EHX Memory Boy (long post)

[nate_dennis]

I just got this in yesterday. So I'm going to share my personal opinion on this pedal. (Please note that I am not a proffessional and that my gear experience is limited.)

Out of the box the pedal seems sturdy. There were some small paint defects but nothing worth sending back for. The on/off switch is a heavy duty vacuum cleaner style switch. Definately seems like it will last. I was surprised by the resistance in the knobs. I (for some reason) was expecting them to turn quite easily, but they actually offer some decent resitance. Not that they are hard to turn, but the resistance makes it much harder to over-shoot your intended settings.

Controlls: Pedal has four knobs. From left to right they are: Delay, Depth, Blend, and Feedback. Delay sets your delay time, fully counter clockwise is 30ms and fully clockwise is 550. Depth sets the amount of modulation that is applied to the delayed signal. (more on this later) Blend sets the ratio of dry to wet signal. Fully counterclockwise is fully dry (no dely) fully clockwise is fully wet (only the delayed signal.) Feedback sets the number of repeats. With lower delay times and a fully clockwise feedback knob, you can get into self oscillation (which is cool . . . . .sometimes.)

You have two toggles. One for wave type (square or sine.) The other determines the type of modulation. To the bottom is "chorus", the middle isn't labled, and the top is "tremolo." They are all actually the same modulation, just different ammounts. The only useful setting I could find was "chorus" with ths sine wave and the depth knob barly up. But that's just my personal prefference.

Delay: It sounds great!!! You get 30-550 MS of analog delay times. For those of you used to digital delay this will not seem like a lot. I have only ever used a Boss DD5 (years ago) and I was taken aback by the "lack" of delay time. But the truth is, for most applications, this is all you will need. You can really hear the degredation of signal with long enough repeats. But it's not unmusical.

This pedal can go from a rockabilly style slap back to a longer dreamy style delay easily.

As my first analog delay it took me some time to get used to the limits of delay time. If you need long delays . . . this is not for you. But, if you can handle delay times limited to 550ms then I highly reccomend this pedal. It's sturdy, sounds great, and with some shopping you can get it used for $100 or less. (I paid $98 for mine and it's new with full warranty.) It comes with a power supply, and I don't think you can use battaries with it.


Ok. I'm not a gear snob (yet.) I can't tell you the difference between JJ tubes and Tung Sol tubes (yet.) But to my ear, this pedal really sounds nice.

If it matters, I am playing a fender strat -> memory boy -> AC15cc1.

 

[TelePaul]

I got one at Christmas. I think it's fantastic too, albeit for different reasons.

I think the thing to remember with the Memory Boy is that, if you're just after analogue delay, there are probably better pedals out there. But that's not really what the MB is all about. For me, the included modulation is what makes it such a cool pedal - you can use it as a delay, as a chorus, as a vibe, or as a combination of delay & chorus or delay & vibe. I also think the modulation effects match the delay very well, in terms of overall tone; if you wanted to nail 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult, then this is the pedal for you!

I agree with you about the extremity of the modulation - I rarely put the blend control past nine o'clock, but I've found the wave toggle switch a nice extra feature (that said, I rarely switch to a square waveform). However, other reviews I've read have praised the fact that there's potential for some really 'off-the-wall' effects, if that's what you're into.

This was my first EH pedal - I was given it as a present along with the EH Nanoverb, and I'm sold on both of them. I'm after a Small Stone Nano next and maybe even an Iron Lung - for funsies!

 

[nate_dennis]

if you're just after analogue delay, there are probably better pedals out there.

Maybe, but I don't think there are for the price. You could buy a deluxe memory man. Or you could buy a diamond pedal. But I think that, for the same price as a Carbon Copy, you get a whole lot more pedal. But at this point we're splitting hairs. It's a great pedal!