anyone like the old Ibanez/Maxon AD80s? (analog delay)

[i love sharin foo]

I've wanted one for a long time now, but have never gone for it. I think I might buy one soon.

For anyone who has one:

Are they fairly dark sounding?

does the added headroom from 18v make much of a difference?

The max delay time is around 300ms, isn't it?



Justin.

**edited for inebriated spelling mistakes

[i love sharin foo]

Okay, I just bought one. It is an old Maxon AD-80. So, I should be able to answer all of my own questions shortly. It's coming from Japan. I'll post my thoughts on it after it gets here.

Justin

[Stereordinary]

Wow!  You got like the rarest of the rare AD-80!  If you don't mind, how much did it run you?

[i love sharin foo]

Thanks    I paid a hair over $200 for it. I know that I've seen the Ibanez branded ones go for that much too, so I figured the Maxon should be worth at least as much as they are. I really can't wait to get it    Right now, I've got a DM-3 on my board which I like, but I'm hoping this one to be more what I'm looking for.

Justin

[Stereordinary]

Oh man, $200 !?!  That's about $100 less than I've ever seen one of those sell for.  Great buy.  If you find another one at that price let me know!

I bet you'll like it better than the DM-3.  The AD-80 has the famous MN3005 chip in it which is known for it's classic bucket-brigade tone.  The DM-3 has the later MN3208, which people say sounds good, but the delay time is more limited.  You'd have to use two MN3208s to get the full badassness of one MN3005.

[daydreamdelay]

nice score... review expected! 

[i love sharin foo]

nice score... review expected! 

Definitely 

First  though, I'll need to get an 18 volt power supply for it. I might get a DC brick or something (which has 3 18v outs) because I'm always needing more outlets on my PP2    While I'm at it, do any of youguys knowif the AD80 uses a positive or negative tip power supply? It very well could be printed beside the jack on the pedal, but I don't have it yet 

Justin

[burker]

Thats awesome, you should post sound samples when it arrives..... I really dig the font they used for the "analog delay"

[i love sharin foo]

Well it's here  . I don't really know what to say other than it's amazing. It doesn't have much delay time (probably under 300ms or so it seems), but it still  fills up so much space. It's really dark and thick, but it isn't sludgy and jumbled up. The Boss DM-3 I have sounds really thin and metallic in comparison (though it still has it's uses too). Compared to the longer settings on the Moog, the AD80 is probably almost as dark, but a little more present. The Moog can almost blend into an undertow of ambience, where the AD80 is always easier to pick out. But to be fair, the extra 700ms or so on the Moog make one hell of a difference. If the AD900s sound like this AD80, then I can understand why they are so well liked!

Justin

[zhivago]

Well it's here  . I don't really know what to say other than it's amazing. It doesn't have much delay time (probably under 300ms or so it seems), but it still  fills up so much space. It's really dark and thick, but it isn't sludgy and jumbled up. The Boss DM-3 I have sounds really thin and metallic in comparison (though it still has it's uses too). Compared to the longer settings on the Moog, the AD80 is probably almost as dark, but a little more present. The Moog can almost blend into an undertow of ambience, where the AD80 is always easier to pick out. But to be fair, the extra 700ms or so on the Moog make one hell of a difference. If the AD900s sound like this AD80, then I can understand why they are so well liked!

Justin

sounds a lot like my AD900....mine's the 2-chip version, which I'm not sure if it sounds that much different than the usual 4-chip

I think I'm gonna have to buy a backup AD900 at some point...just in case!

[Blobcaster]

i was using a DC brick with my AD-80,got it just for the AD-80 wich goes though batts fast,always freaks me me out when i plug in the male adapter to the pedal i get a little spark if it touches the pedal  .that's one pedal that i won't be selling even though it hasn't been getting much use lately.you can tweak the time trimmer for more time,i think i'm getting around 400 + MS.
DO NOT MESS WITH THE OTHER TWO TRIMMERS BIAS AND REGAIN I THINK THEY WERE .

[i love sharin foo]

DO NOT MESS WITH THE OTHER TWO TRIMMERS BIAS AND REGAIN I THINK THEY WERE .

I'm guessing you found out the hard way!? I have/ have had lots of different delays, but this one is quickly turning out to be one of my favorites. It and the Moog analog delay are all I really need to do what I like, I think.

So how is the power jack wired on the AD80? Is it a positive tip or the standard negative like most other pedals? Mine doesn't have the sticker on the bottom plate anymore, so I am guessing it had a diagram on there stating this 

Justin

[Blobcaster]

no not on my AD-80,i did turn the bias on a DM-2 on accident once though  ,was able to get it right back though because i realized right away and remembered were it was.yours have the black square tap?mine has the sliver circle nut in washer type tap thingy,wich would be + tip?you got EXP pedals  for the Moog,i'm running two with an 104SD  ?

[i love sharin foo]

Mine has the black plastic jack, so I'm guessing it is negative tip. I think I'll pull the bottom plate off and look at the wiring inside to verify before I try connecting a power supply though. I've been running it off of batteries since I got it.

I have just one Moog expression pedal. I usually use it with the MF-102 though. I never really found it to be useful with the 104. It was kind of nice to control the regeneration with it though. The delays on that pedal are so dark that I never really adjust the time around too much. I think the more crisp a delay sounds, the more I feel the need to sync it up precisely. I usually use about 700-800ms with just about as many repeats as I can get without oscillation. Trebly gain pedals do tend to push it over that threshold though   

There was a 104SD on eBay a few weeks ago for like $650 or somewhere around that. I wanted to get it real badly because I just have the 104Z. In the end I didn't go for it mainly because I couldn't afford it but also because I don't really use the full second on the one I have.

Justin

[mezcalhead]

I think the more crisp a delay sounds, the more I feel the need to sync it up precisely.

You know, that's an excellent observation.

I was thinking about the Ibanez and Maxon delays .. I don't really have a grip on all the different model numbers, what chips they use, which are old or RI, which are long/short and so on .. I think there are a few with different numbers but essentially the same circuit .. can anyone in the know clue me in?