Delay For Guitar - The Good and Bad Of Guitar Delay Pedals

Once delay for guitar came around, a whole bunch of new crazy stuff could be done and that's awesome. I believe that there are still plenty of things that are untouched in the realm of guitar effects, and the full value of guitar delay might be one of them.

But...

As much as guitar effects are cool, I think there's a certain responsibility that comes with them to serve the crowd and the song than just your ego.

So what are the awesome things that delay for guitar can be used for?

1. It's great for stand-alone guitar parts.

If it's just you and the crowd or you have a solo where the band is completely silent, let that delay pedal rip. You can create some pretty gnarly echoes and things that portray a certain level of mysticism and ambiance.

2. Delay is usually the basis for loop stations.

If you haven't had the chance to hear a loop station, check out this video below. It shows just an average guy and how he tries out his own personal riffs with his nifty loop station and creates some neat things.



3. It sounds great on a clean channel.

I know that a lot of electric players hate the idea of losing power or depth when they play in a clean channel, but here's an excuse to do it. There's just something mesmerizing about hearing a delay effect on a clean channel electric. Try it.

So how can you get carried away with the power of delay?

1. It can clash with other guitars in a full band setting.

Delay for guitar is great when it's by itself, but when it starts inviting friends over, it gets nosy and wants to top everybody else. Use it sparingly in a full band, because you might be just taking away from the pure abilities of your natural tone.

2. Delays with long echoes are annoying.

This might just be personal preference, but when I hear a delay pedal where a lot of notes are being played and the echo goes on into infinity... my ears just turn off and I'm not interested anymore. Anyone else?

3. You have to be particular with your delay preferences.

Not every song can be easily improved with the same settings for a delay pedal. Remember that you can slow down the delay rate, the echo length, and the amount of effect to include.

I think delay pedals are the bomb, but sometimes they're not serving tunes as well as they could be because of the guitarists operating them.

Go out and try one for yourself, but watch out... they're addictive :]

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