ModTone MT-AD Vintage Analog Delay Pedal

Feature:
Some people will complain that this is not "true bypass", it's a buffered bypass pedal. I don't care either way, I typically don't use more than 2 effects at once and what ModTone says about bypass types on their website is true, and it makes sense. I don't think true bypass is the huge deal that many obsessive players make it out to be. It sounds great, either way. The ModTone analog delay came with a "pick card", one of those credit card sized set of guitar picks that you can punch out of the frame. A very neat idea, you can always have picks in your wallet. These little picks are a plasticized material similar to an actual credit card, and come adorned with various ModTone logos. Other than that, there was an instruction card, which should be more than enough to get most players started. The LED indicator is a cool blue, and looks very intense, it's one of the brightest LEDs I have seen in a pedal. I tried Boss, DigiTech and Danelectro 9volt power supplies with this pedal, and they all worked fine. It's a silly thing, but I have to say, even the box this pedal came in is cool. It opens from the side and the flap stays in place with some sort of magnet inside the cardboard, and the front has a clear window so you can look at the pedal in a retail store or whatever. The footswitch is quiet and smooth and the case seems well-built.

Quality:
I understand these are made in China, but apparently to very high standards. Everything was flawless, right out of the box. The paint job is a vivid and durable-looking orange, with the pedal name and ModTone logo. If I saw this pedal, unaware of the price, or place of manufacture, I'd think it was a $300 boutique custom pedal. These guys also offer a 5 year warranty, like Boss and a handful of other companies. Very nicely made!

Value:
Again, I believe this pedal is every bit as good as delay boxes that cost 3 times as much. It's not a cheap product, but it is priced competitively and fairly. With the warranty, I feel this device is worth every penny I paid for it.

Desirability:
You know, I usually don't care about the way a pedal looks, but this one is attractively packaged with a nice orange paintjob, and it looks more expensive than it is. The blue LED is unique and appears to be of above average quality for a simple indicator light. These pedals do look good, and distinctive, they definitely set themselves apart from the usual look, though the enclosure size is similar to some MXR pedals and smaller EHX effects.

Sound:
This delay is warm, in a market full of cold, digital delays. It sounds incredibly natural compared to my Line 6 DL4 delay modeler. The delay is spot-on and everything from single notes, to bends, to full chords come through clear, and tracking is true to the notes that you pick. I'm typically a very aggressive player and I almost always use some sort of overdrive or distortion, even when jamming alone. When I plugged my new MT-AD delay in, I played around for 3 hours using nothing but my Strat with a DiMarzio FRED Humbucker in the bridge position and the clean channel on my Line 6 Spider amp. This pedal is loads of fun, and its simplicity is refreshing, especially when compared to my Line 6 delay modeler. You'll want to play clean and pretty notes just to hear the repeats you can coax from this box. I tried it through my Boss Micro BR digital 4 track, and it sounds great. I like long spacey delay, and while this ModTone box doesn't create as many milliseconds of delay as say, MXR's Carbon Copy, it should get the job done for most players, and is one of the few delays I've owned that has very practical applications for playing, as opposed to just making noise, or creating a "wall of sound". This pedal sounds great, clean, after a Boss Chorus pedal, like the CE-20 or CE-5, or any other nice tweakable chorus pedal.

Ease of Use:
Simple and elegant, the mix knob controls the combination of the effect and your dry guitar signal. The time knob controls delay length, and the repeat knob control is exactly that. The knob pots operate very smoothly and there is a surprising range of adjustability between the 3 knob set up. The pedal floor plate must be unscrewed to replace the battery, as with most MXR and EHX effects, but as I mentioned above, this pedal did fine with three different brand 9 volt adapters also.

Support:
Their website is nicely done, and they must update it regularly, because they give away a pedal in a weekly contest. These guys are relatively new to the industry and still have much to prove, so I'd be surprised if their customer support was anything less than great. I really like the 5 year warranty, as the local shop I bought it from doesn't allow any returns or exchanges past a week after purchase, even if the item is defective. I'll be adding more ModTone pedals to my arsenal, but in the future, I'll order from Zzounds, as they have the best prices I have seen so far on this line of pedals.

Overall:
Well, between this warm ModTone analog delay, and my more tweakable (but cold and digital) Line 6 DL4, I have all my delay bases covered. Knowing my obsession with pedals, I'm sure I'll find another nice delay at a later date, but for all practical purposes, and for actually making music, this pedal will be my "go to" delay for recording or live use. The sound is fantastic, the quality seems great, and I really like products that include a generous warranty.