MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay 5-stars Reviews

Beautiful Delay

This is a great anolog pedal. It does one thing and does it right. The controls are intuitive and it is a well constructed pedal.

Carbon copy

If you are not sure what delay to choose out of the huge offerings you will be happy with this unit. Can’t go wrong!

An amazing Analog Delay

My personal opinion is based after using carbon copy for a while. It sounds great, i like its darkness with or without the mod on. I feel Its analog bucket brigade technology creates a warm and rich delay fading.

I think it is an amazing BBD analog delay for this kind of iso-size pedal.

My favourite delay - imperfectly perfect

This is the second time I bought this pedal, having sold it once. I won't sell it again. I thought I could get by with a Boss DD7 which has a classic analogue setting, but this MXR simply does it better.

It's hard to tell exactly why (maybe the modulation, maybe the slightly less "perfect" (i.e. more natural, less "digital" delay) but it is imperfectly perfect.

And of course being MXR it's extremely good quality with delightfully smooth controls and a silent (in the chain) switch. Highly recommended.

Best Delay for me!

I did not expect it, but this quickly became my most favorite pedal on my pedal board! Not just delay, but as an extra it’s equipped with a modulation switch too.

I highly recommend it.

Not Only Delay

I have tested it on:

Marshall DSL40

Vintage Prestige 100

Kramer Nite V

Delay works regulary with much options of repeating and delay time. There is also small but useful modulator. With different position of 3 knobs you can make difference with your sound.

I love this device

I bought this pedal about a year ago. I don't have much to say except that I like it very much. There is a quality to the sound that I enjoy. It sounds very tactile to me. I totally forget that it is an electronic device. I mainly use this pedal either as a kind of analogue reverb for my tube amp, or as a medium length delay when playing unaccompanied guitar arrangements.

The mod button is also nicely done. I use it to just give my sound a little twist. Sometimes I like to mess around with the delay at maximum to create minimalist type textures. This works well too.

Most of my pedals come on and off my board depending on my mood but this one almost never comes off. I would recommend it.

Isn't this the one every one wants?

To be honest, I have never really fooled around much with delay.

The only comparison I have is a Alesis rack mounted guitar effect processor. But I spent two month researching the net about delay, and if you as me play Country and Blues a lot, this is the go to delay pedal. I have tried it for a couple off weeks and am more than satisfied. It is almost so good that I bring it and let it rest on my night stand while i am sleeping.

This pedal is bringing a whole new dimension to my music, and I love it. I wanted a analog delay, and this have never let me down.

I bought this product mainly for playing leads and for that it works perfect. It makes the sound more full, it pops out the mix, so it does perfectly what I wanted.

An analog delay has a natural decay, so it is soft, perfect for leads. If you want a real delay the repeats the signal multiple times over a longer time, then you need a digital delay.

It also easy to tune. Set the number of repeats, the length of the repeat a how much it should be blend in. I have put them all around 10-12 o'clock and just does the trick with overwhelming it. For slow leads you can give it more, but for faster stuff, don't overdo it.

The repeats sound warm and musical, I perceive them more like an ambience rather than distinct repeats. I have not tried it in a band context so I can't comment on it cutting through the mix.

Probably the best analog delay

So far I had the chance to use only digital delay. I decided to move to the analog, and I saw the Carbon Copy al most in the 70% of pedalboard, so after several YouTube tutorials, I bought it. Great choice! It is a bucket-brigade device, so the sound is a bit darker, but extremely warm and authentic. I use it at the end of the chain, after a RAT and a Blue-Hippo chorus (after the delay I have the looper), and it is always on. It allows me to have a "fatter" sound, both clean and dirty.

It works perfectly also for more "Gilmoursih" things. And if you like Radiohead, you can do the same strange sounds Jonny Greenwood does, playing a bit with the feedback.

Now, for more complex delays, maybe you need something different (I mean, here you have just 3 knobs), but this delay is unique, 100% recommended!!!

Awesome delay

It's plain to see why the Carbon Copy is so popular. It's a fantastic sounding analog delay, very simple to use but also surprisingly versatile.

When played clean, it can product a gorgeous chorus-like delay effect with modulation to provide width and body to the sound all the way through to short slap-back delay sounds or small-room reverb, and the internal trim pots are a great addition and allow the speed and depth of the modulation to be adjusted.

Using it with overdriven sounds requires more conservative settings to Keep the sound tasteful, but the Carbon Copy can easily give you a great delay for both rhythm and lead playing.

Build-wise, there's nothing to complain about. It's solid, well-built and great-looking and compact, and a great addition to any pedalboard.

MXR

it's a simple old school analog delay and i love it. the sound quality is TOP.the quality of construction is TOP.

in my mind the real analog delay trails must going darker and darker but if you have dark sounding amp or guitar or more moderns views go with carbon copy bright .

Never getting out of my board

I love delays, own a few, tried a lot of them. The carbon copy has a distinct, unique, dreamy sound. I can't leave without it. It darkens the sound a bit if you power it with a 9 volts so if that's not your thing you can try a 12v which will brighten the repeats.

Thick, dark and simple

The pedal has a dark, thick sound and I use it on a Moog Minitaur. The three dial, two switch layout is uncomplicated and allows me to concentrate on finding a tone more quickly.

The chassis is heavy and the design is a spacey, speckled green and reminds me of a high quality car paint. The dials are resistant, which makes changing settings during recording more smooth.

I was confused about the self oscillation/feedback at first and thought there was an issue with my setup but then learned that it is part of the design and sound. I just keep my delay and regen settings at specific positions if I want to avoid this effect.

If, like me, you want a darker sound, simple design and something from a past age, then I would go with this pedal.

Excellent analog delay!

This pedal is everything I was wishing for, and much more. Very sturdy construction, it was built to last. Very precise adjustment possibilities, and extraordinary sound which fills the room (or space arround you). Works well with overdriven signal also.

I would recomend it to anyone!

Possibly the best analog delay

After trying some other delays (both digital and analog) I had almost given up on the idea of finding one that sounds "organic". Then I bought this on blind faith...It delivers in every way. Spend some extra money and you wont regret it. I use it mainly on my solos live through effects loop. It is amazing. Previously I used digital versions through the PA system. This sounds SOOO much better. Organic :-)

Warm Analog Delay

I purchased this analog delay to use with my Mopho X4 synthesiser. First off, the build quality is excellent, and I'd have little fear of throwing it around without harm (not that I do!)

The sound quality is excellent, and the 'Mod' button really adds a lovely discreet dissonance to the warmness (and often gritty) of the DSI, though I imagine it will do the same for any synthesiser.

Cons:

None

Perfect delay pedal

I did not use analog delay pedals yet, only used delay effects in Boss MFX, this is my first one. Very easy to use, you don't have to care about level adjustment - straight and easy, excellent sound. I believe I will start doing my first pedal-board built of individual pedals.

True analog sound. Naturally and organic. I adore it.

Hey fellow guitar players,

This review will be about the MXR Carbon Copy and will represent my experience and subjective opinion about this wonderful delay pedal.

First things first: The Carbon Copy is far beyond what I imagined it would be like to work with. (FYI this was my first real delay pedal ever. Thus far, I had only digital substitutes.)

My overall impression is really positive. From sound, to handling, to quality and to feeling it is one thing: A pedal with an unique character. Just from the first time I plugged it in and until now after a recent concert I did with it, it never ceased to amaze me. I have it for about 2 months now.

Sound:

Well, I didn't grew up in the late 60s or 70s, but I'm feeling like this is the real deal. It gives me the charming pleasure of warm, wobbling, floating delay sounds with decreasing volume to the end of the delay time. With the "mod" button engaged the soundshape dives into a marvelous chorus/vibrato like mood, which I have on nearly everytime.

In the mix, with other pedals such as reverb or a Volume/Wah turned on, the Carbon Copy stays brilliant and the character of its sound is organically noticable.

It also has pretty sick self-oscillation going on, which always amazes me and never gets out of control!

Features:

It has nothing less or more than needed for a creative use I would say. You can get familiar with its possibilities really quick and theres nothing bad to say about it. Everything works great.

Quality:

Beautiful (spacy green color is soooo fancy), Solid, Heavy. No reason to not love it.

In conclusion, I can only say one thing: I fell in love with it. Give it a shot if you adore analoge sounds and an organic feeling. You will love it.

The price is a bit higher than other brand's delay pedals, but it is reasonable and it is totally worth it!

Enjoy music.