Pedal voyeurism is nothing new around here, and it continues; after much searching, I think my delay narrowed down to a top contender.
Originally, I had been looking for analog delay, and was looking at the DMB Lunar Echo. (Coincidentally, also the name of my favorite, long-unavailable, standard Boulevard brew.) After Drew’s experience with a Keeley-modded AD-9, though (awesome on guitar, no good for vocal production or other studio trickery due to limited high frequencies), I started over, open to digital delay.
My criteria: good for vocal production (to duplicate what we do with Drew’s Fulltone TTE), ability to do both dirtier and cleaner echos, and bonus points for an infinite feedback switch. There’s a ton of great stuff out there, and if I was just getting a guitar delay, I’d probably go with the TC Electronic Flashback.
But for tape sound, short of the real thing (more than a grand just to play ball, and a bear to maintain), I’ve got my heart set on the Strymon El Capistan.
Beautiful sound, so many knobs, super-clean tape (still tape-y, though) to nearly wrecked, plus infinite feedback; it has to be. As soon as I need it for a project, I’m ready.