DD-7 Digital Delay Review

This pedal seems to be an upgrade of the Boss DD-6, which has been extensively reviewed on this site. It shares a lot of similarities (number and function of the knobs) with this previous model, and adds longer delays and a couple of new features.

Ease of Use:	8.7
Sound:	9.2
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	9.2
Overall rating:	9.1
Users rating:	9.9
Comments:	26

overall: 9

Featured review by: tickler444, on december 10, 2008

Price paid: $ 159

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This pedal seems to be an upgrade of the Boss DD-6, which has been extensively reviewed on this site. It shares a lot of similarities (number and function of the knobs) with this previous model, and adds longer delays and a couple of new features.

For instance, you can now go up to 6.4sec delay (mode 3200ms long), and record up to 40sec in Hold mode to do overdubs or solo rhythms. The Reverse and Warp modes are remnants of the aforementioned DD-6 pedal. New modes include Modulate, which is similar to a chorus effect, and Analog which emulates discontinued DM-2 (analog delay) pedal. One last thing the DD-6 didn't have and that is included here: the tap tempo can be set using an external foot Switch.

The first 3 knobs (Level, F'Back, and D'Time) are standard on pretty much any delay pedal, so it was very intuitive at first to use it straight out of the box. Reading the manual was really helpful to figure out what the 'Mode' knob does, especially regarding the new or unusual features. It even comes with a few recommended settings to get particular sounds. Overall, after reading the manual, you can get a good idea of what this pedal is capable of after a couple hours of playing around.

I haven't tweaked the electronics in any way, I guess the store technicians either, so it has all the stock specs. // 9

Sound: I play a Gibson LP Classic and a Schecter Damien through a Boss OS-2 (Overdrive/Distortion) and Line 6 Spider II 30W amp. I don't get any noise when using this pedal. The intensity of the effects can be readily tuned with the first 3 knobs, so the quality of the sound is easily adjusted.

My favorite feature is the Hold mode, which provides the ability of recording pretty long riffs, and playing them in loop. I tried recording a clean riff, then kicked in some distortion and soloed over it. It sounds pretty nice. The Reverse mode is really cool too; it creates crazy moods like from late 60's / early 70's psychedelic rock.

I just wish there were a tap tempo mode that would not require a separate foot Switch (e.g. Boss FS-5U) and/or expression pedal (e.g. Boss EV-5). // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's the usual Boss pedal design: reliable electronic enclosed in a sturdy metal casing. You can drop it, kick it,... (within reasonable limits, of course), and it's not going to suffer.

The only concern is the battery life. Make sure you unplug the input cable, or you'll run out of power within a couple of hours. Otherwise, if you play Live a lot, use the power adapter. // 9

Impression: I have been playing for about 5 years, anything from classic rock (Aerosmith, Black Sabbath) to modern-day metal (Mastodon, Lamb Of God). The pedal comes with so many modes, that after playing with the knobs a few seconds, you can get any delay. Again, my favorite feature is a the Hold mode

Before buying it, I asked a guitar tech to show me the new features, then I played a bit with it. I didn't really compare it to delay pedals from other manufacturers. I simply went for the Boss brand name, because it is so popular and gets great reviews. If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely by another one. The many built-in features and overall quality justify the price. I guess the only thing it needs is the tap tempo mode, but a simple foot Switch can take care of that. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: tryhonesty, on december 15, 2008

Price paid: C$ 179.99

Purchased from: Music World

Ease of Use: It is so unbeleivably easy to get this pedal to sound fantastic. I haven't had mine for too long but this thing sounds great.The manual is also easy to use too.it says very simply how to get it working. It only took me 5 minutes to understand how to use it, and about a half hour until I found my best combination of feedback, delay time ect. // 9

Sound: The DD-7 Has fantastic sound with pretty much any setup. I used this with my Friends les Paul and a different friends SG and it sound great still.It is really hard to get the sound of other guitarists without looking at their pedals themselves, but it is doable. I tried to get the same sound as Slash on welcome to The Jungle. It took me a while But I did get it.The Pedal has lots of features. Here's a list of what it has:

-2 inputs/outputs
-Lelel
-Feedback
-Delay Time
-Hold
-Reverse
-Analog
-Modulate
-and length of delay // 8

Reliability & Durability: This is my only pedal, so I would have to go to as gig using this with no backup. but I wouldn't be worried at all that it would break becuase( like all Boss Pedals) this thing is built like a tank. It's probably going to be the longest lasting pedal you'll ever get or use. // 10

Impression: The Boss DD-7 is great for almost everything that I play. I play some soft stuff, and some heavey metal, and this compact pedal does everything I want a delay pedal to do.I Play a Fender Strat with it and a Peavey amplifier. it's a great match.If this was stolen, I would get another one right away becuase this is my only Delay Pedal. I have no Backup so this is my main Delay.The only thing I wish it had was longer battery life, the thing only lasts for 6 hours on a 9V battary. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: XxNickAttackxX, on april 29, 2009

Price paid: $ 170

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: If you want to be able to change your sound on stage in the blink of an eye this is the pedal. It's definitely easier to use then the other delay pedals I've used. Everyone says that the new Line 6 delay is the best on the market, well I think the dd-7 is way better for stage performance. The only thing I don't like is the price on it. But it's a small price to pay for the sound it puts out. // 9

Sound: I currently am using a Line 6 30 Watt Spider III Amp, with a Epiphone Les Paul Remake which isn't a good setup at all, I've used a Fender Telecaster through both though and it sounds incredible, The DD7 can change the sound of anything and improve it. You could sing through it if you wanted. You can get a very good Coheed And Cambria or Pink Floyd Sound out of this pedal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I depend on it. I use a power supply with it. I have never taken a back up for this pedal, I would never replace it either. it's so amazing. It's my best pedal on my board hands down. It goes good with a compression sustainer, and a tremolo or phaser, and I usually use my blues driver and super Overdrive with it. // 10

Impression: I play- Worship, Blues, Alternative, Jazz, and Hardcore. it's good for all of the above. I've been playing for 5 years now, The Boss Pedals I own consist of: DD-7, Super Overdrive, Mega Distortion, Compression Sustain2, Blues Driver, and Tremolo, I also use a Lyon Wah pedal, about to replace it with the Boss Wah/Distortion Pedal.

Definitely play with the extra effects that the DD3 doesn't have before you buy this you may not need the DD7. The DD3 is also a great pedal. If this pedal was stolen from me I would just go buy it again. I love everything about it, and Hate Nothing about it(except for maybe the price tag) my favorite feature would be the analog delay it has on it.

I compared it with the Line6 Delay and The Boss DD3- I chose the DD7 because it had The Analog Delay, Modulater, And Reverse, And A Longer Loop than the DD3, I Didn't get the Line 6 Delay because of it's hard to use stage presence it has. I can use it for recording and stuff but for on stage the DD7 owns the house. it's pretty "Boss" Haha. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Mitchell?, on march 13, 2009

Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Ease of Use: Although it looks complicated, the Boss DD-7 is easy to get a great delay out of. Start with all knobs at noon, then tweak your delay time, and feedback, you'll soon Zoom in on your perfect delay. I use a FS-5U with it to use the tap-tempo function easier, and this makes it really easy to incorporate the DD-7 into any song.

The manual that it comes with is really helpful, and explains all the functions (trust me, there are quite a few) really well. // 9

Sound: I use it in front of a Vox AC15 with a PRS SE Semi-hollow (two humbucker, mahogany body guitar) with a Big Muff, Crunch Box, and OCD. It sounds great for any delay application, from shred solos to Indie-ambient music.

It's not noisy, and I use it on a 1 Spot with four other pedals. I love it for ambient delays, which super long repeats. The DD-7 will give you squeaky-clean repeats for nearly forever, so it's great for anything you need lots of delay for. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It looks pretty reliable, I haven't used any Boss products before though. I wouldn't be afraid to gig without a backup with this pedal, it looks as tough as the rest of my pedals. It looks as it'll handle any road abuse you throw at it, as opposed to other delays I looked at. // 9

Impression: I play everything from Miles Davis, to Slayer, and the DD-7 keeps up every step of the way. It works for fattening up those shred solos, or adding some eerie vibes and ambience to Indie stuff. Great for any delay application, with all the modes it has.

I kind've wished there was some way to save presets, like other delay pedals I looked at (DL4, Nova Delay, Stereo Memory Man), but with the tap tempo it's easy to incorporate the DD-7 everywhere, with minor knob-turning if you really want to change the feedback and such.

The reason I picked this over the Line 6 DL-4, the TC Electronic ND-1, and the EHX Stereo Memory Man is because 1) DD-7 is small 2)can power off a 1 Spot with no adaptors and things 3) Does regular delays great (which I loved in the Nova Delay) and does crazy stuff great too (which I loved in the Stereo Memory Man) so it covers everything I need. 3) Durable. I was afraid of the big display on the Nova, and Switch problems on the DL-4 4) Reverse. I didn't like the reverse echo on the DL-4

If this was stolen, I'd have to buy another, it just opens up too many options sound-wise for me to go without it.

Overall, I'm glad I chose the DD-7, it covers everything I need, and it's cheaper than the other delays I looked at. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: MrFlibble, on january 19, 2009

Price paid: £ 120

Purchased from: Duck, Son & Pinker

Ease of Use: This is Boss' foremost Digital Delay pedal. This is probably the best delay unit I've ever come across, though that's not to say it's flawless.

The main problem this pedal has is it can get a little confusing. It has many modes, which I'll explain later, but the core modes - the basic repeating delay - overlap each other, so you can have a hard time working out which to settle on. For example, you can have it set to 800ms delay, but then turn the delay time knob all the way and now it's delaying at 3200ms, the same as the basic 3200ms setting - so which do you use? The manual does little to help this, really you've got to experiment with your full gear to work out which exact setting gets you the right tone you want. Even when two settings are supposed to act the same they will sound slightly differently. Lord help you if you ever get this in the right position then someone else comes and messes around with it - you'll probably never get your correct settings back again. The tap tempo and hold settings are also misleading, more on that later. // 6

Sound: The general sound of the basic delay is very good. It does what it needs to; it takes your signal then repeats it at lessening volumes at the speed and number of times you tell it to. There's not really much else to say in this respect, it's simply a really good delay pedal.

The things to talk about are what I call the 'bonus' modes. There are five extra settings this pedal has which make it stand out, and these each provide a very different sound from the typical delay pedal effect. The first is a Modulation tone. This works like the regular delay, but it adds a slight chorus effect. This isn't as good as getting a dedicated chorus pedal and using that with the DD-7 at the same time, but if you want to turn delay and chorus on at the same time or don't have the room for two pedals, this does a more than good enough job. You have to be careful though as this effect is rather strong. The second is an Analog Delay tone. This is a digital copy of the older analog delay pedals Boss used to make. It adds slight tonal variations to each repeat in the delay, increasing/decreasing treble or bass, and every once in a while it will change to a weaker version of the Modulation's chorus effect. It's a very interesting effect and great with calmer, traditional styles of music, though it's a bit too random to 'trust' for precise metal playing or so on.
Third effect is the hold effect. This is basically a 40 second loop. The pedal will record up to 40 seconds of playing, and loop it. You can then record over the top of this and have both recordings combined into one loop, then add a third, a forth, a fifth... This is a handy little feature to mess around with but it's basically useless. If you wanted this sort of thing you'd be much better off with an actual loop pedal. So this mode is fun for messing around with for 40 seconds at home, otherwise useless.

Fourth, and similar to the last feature, is tap tempo. This lets you 'stamp in' the delay you want; you stamp once to start, stamp a second time, and whatever gap you left between is the time repeats are delayed by. Like the Hold function, this is okay, but I doubt many people will get much use from it. You can't Switch in and out of it like you can with the regular delay and I can't imagine many situations where you would have to ad-lib your delay time. The final mode is Reverse mode. This takes whatever you are playing and instantly reverses it. This can then either be heard as a 'reverse echo' like a regular delay, or you can set it so the reverse signal comes out instantly and your original signal isn't heard; this makes it sound almost like you're playing the guitar backwards. It's pretty nice and works well with no obvious LAG, though it seems to suffer with full open and barre chords. Very handy if you play psychedelic rock.

There's no obvious noise or anything when using this pedal. Overall the sound is very good, the best delay I've heard and the extra modes have some nice sounds too if you fancy something a bit different. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's a Boss pedal, what else is there to say? Doesn't seem quite so sturdy as a DigiTech pedal which are a little bit bigger and heavier, but I wouldn't really trust this one any less. Be aware though that this thing goes through batteries very quickly even with minimal use. You're going to need a mains plug for this one. // 8

Impression: What else is there to say? If you want a good delay effect in a stompbox, this is the best around, simple as that. My only closing thoughts are I wish there was a way to quickly Switch between a couple of settings as remembering exactly where each knob has to be for different effects can be hard (and it really is only the tiniest movement of one knob that can make a huge difference to the sound), but that wouldn't really be possible in stompbox housing so that's fine. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: killerscorpion, on december 11, 2008

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: It is like a DD-6 but slightly upgraded. It has a new modulate mode that sounds like a natural chorus effect. It also has a analog setting like the old Boss pedal. It has the 3 knobs found on most Boss pedals: E.level, D.Time, and F.Back. It is easy to get the sound you are looking for if you know what kind of sound you want. // 10

Sound: I play a Epiphone Les Paul througha Kustom 15w amp. It sound very good. I usually us a DS-1 with it also and it really makes my guitar sound a lot better. Sometimes I think I use my delay too much but it just makes everything sound that much better. I use a lot of it too. It never seems to make a lot of noise either. I always have it on and I can never hear any hum or his. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Its a Boss, you can always depend on it. You can throw these step on them kick them almost anything(to a reasonable limit). I would definitly use it maybe with a backup just in case. But I don't think I would need one. I would like to have a backup to get different sound while playing. I could just turn one off and get different delays. // 10

Impression: I like to play a lot of classicrock clean sounds nice sounding music but I also like heavy rock and some older metal(Dio, System Of A Down) It works great with all of them.
If it were stolen or lost I would get one instatly. My favorite feature is probably modulate becuse it's like two pedals in one.( Chorus Delay). // 10

Comments

[MuseAddict123]

you can tap tempo with just the pedal just hold for 2 sec then tap the tempo and hold another 2 sec.i am can wait to try the expression pedal with i personally.

[MuseAddict123]

sorry just read what i wrote i mean i can't wiait to try it with a expression pedal and changing the volume of the delay

[Mandalic]

Hey good review! Just one thing: You can only loop yourself up to 7 sec. (ence the name "DD-7")... Either that or mine is malfunctioning : )... Wich I hope not!!!

Cheers!

[Key Master]

Mandalic wrote:

Hey good review! Just one thing: You can only loop yourself up to 7 sec. (ence the name "DD-7")... Either that or mine is malfunctioning : )... Wich I hope not!!!

Cheers!

nope its 40

[BlisteringDDj]

Great pedal, I'm getting one after X-mas together with the Super Shifter.

[arpreshio]

doesnt a gt-8 or gt-10 have these features and a whole lot more for just 350 more $?

[Cutlass_253]

But that's a multi effects processor, which is good for practice but suck if you're actually trying to perform.

[A Poe]

How is a multi effects processor bad for performing live?? Ive seen many professional musicains using multieffects processors

[tdrules]

A Poe wrote:

How is a multi effects processor bad for performing live?? Ive seen many professional musicains using multieffects processors

hmm most ive seen have all their pedals set up in a rack then have a controller at the front, that may look similar to a multi fx processor

[David_Bowie=GOD]

to the person who wrote this review, how do you have such good guitars yet a pretty bad, cheap amp?

[tickler444]

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:
to the person who wrote this review, how do you have such good guitars yet a pretty bad, cheap amp?

to David Bowie: I got these guitars very recently, and am selling this amp before Christmas. I'm gonna get a 50W and 100W, with valves.
And the Line 6 Spider 30W is not that bad. I mean I really liked it as a beginner. You get built-in effects, and different amounts of gain, which is pretty cool to start with.

[KrispyX]

3 Words:
BIG SUR MOON!!!!

[Unforgiven87]

tdrules wrote:

A Poe wrote:

How is a multi effects processor bad for performing live?? Ive seen many professional musicains using multieffects processors

hmm most ive seen have all their pedals set up in a rack then have a controller at the front, that may look similar to a multi fx processor

yeah, they use them in a rack. about 4% of professionals would use a multi-effects processor lol.

[Unforgiven87]

KrispyX wrote:

3 Words:
BIG SUR MOON!!!!

+1. Buckethead ftw.

[mashedpotatoes]

Unforgiven87 wrote:

KrispyX wrote:

3 Words:
BIG SUR MOON!!!!

+1. Buckethead ftw.

+2

[gibson522]

gonna be honest i dont dig boss delay im much more of a fan of the electro harmonix memory man

[brkwdballer1891]

i have this pedal and MAN.. it's a killer.. i can get anything from the classic DM-2 analog.. to the dotted eighth from hillsong/ u2.. and the modulate is awesome as well! its a great delay and i love the hold feature!
BUY IT! YOU WON'T REGRET

[brkwdballer1891]

and the guy who reviewed this is a dumbass.. you hold it down for 2 seconds.. tap in the tempo.. idiot..

[jmooney1]

this is a great delay every thing you could want in a delay a great buy for sure nothin i would change about i

[tickler444]

brkwdballer1891 wrote:
and the guy who reviewed this is a dumbass.. you hold it down for 2 seconds.. tap in the tempo.. idiot..

First, you're not writing anything new: the 1st comment was reminding me of the tap delay function.
Second, you don't need to be insulting. I can get the message without you being rude.

[Roopelatvalafan]

Hmmm well.. ussually i am looking for the "bad" reviews when buying guitar stuff.. but can't seem to find one... now is that a good or a negative sign :P?

[Key Master]

The DD-7 is a good pedal, I like mine a lot.

[XxNickAttackxX]

tickler444 wrote:

David_Bowie=GOD wrote:
to the person who wrote this review, how do you have such good guitars yet a pretty bad, cheap amp?

to David Bowie: I got these guitars very recently, and am selling this amp before Christmas. I'm gonna get a 50W and 100W, with valves.
And the Line 6 Spider 30W is not that bad. I mean I really liked it as a beginner. You get built-in effects, and different amounts of gain, which is pretty cool to start with.

I love that amp i Use it on stage its not bad just small. But i'm replacing it with a BadCat Tube Amp or A Fender Blues Combo Tube Amp

[demitriv]

Why is this one better than the ones before it?

[philwhite]

demitriv wrote:
Why is this one better than the ones before it?

Slightly longer delay and a couple of features. I just got one. I haven't had much time to play with it but its a fun pedal and pretty easy to use. The reviewer who mentioned some of it is redundant is correct though.

[HarvesterofPain]

Great delay pedal, but as stated: Battery life is horrible, so use the adapter whenever possible.