Cost: $149.99
This pedal was purchased for personal use and review and has long been a staple of my pedal board.
How It Works and Final Score: 8.7
Capable of both short and long delay, the Carbon Copy is a must have delay pedal for modern guitarists. The true bypass pedal features three control knobs; Regen, Mix, and Delay, as well as a modulation switch. With up to 600 ms of delay, there are not shortage of delay options within the Carbon Copy. Check out the brief rundown of the controls below
Regen: controls the number of delay repeats
Mix: control the dry/wet blend
Delay: controls the delay time
Mod: on/off switch to add modulation effect to deepen tone
Sound: 8
The tonal options alone make this pedal fantastic, but the sound is what puts it over the top. From slap-back to long, David Gilmour lead guitar delay, this pedal can do it all. Even Joshua Tree era-U2 sounds pour out of this diverse pedal, which has inspired me time and time again since I bought it. The modulation switch adds just a bit of depth and character to your tone, without completely highjacking it. It’s not too far from the sounds of the very popular EHX Memory Man modulation, adding a slight chorus effect. Overall, this pedal is a modern take on some of the most classic delay sounds. While it doesn’t have a reverse feature or built in reverb like some of its competitors, it’s the ideal delay pedal for lead guitar players who like simplicity.
Even cooler, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can crack open the pedal and further modify two Trim pots to help dial in the perfect repeating tone. When you crank the Regen knob, the pedal howls out sonic brutality that would inspire even the staunchest shoe-gazer. One of the best ways to describe the delay sounds is, warm, it doesn’t play like a copy, recreation, or cheap digital repeat. The length of the delay is also impressive, as moving the knob towards 5 o’clock creates interesting atmospheric options. Personally, I think the lead tone sounds best around 1 o’clock, leaving plenty of room for your delay while not taking up too much space.
Durability: 10
I have now owned this lovely pedal for several years without a single incident or concern. Not only does MXR and Jim Dunlop have a long history of tonal excellence, but also reliability and durability. All the knobs respond the same way and turn with ease just like when I took it out of the box. Furthermore, there’s been no popping or crackling, no matter how much of a beating it has took. The Carbon Copy is also really compact, about the size of the well known Phase 90 pedal, so it doesn’t take up too much space on your board.
Value: 8
While I’m definitely crazy about this pedal, it is not necessarily a cheap pedal, coming in at $149.99. The pedal is also fairly stripped down compared to other popular delays from Line 6 or EHX. At the end of the day, you won’t regret purchasing the Carbon Copy at all, but it also isn’t cheap enough that most people will go out and purchase it on a whim. That means it still gets high marks for value, as it packs a ton of great sounds into a non-boutique price, but doesn’t quite get into that 10/10 range that insanely under-appreciated pedals get.
