Maxon AD-999

I have to say it's quite simple to use. Only three knobs.
I did spend a little bit of time trying to find a good delay setting for some solos.

My guitar was originally a Fender 2001 year with Pearly Gates pickups in the bridge, but I got then signed limited Eddie Van Halen humbucker installed.
The sound is quite good in that it is very warm and organic. It does add a bit of a volume gain ot boost of you want to call it that. Somtimes it's barely noticeable with distortion at high gain, but it's definitely there. If you turn it off you notice something is missing. I also have a Mallecko 600 bright and caompred to that it's alot less noticeable, since of course the Mallecko600 bright repeats with "brighter" delays.
I play everything from Jimi Hendrix to Eddie Van Halen and just learned how to play Eruption.

Didn't have any problems yet. I've had it for a month or so. Let's wait and see.

Didn't have to deal with them yet.

I give it an overall rating of 9 since nothing is perfect, but anyone looking for very "clean" not too extreme and warm delays, this is the one. Plus you can get some really long delays, which is really cool to have. It has 8 bd chips in it for that. It is pricey but my Mallecko is probably around the same price range. This has the real bd technology.

very easy, after 5 minutes i had the main setting for me.

Spend 333 euros for a guitarplayers toy is a little stupid for a hard working man, but I waste so much money on to much sh** in the 20 years I playin that I know what I realy need and want. And the Ad 999 is the only delay i want ! Does just delay youre sound, no digital modulation crap or 20 different settings. just the oportunity to dail in time, speed and volumen, buts thats it!
I have it in the loop of my Engl amp, Marshall VM or Rivera Combos and its simple and great. If you on the search for pure,warm, beatuifull, vintage tone, thats it. doesnt matter if I plug my Paulas, Strats, Tele or Hollowbody in it...so thats the reason I spend 333 bucks for something that I will play till death !!

I have a Maxon Od9 without any problems...I belive that you can play it in 3008 ! If we still exist, but thats another story .

? I dont speek japanese ;)

Im a pro ! belive it or not !
If guitar playing is a opsession for you, check this out.
If you playing just one time a week, go for a multidigitalfunnykitchentoyrobotercrap from Boss or digitech or ****.

If you know how an analog delay functions you should have no problems working the pedal.

The only thing not obvious is how the two outputs work.
If you plug 'output' only you get the mixed signal, if you plug both you get the effect only and the dry signal splits to the 'dry output'.
If you plug dry only you get a simple throughput and you might as well not have the effect at all. :)

The one bad spot is the led which is really weak to the point that from some angles when it's on I can't tell, and from some angles a reflection in the led makes me think that faint light is shining when it's actually not.

I bought the AD999 because I don't really enjoy most digital gear, but I still wanted long delay times like on the digitals.

When I first got the AD999 I was a bit let down and regretful. I felt the sound was muffled and without clarity.
I must have had my ears dititally polluted because if anyone would ask me for my favorite pedal now, my mind would first be on the AD999.

If you want a delay that will be there and do the job in the background, while not screaming for attention, here it is.
The sound is very subtle and never buries what you play, even when the effect is loud.

I sometimes use it to do the job of a reverb. The subtleness makes it work. Got to love analog.
Perhaps because of the subdued sound this pedal produces the least amount of noise out of all my pedals, I haven't heard any at all.

Bought it used, have had no problems.

I can't think of another pedal that could replace this one.
Possibly that expensive Moog delay, but I doubt it would be quite the same. My TC Nova Delay sure can't.

I love this pedal.

time - volumen - repeat Potis
on / off switch
input / output / dry ??

This is what I understand about a helpfull Effect.

When you need the manual ? You better go fishing !

I like analog gear more than digital, but Im open for new inuvative gear so I have tested the Evendtide Timefactor, TRex replica and the Novadelay, in front of a clean Tube Amp ( dont use distortion ).
I wanted THE best sounding delay, with a warm "groundsound", 3-4 repeats that are "breathing" and not steril, that give my playing just a little more "room" and not overload the signal, with a time around 500-700 m.sec. I can use for Rhythem and Lead lines. So, thats why I choose the Maxon Ad 999. But you can also have funny "Rockabilly" echos and slow and long Pink Floyd space sounds.
I have it now in the Effectloop of my Engl Screamer or Fender Deville Amps to use the Overdrive / distortion channels as well. It is not noizy with my gear.
Guitars : Fender US Strat and deluxe Tele. Gibson stock Paula, Music Man anniversary.
Effects are Maxon ad 999, Roger Mayer Voodoo Blues and a Fulltone Clyde Wah.
2x12 Hughes & Kettner Cabs, one with Greenbacks and one with V30.
I dont know any Artist thats is using it ?
For me its the absolute burner and will be a part of my play forever !

Have it a year now, its always on my Effect Board, I giged with it, have sessions, use it in the studio...This thing never let me down or has any issius. Of course when you transport it in a Bag or its flying around to test the ******* Rock N Roll Factor than its possible that you kill it !
For the first year I have it - a 10.

No need for....

I play Rock, Blues, Jazz, Fusion, some Alternative Heavy stuff, Shrred and play in Professional Cover/Party Bands and do some Studio work to earn money. I start playing around 1990, My first delay was in a Zoom Multieffect processor, the second in the Digitech GNX 3 the 3th. was a Digidelay wich is nice but not 100% professional and Im a professional ! If it gets lost I buy it again for sure, because I love it like it is, beautifull sound, easy to handle, and a robust building quality. Maybe I buy one just as a Backup ?

IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOURE EARS AND SOUL !!!!!!
WORK HARD AND DONT LET THE BUISENESS FUCK YOU !!!

Very easy to figure out.

I have not tried all of the different delays in the market so I can not say this is the best one - but of the 5 different makes I have played in my career this one is the best so far.

No comment - looks like its built well.

No comment - have not had to contact them.

I play original riff based music in a three piece rock group and I bought the delay so I could maintain/add sustain while cutting back tube distortion. I play PRS guitars through two Marshall DSL 100 full stacks. I have been playing for 40 years and I am a tone freak. In my opinion, the Maxon takes nothing away and adds much to improving the sound of my guitar/amp combination. If you want a great sounding delay; I highly recommend you try this product.

This analog delay has only three controls: Delay Time, Repeats and Delay Level. Very easy to get great sounds from this pedal.

This is the best analog delay I've ever used. I used to use various digital delays until I got tired of the sterile sounds they produce. This delay is great beacuse it has 900 ms of delay time. It is warm and fat sounding. If you are looking for spaceship sounds then this is your pedal! I'm running this pedal through either a MusicMan 212 65 or a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace. Sounds great!

Maxon makes very roadworthy gear. This pedal looks like a mini pink tank...

This pedal isn't cheap! It is worth every penny though. If it were lost or stolen I would get another in a heartbeat!

Extremely ez to use.

Sounds great. EJ strat into any good tube amp. This pedal and my Keeley FuzzHead are my two favs. I haven't bought any Pete Cornish effects yet...ha.

Had it over a year now...fairly big pedal and appears to be very well made.

Never had to deal with them...don't expect to.

I bought it new....think it was ~$300...can't remember exact amount. I am very happy with it. I've had other nice delays over the years...but this is definitely my fav.

The manual gives great settings suggestions...just start from there and tweak to your liking. Damn, analog delay rocks!

Basic set up is Fender Strat and Heritage H-555 guitars into a Vox AC-30cc head with Avatar 2x12 with G12h30s or Vibroverb clone with 15" Weber Cali speaker. Don't use many effects anymore but am currently running Teese Picture Wah > MJM Foxey Fuzz > Barber Direct Drive > Maxon AD-999 > amp. This will get you easily into anything from Rockabilly (with my Heritage I sound similar to Brian Setzer) to U2-sounding(the AD-999 provides great Edge-like delays) It's true bypass and although I don't think it colors my sound I do notice a rise in volume when I engage the unit. The delays, and this is where some people can't deal with this, are perfectly vintage analog. Meaning they are warmer than the AD-900 which some people perceive to means sounding "duller" or not as "clear". But the fact is, this unit is very vintage sounding and beats the hell out of any digital delay or the AD-900 (which is too much high frequency for my tastes).

I can't inagine anything is going to break with the way I use it. Seems very well built

Never dealt with them, hope I never have to

I play mostly blues in the vein of SRV, Hendrix, etc. and some classic rock. This AD-999 more than covers my needs. I've actually been experimenting into different avenues since I've had it. It's lots of fun to sit down and try new things - experiment! I've been playing for over 30 years, although I only gig maybe 5 times a year anymore. I had the AD-999 before and sold it because of a money crunch. Since then I tried the Digitech delay and the Analogman AR-20 and neither came close to what I consider to be the ultimate delay sound. Now that I have another one, I will be hanging on this no matter what. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL! My only complaint is the price new (over $300). If you can pick one up used, you can save around $100 so look around.

If this is hard you are retarded, give up

This is one of the best analog delays there is. I don't understand people finding such stupid faults in this thing they must not have known what they where getting and should stick to there Digitech and Boss pedals. As for Mr 40 year player below I can get great echo's and great slap back sounds. And your saying the Redux does better? For one thing the redux has two delay signals and is a very unique and different pedal but the ad999 does way better slap back and echoes I think. And those who have a loud click I feel bad for mine is silent all around.

seems solid

I have been using this in a melodic hard rock band and im loving it, it's nothing less and nothing more it does it's job very well. And for the guy who compared the 900 and the 999 side by side I think your ear is a little off

This has the usual time/repeats/level settings - extremely easy to use - able to power it with my pedal power box. Takes up a little more space than some boxes but not bad. Manual not emportant for this kind of box.

My set up is bigsby/tele>>>carl martin limiter>>>>Keeley mod BD2 >>>black cat OD 1 fuzz >>>> delay >>>> tweed bassman.

Not noisy - true bypass - no tone alteration when bypassed. When engaged there is a slight warming of the sound - in a good way.
The AD 999 is identical in sound quality to my 20 year old Ibanez AD99 ( you would expect this - same basic box ) but this goes out to 900 ms. If I want the multiple cascades of repeats ( Hellicaster stuff, U2 boner songs, etc ) these analog delay boxes are outstanding. The deal is there are two other kinds of sounds that these type of boxes can never do ( stay tuned - more on this later ).

I owned this for at least 6 months. Very solid - the switch feels dependable. I think these delay boxes are indestructible - my old ibanez has maybe 1000s of hours on it.

I don't know about this

I am old, have played 40 years, - now in a cover R+B, pop, rockabily situation - all the goofy music people like to dance to. Take my rating with a grain of salt - tele only - no humbucker stuff. Honestly - I have owned at least 15 delay/echo toys - including tape echos and digital stuff. Because of the stuff I play there are two echo sounds I want:

1. the 50s slap back - I want the tone they got from recording inside the water tank in Phoenix - this is what small room reverb is trying to sound like. It is an echo sound - not a delay soound - these delays sort of come close until you hear the real deal. The best box for this is the Redux - so I stick with that one - and you don't need to drag a two ton water can into the bar.

2. the subtle echos - the kind that surround the primary notes without overwhelming. Max time I need for this is about 700ms - more is useless. This is the sound where when you play slow phrases those out of phase echos are there - but when you speed up it does not turn into a cascade. Delay stompboxes can't do this. The Roland space echos where great at this - but I'm not willing to be that busy at a gig. Thje Redux does a great job at this.

The AD999 does hold value well. I sold it for close to my orig cost.

Just the 3 basic knobs, so it's as easy as it possibly could be. About the only thing I can think of is I wish it had some markings on the knob levels, particularly the delay time so I could more accurately return to a specific location. Very minor.

Top notch from what I can tell.
I use a Hamer Steve Stevens guitar into a Rivera Chubster amp.
I'll be honest , I've not owned other analog delays, but I have owned a Maestro tape echoplex and several digital delay pedals. Well, of course the echoplex was cool and sounded awesome except it had an awful hiss and was about as big as a small amp, so I sold it. I tried to use digital delays but could never find one that didn't make me cringe at the way it ruined my amp's tone on the repeats. This thing sounds awesome though, primarily because it does what its supposed to without changing the tone, when in use or when bypassed.
It does sometimes have an audible click when turned on or off sometimes but I only noticed when I'm at home, I've never noticed this during a gig.

Looks and feels sturdy enough that's all I know. Yes I'm afraid I don't have the money to buy or energy to carry around two of everything. If it broke I'd live through a gig or two without it then get it fixed or buy another one. I don't know of another delay pedal that could replace it, at least not in the same price range.

Don't know.

This is the first rating I have ever submitted , just because I like this pedal a lot. I have been playing for 30+ years, classic rock / hard rock mainly.
I wanted a good delay and I really wanted the ability for longer delays, i.e. 900 ms, so there weren't many choices. It has inspired my playing, just ask my wife - I keep disappearing into the music room, and my band likes it as well. I was long overdue for a good delay pedal, and I am very happy with this one. I give it a 9 only because of the very minor issues mentioned before.

The AD999 has traditional analogue delay controls of Delay Time (length of echo), Repeat (number of echoes) and Delay Level (volume of echo) and it's very easy to dial in the effect you desire. At 900ms its the longest analogue delay ever made as far as I know. Even the $600+ Moog is only 600ms I think.

Runs at the industry standard of 9v and isn't too big.

With the AD999 be sure it's the 900ms of delay time you want, because in my opinion the tone of the repeats is not superior to other analog delays I've tried. I used to have a 70s Ibanez/Maxon AD100 desktop delay, which is more or less an vintage Ibanez AD80 pedal in a box. Perhaps because this unit is running at a higher voltage, the repeats were thicker and more punchy compared to the AD999. As a percentage, maybe 15% better. That said, I'd always take the AD999 over the AD100 as it's a foot pedal, will run on 9v, is true bypass, and has 3 times the delay time of the latter unit. 15% better tone does not come close to outweighing these advantages. The AD999 is still a fine sounding unit, probably equal in quality to other lauded 9v delays like the Boss DM2/3 or Ibanez AD9. If you're only interested in slapback a higher voltage Ibanez AD80 might be a better bet. But keep in mind that the AD999 can do everything the AD80 can do, but not vice versa.

There's a bit of hiss in the repeats of the AD999, especially at longer delay times. This is probably a consequence of analogue delay being stretched out to 900ms, when the standard is 300ms. It's not overwhelming and is to all intents and purposes inaudible when playing, possibly unless you have the delay level maxed and you really let the repeats ring out, and even then in a band situation you could be sure no one would hear it.

This unit will self-oscillate. Crank the repeat knob and use the delay time to control the pitch of the oscillation.

It feels pretty solid. For the price these command I hope they're made well. Maxon have been in the business since the 70s (Ibanez effects of the 70s and 80s are just rebadged Maxon effects) and many of the units they made back then are still kicking.

I've had no contact personally, but I did read a complaint in the effects forum here that someone had contacted Godlyke, the US distributer, about a repair, and received a blatantly incorrect response that the AD999 is a Japan-only pedal illegally leaked into the US and invariably they will all blow up because they're made to run at 100v. He quoted $250 to repair having made no diagnosis about the problem at all. That they'll all burn out sooner or later is pure crap. They run at 9v - the input voltage doesn't matter, so long as it matches the adapter you're using. I think whoever answered the email was hoping the guy would just buy a brand new unit and line Godlyke's pockets further.

With 900ms of analogue delay this pedal is unique in the marketplace at present. Even at US$340 new I think these pedals are priced fairly. People are going crazy paying AUD$300+ (US$230) for a vintage Boss DM-2 off of ebay that will only do 300ms of delay. Used, these units can be had for not much more than the Boss (or in my case, slightly cheaper) and they offer so much more. Another comparison: the EHX Deluxe Memory Man has recently had a price increase to around US$310, at it's huge, has sketchy build quality, needs its own power supply and only has 550ms of delay. Although not the best sounding analog delay I've had, the AD999 is overall the best analog delay I've owned. I doubt I'd buy a different delay again (I'd begrudgingly buy another if it were lost or stolen). It'd be great to be able to say the same thing about overdrives.

This is as easy as it gets to use, especially for a delay. I wont go into it in depth. There are no patches to worry bout. The manual is useless, as the pedal is so easy to use that instructions are not needed.

No batteries allowed, unless you wanna retrofit the chassis with a 9v clip and do a little wiring. Not me!

Gosh. This is the section that needs the most words. This unit is superior to any other delays that I have owned. I've been looking at three different choices for my delay needs: the AD999, the Moog Delay, and the EHX Deluxe Memory man.

I'm very choosy about what hardware goes onto my pedalboard, this played a big role in my decision to purchase the AD999. I have some rules:

1. must sound great
2. must be true bypass
3. must fit on my board,
4. must be 9V, and powerable with my 1-spot

The Maxon met all of my requirements.

This unit sounds great. Warm, clear, whatver you want to use. The delay tones are very nice and "musical". The repeats are just slightly darker than the original tone, but thats ok with me. My digital delay units created a thin sounding tone, but this is just as fat sounding as the original tone, if not more (r/t darkness). I do notice just a slight amnt. of hiss in the delay tone, but this is only with the delay volume turned to max and with an otherwise dead quiet room. The true bypass preserves tone when the unit is turned off. It 's larger than your typical boss/mxr sized pedal, but I managed to fit it on my board without having to sacrifice any valuable space.


There is a small "click" heard in the amp when the unit is switched on, but not enough to matter. I dont believe Ive ever heard a true bypass unit that doesnt do this just a little.

It seems sturdy enough. Id definatly use it without a backup. Its safe in my pedalboard, so no worries about any direct trauma anyway. I doubt I can drop it in the toilet, pee on it and flush, but Im sure its sturdy. Maxon has a great reputation.

I like the fact that the 9v power jack isnt soldered directly to the circuit board. This means that if for some reason a drunken bandmate steps on the 9v wire, the jack might short, but the board wont crack. I'm going to add an additional 9v supply jack to mine, on the side, for very personal, sexual reasons.

never needed support. Hopefully I never will.

I play everything from soft rock to country to black metal. This pedal is great for all styles. Ive been playing now for about 15 years. I own many pedals, but this is my choice for an analog delay. If it were stolen or lost Id use the satellite chip I install into all of my musical equipment to track the thief down and proceed to direct my flatus into his general direction.

It doesn't get any easier than this to operate. 3 Knobs Level/time and repeat respectably. Kick it on kick it off! Simple right???

My pedalboard is pretty elaborate and goes like this........

Signal from my Sennheiser G2 Evolution Wireless to a Peterson Strobostomp Tuner, Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah, Dunlop Rotovibe,Custom Audio Electronics Clean Boost/Overdrive, MXR EVH Phase 90, MXR EVH Flanger into the front of the amp. The loop goes MXR 134a Stereo Chorus in mono then into the AD999 and return to the loop. It is all powered by a Dunlop DC Brick. Amp and cabinet are a Peavey JSX and Marshall 4/12 with Celestion Vintage 30's, guitars are a Peavey Wolfgang Special USA, ESP Eclipse II Standard Lawsuit Model, Music Man Custom Made Axis and now a new Gibson Les Paul Studio Premium Plus.

As you can see, all my pedals are analog and for good reason. Compared to their digital counterparts they are much warmer and much fatter sounding and believe me I have tried everything. Every delay I have ever tried sounded thin and frail in comparison to the AD999. It's quiet, it cuts through the mix well and sounds superb. One quick note, it does give a volume boost when kicked on but just a hair. Best delay I have ever owned period.

Had it for 2 years now. It has over 175 gigs on it and about 100 rehearsals. It has seen all the elements of weather and the stage and works the same as it did since day 1.

Never had to call them!!

What can I say about such a stellar delay. Yeah it might cost 300 bucks new but you know something, I think of all the money I wasted on all my rack gear and all these other delay pedals and the amount I spent adds up to ten times the cost of the AD999.

This delay pedal is really in a league of its own. You won't know until you find one and give it a try.

Thanks Maxon and Godlyke Distribution.

You can be certain this one is easy. I'm a dope with complicated pedals, and pretty new to delay. Took a few sessions, and a few different amps to dial it in. Ant that was that. No tutorial needed.

Here's how good it is. I haven't played without it once since I got it. And i am not even all that enthusiastic about pedals. It's just perfect. No noise, nothing you don't want. It's on all the time, so no idea of the true bypass even works! Very warm, natural sounding. I use it for ambiance, not repeats. Sort of long delay time. Lush and fat tone. So far, with a strat and tele. Every amp I have loves this pedal. It's expecially good in front of a good reverb. Heard delay for years and appreciated it. Kept hearing Ry Cooder Mambo Sinuendo, and the delay-soaked sounds of the cuban guitarist he collaborated with. That's what got me to buy it. Now I'm wondering why I waited so long.

Built like a tank. Solid feel, rubber mount on the bottom so it won't scratch stuff up. If feel predicts reliability, this unit will last forever.

Don't know yet. Hope I don't have to find out.

40 years with guitars and amps, lots of blues, bottleneck, roots, space jazz, I'll try anything. This pedal fits so well with my sound. Old dogs can learn new tricks. It's probably no surprise. I already love other time-based effects -- reverb and magnatone vibrato -- so this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Like all really good equipment, it helps not by solving problems, but by creating tonal opportunities. Too much money, but I haven't thought once about the cost since buying it. Great pedal!

It's a delay - so the controls are really simple... pedal on/off switch, and volume/mix/delay length feedback controls..

Excellent sound.. I compared the sound against mainly digital units only though I must admit (Lexicon MPX550, TC Electronics G-Major, DD-3).
Very very musical sound.
My setup is the following:
Fender Strat w/ Kinman avn pups/Gibson Les Paul studio -> Dynacomp -> Tube screamer -> Fuzzface -> Ad-999 -> Marshall DSL-401 (the amp is about to replaced by a twin reverb).
As stated the sound is very musical and quite clean - the 900 ms of delay is fantastic. It gets very close to the sound I am after - that of Gilmours early and mid 70's period. I really still want to try a tape echo though ...

Never had a problem with it and realistically i am far less likely to wory about this than if I had a tape echo - they require maintainence where as this maxon just keeps going ...

Never used ...

I play sorta metal inspired prog rock.. and this pedal is excellent for that... so much better for what I want than a digital delay.
I've only been playing a couple of years but thankfully have had the chance to play with a bit of kit in that time.. and this is quite excellent for what it is...

It sounds great. It's not quite as smooth as my rack-mount Ibanez AD202, though, which sounds equally "organic."

I AB'd the AD-900 and AD-999 for two hours. See the "Overall Rating" section for the details.

It seems that a lot has been written about how the Maxon AD-900 is far superior to the Maxon AD-999. Well, I just had to hear for myself. I bought one of each, and I AB?d them for about two hours. I set them up with a multi-loop true bypass box so that I could switch between pedals almost instantaneously.

First let me say that both the AD-900 and AD-999 sound great. I used to have an Ibanez AD9 reissue, and that pedal isn?t even in the same ballpark as the Maxons as far as tone goes. Of course the AD9 was a lot cheaper. Anyway, although both of the Maxons sound great, I do still prefer the sound of my vintage Ibanez AD202 rack-mount unit to both of them. Of course, pedals are a hell of a lot more convenient than my rack-mount unit, so I won?t compare the Maxons to it. I will note, however, that the Maxons both have longer delay times than the AD202 and other vintage rack-mount analog delays, so even if you don?t mind using rack units, you might still want to check out the AD-900 and AD-999.

Okay, so which pedal is better, the AD-900 or the AD-999? My conclusion is that neither pedal is better. The AD-900 is better in some ways, and the AD-999 is better in others. I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of each pedal below. In summary, however, the AD-999 seems to be the better choice overall for my purposes. That?s right? I AB?s them for two hours, and I?m keeping the AD-999. While the AD-900 may be better for some people?s purposes, I really think that it is a bit over-hyped. If you ask me, even the AD-999 is overpriced, and the AD-900 is drastically overpriced. In my opinion, I would say that most people who are thinking about getting one of these pedals should go with the AD-999 unless cost is really no object, in which case a fraction of guitarists might find the AD-900 to be a better suit their tastes. Of course, if you don?t mind incurring some transaction costs, AB them for yourself! Now on with the details?

News flash: The AD-900 sucks tone!!! I was really surprised how much sparkle the AD-900 cut out of my signal. It didn?t even matter if it was on or off. Don?t get me wrong; it didn?t drastically degrade my guitar?s tone. However, you?d think a pedal that costs this much would preserve a little bit more of your signal in its ?natural state.? I really didn?t believe it at first, so I even reversed the position of the two pedals to make sure that it wasn?t my bypass box that was messing things up. It wasn?t. The AD-900 dulled the tone of my Fat Strat running into my Traynor YCV40WR even when it was turned off. The AD-999 did NOT have this problem. The benefit of the AD-999?s true-bypass switching seems to be more than hype, and the AD-999 transparently passes through the dry signal when it is on, as well.

The biggest advantage of the AD-900 is in the tone of the very first repeat. It is very hard to explain. The first repeat from the AD-900 is just a little bit ?truer? to the played note than the first repeat from the AD-999. ?Warm? and ?dark? are pretty vague terms, and sometimes they seem to be used as synonyms when people talk about delay pedals, but to my ears, the first repeat from the AD-900 is slightly warmer and ?sweeter? than the one from the AD-999, which is darker. This difference, however, was not noticeable to me beyond the very first repeat. Also, the difference was only obvious when delay times got fairly long --- above three tenths of a second or so.

Another big problem I had with the AD-900 was that repeats were accompanied by a slight high-pitched ringing. I?ve heard this kind of artifact come from a few of different pedals before, including the Electro-Harmonix Holier Grail. I find it extremely annoying. If you?re always playing at modest volume levels, it might not get to you, but if you crank your amp at all, it very well may. The AD-999 did not ring in this way.

The AD-999 will take a standard 9-volt AC adapter while the AD-900 needs a 12-volt adapter. I have a rather large pedalboard, and I power all of my pedals with daisy-chained AC adapters. It is nice that the AD-999 will run on the same adapter as all of my other pedals. Also, I don?t know if accidentally using a 9-volt adapter with the AD-900 would fry it, but the possibility does concern me. Supposedly, the AD-900 will deal with higher output pickups before distorting due to its 12-volt power supply. The AD-999 didn?t have any trouble dealing with the DH-1 humbucker on my Strat or the ?57 Classic Plus on my DeArmond, though.

Neither pedal adds any background noise to speak of. The repeats from both pedals contain a good bit of noise, though, and the noise increases with delay time. The AD-999 has the benefit of providing 900 ms of delay vs. the 600 ms of the AD-900, but be aware that the repeats when the delay time is above 600 ms are really quite noisy. Some people might not mind this at all, but rather think of it as part of the charm of analog delays. Noisy repeats aren?t what I like about analog delays, though. The ?natural?, ?organic? roll-off is what I really dig.

So there are my perhaps-not-so-humble opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of the AD-900 and AD-999. For my purposes, I?m willing to sacrifice the slightly sweeter first repeat of the AD-900 for all of the advantages of the AD-999. Seeing as this ?sweetness? will probably only be noticeable to most people at higher delay times anyway, my guess is that most people would prefer the AD-999, at least if ?rare pedal mojo? isn?t a factor.

Lastly, this might be blasphemy, but if you are unsure about spending a ton of money on the AD-900 or AD-999, check out the Boss DD-20. The analog delay simulation that it has is really quite good. It?s not right on the money, but it?s reasonably close to the real thing, and it has all sorts of other features (23 seconds of delay, ?sound-on-sound?, tape delay simulation, etc.), and it?s at least a $100 less than the Maxons. This is coming from someone who is generally NOT a fan of Boss pedals. The DD-20 will not self-oscillate or do the spaceship tone-change bit, though (BOO!!!). I think the Guyatone TDX Tube Echo analog/tape delay simulator might do those things, and I?d like to try one out, based on the fact that the little Guyatone MD3 rocks for a digital delay.

As told before, 3 knobs, very simple operation. No real need for a manual, but the included manual is nice to go over, if only to get an idea of what else Maxon has to offer in the Vintage series. I think I might look into the PH350 (Rotary Phaser).

The inclusion of an AC Adapter is a great touch! Why don't more people do this?

I've been using Danelectro Delay/Echos for years! The Danecho being one of my favorites over the more common DD2, DD3, and DD6 pedals by Boss. I was happy with my tone with the Danecho (and later the Reel-Echo) but wanted something more for studio use.

After playing around with many different pedals including the Maxon AD9, Ibanez AD9, MXR Analoge Delay, SIB Mr. Echo, Boss DM-2, and the Line 6 DL4 I eventually ended up with the large pink AD999.

While the DM-2 and MXR Analoge Delay were both very lush sounding, the AD999 took the cake! The MXR's problem was that it has a hard-wired AC. While for the studio this wouldn't be a problem, and the unit I had was having problems with cascading even when turned off (it was the bigger green unit with three knobs). The DM-2 was tossed aside due to there being a strange low end overtone in what was being produced.

The AD999 is warm, versatile, extreemly silent when bypassed, and mine does not suffer from the 'poping' that other people seem to be complaining about! If I keep the level up to max I seem to get a bit of breakup in my amp, but thats why you can turn it down! :)

So far it seems pretty durable. I've only used it for studio work in the last two months. Live I'm still using my Reel-Echo for the time being, but it will probably soon be retired like my Danecho and let the AD999 reach the stage.

Gets a no rating becuase I really havn't given it a chance to fail or abused it yet!

I've delt with Maxon before on their OD820. Amazing service!

When poping the back open there appears to be a bunch of small trim switches. Playing with these seems to change tones a bit, but they seem to need equal fine adjustment. I've tuned them back to factory as I've been unhappy with any modifications to tone.

This is definatly the best delay for the money in my opinion, and worth nearly every penny. For the price it does not do a lot, but what it does it is very excelent at!

For fun, set it up with the delay time and repeats around 12:00 and volume around 4:00. Then use with the Voodoolab Tremolo unit with every knob at 3:00. This is my favorite combination for tapping and subtle leads.

Three knobs, where should be a problem?

Play Tyler classic hollow, Gibson LP Custom from 72 and 65 Time Machine Strat. Amplyficated with a Fuchs OD 50 Combo. Pedalbord is equipped with voodo lab Power unity and Analog chorus and Okko (german custom made) Overdrive.

I tried out all the other delays (T Rex, Boss, Line 6,...). The AD 999 sets the sound mark all the others try to reach. It gives warmth and deep the digital stuff can't give you!

No boost or disturbing click remarkable.

In my opinion it is the best sounding delay pedal on actual market.

Looks reliable, the input jacks could be higher quality.

No Contact

I play since 30+ years Blues /Blues Rock. Cream, Free, Hendrix and SRV Stuff. I love the warmth and deep of it's sound and would buy one again if it where stolen.

Very easy to hook up and figure out - the owner's manual is decent (although it is all inclusive for a certain line of Maxons, that is, one manual covers a few different models).

Mesa Triple Rec, Mesa Roadking, '89 LP Custom, R59 Gibson LP, Gibson SG Supreme, Jackson USA KE2, Jackson USA RR1, ESP KH-2 Custom Shop, Beck Strat. I do NOT run my effects through the effects loops on either of these amps (many manufacturer's of higher-end analog & TBP effects would agree with this move; Maxon, personally suggested I NOT run the AD-999 thru the onboard effects loops). I fashioned a pedalboard myself and here is the order:

Guitar>Carl Martin Compressor/limiter>TS808 Reissue>Fulltone OCD>Fulltone FatBoost>Fulltone Deluxe Clyde McCoy Wah>AD-999>Boss Analog CE2 Chorus>MXR M-117>MXR Phase 100>Peterson Strobostomp>Amp. George L cabling throughout. High-end monster cabling for the guitar.

Sound: Beautiful, warm, and, at times, "dark" delay (not bright or shrill,...or sterile sounding like some digital delays may sound, 'course they're a different animal altogether). If you enjoy analog sounds there's no doubt you'll appreciate this pedal. Absolutely dead quiet (both at loud and soft volumes).

Issue: I noticed (at a constant pedal volume level setting) the delay was quieter (almost to the point of being inaudible...especially at lower amp volume settings) on the clean channel, and became slightly progressively louder as you switched to channels two, and then three - note, amp volume across all three channels being the same. I sent the pedal to Maxon and received absolutely first-rate service, with great response times,...although, unfortunately, they were unable to diagnose or replicate the problem as I was hearing it, and so returned the pedal after it passed their test process. I just have to crank the pedal volume up whenever I use the clean channel, and bring it back down for the OD channels.

Second issue. In the middle of a gig (250 person club), upon stepping on the switch to activate the delay, my complete guitar signal went dead (total silence) - stepping on the switch again brought it back to life and it worked for the rest of the evening, and ever since. Note, I'm very gentle with my gear, and am not sure what caused this "hang fire" - trons? I don't have a backup, but have had such good luck with this pedal (except for this "glitch") - I'm not too worried. I like a variety, and plan to pick up an H&K Replex in the not too distant future.

Outstanding. Respectful, and new their products enough to be able to communicate solely via email - they asked the right questions. Returned the pedal to me immediately thereafter.

I love the warm & natural sound of this pedal. I tried several options (Boss series, H&K, Ibanez, Fulltone, Line6, etc.) and wanted something that could "accent", but not overpower, my tone - I didn't need 15 different delay sounds...I just wanted a few really good tones, and the ability to vary the time.

I gig part-time, rehearsing every week, and so my rig gets moderate use. I've played for 26 years, and a variety of styles. You can use this pedal for a wide range of songs...'50's/60's rock, Country (this pedal with the compressor sounds fantastic), 70's hard rock, '80's metal (I use this and the Phase 100 to play "Eruption", and it works great)...just about everything. Very versatile, which is what I truly look for in a product.

3 knobs-a no nonsense pedal. Big knobs too so that you can turn them with your foot if you are carefull.

I wanted to submit this review to address a couple of problems noticed by other people on this page and for those considering the ad-900. First, someone mentioned a clicking sound from the switch, I have not noticed this problem and am confident, having owned a couple of other Maxon effects, that the switches used are top quality. A pop from a switch could mean a bad switch or a power supply problem. I think it was the person with the bad switch who also had a noticable volume boost when the pedal was engaged- this also I have not noticed and would suggest he return it as I suspect it is faulty all over. I got my ad-999 from a guy on ebay and upon recieving it I compared it to a vintage Ibanez ad-80 (same chip as ad-900) that has the warmest punchiest analog sound you could find. The ad-999 sounded a bit thinner and not as punchy and defined. Now here is the interesting thing; if you open up the pedal there are 2 or 3 rows of trim pots that you can adjust with a screwdriver. With just a minor amount of adjusting I was able to get the sound to be almost identical to the ad-80 and in fact a little better (the ad-80 gets a bit grainy sounding on the longer delay times). You have to adjust all of the trim pots the same or you run into problems. You can also adjust it to feedback a lot easier than the factory setting.

I've always liked fooling around with delay but even my ad-80 rarely got used because I don't like short delay times and I'm not into slapback echo so if you are trying to decide between the ad-900 with 600ms and the ad-999 with 900ms I can tell you if there is any sound quality differance the extra delay time more than makes up for it. And it runs on a standard 9v power supply.

Rock solid so far.

I have this on a pedal board with some other high quality effects by Zvex, Fulltone, Teese wah and some other vintage stuff all powered by a Dunlop DC Brick which has 3 18v power outs (nice touch) as well as the 9v. This pedal works great in real life live playing situations where you need reliable low noise effects that are easy to adjust. I'm basing my ratings on the price-quality index and given that I only paid $212 this is a GREAT delay pedal. If I paid full price I might pull a point off but maybe not after all I think I would miss the delay more than the money. If you are considering a ad-900 I watched a couple of ebay auctions go to $400 which IMHO is way too much but I've not had the opportunity to do a direct comparison between the two. Another reviewer did and I would say that with a couple of internal adjustments you could get it sounding the same.

It doesn't get any easier than this.... Delay Speed, Repeats, and Delay Level. An input, output and dry out and the included adapter.

The manual gives a brief description of this product plus the others in the vintage series plus some sample settings. Not that I need it really.

No firmware at all. Pure Vintage Analog and true bypass baby!

The pedal gets used with the following guitars...

ESP Eclipse II Standard with EMG Zakk Wylde Active Pickups
Music Man Custom Shop Axis
Peavey USA Wolfgang Special
Fender US American Deluxe Fat Strat

Marshall Triple Super Lead TSL 100 Three Channel Head
Marshall 1960A Stereo Capable 4/12 Cabinet Loaded With Celestion G12T-75 Speakers

Radial Boneyard Pedalboard with this delay and also a Boss DD-6 Digital Delay in the loop and the following other effect pedals hitting the front of the amp...

Dunlop DC Brick
Sennheiser g2 Evolution Wireless
Peterson Strobo Stomp Strobe Tuner
Dunlop Rotovibe
Dunlop Crybaby Wylde Wah
MXR Wylde Overdrive
MXR EVH Phase 90
MXR Reissue Model 117 Analog Flanger
MXR Smart Gate
MXR Reissue Model 134 Stereo Chorus

There are alot of positives about this pedal and for the money you spend on it there should be. For one it is actually quieter than my DD-6 and that's no joke. Second, I use the DD-6 only when I need to set the delay speed using the DD-6's tap tempo on the fly. Other than that, I feel it plays with the tone of my TSL 100 too much. The AD999 is a pedal that gives you the warm tone of an analog delay at its best, but will not weaken or play with your amps tone. It works really well with my other effects as well and does not muddy up the tone with the other pedals. I have my repeat and overall output levels set sparingly at best which tails off nice. It doesn't take much to get this puppy going. The best Analog Delay I ever owned hands down.

It's built like a brick shithouse!

Never dealt with em' but I live 10 miles from Godlyke so if there ever was a problem I know where to take it.

This is a very simple pedal to use. Three knobs: Level, Delay (time), and Repeats. Easy to dial in Sun Studio slapback elays. Two outs provided for James Gang, U2, and Queen type delays. Crank the Repeats to three o'clock and twist the Delay knob for Hendrix era spaceship landings.

I use this with both a noiseless Strat and a Les Paul Classic into a vintage Bassman head and Celestion Vintage 30 loaded Ampeg cab. It does not hum, and accepts distortion pedals well. Finally, a bucket brigade analog delay with long delay times. Hands down, this is the next best thing to a Tape Tube Echo, which I also own. I would say this is more user friendly, as it can fit on a pedal board. The highs decay nicely with each repeat, the same way natural echo does. The Repeat knob offers very controllable feedback. True bypass switching means this is the perfect mate for Fulltone and Way Huge users.

Too new to say. I will use it without a backup.

I ordered it and it came in quickly. No other opinion at this time.

I play most American and British styles from the 1920's to the present. I have been playing since 1989, and have owned and played every type of delay ever made. I do not care for digital devices where music is concerned, except the inevitable CD. I have spent a large amount of money training my ears with regards to tone, and I can hear a difference between analog and digital devices. I must admit digital dither is getting better, but there is not yet a substitute for a real analog sound wave. Unfortunately, bucket brigade devices usually only yield a 1/3 second delay time ( Electro Harmonix Memory Man and vintage Boss delays). This thing offers almost a full second of delay, which finally lets bucket brigade users have access to Roland Space Echo type delays. If you're upset that Way Huge never finished the Galactic Swankulator, grab a couple of amps and add a Fulltone Choralflange to the wet output of this puppy.

It's just three knobs, but there are thousands of possible sounds in there, and all of them are very good. I had a Boss dd3 and tried some other delays, and I was looking for a very simple effect but with a nice sound. Think I've found it.

I use this pedal with several other effects, and I got to say that it actually makes my overdrive and solo tone a little bit brighter. I use a maxon od808 and boost it with a mxr double distortion for solos)Apart from that the souynd quality is excellent, very natural sounding effect.

I just got it a week ago.

I play rock-blues and also some kind of psychedelic rock, this unit is perfect for both the bands I'm playing with. From Jimmy Page short-delay solos, to crazy outer-space sounds.

fairly straight forward. three knobs - delay time, repeat, and mix. unlike most digital pedals there is no separate knob to set the delay delay range - 50-100, 100-250, etc. because of this the delay knob is more sensitive to slight changes.

i use this with a 56 les paul into a carr rambler. the noise floor of the ad-999 is very low. but for some, the sound may take getting used to. analog delay is darker than digital. compared to a boss dd-3, there is maybe less clarity to the repeats but they sound much more organic - more like my guitar. you should be aware of this before buying. if you like to do a lot of clean doubling of lines, and harmony stuff - this may not be your cup of tea. after playing with the ad-999 for a few days, i can't even listen to the boss anymore.

seems to be very well built. ac only, so no battery issues. comes with its own power adaptor.

No idea.

so far it seems like a really great pedal. i keep it on most of the time. i'm doing a lot of singer songwriter stuff and having a good delay is key. i was not sure weather i should get the ad-99 which has less delay time but has the panasonic chips which are no longer being made. but retailers were asking for a fortune for these and the reports i heard before i made my purchase is that the ad-999 sounds just as good. i also liked the fact that this unit has an extra 300ms of delay time over the ad-99 and is true bypass. true bypass is not always an issue. but i hate what those boss pedals do to my tone - even when they're off. this is a great pedal. if you like the analog sound you wont be disappointed.