Ibanez AD99 Delay

Three knobs...about as simple as it gets

My effects chain is as follows.... Fasel Cry Baby /Big Muff /Seymour Twin Tube /EVH Phasor /EVH Flanger /Ibanez RC-99 /Ibanez AD-99 /BBE Sonic Stomp

Ive owned an Orig 70's RE-201 Space Echo but sold it because of its size and constant need of attention. I never used the Space Echo to its full wacky sound potential, just used it for a nice warm delay. After selling it the search was on for a more user friendly delay. The Ibanez AD-9 became the main pedal for years and then I used a Boss RV-5 for a while but went back to the AD-9. After borrowing a Ibanez FL-99 from a friend I became interested in the Ibanez 99 Analog Series Pedals. They are possibly the one Series that Ibanez should have continued making. I'm done with my search for a Warm Delay. This pedal sounds great no matter where the knobs are set.

So Far so Good....then again Ibanez(or I should say who ever Ibanez contracts out to make their products) Has a deserved reputation for reliability.

Ive been playing guitar for 33 Yrs. For me and my sound this pedal works PERFECTLY. I know that Boss has introduced the Space Echo in a stompbox and I'm sure its a great pedal. I just don't think it can get any better than what I have now. Great Pedal if your looking for a Warm tape like echo.These are still under the radar of "Pedals to Have"....they can be had for less than an AD-9 and to me are a way better pedal.

Your usual 3-knob analog delay. Realy easy.

I have had a lot of vintage analog deays. A Washburn AD-9, Ibanez AD-9, Boss DM-2 and a few others. In my opinion the AD-99 has a accurately defined sound that the others do not have. I play it through a SF Twin Reverb and a hod rodded Marshall 1974X (changed the trannies and the speaker). It works well with both. Since the 1974X has no reverb I mostly play the AD-99 with this amp. This delay works very good with clean to distorded tones.

It is 15 years old and I expect that it will work 15 years from now.

Never dealt with them.

A realy godd stompbox analog delay. If you want a better tone you have to buy a bigger ad like the Ibanez AD-100 etc. or a tube tape echo. for a stompbox it is 1. choise.

It's useable in some way at any setting, depends on your preferences
It's as easy as it's gonna get to operate. Three knobs and a place to stomp.

I use a 1999 US tele, a Ernie Ball volume, a fulltone Fulldrive 2 and a 1974 fender Vibro Champ inside of a 1968 cabinet with a 10" Weber Silver Bell inside of it. It's not too noisy, but, one can occassionally hear the analog swooshy hiss. (it does not show up on tape though) Look people, if your into analog delay, this one's a steal!. I've compared it head-to-head with a Boss DM-2 (from Japan, not Taiwan) and it sounded noticibly better. So why pay $200 on Ebay for a DM-2 when you can get this one for less than $100? This is bye far my favorite delay pedal, and I've owned a bunch (Chandler digital echo, boss dm2 dd5, Akai echo, DOD whatever) I want to buy more because Ibanez doesn't make them anymore. It doesn't handle extreme amounts of gain well (it got murky with the SIB varidrive i used to have); but it handles my fulldrive wonderfully. And if you have two amps, please use it in stereo, dry/effect, it's sounds so great.

It has not broken and I've had it for 6 years

I don't know

I play sorta wierd jazz I guess when I'm making my own music, it works pefectly with my intentions. I've played for 12 years or so. I would buy more even if it were not stolen. It doesn't use batteries, but, if you know anything about delay pedals, batteries don't last long anyway, so you'd be saving money with the wall wart anyway. It does overloud if you use ludicrous amounts of disortion, but I don't, so it doesn't matter.

(Update from previous review)
A very well made unit. There are several pedals in the
Ibanez 99 series- a rotary chorus,a flanger, etc. There is
no discernable noise with this unit IMO. The chicken head
knobs are very smooth, as is the switch. Very easy to operate.

Very warm analog delay, but very subtle. Does not have
long delays and does not self oscillate. No spaceship
takeoffs or landings with this baby. Just nice, warm slap-
back style echoes. This unit does reverb very nicely as well.

This looks like it will last a long time with little
or no trouble with a reasonable degree of care. No batteries- ac operation only with all the 99 series pedals,
I believe.

Their customer support (especially for their older pedals) is not supposed to be legendary.......
I've never had to deal with them so "no opinion" here.

A very warm, well made unit with features from the older
stompboxes; chicken head knobs and a dpdt footswitch. The
original Vox Tonebender also had these features. It just
can't do long delays or self oscillate like some of the other delays. It is a very subtle effect that I find
rarely disengaged when playing. To me playing the electric
guitar would be extremely boring without it (or another
delay of equal or superior quality).

Very easy to use- delay time, feedback and delay level
knobs. Very easy to dial in great sounds.

This is my first analog delay pedal. I have a digital
delay. The analog is definately warmer. Believe the hype!
You do give up the longer delay times, though. I've placed
a distortion and an overdrive pedal in front of it-the
distorted, overdriven repeats sound great.The pedal is not
noisy. I'm new to analog delay so I'll venture a guess with
an 8 rating here.

Seems very well built. An adapter is required with this
pedal; it cannot take batteries. Quite large-much bigger
than a lot of other Ibanez stompboxes. Haven't owned it very long so I'll post no opinion here.

Never dealt with them, but I've read where they do not
provide good customer support.

Great pedal for my style of music. Echo/delay figures
prominently-I play lots of earlier Pink Floyd material.
I guess I really need a Roland Space Echo for that but they are somewhat cumbersome and do require routine maintenance.
This pedal is good for "thickening" the sound but no substitute for the Space Echo.

Very easy - 3 knobs :-)

I use 3 generic positions: all at 11 am, all at 1pm and all at 3 pm
and from that you can expand but i just need & like some slap or quasi-verb with my dry THD Univalve (the best designed and arguably best sounding amp in the world by any standards - verify with your own hands and ears)

Cannot give it 10 as it has only up to 300ms so it's 9 BUT
I gave it 10 to compenate for the lower rating by some others.

It is slightly darker than digital boxes but I use all analog and tube gear so I am used to it - have even too much treble these days as compared to the '60s :-)

NOTE: in the '60s most gear was horrible - journalists lie that all the gear was great and 'vintage' ...

No problem.

Do not know - I bought mine in Korea while on busines !

I like Danelectro slap echo BLJ small pedal and that would be my first choice for a hand slap (and it's cheaper).

But for most other situations this baby is very useful ... almost as much as VS H20 which is another great buy.

Beyond that it's the digital boxes ... Zoom 508 ain't bad !

In summary, if you like analog sounds and boxes - just buy one.

This delay is self explaining with its three knobs and external power supply. Its delay time is a bit short, but more is definitely not needed. The sound is warm, not that much precision, but adds lots of room and body to the guitar's and amp's sounds. My favourite setting is delay time about 2p.m., feedback bit before middle and used in parallel fx-chain (on amp maximum wetr setting) there are no porblems dialing in the right amount and loudness of the effect.

The AD-99 is used in the effects chain of my Engl Savage SE (set to "wet") with two other Ibanez effects (Rotary Chorus RC-99 and Classic Flanger CF-99) using Nobels Alex-1 for each to switch it into the signal path via Engl Midi switching. Used as the sole fx, it is quiet and has the fat warm sound that I like for soloing in distortion as well as clean picking things. With my Ibanez PGM 800 and 90ham models without trem it works very nice thickening the already fat sound up a bit more - but it is a very distinct sound and one must have this soft characteristics in mind, or you won't be right with this. With it I don't have the need for a compressor for thick solo lines - although the sound is different, of course. Not too much feedback, so that notes are a bit more than just doubled.

Very solid, no problems in any case, and it works without battery! For switching it is alsways turned on and fx is added by the Nobels device.

No problems with the unit!

I play melodic Heavy Metal with my band, which is definitely not the style this thing is used normally. But at the right places it is the only effcts unit I want to hear and therefor it adds a distinct sound to my music. Earlier a t.c. G-Force was my Effects-unit, but I did not like that it cut off some important frequencies (thin sounding with my setup) and the whole characteristics, but now this thing makes me happy! On ebay these units are traded often, but pricy, too! If you like high quality effects without too much sounds, but one very interesting sound, it is worth it! The only negative point I would say is the missing remote function for switching. Besides that it it is really important for me even for writing song-parts, because its warm sound inspires creativity.

A three knob unit...not a lot of long delay only 300ms but it's so warm and quiet and helps my sound...not a bad setting to really complain about...just turn the knobs till you get what you like. I run it most the time with them all at 1 so it give a nice amount of color to the tone...it will produce a reverb sounding tone when just tweaked at 8 and it produces some great tones.

Les Paul with a Classic 57 & Burstbucker #>Boss TU-2>Teese Custom Wah>
TS-9 modded by Keeley>AD-99 Delay>Carvin Legacy Head with 20watts Class A power thanks to 2 Yellowjackets. The delay compliments this set-up and I can put out some great blues SRV all the way to Hendrix and some good ol' rock too....this delay is a great value and I would not trade it for one of the new digital toys....BOSS DD-6 want a dead tone with no soul...go digital....

Seems to work flawless for now...

Good match for the blues or any other music requiring real warm tone.
I have tried a lot of gear in 25 years but keep going back to what I started with. Good Guitar, analog effetcs, Tube Amp.
A little delay is always fun for sure...The Boss Analogs are great too and I got mine on ebay for $85.00 so it's not to pricey..
I would get another right away if this got stolen...I use it on my voice and acoustic too... www angelfire.com/ca/mrpayne for a listen to
hear some analog delay on some homemade music...get this delay if you can find it...they are around but you must hunt while on a Tonequest!

No manual - no need. Easy to get the right delay sound

My stuff: modified 1989 EC Strat or Fatdog hollowbody with great p-90s (sweet) - Carl Martin limiter (nice) - TS-9 - Boss GE-7 EQ - Ibanez AD99 analog delay - Vibrolux reverb or Allen Old Flame. I can't stand the digital tone destroying little mutants.. The Ibanez is totally quiet. The delays are warm - decent slap-back or long pulsating stuff. Didn't rate a 10 because tape echos are still the best.

I've had it six years with heavy use. No trouble. I don't carry a backup.

donno - doneedit.

Of course it 's much better than all the digital junk. I'vwe never compared it to other analog units. It enhances my stuff.

Mine was NOS/demo from a local music store and came with no manual. A manual is not required to get tone from this effect. It is simply a matter of dialing in the amount of delay you want and setting the decay.

I'm running a PRS Santana SE -> CS-2 -> AC-2 -> TS7 -> OS-2 -> PH5 (yuck) -> AD99 -> Johnson JT50. When testing, the AD99 was alone in the chain. It is quiet, except when the feedback setting (middle knob) is turned nearly all the way up. At this point, a small amount of feedback is present in the signal. However, I never need that much feedback in the signal, so this is not an issue. It does, however, subtract a point from the sound quality rating.

Externally, the unit is of solid construction. I'm not hard on my equipment and expect this unit to last as long as I want to use it. I will not need a backup, although my amp has a digitial delay built in so I have one.

I've never dealt with Ibanez directly. No comment.

I've been playing guitar for 30 years, mostly acoustic, and electrics and effects are new to me. However, I know good tone when I hear it. I am currently playing for the church worship team and switch between acoustic and electric, plus some vocals. I don't play metal, but just about anything else and love blues and classic rock. I was asked by one of my friends at church to help out with some originals that he wrote and we've got the beginning of a project. The AD99 gives me a sound that I was looking for. We do a Chris Isaak cover (Wicked Game) that this is a perfect match for. I got that rich thick sound for the lead guitar part and the warm tone and natural signal falloff sounds much better than digital. I've played with a lot of digital delays and they're great for certain things (like really long delay times). If I lost my AD99, I'd try to hunt another one down.

Plug and go, couldn't be easier. Best analog delay I've had. Combines retro tape style delay with modern noiseless operation. I've had several vintage pedals from Boss and Ibanez and this one simplifies the choice on which one to use.

My setup is simple and retro indeed. I use an original 73 Marshall Superlead, 72 Marshall straight cab, old Boss SD1 (most transparent Overdrive I've ever used and only $50), Furman Sound spring reverb and the Ibanez AD99. Strat into this setup screams and I use the AD99 for everything from slap back to extended delay and echo. Very smooth with no awkward notes tailing off. Much warmer and natural sounding than comparable digital pedals. I've fussed with digital pedals till I was blue in the face and could never get that analog warmth. Stick with analog vibe and your good, especially if you like a raw uncolored tone. My setup is as raw as it gets and the tone smokes with the AD99, really the only effect in my chain aside from the OD and reverb which is a must for old Marshalls. Pedal is noiseless on or off and works great with everything I've thrown at it. Especially sweet when used with a little reverb.

The AD99 is a solid heavy guage metal with excellent components. The fit and finish on this pedal seems a cut above most Ibanez pedals I've seen particularly the newer stuff. The paint job is cool on a black background and has a boutique look to it. The switches are very rugged style and the case is very solid built for gigging. No backups required on this one.

I've never called Ibanez but the pedal has a good warranty and the manual is informative and thorough.

I play blues and basic rock and roll. Naturally, I like SRV but I also get into styles like Pat Travers and Gary Moore. The AD99 Analog Delay transcends all music styles and would complement any style of play. I've been playing 20 years or so off and on casually and have owned several pedals over the years. In fact, I used old Boss and Ibanez delays back in the late 70's when I first started playing guitar and this is the first new model that I've heard that sounds as good as those old ones. Of course, I love the retro tone of this pedal very warm and natural. There's really nothing to hate it works like advertised; nice analog delay simple. The features are perfectly functional and allow the user to introduce as much or little delay as he or she needs. Like I said I compared this model to older vintage delays of years gone by and side by side you could never tell the difference except the AD99 is quieter and beefier. Check out the prices of vintage pedals and you'll see what I mean. I'm not sure these are made anymore so if it was lost I might have to get a used model. Very underrated pedal sure to catch on for the value.

three classical knobs of a delay......couldn't be easier.

this unit sounds very good....and produces no noise at all....just like an analog delay should (i got rid of a boss digital delay to buy this one)...you can get all the vintage tape echo effects.

it looks very well built.....and anyway i wouldn't afford a back up sooooo...........it's better be.

i'm into classic rock and blues from the sixties and seventies and that unit perfectly matches my needs....you can nail the sounds of the bridge in whole lotta love quite easily.....take a bottleneck and it ROCKS........
i just couldn't get used to digital, so i'm happy with it...and would definitely would buy another one if lost.
(nb. people that say that the time delay is way too short haven't really gotten the purpose of vintage analog delay...)

Pretty simple. Just three knobs, a feedback, time, level. Looks like a big muff.

I plug it right throw by digitech Rp-3 which runs to a Fender Strat. Its not a very noisy, very shy and quiet until flick on. It doesn't really attack but you know its on. For what I paid for it, its a pretty good deal I say. When I race the time knob it pitch bends which is cool. I've been able to pretty intrusting sounds with it runned throw gained distortion and another delay.

Its still together.

Got it at a pawn shop.

I look up to guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Jeff Buckley, Graham Coxon, and Mark Linkous as my guitar heros. I play pretty much a mix of 70's space radio, hard bop, and spacey blues. So this pedal is just a little paint to the massive texture and paintings I try to pop out.
This pedal sounds good with or without other pedals running throw it.
If I lost this Im not sure if i'd buy it again, just because it was a impulse buy. Oh well. Thats it I guess.

Very simple. Three knobs, clearly marked.

Not so great. I play a strat into a '65 Fender Twin Reissue. I have this pedal last in line behind a Boss Compressor, a Chandler Tube Driver and an Ibanez Tube Screamer. This pedal colors your tone. The original signal is darkened and stripped of some gain and the slap back is still darker(as one would expect from an analog delay). Also, the maximum delay time is way too short.

No problems. Very sturdy casing.

This pedal is suited to those who desire a retro delay sound ala Jimi. If you want that sound, I recommend buying a digital delay and rolling off some of the highs. I normally like all things retro sounding, but versatility is also nice.

3 knobs dial in a sound! Simple the way I like it!(plus it looks cool kind of like a Big Muff painted black with purple lettering and chicken knobs!)

This is an Analog delay. It is NOT pristine. It is just a simple warm echo. I do not like digital anything. MY Boss-dm3 died after 15 years of use(I LOVED IT, GOD REST ITS SOUL!)I spent the weekend looking for a replacemet and this is what will take its place. This will be used with my strat type guitar with my cry-baby,milkbox compressor,chorus ensemble and sixty watt Carvin tube amp. It sounds excellent clean or dirty.

We'll see????????????????/

I hope not???????????????/

I have played classic rock ,blues, classical and a little jazz for 21 years. I'm from the OLD SCHOOL. I like things simple. I like Analog everything!

Really easy to use. You can't go wrong

With my marshall jcm 900 sl-x it sounds good. I'd prefer a stronger effects, like EH Memory Man, but it's a bang for the buck

I play rock and it rolls very good. I love the analog sounds of units like this one, with warm and juicy tone. My only complain is that it works only with an adapter: i hate being surrounded by tons of cables, i prefer my lovely batteries... I'm really satisfied with the AD-99. I wish I could try the Ibanez Echo Machine too because I heard nice things about it but I don't think I'll change it.

3 knobs, delay time, delay level and delay repeats (feedback). The unit has up to 300ms delay time, stereo outs (dry and effect) and comew with a power supply. Batteries are not an option. I consider it easy to get a good sound from.

Sounds good. Doesn't seem to color the dry signal too much. I think it has a true bypass, so when its off its off. Since it has a delay level, you can make it just fatten up your sound without the delay being so loud it gets obnoxious. I have used it both mono and stereo and I actually like the sound better mono. It goes just before my Boss CE-1 in my effects setup.

It's built in a metal box. The wiring looks good. It sound stand up really well judging from the construction.

Ibanez is a big company that probably doesn't have time for little old me. I doubt I would need to call them anyway. The pedal seems to be well built.

I like the pedal. I tried DOD, Boss, Ibanez, and Digitech digital units and I liked the sound of this analog unit better. Yes it is warmer (don't you get tired of hearing that???)
I would buy another if I needed too. It's a good unit and I am pleased with my purchase.