Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler

Very easy to get a good sound out of this unit: most of the presets sound great and are instantly useable. Very 'tweakable' unit; easy to make lightening-fast adjustments to sounds 'on the fly', even at gigs, due to the large knobs. I see some people have critisised it for
a) only having three presets
b)no screen so impossible to tell the parameters of your saved patches.

I take these points, but I have never felt either of these to be a great problem. In answer:

a) It's so easy to set up good-sounding patches; I regularly re-programme if I've got jaded with the three presets I've got. Anyhow, who uses more than three delay sounds at a gig?

b) this unit reqires you to USE YOUR EARS rather than gaze at parameters on a screen. Tweek and tweez, my friends!

In summary: A refresingly 'analogue' style interface after all those effects processors with tedious and hard-to-access menus.

Tap tempo switch is superb: great for syncing up long delays live.

I would give this unit 10 out of 10, but the foot pedal is, frankly, shite: a real let down! Whatever presets you assign it to change (even if it's only 'level') it always changes the tempo aswell: how crap is that?
It's a piece of overpriced cheap plastic, with a joke budget lead. Not worth the money. Anyway, I never use it, and the unit is fine without it!

Excellent live gigging unit:
Being true stereo (two inputs and two outputs) gives this unit fantastic flexiability for me. Through the left channel I run my string instruments (electric guitar, bouzouki) and through the rignt channel, my reed instruments (button accordion, harmonicas.)

I generally use a slap-back type echo, a deep, long echo (Memory Man preset is fab, and easily synced-up with the tap tempo button) and either a 'sweep echo' or 'reverse' for something wacky and wild on my palette!

It always sounds brilliant: nice, rounded, warm, organic sound that works equally well for acoustic or electric instruments (accordion, especially!)

I sometimes take this unit into schools and get the kids to dabble with the sampler for crazy vocal experimentations: great!

I have played hundreds of gigs with this unit: Generally very solid, sturdy and reliable: (only problem: just after a year, a switch broke. (see below)

I regularly gig without a backup: no problem: although I'm glad i've got some spare switches!

After about 18 months use, No 2 switch broke: to be frank, this had been a worsening problem from day 1: sometimes working, sometimes not, untill one day it totally packed in!

Line 6 UK were easy to contact, and very responsive.
They offered me a repair: ?50 : (Rip off! I'm used to UK manufacturers like Microvox who fix this kind of thing for committed users free of charge.)Instead, I elected to do the repair myself, and Line 6 helpfully supplied me with several switches free of charge.

So far so good...repair however was very, very fiddly: micro-swich soldered to PCB that took ages to prise off and replace. (no hints or tips offered by the manufacturer.) Much better would be to have solid switches seperately attatched to the chasis. Yes, I take some of the previous reviewers points, innards of this thing look a bit 'mass produced' and not user-repair friendly: (The pots were also attatched to PCB, and the knobs neeed to be taken off to remove the chassis, and put back afterwards): one would expect a bit more for a ?200 unit!Line 6 need to look at this...

Have played roots-rock music proffesionally for 20 years.

Have used this brilliant sounding unit for 5 years: Great to use live, and in the studio. Some minor quality niggles, but would probably buy another if this went: It's become an integral part of my sound: Easy, intuitive to use, helps me make creative music, Oh yes, indeed!

Can be confusing to get the delay sound you want at first. This is because this unit has so many things packed into it. Multiple types of delay, loops, tap tempo, 6 knobs, and 4 stomp buttons. All of this will come in handy later in about a week, but will be confusing at first. First, you'll need to figure out how to access all of these valuable features and understand what everything does. Once you program in 3 delays, it's very easy to access these while playing live. Just stomp on the either of the 3 buttons which is why this delay is chosen over many others. This pedal is layed out very well and is the best choice if you want lots of delay choices while playing live. I also love the tap tempo and how you can see the actual delay time by the LED light blinking on the tempo you've tapped in. You'll also need the manual to figure out what the tweek and tweez do for each of the 15 different delays and loop sampler.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard - Vox V848 - Pro Co. Rat II - Ibanez TS9 - Boss BD2 - Boss DD5 - MXR Micro Amp - Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (1x12 tube). Not noisy at all. Delays sound very good. There are so many choices which will easily suit your needs. I wish the analog delay sounded a little truer and their was true bypass.

-Tube, multihead, analog, digital, tape, rhythmic, and stero delay are useful and normal sounding delays on this pedal.
-2 choices provide chorus to the delay.
-Sweep, Lo Res, Auto Volume, and Reverse delays add a very weird effect to delays that sound very cool and could be used if you want a unique sound.
-Ping pong bounces the delay back and forth between speakers.
-For the dynamic delay, the volume of the delay is adjusted depending on if you're playing or not. If you're playing, volume is turned down. When you stop playing for a moment, volume is increased to fill in the gaps.

14-sec loop mode is useful for soloing over your owner rhythm parts.

Great for any music that needs a delay. Slapback, long, reverse, modulated delay. Tons of variety. Best feature is the tap tempo. You can see the time you've tapped in by the blinking LED light. I love being able to tap in tempo on analog delays in which you can't on the originals in the 70's. If you need lots of delays and looping, this pedal is the way to go. If you just want simple delay, go with the Boss DD-5. Wish it had a little better delay sounds and true bypass. Loaded delay pedal. Very pricey.

It's very easy to use. Unfortunately, you have to switch between delay models manually. Oh excuse me--you can use their 3 (count 'em) presets which, by the way, can't be used with the looper. But don't fret--they allow you to have a pre-delay to use with the looper which subsequently sounds like crap.

The sounds are great. No complaints about the sounds. However, if I had the choice over again, I'd buy something else. The looper is great, but not worth $250 for 14 seconds. PLEASE!!!! Read the next section.

Nope--I've had mine for a year. I bought it after reading every single review on this site ayear ago. I knew when I bought it that I stood the risk of it breaking because Line 6 stuff is easily broken. Well guess what? The switches fall inside the unit. The effects just turn themselves off. The modulation effects turn themselves on--isn't that exciting when I'm taking my big solo in the middle of a Church service and it starts spitting out atonal spatter. These effects can't be trusted in a live situation. For recording--I'm sure you can dial in a decent sound and enjoy it, but don't expect to be able to do it live.
At one point in time I thought of getting the upgade to the DL-4--the echo pro rack unit. It turns out that Line 6 discontinued all rack effects--probably because the break down. Read the echo pro reviews!! If that's what happens on their big products--then what chance does the less expensive (and more stepped-on) Dl-4 have? I've owned three at this point and can honestly say: none. They all broke in their unique "CHEAPLY MADE IN TAIWAN" way. A 3 in this category is generous.

I called them to find out what I could do to fix my pedal--first, the never called me back. Just recently I called, but alas: no over the phone support. They did however give me the name of someone who could fix it, but since it didn't fall apart until after the warranty was up, I'd have to pay even more money to fix this effect that seems over priced in the first place. You Line6 people really are spineless. Why can't you stand behind your cheaply made products and offer some real support--or how about coming up with a product that doesn't fall apart when a strong gust of wind blows by. You'll never get any more of my money.

Sounds are good if you can keep the pedal working. The looper is good, but it's only for 14 seconds (oh wait if you have it in 1/2 speed and record it blah blah blah...it sounds like crap...trust me...I'm an optimist). Buy something else.

Easy enough...don't like that once you set a patch you loose the "settings" as soon as you tweak another. Be nice if it had a digital/lcd readout w/patch parameters.

Really sucks the tone. Almost compresses the signal - high end sizzle gets muffled and the low end looses some of it's clarity. Like the flexibility of the pedal, but it's not worth the effect it has on the tone. Better to stick with 1 analog and 1 digital stomp.

Very sensitive to power - even with conditioners (Pedalpower2 or out of a Furman rack) it gets 'confused' and switches patches (i.e. hit a pre-programmed button and some unknown delay comes out) or locks up (won't shut off when stepping on buttons) or changes delays mid stride for no reason. Very unreliable. I've been using this for a few years and it's been subject to such events when venue power is bad.

Never bothered anyone...not worth the hassle.

Professional studio/touring musician.

Nice toy.

Better to use a rack unit w/controller OR have 1 analog/1 digital delay on the pedal board. Much better reliability/control.

Pretty easy to use but not very usable, if that makes sense. I bought mine used and it didn't come with a manaul but I figured I could download it on their website. The manual that is downloadable is not the fill manual!! They oly give you pages 11-21 or something like that. The parts that actually tell you how to program it are missing! This manual only tells you what delay pedals the prestes are modeled after.

This pedal was super noisy when on. I mean noisy like you could hear it in mix noisy. It also affected the tone of my amps. It made them sound muffled and muddy even when turned off. There is no way it is true-bypass. I liked the options that it had and all the things you could do with it but for the money it's kind of cheap. I am going back to my old Boss delay pedal. It may not do as much but it sounds a hell of a lot better.

Did not have it long enough to see if it would crap out. Judgeing by most of the reviews on here I am betting that it would.

No idea

I play alt rock with a mix of clean and distortion. I try to be a lttle ambient with my playing so I figured this would add some new flavors to my style but it sucked. I do not recommend this pedal.

Dead easy to get a good sound out of it... editing is pretty easy. would have been nice to be able to switch between effect on/off and a manual mode.

no clue as to how long or short the delay settings are, no LED display or anything like that. Which is pretty poor really, when you're paying out 200 quid on a pedal that is 100% digital.

all the literature in the box is pretty useful, covers the whole range of line 6 stuff.

Used it on guitars (godin sd, fender jaguar), through amps (marshall JCM2000 combo, marshall VS265, but mostly keys (yamaha QY70 -> big muff -> DL4 - PA.

noise levels are generally okay, nothing special. The sounds themselves are fantastic, in particular the sweep filter delay, tape delays (echoplex copy) and analog delay (electro harmonix).

Using it on keys it adds incredible depth to my various "whoosh" noises and lead sounds, some excellent little short delay sounds that sound good on electric piano.

The lo-fi delay is good for experimenting with noisier sounds (the johnny greenwood sound at the end of Radiohead's Karma Police)

It sounds great, true. But this is the least reliable piece of equipment i've ever had.

Read the posts below for more details on what actually causes these problems. I gig regularly on a professional level and really need to be able to depend on gear.

Needless to say when this one came up with an intermittant fault (only seemed to be a problem at gigs at first, then more and more in the rehearsal room and the studio) it got binned. Free pedal, anyone?

Got a Boss DD-20 to replace it. Ultra reliable, LED display, longer delays, proper manual mode. Delay sounds don't have quite as much depth, but as a trade off for a pedal that actually works it's a fair compromise.

This was my first Line 6 purchase. It will also be my last. Cheers, Line 6.

After reading the other posts about it being cheaply produced, i've not even bothered. Don't want anything more to do with it. Might break it into little pieces and send it to their MD.

I play mostly atmospheric ambient keys and guitar.

Playing keys since i was 12, guitar since 16, i'm 23 now. I own lots of gear, too much to mention here.

Thanks for the stolen idea, might put it on the doorstep with a sign on it saying 'steal me, i'm pants'.

Love the sounds, hate the fact that it's made cheaply, you just can't gig it or tour it. Favourite feature is the box. leave it in there.

Rubbish. Don't bother. Get a Boss DD-20 instead.

This is a multi effects pedel so it takes a little bit of time to find the perfect sound. But it is very straight forward. Just have to read the manual about what the tweez and tweak knobs actually do (they change for each effect). But beside the basic fideling it is very straight forward. There are some "hidden" functions which again the manual explains how to use them.
Saying that the manual is very good. Its best to listen to the effect as well as read the book, that gives you a much better idea. The manual also cover all the other line 6 modulators which is kinda handy if u wanna go out and buy another, it kinda gives you and idea what they have to offer.

My main set up is:
2004 Gibson Classic, Ibanez RG570, Vantage VP795 ->MORLEY Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah -> MXR Dime Distortion -> Line 6 DL ->Marshal TSL 100 head

This pedal sounds perfect. I hate digital pedals but i find with an echo pedal it's ok as long as it does it properly. This simulates valve and tape echo's very nicely and also has some incredible clean ones. There are 1 or 2 effect that sound like absolute shit but the amount of good ones makes up for it. The 14 second loop sampler isn't too bad either.
NEVER USE THIS PEDAL WITH AMP DISTORTION!!!

I've had this pedal for about 4 Months now and i've performed and practised with it heaps. It hasn't stuffed up on me yet. Only thing is don't even think about running it with batteries, It'll chew them up so quickly it's not funny. YOU MUST USE A POWER SUPPLY!

Haven't had any problems

This pedal would be the best echo pedal on the market in my opinion. You can store 3 different echo types which makes it versitile. Highly Recommended

I'm in a heavy metal band (Godsmack like) and i also play blues and rock n roll. This pedal suites every style of music. i've been playing guitar for 15 years. Some other gear i have is a Dunlop Original CryBaby and High Gain pedal, A Franpton guitar with Seymore Duncans and a Vesper Steel String Elecetric Accoustic Guitar.

it's easy to use and get a good sound out of it. takes some time to learn what "tweak" and "tweeze" do, but overall it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. the manual is informative and easy to read.

i have an ibanez aw100ce acoustic guitar with fishman electronics as well as a fender california strat. i plug them into the DL4, then straight to a 15-watt fernandes amp. good sounds on both guitars, although i see myself using the acoustic more.

the effects sound great, and while i don't know what the original gadgets are and how they sound, the ones i get from the DL4 are extremely versatile and really expand my acoustic guitar.

best of all -- and this is what i bought it for mainly -- the looper is great. very easy to use and i can sound like any number of guitars playing at the same time. i can finally jam with myself, and i see myself playing before live audiences with it.

as has been said many times before, it's built like a tank. looks very reliable, and i'd gig without a backup. not that i can afford another one, though.

i was disappointed because i asked a question about the power supply and didn't get an answer. however, when i took the time to scan the website, i found what i was looking for, so i guess you could say they foresaw my problem and had a ready answer for it.

i play many styles -- rock, blues, gospel, beatles, etc. -- and this sounds great with all of them. i've been playing seriously for 20 years and this is what i have always lacked, particularly the looper. where i live there aren't a lot of acoustic guitarists who think and play like i do, so the DL4 is the answer for me. if it were lost or stolen i'd do my best to buy one again.

i love the looper, although i wish it could go for more than 28 seconds and that it could be in stereo. i also wish i could use the modeled delays while looping, because in that mode i only have one kind of delay and some chorus.

i was also looking at the boss rc20 loop station, but i think that one is less versatile because it can only do one thing: loop. i need something that would also give me lots of sounds because i am a musician on a shoestring budget.

the DL4 definitely makes me create music because i can create leads and melodies over chord progressions i make. it's a great practice tool and will sound great live. and when i play with our church band, i have a new arsenal of sounds that i can call up.

Pretty easy to use. I mostly have used for the delay effects, which if you have decent amps, and other pedals are good, it sounds quite awesome (not cheesy if you know how to tweak). I recently started using the looper and it is pretty easy as well.

For the money, this is the pedal - no doubt. Very cool effects here. You need to spend the time and come up with three presets on your own that fit into songs you are doing. I have used this live many times and get lots of compliments on songs. Especially for U2 songs. Does it sound exactly like Edge? Hell no, but it sounds cool and again you after consider the price. I also run stereo into two amplifiers - I switch between a Fender Twin, Ampeg Jet, and Crate Stealth all with very good results. It sounds awesome having delays bounce from one side of the room to the other.

I have been gigging for a couple years with this - I can't afford a back-up and I have never had an issue.

Don't know

This is a nice product. Preset capability is the stuff man. Wish there was more than three. I would replace if it broke - no doubt.

Takes some serious tweaking to get usable (I mean toneful) delay sounds.

Let's be serious here (for a short period anyway) this ain't no serious professional delay as much as it is a special effects toy. Almost all the delay 'models' are thin sounding with poor EQ. I use the delay models where I can adjust the 'bass' and 'treble' to the delays (Analog delay, digital, and tape delay). The others are strictly tinny, harsh and cheesy sounding (OK for special effects 'noises' but not for overall 'tone' and quality replication of the original modeled delay). I use a Maxon AD900 for a 'toneful' delay and then use the Line 6 DL4 as a noise making special effects toy. This delay would really rock if Line 6 developed a way for us to access the EQ parameters of each delay and gave us parametric as well as shelving EQ (TAKE NOTE LINE 6 DESIGNERS!!) if they did this... and kept the price reasonable, true bypass etc...they would corner the delay market. Still a 'keeper' because of the cheesy special effects/noise making ability...even the reverse delay sucks tone (noticable drop in volume and fullness) from the original source :(

Mine works so far....

Heard horror stories but mine works fine...

This is a fun noise making tool, versatile but cheesy sounding (mostly)...but hey! it's a $250 pedal, not a $1000 TC 2290.