Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay

Easy to use and get a good sound out of. There's a decent amount of ways to get some pretty awesome sounds. There are knobs for level, time, and number of repeats on the outside and on the inside there are 3 pots to change the values of these. Overall it's not as feature-laden as a digital pedal but what it lacks in features it makes up for in warm, clear reproduction of the original sound.

I play a Fender Fat Strat with a Duncan JB in the bridge (coil-tapped) and also a Fender Jazz Bass with Duncan Hot stack p/u's through Tech 21 SansAmp preamps into a JBL powered 300 watt floor monitor. I have an Ibanez TS-9 reissue, a Morley wah, and also looking to get an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress to complete the deal. This is arguably the best delay unit on the market. Sure you're not getting 20 seconds of delay time but for the majority of us musicians, we only need about 2 or 3 seconds AT MOST. I a/b-ed this pedal with the Boss DD-3 and they both sounded really good. The Boss did have more features and was a bit cheaper, but there's just a certain characteristic warmth this unit had that the Boss did not. Also, if you turn the delay time knob while playing a note it makes a really cool sound (I'm guessing this is the self-oscillation). There are better sounding units out there of course, but who wants to pay $2oo or more for an effect pedal?

Seems pretty reliable. I've known older musicians in the neighborhood who have had one of this since the 70's and it's still working great.

The AD-9's are great as reverb units or for short to mid-range delay times. They clearly reproduce what's been played and decay smoothly. I love playing my Jazz bass through this even more than my strat. I can get different sounds ranging from Claypool to Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) on "One of These Days" with the bass, and with guitar I use it mainly for reverb and solos. I play a variety of rock, metal and country and this unit adds some very nice textures to the songs. There's nothing I'd add to this pedal and I'd recommend to anyone!

three knobs, self explanatory.

on the inside were extra trim pots, people talked about enhancing the pedal from the inside so I immediately tried it out. I needed a longer delay time so I could play "against" my own rythm and make it look like I'm actually a good guitarist.

I only messed with one of them, just follow the wires that come from the "delay time" knob, there are two that go to one of the four trim pots, that's the one I changed. It was at about one o'clock first, it is now as far to the left as possible, say at almost eight o'clock.

The delay time is now at about 500 m/s. Long enough for my needs. I don't plan on messing with the other trim pots until I get a second AD-9 so I always have one that is in usable shape.

Excellent, it doesn't mess with your original sound the way digital pedals do. Twisting the delay time knob while ringing a chord is also fun. I give it a nine, since this is the first analogue delay I've heard, I need to check out the analogue boss pedals as well.

I don't have it that long yet, but I'm sure it will last a few world wars.

no need for it

Overall the best delay pedal I've tried yet.

If there are any analogue pedals which have the "hold" function the Boss DD-3 has, I would go for that since that's a really cool function to create some psyched out sounds. If there are people that know of any such delays, please email me.

Not sure? Unaware of internal mini pots til now.

I really like this box. If your looking for warm, spacy, ambiant delay ...this is it. The self oscillation is awesome (cool recording trick). Now a lot of folks give digital delay pedals a bad rap. I also use a boss dd-5 digital delay pedal. It's a complete different animal. The digital delay is way better for dialing in speed for a great slapback effect. You can slap back with the ad-9 but it's not very adjustable in the main controls. I like the previous reviewer was not knowledgeable about the inside trim pots. I would also love to know these controls. I may be wrong about the slapback. I don't lose any tone bypassed on either. This box is a must for the average pedal geek. There are a lot of analog delay pedals though. I have heard the DM3 b0ss pedal is not very reliable. I have seen alot of broken ones (DM3) on ebay. The maxon ad900 or higher sounds to be the holy grail. I've never heard one though. They are real pricy though(250-300). My Ad9 was about 150 on ebay and the led dosen't work.

Very easy to use. 3 knobs like most analog delays.

Excellent sound. Almost seems to add a smoothness to the tone of humbuckers. This pedal can and will enhance harmonics along with sweetening sustain. I can't really go any further than the guy's below.

It's rock solid but if you kick it around alot and throw it in a backpack with the other metal BOSS pedals, it will chip the paint and sometimes change the calibration on you. You can adjust all the tone/delay controls from inside with mini pots. I would like the calibration sheet if someone would oblige me.

what? this is from '81.

My favorite delay, but I also love the DM-3 by BOSS. The BOSS is more fun sonicly but the Ibanez is the machine for smoothness and sweet old analog delay. FWIW the Ibanez "IZ" THE one to have if you can only have one on your board!

So if you have a data sheet email me. remove the (no-spam)from the addy. ;^)

Using this unit is a breeze, there's no fuss about it. The only thing that might need to be pointed out is that turning the speed nob up all the way is no a good idea if you're sitting right next to the amp.

I use this pedal in an effects chain. The chain goes from right to left. The last pedal is the pedal before the amp: Original Crybaby, Boss MT-2, the AD-9, Boss CH-1, DOD Graphic EQ, and a Bespeco Volume. I have put this pedal almost everywhere in this chain and it sounds the best somewhere in the middle usually after the distortion pedal. The effect itself is very smooth. With enough tweaking on the nobs one could get an almost reverb sound and turning the speed nob up all the way and twist the time nob while slapping the lowest string on the guitar creates a very cool warped almost like a snyth sound.

I have dropped this thing down at least 4 flights of stairs and it hasn't died on me yet. Who knows maybe staircase #5 will kill it. I do not recomend using a battery to power the unit though. It sucks power out of 9v's faster than any other pedal I own. So if your going live, run out and get a 9v transformer it'll do ya some good.

I got this thing for free cause my guitar teacher at the time didn't want it anymore so I've never delt with Ibenez or the company that designed the pedal Maxon. Maxon just re-released the 9 series so I'm sure if you have one of the older modles they'd be happy to service them in some way be it an exchange or just a suggestion for making it a better unit.

I primarily play hard rock and metal, but I was trained on jazz and blues so I've found uses for this thing in so many of my songs and projects. What I love about it is the stereo output feature. These outputs help expand the sounds you could get including paning and chorus sounds. What I hate is the battery power. It dies in like a week. I use an SKB pedal board to power all the pedals I use. I play on and ESP F-300 with EMG-HZ H1 pick-ups and I run everything through a Fender Delux 90. Along with the pedals I listed before I also use a Digitech Hot Rod distortion, a digitech Envelope Filter, and a fuzz pedal I constructed myself that sounds a bit like the Octiva unit that Jimmy Page used on Led-Zeppelin 1. I don't think I would ever need to replace this unit because of the past I've had with it. If I ever did need to replace it I would by the new version from Maxon cause it sounds exactly the same and has True Bypass switching so it is a definant improvement.

3 knobs the usual analog setttings for rate,speed and depth..........

Sound quality is excellent for analog delay, this pedal has that great raggedy edge and a slight warble that you usually associate with tape echos.I have played rock-a-billy for over 15 years and just got sick of lugging around a Roland Space Echo, as much as I loved them.So if your after that nice old 50"s rock-a-billy vibe then look no further than this pedal and don't worry I've tried many other delays over the years including stuff byDOD,Danelecto,Boss,
Arion,Guyatone and Echoplex just to name a few and I still keep going back to my best friend.I also play many other styles of music including swing,jump blues,old skool hardcore punk,country,ska and jazz and have used the pedal
in every band I have ever played in with maybe the exception of the punk stuff
sometimes dryer is better.Guess what! I only own 1 other pedal and that is
another Ibanez 9 series pedal and that is their graphic eq, what a match.The eq first then the delay straight into one of several amps that I own including a 1951 TV front deluxe, a Vox AC15, and a Deluxe reverb with the eq pedal set for a mid boost and a quick slap back on the AD9 I get a great edgy solo that really cuts thru and keeps the signal as honest as possible whilst also helping a 1x12 combo sound much bigger than it really is. But the features don"t just stop there you also get a poor mans AB box thanx to the wet and dry outs just don"t step on it accidently if you"re using it to record your Bass tracks.The pedal is pretty much silent except when the batteries wear out (i much prefer the sound of it with batteries its a personal thing)what can I say. Now for its final trick max out the tone and volume of you're favourite small valve combo preferebly something like an old tweed champ or a princeton if you have one. Then set the AD9 settings all to hard right and start playing you're best Neil Young licks from the Dead Man Soundtrack and I guarantee that you won't be dissapointed.The views I have expressed in this review are just my personal experiences with this pedal and tone is a very subjective thing. I suggest that along the way thru you're tone quest to experience as many varied sounds as you can thus allowing you the luxury of making a more informed desicion and hopefully the best player that you can be...........

Can you depend on it ? Yes.
Would you use it on a gig without a back up? Yes I do it all the time I'm not the big scardey cat that I used to be if it breaks down the show must go on please maintain a proffessional attitude at all times don't be a big girly pants.

Finally I have had the pedal repaired twice once by me broken 9 volt battery conector hey what can I say things just get old and wear out and the other problem was rhw on/off switch and that was cured by using the same one out of a TS 808 so yes some parts are interchangeable that repair cost me a whopping AUS D 5.00 bucks pretty cool I thought............

Didn"t really deal with Ibanez directly because I've worked in the music industry I pretty much now where to source parts if I need them and no I never felt the need to have the pedal upgaded it would defeat the purpose of this particular pedal...................

Opps I spilt my guts way to early see my views above in the section called sound quality.Anything I wish it had no , I say try to buy the right pedal for the right job don"t expect an analog delay to have the huge delay times and the presicion and detail of say a Boss DD 5 or 6 they are two completly different
animals and should be approached as such.It has always helped me to make my musical experiences far more enjoyable and never gets in the way and if it does it's as easy as turning it off thats why stompboxes are so cool and finally a few words to describe my own AD 9 sturdy,reliable,robust and tottaly irreplaceable, for me it is the very heart and soul of my own personal tone and sound I would not hesitate in the blink of an eye to replace it no matter what the cost ....................................

3 knobs controlling delay level, number of repeats and delay length.
you won't need a manual for this. I haven't messed with the internal pots cause these are my fav pedals.

these pedals sound really nice and warm.
beware its got a max time of like 300 ms which is too short for the edge-type escapades...
I especially like to use this with a clean or slightly overdriven signal..
for distorted I like my digital boss delay better...

Ive got two of this one. on one of them the switch fails if you dont step on it hard. it doesnt really matter to me cause at the moment I only play at home. other than that the 9 series are solid pedals.

Ive never dealt with Ibanez..

I did buy a used whammy II and e-mailed digitech for a manual and they sent me an old whammy II manual that someone found at the office free.. that was nice..
but as for ibanez.. I have no idea..

I really like these pedals..
I found both really cheap and I've seen these go for like $160-200 on e-bay.. I'll never get rid of these...
I've also got a cs-9 that I found used in a store for $25..
too bad I don't like chorus.. but I'll keep that one too..
right now I'm looking for the sd-9, af-9, fl-9 and any other 9 series..(but those 3 imparticular)

Pretty E-Z to use, but may take you awhile to dial in the "perfect" setting.

Great sounding stompbox. I prefer these "bucket brigade" analog pedals over the newer digital models. I also have the Maxon AD-80 reissue which is very similar to this, but the AD-9 sounds better to my ears. I think the delay time is slightly longer than the Maxon and you can get the AD-9 to self-oscillate when you want noisy sound effects. I use it with a 1982 Ibanez AR-300 and Les Paul Studio through a Vox AC-15 (tube) and Fender Deluxe 90 (solid state).

I have two and never had a problem with either one.

Never had to contact support.

This is still my favorite no frills analog delay stompbox. It has seved me well over many years and many styles of music. Sometimes I wish they had a tap tempo feature, but I can live without it.

It took me a few weeks to get the true sound I was looking for. I'm a perfectionist. Once I felt satisfied with what I had found, I haven't touched the knobs since.

I play jazz influenced rock and use the pedal exclusively to add depth to my lead tone. I play a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III semi-hollowbody with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge pickup. My pedal chain runs Voodoo Labs Tremelo -> Ernie Ball Volume -> Ibanez CS9 Analog Stereo Chorus -> Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer w/ AnalogMan -> ProCo Rat 2 -> Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay -> Boss DD5 w/ tap tempo extension. The AD9 in conjunction with the DD5 for rhythm work more than satisfies my delay needs. I am a big fan of the Ibanez "9" series pedals. Max the AD9 out and you can achieve some wild space sounds - think Radiohead noise track.

I haven't had a problem with any of my "9" series pedals.

I have never dealt with the company - a good thing IMO.

As long as you know what you are looking for, this pedal is a keeper. Delay is an effect that can be misused very easily. Combined with the DD-5, I am getting the exact use out of this unit that I purchased it for.

Like any delay I've seen. I prefer numbers on amps and effects, so that I can precisely record my settings. That's why I'm not giving it a 10 - no numbers.

This thing is the best. I use it in the effects loop of my Voodoo modified Mesa Heartbreaker head on a relatively short delay. I learned about this technique in an article about Robben Ford that said he used a short delay to fatten up his lead tone. This pedal really delivers in this application. The analog sound is so much fatter and warmer than a digital delay. Sounds a lot like a tape echo unit. Very quiet.

Well as I write this review, my pedal is being repaired by Robert Keeley. The LED light is going on and off, but no effect. He thinks it's a "switching FET" and should be repairable. I hope it is, because I love this thing.

It's really old, so I guess it's lasted a good long time with no problems. However, it really just sits on the top of my head and I turn it on at the beginning of the night and turn it off at the end. It doesn't seem like this "switching FET" is very reliable. Maybe I should just leave it on from now on!

I play rock and blues. I've been playing over 30 years, with a 10 year hiatus in the middle. My electric rig consists of:

PRS McCarty
Fender American Series Stratocaster with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials
Carvin DC127 koa with Seymour Duncans ('59 and JB)
Mesa Heartbreaker head modified by Voodoo Amps
Mesa 2x12 Recto cabinet with Vintage 30s and Weber Beam Blockers
Thomas Organ Crybaby way modified for true bypass
Ibanez TS9 reissue
Maxon OD808

This pedal sounds so great for providiing some ambient delay and fattening up the tone. A friend of mine gave it to me in the late 80s, when he decided to go with a digital delay. I believe it was made in the early 80s. If it were lost or stolen, I would have to shell out the big bucks for another one on Ebay, or a reissue. Welll at least I got this one for free! Even though itdoesn't have numbers (see Ease of Use), I still have to give it a 10. It sounds that good.