effects (arion, art, boss, digitech, exar, ibanez, jp, jim dunlop, kod, korg, line6)and different amps (fender, HH, marshall, line6, novanex, roland).
It sounds very rich and warm, much darker than digital units.
I wish it had more repeats (as many as the feedback will start) and modulating section

A simple analog delay unit. Made in Poland in the 90's. Most probably a copy of some other delay unit (looks a bit like a Maxon AD-80 reissue - similar size and layout of the controls). Has three knobs "E.LEVEL", "DELAY" and "REPEAT" - if it overwhelms you don't buy it... For an analog unit you can get quite a long delay time out of this (I would say at least 400ms). Works with a 9V battery, or a 9V AC adaptor. It also has an output for the power supply, next to the adaptor input, so you can power another effect from the same adaptor just with the use of a cable. I'll give it a 9 here since you can't really expect much more features from a simple stompbox.

I play an american-made Fender Telecaster through a Fender Hot-Rod Deluxe amp. I've compared this pedal with a vintage Maxon AD-80 (18V version), which I normally use, and which is of course a much more expensive, hi-end analog delay from the late 70's. At first I thought that my Maxon would literally eat this little Exar alive. But I was wrong. First the Exar surprised me with very long delay times. Considerably longer than you can get using a Maxon. It doesn't have a problem generating a decent slapback either. You can get a covincing rockabilly sound. Not exactly Sun Records/Echoplex kind of sound, but still pretty good. The unit is very quiet when bypassed, and makes hardly any noise when switched on. For an analog it's almost dead quiet. It also doesn't seem to be cutting off any frequencies. I don't suppose that it's true bypass, but it comes very close - it doesn't steal your tone. Of course when it comes to sound quality of the delayed signal, Maxon wins hands down. The delay which you get from the Exar sounds a bit thin and dry when compared to the thick, organic sound of the Maxon. It tends to get more lo-fi when you max out all the knobs - you get a bit of a nasty metallic-sounding distortion on the repeated signal. Still with some added reverb from the amp it sounds quite musical. I have actually bought this pedal to plug it into the FX loop of our PA system, to work with vocals and trumpet. And for that it's worthless. The signal is too weak and gets too distorted to use it this way. Besides you get a tremendous feedback. Nevertheless I think that it's a useful guitar effect. If you're on a bugdet go for it. In my opinion it still sounds warmer and more natural than many digital units.

The case seems to be quite sold. The paint is rubbish - wears off immediately. The cover of the battery compartment is made out of cheap thin plastic and I wouldn't call it reliable. The footswitch would be my main concern. It's just a piece of plastic attached with 2 screws to the case. It operates on the basis that it's a bit flexible, so once you press it, it bends and turns the unit on. It only needs a gentle tap to work, so it's easy to accidentally turn it of. I guess I wouldn't use it on a gig, but I'm a bit spoiled by the other stuff I use.

It hasn't broke down yet, but I wouldn't count on it. First of all, they're not making this pedal anymore. Secondly, Exar is a small manufacturer from Poland. If you don't live in Poland you can forget about it. As I said, I've never had a reason to deal with Exar, but I've lived in Poland long enough to know that customer support in this country is usually kind of like that dead parrot sketch by Monty Python.

For less than $50 I'd say that it's a good find. I gave it to the drummer in my band and he's pretty happy with it. Guess he'll use it for recording some of his own stuff. If you want one try lookin on www.allegro.pl - I suppose that you'll have a hard time trying to find one on eBay. I play rockabilly, ska, alt-pop, and some post punk stuff. If you need a cheap slapback echo or just a decent short delay you won't be disappointed.