Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

[Tony_H]

Hi all,
I just struck a deal for this pedal, it should be in the mail tomorrow. I did my Harmony Central search and I also know that Mike McCready of Pearl Jam uses one, but I'd love to hear from you: your experience, comments, concerns, SWOT?

Thanks

Tony

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I just know that they regularly go for small fortunes on ebay! A lot of people must really like them . . .

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I had one 20 years ago, on a pedalboard that was stolen (along with the van and all the rest of our gear). When I built the replacement, the analog delay was a thing of the past, and I used a Boss digital delay. The digital was brighter, so the repeats tended to get in the way of the up dry signal. I'd have to compensate by turning the wet/dry mix down a bit, but it wasn't the same. The DM-3 was a more natural-sounding echo. It only goes out to a bit over 300 mSec, but that's all I ever needed.

Fast forward to 2005: Trying to re-create my sound from 1984 on the cheap, I recently bought a slightly used Rocktron "Short Timer" digital delay pedal. It's supposedly voiced more like a analog pedal. I think maybe they're gone too far in the lo-fi direction, and I find myself turning the wet mix UP to let the delays cut through. I think if I had my old DM-3 here today for a side-by-side comparison, the DM-3 would win. BUT, I have a thing against paying big $$$ for 20-year-old stompboxes, when I can get "close enough" for only $27. (The Short Timer goes for about $55 new.)

The other downside to the Short Timer is that it's huge, but since it's green, it brings back fond memories of my first analog delay: a late-70's MXR. That was another great-sounding pedal, and I only replaced it with the DM-3 to save space.

Short version: yes, the DM-3 was a great pedal, but for the kind of bucks it brings today, there are a lot of more modern alternatives.

 

[Imp]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

they're all MIJ AFAIK.. if you paid less than $50, you got yourself a pretty spectacular bargain

i'd love one - i've gotta a danelectro dan-echo and my DD-3 just collects dust now, dan echo can do everything the DD-3 can, but with a longer delay time and a hi-cut control

i hate the smaller dano pedals (that tuner they do, godDAMN lol) but i do like the bigger ones now..
tom

 

[Tony_H]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

they're all MIJ AFAIK.. if you paid less than $50, you got yourself a pretty spectacular bargain

Um ... no. I'm paying CZK 3200, which is like 128 dollars. About as much as or more than what one pays for them on Ebay. Then again it was a costly import here, and now that it's not made anymore it's "vintage" on top... oh well.

i'd love one - i've gotta a danelectro dan-echo and my DD-3 just collects dust now, dan echo can do everything the DD-3 can, but with a longer delay time and a hi-cut control

Well the Dan-echo costs less new and I was told it sounds rather analog for a digital pedal. But I want to use my delay pedal in the FX loop; I tried the cheapo Dano PBJ delay and it sucks tone so that it's unusable in the loop. I realise the Dan-echo is a different beast but I'm afraid it could do this as well, and I haven't tried it with my amp to be sure what it does.

I also considered buying the DD-3 but it costs close to 165 dollars new here. I had a DD-2 and it affected the tone even when switched off - there was still a bit of that digital "shimmer" in the tone. Well I was told the DD-3 is basically the DD-2 offering longer delay times, so I'm not considering it now.

i hate the smaller dano pedals (that tuner they do, godDAMN lol) but i do like the bigger ones now..
tom

I love the Daddy-O overdrive, and I TOTALLY DIG the cheapo Pepperoni Phaser - in fact I'm having it rewired for true bypass and I'm putting it on my pedalboard. The rest of them ... the Grilled Cheese is cheesy in a good way (pardon the pun) and the PBJ is just too digital-sounding. I didn't like the French Toast octave or the Tuna Melt tremolo that much.

Thanks for your input!
Tony

 

[Tony_H]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I had one 20 years ago, on a pedalboard that was stolen (along with the van and all the rest of our gear). When I built the replacement, the analog delay was a thing of the past, and I used a Boss digital delay. The digital was brighter, so the repeats tended to get in the way of the up dry signal. I'd have to compensate by turning the wet/dry mix down a bit, but it wasn't the same. The DM-3 was a more natural-sounding echo. It only goes out to a bit over 300 mSec, but that's all I ever needed.

Fast forward to 2005: Trying to re-create my sound from 1984 on the cheap, I recently bought a slightly used Rocktron "Short Timer" digital delay pedal. It's supposedly voiced more like a analog pedal. I think maybe they're gone too far in the lo-fi direction, and I find myself turning the wet mix UP to let the delays cut through. I think if I had my old DM-3 here today for a side-by-side comparison, the DM-3 would win. BUT, I have a thing against paying big $$$ for 20-year-old stompboxes, when I can get "close enough" for only $27. (The Short Timer goes for about $55 new.)

The other downside to the Short Timer is that it's huge, but since it's green, it brings back fond memories of my first analog delay: a late-70's MXR. That was another great-sounding pedal, and I only replaced it with the DM-3 to save space.

Short version: yes, the DM-3 was a great pedal, but for the kind of bucks it brings today, there are a lot of more modern alternatives.

I think I'm not an "analog snob". I'd go digital if it sounded good to me. But since I've learned that Mike McCready uses a DM-3, I want it. I'm not a McCready nut but I dig Pearl Jam and some of the effects I hear on their records are just beautifully sick, so being able to come close is intriguing. On top of that, I have a Zoom UF-1 Ultra Fuzz pedal which can also oscillate when set right. I want to see what these two beasts can do together and unleash some mayhem ...until my bandmates start beating on me

 

[Imp]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

Um ... no. I'm paying CZK 3200, which is like 128 dollars. About as much as or more than what one pays for them on Ebay. Then again it was a costly import here, and now that it's not made anymore it's "vintage" on top... oh well.

ahh, i thought you were in US.. i dunno what the used rate is like in czech, in the UK that is what you'd pay for a clean DM-3, easy

I also considered buying the DD-3 but it costs close to 165 dollars new here. I had a DD-2 and it affected the tone even when switched off - there was still a bit of that digital "shimmer" in the tone. Well I was told the DD-3 is basically the DD-2 offering longer delay times, so I'm not considering it now.

that sounds about right, the DD-3 sounds 'clanky' to me a mod does exist for it (i bought all the indyguitarist mods), but it didnt really do all that much for me.. and you're close to the DD-2/3 difference - they are EXACTLY the same pedal. in 1986 the price of the memory chip the DD-2 needed dropped sharply.. to avoid an embarrasing price drop, Boss released the DD-3 as a repackaged DD-2, but with the new, cheaper (identical) chips

www.bossarea.com... <----- fave site on boss

tom

 

[Imp]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I think I'm not an "analog snob". I'd go digital if it sounded good to me. But since I've learned that Mike McCready uses a DM-3, I want it. I'm not a McCready nut but I dig Pearl Jam and some of the effects I hear on their records are just beautifully sick, so being able to come close is intriguing. On top of that, I have a Zoom UF-1 Ultra Fuzz pedal which can also oscillate when set right. I want to see what these two beasts can do together and unleash some mayhem ...until my bandmates start beating on me

i love finding oddball sounds like that - i havnt sold my DD-3 yet, so i've sat with the danecho and the DD-3 in series - asymmetrical delays

tom

 

[Tony_H]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

ahh, i thought you were in US.. i dunno what the used rate is like in czech, in the UK that is what you'd pay for a clean DM-3, easy

www.bossarea.com... <----- fave site on boss
tom

Well the soon-to-be-mine specimen is pretty clean if I can trust the photo, and it comes from circles that I trust.

And as for bossarea.com - thanks for the link, in fact I went to the site this morning when google gave me the link.

Tony

 

[lpmarshall]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I bought the Ibanez AD-9 reissue a month back and I'm digging it so far. It runs about $130 and will do 300ms just like the DM-3. I'm hoping it will drive down the prices of the DM-3's, they have been fetching over $200 on ebay it seems.

I haven't had the chance to compare them side by side, but the AD-9 fits well for me. I originally looked at getting a DM-3 but the price drove me away. Cuts through the band mix pretty well too.

 

[Tony_H]

Re: Boss DM-3 Analog Delay - anyone?

I bought the Ibanez AD-9 reissue a month back and I'm digging it so far. It runs about $130 and will do 300ms just like the DM-3. I'm hoping it will drive down the prices of the DM-3's, they have been fetching over $200 on ebay it seems.

I haven't had the chance to compare them side by side, but the AD-9 fits well for me. I originally looked at getting a DM-3 but the price drove me away. Cuts through the band mix pretty well too.

Over 200 dollars you say? Well the auctions I saw had not ended yet, but they were all about a 100-dollar mark (from 88 to 128). In that case, I guess, I got a good deal.