Ibanez DL-5 Delay

I spent about a couple of mins to get acquainted with this pedal effect. It has 3 knobs, level, repeat, time..any combination setting is good.

very nice sound decay like reverb, with the echo(reverb+delay), unlike behringer delays that has prominent layered echo only. Best thing is that it behaves like an analog type delay, vary the time knob while playing and you will hear a "warp-ing" sound, and you won't hear a popping sound like the behringers, very cool warp effect!

plastic casing but i think its tough!i got this used maybe a decade old but still the casing is rigid, the knobs are flimsy though

this is like delay+reverb. very nice!

This is the delay effect. Very simple to use, doesn't need any manual. Made in Japan.

It's NOT the Boss DD2 or DD3. It's more analogue, although on the case they said it's digital. only 400ms of delay, but that's enough for me.

used that unit with a vocal, with the guitar (Strat type) and with the bass guitar (Precision type) and with the various drumming machines. works very well, I like it's sound. that's not the best delay unit in the world, but I like it.

be carefull - it doesn't have a true bypass! works very well with Ibanez CS5 Chorus and SansAmp GT2 guitar amp simulator.

It's case has been made of a PLASTIC! it's a very risky thing to jump on it during the gig. you must be carefull, or you can destroy that unit rather easily.

I use it without a backup during the live shows - although I'm VERY carefull about that unit.

Sorry - only 5/10 for that effect's reliability...

never contacted with Ibanez, although I saw their WWW's old version with an advertisement of Soundtanks and... nothing more. no mp3 samples, no on-line manuals, no big photos. a very poor WebSite...

Just a fantastic value for that price. Comparing to Boss DD3 - it's NOT that perfect, but I like the sound that this unit produces. For some folks 400ms isn't enough and they like more hi-fi sound. If you prefer longer and more digital delay - just buy some Boss' effects. but if you like the analogue sound more - try this hybrid made by Ibanez. it's something between digital and analogue...

If it was stolen/damaged or lost - I would like to buy another one.

Just be carefull about it's plastic case - just a shame on Ibanez about that! I've heard that an early Soundtanks' versions had a metal case.

Overall: a fantastic value for a very low price!

3 knobs - Mix, Number of repeats, Time. I have never even looked at the manual because this is so simple to use.

This is a tough one. It really depends on what you want from your delay.

I play mostly Rock based stuff - Humbuckers & Distorsion but usually use this for experimental / feedback purposes.

The pedal has a very 'Analogue' sound which is great for creating an organic, vintage delay effect or spacey experimental stuff. However it is very hard to get precision from it (It's tough to get the delay in time with a specific tempo). It does not sound very digital. Also, if you remove the base, you can tweak a couple of little pots to give a wider range of sounds. This does sacrifice sound quality at some settings but allows for some unique effects. I actually like the way it gets all gritty at long delay times.
I use it as the first effect in my chain (plug my guitar directly into it) because it won't handle a distorted sound going into it very well. There is also a loss of high frequencies in your tone because it has no direct bypass.

Had it for years, used & abused it a lot, took it apart once & put it back together easily, kicked it off stage at a gig, jumped on it with my full weight (15 Stone) a couple of times etc.....
It's very robust & still works like new.

Be warned though! These things eat through batteries quicker than anything I have ever used.

Never had to deal with them.

If I lost this or it broke I would want another because nothing else sounds like the Soundtank. It creates Mars Volta type sounds with extreme ease & I'm considering housing the insides in a Wah Wah style pedal & linking the Time control to the rocker. This will make it a box of madness indeed. They sometimes appear on e-bay for about #15. If you see one & want to make sone bizzare sounds BUY IT. They are overlooked by most people & they don't know what they're missing. However, if you want a super clean, precise unit, this is not for you.

Super easy to use. This Digital Delay pedal doesn't use a microprocessor. Instead there is a custom Mitsubishi Echo Generator that designed for Karaoki machines. The Echo chip has only 100 milliseconds of delay, but Ibanez extends this by slowing down the Echo chip's system clock to 1/4 of the designed speed. The Delay-Time control changes the period of the Echo chip's system clock. At long delays (long being about 350 milliseconds here) there is some gritty noise static distortion.
The short Delay Length can be doubled by 'piggy-backing' another D-RAM chip on top of the one on the circuit board. It's a standard 4164 type 64Kx1 DRAM that sells for a dollar when you can find it, as it's been obsolete for many years. Place the second 4164 DRAM right on top of the first and solder all the pins in parallel except the input and output pins. Connect the out pin from the first DRAM to the input of the second dRAM. Connect the out pin of the second dRAM to where the first DRAM's out pin went. You've doubled the echo Delay Time.
Tweak the pot that is on the circuit board next to the Repeat control to get near-infinite repeat echos when the Repeat knob is set to max.

This pedal is the closest that any Digital Delay gets to the Analog Delay sound. However, it has footswitch problems like all Ibanez soundtanks as the components age. Next to the foot switch there is a .001 uF capacitor to ground. Replace this with a new .005 uF cap and the footswitch will no longer need several presses to toggle.

These pedals are selling for $25 on eBay (April 2005) and are a good deal even without the modifications. They just don't have the long delay period or high repeat level that are currently fashionable.

My band uses headphones, even the drummer with electronic triggered samples. We play for each other in an apartment with thin walls.

Ibanez soundtank pedals are more reliable than they would seem at first.

I have no idea if there really is an Ibanez company. I buy everything musical that I need from eBay or DigiKey.

If your a guitarist then there should be no problem using this pedal. You don't even need a manual to set this up. A beginner could make mistakes in the in/out jack and maybe, might try using a wrong power adapter.

This is my first delay pedal. Been planning to buy a boss pedal but this pedal immediately sounds good in my chain so bought it (2nd hand). Im using it with my samick strat copy, 22 frets on rosewood board, maple neck. Pickups are cheap on the middle and neck, but the bridge comes from a very old fender. My signal goes to chrome dunlop crybaby -> mxr flanger -> marshall drivermaster ->arion tubemania -> ibanez soundtank dl5 and finally, to a ROTO amp (locally made here in the Philippines). What does this delay sounds like? Listen to the "manhattan" by eric johnson. Note: dont try to use delay ahead of distortions. It must be the last on the chain (last effect before the amp). Any delay pedal sounds mushy mushy the other way way around.

Its plastic but it has a heavy metal base. That's what really matters. Plastics aren't noisy, what you need to do is ground your amp. This is crazy, but i use my keyboardist's boss dl3 as my backup.

My band gigs in fiestas (festivals) with all types of folks in attendance. We play Classical Music (e.g. samba, tango, waltz, cha cha), standard rock music by Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, etc., ballads and pops, R & B. I've been playing in a band for 10 years now. I know somethings missing in my sound till i bought my delay. Now my distortion sounds fatter, has more sustain to it, my lead work sounds great too (esp. slow lead work). It has more emotions to it. Of course, I could survive a nite without it. It all in the hands after all. If stolen? I'll buy other one, if it is still available. Finally, good music comes from good gears, good heart, and good mind. "an't play music if you seem want to kill the person next to you"

Very Easy. 3 Knobs Delay Level, Repeats, Delay Time

This thing Sounds Awsome in its own way. Repeats are genaric but sound musical. Delay pedal from the SoundTank series. I got one used and is a great pedal for the money. I have 3 or 4 useable settings that i find amazing. Try Delay level @ 6 Repeats @ 3 Delay Time @ 7-8 then add a chorus with low depth and fast speed. That sounds great!

Well its plastic but i baby my gear.

Never Dealt with them.

Overall A nice pedal for the money, there are better but it does the trick for someone on a buget.

The DL-5 is a very simple and intuitive delay, with three knobs for effect volume, repeats, and delay length. There are a lot more delays out there, with a lot more features, but this delay is very simple to use. Mine never had a manual so I can't comment on its quality, but I would say that no manual is necessary. Nearly everything sounds good, so you just dial the knobs until you get the sound you want. Changing the battery was also ultra simple.

For such an inexpensive, simple delay, the DL-5 has a fairly wide repertoire of sounds. Its tone is unmistakably digital, but entirely pleasant, even warm. One thing which this delay has over some other delays is that at its lowest delay settings, it can make an excellent digital reverb. I ended up selling it to get an Akai Headrush, but at the time my rig was a 1965 Fender Mustang--->Russian Big Muff--->Ibanez DL-5 Delay--->Peavey Classic 30. It was a spectacular entry level delay in terms of its price and quality. I sold it to get the Akai Headrush because I wanted the sampling capabilities and a longer delay time. It was great for me at the time I had it, though, because I was just getting into a lot of effects. Unlike the other reviewers, I found it to be neither tone-sucking nor noisy. Even though this pedal is overall a great little number, I could see where a knob-twiddler, which is what I have become, would start to feel limited. Higher-end delays with more features have a bigger pay-off in terms of sculpting your tone, but for the meat and potatoes player that just wants an echo, this is perfect...just don't pay too much for it.

The beetle-shaped plastic housing is pretty sturdy, but the 3 knobs seemed a little flimsy to me. However, when transporting it, I would never think twice about putting it in a backpack or a bag and throwing it around.

At the time I was using this pedal, I was just beginning to use a lot of effects, and I was really interested in coaxing bizarre and other-worldly noises out of an electric guitar. I loved putting this pedal in the effects loop of my EH Q-tron+. It was great for simple delays too. I owned it for 5 years, and it is the reason that I am now obsessed with delay. Eventually, I moved on to a more advanced delay because I wanted to work with one that had a wider palette of sounds and tonal possibilities. I now have the Headrush and a Roland Space Echo, and for the money, these are better-sounding, more versatile units. However, for what the DL-5 can do, and for the price, its pay-off is pretty huge.

Easy to use and does the job cheaply.
It is NOT a Bad Pedal......
Loop it outta there if ya can!

When this baby is on it sounds good!
But turn it off and, Oh my God.........
Tone suckage that made me cry........
Went on Ebay fast as lightening.....

Plastic, but I don't stomp on it......
Should last OK........

Pfffffffffffttttttttttt..........

Does what it is supposed to do.....
I just wish that all pedals were true bypass, so that we don't have to play the mystery game....
Playing Strats through several pedal looped out, into a Peavey Delta Blues...
Leave this thing on, your OK!
But you can't play delay on every song....LOL..
But,I have tried!
LMAO......

easy, great sounding delay. digital , but has a good
character. not too bright. Thress knobs, mix, delay time and feedback.

using with strat like guitar and 68 fender champ. sound fine.
used with marshall distortion pedal ( jackhammer and gov.nII) both sound great with the delay. delay could take any signal I put through it. great for any delay effect you want. makes an outstandin tight reverb type effect at lowest delay setting and highest feedback.
I'll give it an 9 because the quality is great, but it is no 20k.
then again nothing in real life is 20-20k ....

seems fine. some folk don't like the plastic cause. well the plastic is very tough. hey most cars theses days use plastic....if you treat your gear well it will last. sure I'd gig without a backup

n/a

simple effective delay. soundtank serise is a sleeper, as they say.
no fuss, I don't want 20 types of echo or delay...just something that works well and is simple. I want to play music not program machines.

The controls are Mix, Repeat and Delay. It is very easy to use but more importantly it sounds extremely good.

The sound quality on the DL-5 is very good. It does not sound like a digital delay but more like an analog echo effect if that makes sense. It has a very organic sound that blends into the mix rather than being layered on top of it. I noticed another reviewer using this with a '68 Fender Twin and getting comments after the gig as to what delay?? Then you show then the soundtank and they are like what the hell!! that thing sounds increadible.

Yep it sure does, from slapback echo to mild space cadet this thing is truely a sleeper pedal. It is like anaolog warm with digital clarity and no noise at all.

It works beatufully with other pedals such as my Arion SCH-1 Chorus (awsome pedal to).

If you see one of the DL-5 pedal's you should try to get it as there is nothing like around for quality, warmth and clarity when recorded or live.

Never missed a beat. It is made of some sort of plastic but it has a solid metal base with a lot of weight and the pedal part is very! thick.

I play Blues, Jazz, Emo, Rock, Pop.