7 modes of delay or tape echo, 8 user presets, a short duration looper, both high pass and low pass filters if desired, fast, slow or no modulation on the repeats, and an input jack for an expression pedal.
The 7 modes include:
- Normal Delay
- Tap Delay
- Auto Delay, (it picks up on your playing rhythm and assigns an appropriate delay time).
- Reverse Delay
- Rhythm Delay, (as you tap ithe foot pedal the Superdelay assigns rhythms of equal to the number of taps, 2X, or 4X the number of taps, dotted quarter notes or triplets or stretching or compressing the set rhythm, or producing delayed notes that start soft and climb in volume as the original played note decreases in volume).
- Vintage Modified Tape Mode, (including vintage tape as new, vintage tape with added wow and flutter, and vintage replication of old, shedding tape and dirty tape heads with added saturation to the repeats).
- Misc. Mode that includes two types of dynamic delay as well as a tap mute mode.
Comes with an easy-to-understand manual and the power suppy. The layout on the face of the pedal is excellent, (the four mini toggle switches are protected from the foot stomp switches, the five control knobs are linear and out of the way, the three footpedal switches are spaced nicely for a pedal that maintains a pedalboard friendly sizing).
This is a pedal that tries very hard to be the best of both worlds, (delay and tape echo). On the delay side of the equation ithe Superdelay is equal to or better than any of the other delay pedal I've owned, (and members here know my affintity for delay). The choices of high or low filters and fast, slow or no modulation on the repeats X the multiple modes makes this devicel an A+ grade delay pedal. Truly .... the best I've ever owned. Better than the H&K Replex. Better than the Disaster Transport. Far better than any of the digital or analog delays you know I already have at my disposal. Everything about this pedal screams quality.
While not really a Con, if I hadn't been assigned the review of the strymon El Capistan dTape echo this past December I would have also ranked the Empress "Vintage Modified" Superdelay #1 in the Tape Echo catagory, too. But, In all honesty, while the selctions available from the three way toggle switches on the Superdelay are excellent, they can't offer the exact "users choice" specifics of the rotary controls on the El Capistan. For myself, the "new" and "old with dropouts" selections from the toggle switch of the Superdelay are excellent, but, I think I could have tweaked a better "middle ground with wow and flutter" with the rotary knob on the El Capistan. In Fairness .... The El Capistan was built to replace a Tube Tape Echo and did so beautifully. As a delay pedal it would have come up short in multiple areas. The Superdelay manages to take first place as a delay pedal and a close second in the Tube Tape Echo catagory. I would very, very highly recommend either as a pedalboard effect device of extremely high quality.
I've owned the "Vintage Modified" Superdelay only long enough to keep myself locked in the studio for over a week. This damn thing's addicting! I've probably put five hours a day on it without a break. So far? It's working!
Steve @ Empress Effects is an honest guy. I've owned his Tremolo pedal for years and conversed with him multiple times when he was first starting out. I've had no issues with the Superdelay since it's purchase and have no doubt that Steve would be there for me if needed.