Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay

This is a follow up to the review I posted earlier. I just wanted to report on the results I got from adjusting the internal trim pots which respectively control delay time and feedback.

Having adjusted the delay time trim pot (the one on the left) to it's full counter-clockwise position, the pedal has much more delay time, probably about 500ms. The new longest delay time setting is about right for the dotted 1/8th note delays that work for "Another Brick in the Wall".

There is however, a raspy, distorted, lofi quality to the repeats with longer delay time now. I actually like it. It sounds a bit like a delay with a ring modulator effect applied to it. With the delay time knob set between 2 and 3 o'clock, the distorted quality of the repeats becomes negligible, and the delay time is similar to what had previously been the longest delay time.

Adjusting the feedback trim pot (the one in the center) full counter-clockwise produces more feedback (more repeats) to the point that the pedal goes into self-oscillation much sooner and more easily. After this adjustment, it's possible to go into self-oscillation with the delay time set to max, which was previously impossible.

I like these mods for now. It widens the parameters of the pedal considerably, making it more versatile imho. It's still possible to get all the sounds out of the pedal that were previously possible by rolling back the delay time and feedback knobs.

Just wanted to pass it along.

Very easy to use. It's easy to get "good sounds" out of it (if you like the sound of analog delays). You can get a vaguely chorusy doubling effect, to reverby ambiance, to endless dark, warm echos that decay beautifully. With shorter delay times, feedback (self-oscillation) is possible. At the longest delay (about 300ms) the unit will not self-oscillate.

I've never had a manual. I bought this pedal when I was 13 years old (back in 1985). It was my first stomp box.

I think it sounds nice. Warm, dirty, the repeats decay nicely. Most negative reviewers seem to dislike just what I like about it. If you like analog delay, this is a good one. No modulation, and limited delay time, but oh well.

I don't find it noisy.

I play through either a pair of Fender Blues Jr's (playing out when I need more volume) or a pair of Fender class A 5w amps (a Vibro Champ and a Champion 600, for at home playing). I love a stereo amp configuration. I have the delay coming out of one amp and the other amp is dry. I have a bunch of other effects too which run thru both amps:

volume pedal > snarling dogs wah > MJM Guitar FX 60's Vibe (univibe clone) > Fulltone '70 > Fulltone Distortion Pro > amps. Delay is last in chain and in effects loop of my pedal board and routed to 1 amp.

I like Hendrix, Eddie Hazel, Jeff Beck, David Gilmore and such. This pedal can help get sounds like some of these artists.

I've had this pedal since 1985. It still works perfectly.

Never dealt with customer support.

It sounds nice and warm. I wish it had modulation and more delay time. I also wish it were true bypass. Considering that I bought it over 20 years ago and it still works, I'd say it's a pretty darn good value.

I own a Maestro Echoplex EP3, which is by far the best sounding delay effect I've ever heard. It's not so reliable though (mine's in disrepair and in need of refurbishment). I owned a MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay, which really sounded nice, had (subtle) modulation and 600ms of delay time. Unfortunately that stopped working a few months after the warranty expired though. I briefly owned an Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy, which I liked for the most part, but returned it because it produced a volume jump when engaged. I've owned Boss DD3 and DD5 digital delays (to sterile for me).

Compared to the other delays mentioned above, this is 3rd in line behind the Echoplex and the Carbon Copy in terms of sound quality. It's more reliable than those two though.

It a a stomp-style on and off switch and 3 knobs which are self explanatory. It couldn't be easier to use. But you could argue that it's next to impossible to get what you're looking for because of the limited parameters, hence my average rating for this catagory.

Sounds awful. Analogue delays have a rapid decay rate, but as long as you plan to use it in a subtle way, that wont be a problem. If however you want to use this for anything other than filler, you'll be seriously disappointed by it's very narrow parameters. The biggest problem I had with this thing is that it sounds dreadful. You play a silky, clean-toned note, and what you hear being spat back at you, is a distorted, corroded noise with a rancid cherry of a high-frequency squeak on the top for good measure. If you combine this with a fizzy distortion pedal, you wont notice this.

I didn't need to own this thing for 5 years to know how bad it sounds, so I cant comment on it's reliability because I returned it after owning it for 1 day.

Had no dealings with them.

They say that for every negative experience, there is an equally positive, and often unknowable result. If I hadn't returned this thing and in a few years time someone had stole it, the part of me that knows the unknowable would probably add them to my Christmas card list. If the Ibanez AD9 were ??19.99, I'd say you get what you pay for but they're relatively expensive. I was disgusted with the poor quality of this item.

Very easy to use, 3 knobs

I have owned this pedal for almost a year and so far it is has not met my expectations. My issue with the pedal is that it colors the sound (I wish it were a more transparent pedal). Not to say it sounds bad, it actually provides a good tone and works very well with my distortion pedal (just not the tone I am usually looking for). It does not provide a lot of delay; however, I was well aware of this when I purchased the pedal (I was simply looking for a delay pedal to fatten up my sound a bit - especially with solo's). It does provide this and as stated earlier it works well with my distortion pedals. I plan to keep the pedal despite it not meeting all expectations.

No Problems

Never had to use them.

I mainly play blues / blues rock. As a result, my current playing style does not often require a delay pedal. As stated, the pedal does provide some cool sounds and I will keep it; however, if it were lost or stolen I would try a different delay pedal.

not much to it. 3 knobs.

nice warm analog delay. I agree with most people on the pedal. It sounds great but could use more delay time. Only goes to 330ms. But don't let that dissuade you from buying. you just have to buy a digital delay as well.

no problems so far.

n/a

Great little pedal.

Pretty easy to use with its 3 knobs. Has limited functionality: nowhere near the features on the newer Boss DD series.

Warm, lush, analog-like sound. I am using this with a Stat and LP into a Bassman head. I have not tried the stereo outputs (separate dry and delyed) so can't comment on the stereo capability. As others here have noted, reverb and slapback effect are easy to achieve and sound great. This does not seem to suck tone.

This is a new, reissue model from Japan...seems well made but too soon to tell.

Used primarily for slapback and reverb sound, playing the blues: great match for the blues, even though it is pink. I definitely would replace it if stolen: this and my Boss TR-2 tremelo and are the best effects I've bought.

Among the easiest delay pedals to use today. No real manual to speak of, the control labeling provides more than enough information.

This is a very different animal from digital delay. The repeats atre warmer and fuzzier, rather than the sort of higher definition sound digital provides. For slapback sounds this thing rules....very natural and tube-y sounding. It warmed up my Telecaster nicely without killing the twang.

Longer delays are a mixed bag. Since it maxes out at 300ms, there's not a whole lot to work with. It has a very Pink Floyd, tape-like feel to it, and it can actually be adjusted in such a way that longer lines and phrases echo nicely, but strumming or note-heavy excursions don't get all bogged down in a whole bunch of echoes. This is by far my favorite use for it.

For applications that require greater fidelity or delay times, this is not going to fit the bill, but while a digital delay can do a lot of what the AD9 does, the AD9 has a really nice sweetness and musical quality to it while digital delays can run a little bit cold.

The Ibanez 9 series is pretty solid over all, though there switches can be kooky at times. No problems so far though.

not applicable

I play rock of all types. I've been playing for almost 20 years now. I'm mostly a Fender guy, have oodles of pedals and other stuff and Vox and Fender amps.

This was my first analog delay of any time, and I've used digital ones (Digitech and Boss) for a long time so I had a pretty good baseline to compare it to. I really like the Ibanez. It doesn't do everything I want in a delay, but it's also very much plug and play and doesn't get in the way of making music at all. If you're looking for slapback and don't need a whole lot of available delay time to do what you're doing, this is a great choice. If fidelity and flexibility are important, the AD9 may not exactly be what you're looking for, but since a Boss DD-3 is actually cheaper than an AD9 it's probably not a big deal for most to own both.

three knobs: delay time, delay length, and delay level...not much to it

(playing through an elk custom 30 and echo cab w/ rocktron austin gold, boss sd1, and dunlop jimmy wah)

THE GOOD:
the super warm tone that comes from this thing still makes me smile.
the sound is crisp and clean and did i mention it sound AMAZING!

THE BAD:
the 300ms maximum delay is a major let down. i opened up the back of the pedal and boosted the delay time pot and was able to achieve somewhere around 500ms delay, but with major distortion issues. also, not being able to control the delay time with an expression pedal gets really old when playing live.

END RESULT:
i'm going back to boss.

but i havn't given up, when i find myself with some extra money i'll send my ad9 into robert keeley and see if he can't do something for me.

this thing is a tank

i've never had to deal with them :)

overall, if ibanez made the delay time atleast 700 ms and made it so i could use an expression to control the delay time i would spend more money on it than any other delay pedal on the market.

IBANEZ...if you read these things...do so and you'll make BILLIONS!!!

Delay is very simple to use. 3 knobs for delay, repeat, and level. There are internal trimpots also, but only adjust these if your delay has a significant amount of noise

I love this delay pedal! I originally thought it could not sound better until I adjusted the two internal trim pots. I have a vintage ad-9 from the 80s. When I adjusted the pots I now have the most beautiful delay imaginable. I used to have a lot of hiss at the end of each delay, but not anymore. This unit is perfect! My setup is: 2002 Gibson Les Paul 60's reissue ---pedalboard---- Emery Sound Superbaby setup with EL34-12ax7-5y3 combination. The pedalboard consists of an Analogman King of Tone, then Ibanez Delay, then Boss TU2 Tuner. I love this delay. I can get anything from a slight echo to crazy spaceship sounds. This is great!

So far no problems and its from the 80s. 20 years of reliability so far! A+

This is by far the best analog delay for the money! Get one now before they are all gone

This is a drop dead easy pedal to use... as it should be.
three knobs: delay time, # of repeats, and level of repeats.

I find the sound quality in mono is very good. In stereo it totally rolls off all the high end of your signal. The concept of taking a dry signal only on one channel and a delay (only) in another is not new and you should experiment with this. It is a very striking treatment to a normally overused and common effect. I would have loved to take atvantage of this feature, and you could in theory still use it if you don't mind all the high end cut-off.
I run a stereo setup with a Twin and a higher gain switchable tube amp in my rig. I also have an ab/y box to split the signal and a pedal board with vaious effects and an FX loop on the board to switch a rack mount unit in and out of the chain. For those of you out there pondering digital vs analog... forget the mental theories and just go with what each one does best. My digital unit does a great job of the longer stronger delays and it's programmable. This unit is a different breed and adds another color. It's older (bucket brigade) design makes it perfect for those country / rockabilly slapbacks ... or on the longer settings a more 70's rock...echo sound. The rolloff is still quite strong and that gives the pedal the characteristic of not overtaking the sound or the mix... you could leave it on for a lot or sounds and not really notice it... on the other hand, because it is subtle, if you want a strong delay you'll have to crank it a bit. It's a musical effect and adds a nice touch. I use it for delays that I don't want the digital overpowering sound on, for its more natural organic sound and that type of thing.I compared this to an old Boss Analog delay I had years ago, and the roll-off on this unit really is more substantial... very similar sound just more high-end roll-off.

It's built very well and is heavy.

NA

I play a lot of different styles from hard rock, classic rock, country, rockabilly, blues, gospel and worship music, praise and choruses and acoustic steel string. I have been playing for over 20 yrs mostly in a church worship setting but also in other rock bands and such. This pedal is a good match, can do the subtle delays well and is a musical effect. You won't get a lot of variance out of the controls really, basically a short delay and a medium delay (100-300 ms) You can tweak it I heard but I haven't tried that.
I got it to compensate for the digital delay that I use.
Using the sterile sounds on the digital sometimes just doesn't work as many have noted already. It's a good mix, its' a small cheap addition and it's versatile for basically any style where a small sutle delay can be used. It has found a permanent place on my pedal board and I use it quite a bit. You wont go wrong with this unit.