Pearl AD-08 Analog Delay

very easy to use although the foot switch can be very temperamental, only 4 knobs so you don't need a degree to quickly learn how to operate it, mine came without a manual but quite frankly a manual isn't required.

It has a nice warm analog sound as you would expect but as with all analog stuff expect it to be noisy. the echos are.. well just echoes and there is not much more you can say about them other than the delay time is nowhere near long enough. you wont get a nice spatial echo out of this box unfortunately just your basic warm echo as you would expect with any analog delay pedal, if you want to sound like the edge from U2 forget it the best you can hope for is a poor imitation of a space echo but without the lovely wow and flutter of tape so if you love any of the echos heard on pre 1980 and are hoping to achieve them forget it along with echos heard on Radiohead recordings. overall sound quality is decidedly average by today's standards and sounds from its predecessors.

I certainly wouldn't gig with it as stage lighting will send your setting haywire and as with any vintage equipment you can't rely on it, you can put it in the box one day take it out the next and for no apparent reason it won't work don't expect it to work if you are seriously gigging. If you like this pedal and must have one get a backup if you are considering gigging with it.

none, find a friendly electronics boffin that has a love of analog circuits, parts are becoming harder to source in this digital age.

I've been playing for 28 years but don't limit myself to any one particular category of music if it were lost or stolen i wouldn't replace it as they are highly overrated by analog aficionados there are so many other pedals out there now capable of doing exactly what this box does and ten times more. I like its warmth and ease of use but that's about it. I hate the foot switch and my favorite feature is the colour is black. I've now compared it to too many pedals to list but if you want proper vintage get any space echo or tape delay, if you want creativity spatial effects and the option of analog warmth then don't consider anything less than a Boss DD7 up depending upon your budget. If i wish it had anything it would be more knobs because really you only have 2 knobs to play with delay and feedback which doesn't offer a great deal of scope for creativity. If it were lost or stolen I would not replace it. Analog boffins will pay a good price if you have one in good condition but that doesn't really mean anything other than there are collectors out there that like to keep them in their original box on a shelf. If I had a kid I would probably give it to them to play with just so they can get to understand what and how a delay works. I no longer use it there are so many other pedals and rack units that have surpassed this old dog by miles, nowadays it just sits in a box of other obsolete pedals that I haven't got round to selling. This pedal is seriously old hat and purely for stuck in the mud analog boffins.

Very easy to use. 4 controls - Feedback (number of repeats), Delay (time of repeats), Dry out (vol of unprocessed signal), Delay Out (volume of delayed signal). This gives a very comprehensive set of controls over your delay.

Using either Jaydee SG, Tokai LP, Yamaha AS800 semi or Vantage 728 strat into Cornford Harelquin amp, via mixture of Pearl, Boss and Electro Harmonix effects.
I use this towards the end of the chain combined with any combination of Compression, Chorus, Flange, Overdrive/Fuzz/Distortion. The tone is very good to my ear with little/no background hiss. Its a lot warmer than say my Boss DD5 (which is digital), but has much shorter delay range (300ms I think) and no features like reverse etc. I would say the delay range is micro seconds shorter than the longest you would use in most circumstances (minor niggle). The decay of the repeats is controlled by the Delay out volume and a nice warm fading is possible, and some reasonable Reverb can be achieved.

Bought from e bay and no problems so far

N/A

First of all I have to say I love this because it has a lovely mellow tone, not sharp like many digital effects. I had one in the late 80's and loaned it to someone and never got it back. Recently I remembered this and looked for around 6 months for one on e bay (in mean time bought a fair collection of other pearl pedals) before getting one. I lost a few bids on the way so if you want one expect to pay top rates and spend time looking for one. If you see one cheap just buy it, if you dont like it you will easily find a buyer.
I would definitely try and get a replacement if I lost this, but they are becoming expensive and difficult to find.
In comparison with my Boss DD5 I would say the tone of the Pearl is better with a more "organic" decay, however to be perfect I would love a slighty longer delay time.

4 basic controls knobs,just tweak it until you get the proper settings.
There is a wide array of delay effects you can get from the Pearl AD-08 Analog Delay/

I'm using a 1982 Les Paul custom with Burst bucker puck ups, custom Strat,2002 Gibson Explorer,1983 Gibson Invader, (among others)thru a Planet waves tuner FoxxRoxx Octron,Fulltone Clyde Deluxe,Fulltone Full drive II, Fulltone Choral Flange(n the flange setting)Fulltone Deja Vibe,MXR Phase 100,Pearl Chorus , Pearl AD-08 Analog Delay .Pearl Distortion (old school!),and a MXR Kerry King 10 band EQ into a Marshall blues breaker.
Last week with some google searching I found a page where some nice person had put up a scan for the "manual"
I finally was able to tweak the ideal settings....
Heres the url...
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Vine/6655/images/pearl_ad08man.gif
This is an analogue pedal so the overall tone is very pleasing .
I can easily get that "Dazed & Confused" live solo setting with no problem,what more do you want???

I bought this along with the Pearl chorus unit new back in 1984/5? maybe,used them a bit ,then they both got shoved away in a box forgotten about for eons, dug them out when I started a pedal board a few months back with the intentions"these pedals are old as hell but for now I'll use them until I get something better".
2o years plus later there being used on a regular basis in my pedal board and I have no desire to replace it as with the Pearl chorus pedal
It gets used every time I gig(once a week,give or take plus another 2 nights a week practicing)I don't see a need for a back up,

Non existant but no worries ,I have an old "puttering" buddy who stops in my shop and loved to do electronic repair work and my tube amps as well as any pedals.

I'm pretty much a "jack of all trades,master of none "type player.which suits me fine,I can always find an enjoyable musical scenario.
Been at it for over 25 years,own every kind of guitar,4 [5 amps
(tube)all the pedals are listed above.you're typical gear whore.
This is one pf those cases where it paid off as you never know when you will rediscover something and put it to use.
I had been using a rack system but seemed frustrated on not being able to forge my own "signature "tone opposed to emulations of famous guitarists from a digital system.
I mean we gear snobs pay 2 grand for a descent guitar,the same or more for a good amp,and I know guys that will use a digital processor that costs 300ish bucks to cover every type of effect? Think about it.
Anything like this that can stand the test time has to be descent.As you can see I mostly go for the Hand made pedals but this suits me fine...
Not to mention when I did an ebay search for Pearl pedals, some guy in japan selling them for 150-200 ish bucks,I really felt good. They don't show up much in the states so if you see any grab them up,,,I just got a Pearl Distortion and a Pearl noise gate .so I won't have to compete with anyone now!!!
They all work well together along with the other gear,and as stated in my Pearl chorus review they get used a lot, so they are not"museum artifacts" to impress my guitar geek buddies with(although they do:)
I would have to replace them if something happen to them....

Its pretty easy to use
as it sounds superb at any settings

No Noise , it makes your sound very big , on clean it is just the best I have Ever heard it has slightly longer delay times than DM 2 s and 3s and Ibanez AD9s and AD80s ,, I dont know how they managed to keep the repeats so clean they should all use the delay chip in this WOW it is outstanding and RARE

I have owned Pearl before and never had a problem yet

???

I would be pretty down if I lost this thing and getting another could be a problem you dont see them much ..

Old-school analog delay pedal- easy to use, easy to get great sounds. Probably one of the best analog delay PEDALS around. No manual, purchased used.

About three years ago, I went crazy buying analog delay pedals, boxes, tape delays...and while I've sold several, I still have many. This is about as good as it gets. The only thing better is the Fulltone TTE or a modified Memory Man. I only use this in the studio (because it seems to be really rare) and I gig with two Boss DM-3 pedals, EH Memory Man, and an ancient digital delay. This is a very similar pedal to the DM-3 (in function)- it has a direct out (called "dry") so it can do faux stereo, but I hardly ever use it for that. The Pearl is a four knob- which is why I love it so much...Delay Time, Feedback, and two level knobs: Dry Out, Delay Out. You can fine-tune it more than most analog delays because of the two level knobs- and they work really well when just the main output is being utilized. Not very noisy (for an analog pedal). Usually using Strats, Teles, Gretsch Country, 335. My main amps: Orange AD-30 (combo), Vox AC-30, Roland JC-120- sounds great with all of these. Is it pristine? No, it's not supposed to be- it's analog delay. Sounds amazing. No chorus, just nice, grainy echoes- great for slapback, long delays, space sounds, and everything in between. Get's a bit muddy with humbuckers, it's better with P-90's or single-coils. But sometimes mud is what you need.

It is very dependable, but then again- I pamper it a bit. I've used it almost everything I've produced or played on this year and last. You could get away with this as your main delay (without a backup).

n/a They're known for drums, and I'm pretty sure someone else made this pedal in Japan- and they slapped their name on it.

I work in several studios (freelance) and play for several bands. Mainly what I'm known for is loopy-sounding, spacey, pads and stuff- mixed in with rhythm and lead lines. Been playing guitar for 10 years, studio work for about 5. This pedal is perfect for echo pads, etc. And great for "vintage" sounding stuff. I'm always looking for another one- it's that good. It's a great pedal, buy one if you find one. I got mine for about $80- much cheaper than the DM-3, DM-2, AD-9, etc. And as good or better than those.