Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Canyon Delay/Looper

This little pedal flew completely under my radar. I paid attention to all the NAMM 2017 debuts but somehow didn't even get a hint of this pedal. Tell me if I'm wrong, but did you see anything about this pedal before now? Regardless, here it is, and we have to talk about it. Thankfully this pedal should drop on the 13th of February (2017) so there isn't much waiting for this one. As for price, well, there seems to be a little confliction as to what can be found online. Musicians Friends had posted a price tag of 158 USD, but EHX has been caught tweet a cost of 139 USD street price. So with the information that we have, Is this pedal a yay, or a nay. It's mighty morphing Ugly Truth Time...

It's Small...


Alright, small can be a good thing. Lots of good things come in small packages, but delays that occupy tiny spaces are usually lacking in the feature department. I mean, look at the Strymon and Eventide well-endowed delay boxes. Those are feature packed and massive. So this little box couldn't have that much to offer... Except it kind of does. 11 modes give you more than a BOSS DD-20. It can loop for a full minute and you get 2 "secret knobs when you hold the Tap/Divide button. This has to be one of the most feature laden delays in the size box. No, it isn't stereo. But you can control the rate and depth of the modulations. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a new trick for a compact delay.




Don't EHX Have A Lot Of Other Delays?




Yes. Yes, they do. The Memory Man/Boy/Toy line is extensive. And they do have some cross over as far as price. There is even a DMM (Deluxe Memory Man) setting on this pedal. However, this is a digital pedal. Kind of different for EHX, but I guess they were just waiting until they really had something that they liked before they put one out. Analog Delay users are going to analog, digital are gonna digital, that's just what happens. What has a lot of people looking at this pedal is the long list of modes and the affordable price. It could also be the neat tricks that this pedal is capable of that has people interest as well.. hmm, guess there is a few thing to like about it...



Wasn't There Another 3 Second Delay Released Recently?




Yes. I even wrote my thought on the DOD Rubberneck here. I like the DOD delay a lot. It has a lot of cool things going for it. It also has a $250 Street price, so fair is fair. The DOD pedal has features that this pedal can't touch. The titular feature, Rubbernecking, is pretty unique to that pedal. It also has a built in tap feature. Admittedly, the DOD looks cooler. But If I had to go with one delay on my board and also had to choose between these two pedals, then I would be picking the Canyon. The Rubberneck is a pedal that I'd be proud to own, but if I had to choose one, then I'd pick the one that can Loop, Reverse, Shim, Octave and Verb.

Conclusion




I like this pedal. I like this pedal a lot. You could probably tell that already. This pedal would be a great addition to a pedal board that wasn't already fitted with a delay. I'd even pick this one over the BOSS DD7 and the smaller Flashback delay. If you are looking to upgrade your delay but don't want to get one of the larger "do everything" units or if you looking to save a buck, then this pedal would be something to look at seriously. Should you drop everything and get this pedal for its wonderfully healing properties? Of course. But try to remember that this people isn't as powerful as one those others that have all the blinking lights and MIDI and extra holes... Oh, it has a dumb name too...

Support the blog by shopping on Amazon by using my link!

There should be an ad below:

Ugly Guitar Truth: DOD Rubberneck Analog Delay

DOD just released the information on their newest analog delay. there is a lot more than meets the eye with pedal. It has 1.5 seconds of delay time, adjustable rate and depth of modulation, bypassable buffer (tails/no tail), quarter/eighth/dotted eighth note subdivides. There is a rubbernecking feature that allows "rubber band" stretched sound, whatever that really means. You can hold the tempo footswitch and engage a regen effect with an adjustable parameter. An actual effects loop will let you insert effects that only affect your trails. Lastly, there is a remote input, so there you go. That all seems fine. Is there any ugly truth. Well...


It's Actually A Strong Offering


So, you look at the features and you can get a little overwhelmed. It seems like you have way more than you could make use of. The features are really all related. For delay users that really capitalize on the analog part of this pedal, the feature list make a lot of sense. You might be tempted to call this a 'shoegazer' pedal. But really, the interface is simple enough to quickly set or tweak. But it is $250. Is that good or bad? Well, take a look at similar pedals: EHX Deluxe Memory Man, Empress Tape Delay.. It's spot on really. It actually packs a lot of features in a pretty package for a reasonable amount of money. Not to mention that it sorta has a feature that is somewhat unique.


Conclusion


I like it. I want to use it and experience the rubbernecking feature for myself. I don't think it would get a spot on my pedalboard though. I really dig these analog delays. They make really cool noises. But digital delay do it well enough. And that might be the ugliest truth. I would put a Boss DD-500 on my board because it could probably do 95% of what this pedal does and then a lot more. Not to mention it is in the small ball park cost wise. I can't tell you that  you should pay 250 dollar for a pedal that does so much less, but if you are in the market for an analog delay that does neat things, this one is a great option.

Support the blog by shopping on Amazon by using my link!

There should be an ad below: