Boss Pedal Review 64: DD-3 Digital Delay

Описание: Welcome to the Boss Pedal Project! This is my attempt to collect and review every Boss compact pedal ever made.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a review!

Now in partnership with Modd Jobbs: custom mods and pedal repair!

www.moddjobbs.com

See my current Boss collection here:
  / boss_pedal_project  

Episode #64: Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

The Boss DD-3 is one of the most iconic delay pedals, digital or analog, ever made. It has been a staple on pedalboards from the early 80’s to present day. Even with all of the advancements in technology, it is still relevant, and packs a bunch of features in a nice, white, tidy rectangular box.

If you have watched/ read my Boss DD-2 review, you basically know what the DD-3 is about. It has the exact same layout as the DD-2. In fact, until a change in the microchip was made, the DD-2 and early DD-3’s were 100% identical. Once the cost of the original chips became cheaper, Boss decided to pass on the savings to the customer. Rather than lower the price of the DD-2, Boss changed the name of the lower priced pedal to the DD-3. They felt it looked better to release a ‘new’ pedal at a cheaper pricepoint, than it was to discount an already in production pedal.

People make a huge deal about the ‘long chip vs current production’ model of the DD-3. Now, it is true there is a difference in the chips, and it’s an audible difference, but does that difference get lost in the mix? Perhaps; I’ve never actually A/B’ed them before. The pedal I used for the demo was released after Boss stopped using the infamous ‘Long Chip’. It has a blue label, and is made in Taiwan. I didn’t want to do a demo with an early DD-3, since I’d essential be demoing a DD-2.

As I mentioned before, the DD-2 and DD-3 are identical in layout. Knobs include Level, Feedback, Delay Time, and Mode. The Mode knob includes 3 discreet delay time ranges, plus a Hold mode. The hold mode let’s you loop a very short phrase or chord. It’s best to loop a chord, so you have very little record space. You can loop a chord to solo over, ala Eric Johnson, or just for some wacky fun. In the video, I end up adjusting the Delay Time while in Hold mode, which causes silly noises.

Overall, I love the DD-3. It’s a classic, and I would be very happy to have one on my pedalboard. In fact, I use a DSD-2, which is in essence, the same as an early DD-3.

-Cameron Johnson

Music by Atma Weapon
atmaweaponnc.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/atmaweaponnc