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There's a lot of great mid-range analog delay pedals out there now. And anyone wanting to get a new & decently priced analog delay is usually torn between three pedals at the $150 price point. That's the MXR Carbon Copy, the Malekko Ekko 616, & the Way Huge Aqua Puss MkII. All three are priced at roughly 150 usd (online price in the states). The following are my comments on the Aqua Puss (plus a brief comparison with the carbon copy).
It looks cool!
of the three, this one has a lot of vibe in its looks. The cc and the 616 kinda look the same (rectangular shape). I like this anodized aluminum look. The pics don't do it justice. (Bagay sa tabi ng El Cap pati riot
)
I got hooked on the analog delay sound way back (years ago, one of my first encounters with analog delays was an old Ibanez analog delay. and i loved it!) I've always wanted to try this one out (before they came out with this reissue). But they were selling at klon prices!
I waited for this ->Some people on foreign forums got this reissue and did a/b tests with the originals they owned and said that there was virtually no difference at all. I was sold. People also verified that John Mayer and Brad Paisley(his original got destroyed in a flood) used these reissues along with/instead of their originals.
This is really warm and..
musical. It sounds really full (not like a lot of delays I've tried/heard). The repeats decay just right. And the controls are pretty responsive. All in all, it's what an analog delay should be. Some people complain that it's only got 300 ms of delay, compared to the 600 ms that the 616 and cc have. I have to say that for
my uses, it's enough. Can't imagine anyone using an analog delay at settings more than 300 ms unless you're going for something textural or experimental. You can use this for a great slapback sound, and some longer & really warm delay sounds. You can get some reverb-like echo tones too. Besides, when you set the cc at more than 300 ms, the sound isn't as great anyway.
This brings me to the comparison between this and the cc. Note that i didn't have them at the same time together. So i'll be going by memory. (I had the cc because i borrowed one to try it out. But i had it long enough to get to know the pedal & put it through its paces). The Aqua Puss kills it. As an analog delay pedal, the cc just doesn't measure up to it. The Aqua Puss seemed warmer, fuller, & more usable. The cc sounded pretty dark compared to this one (no, the ap isn't bright at all, I use it with singlecoils). The cc is also a tad bit muddier. Unless you really have to have modulation built-in with the delay, I don't see why the cc would be a better choice. The modulation on it wasn't very usable anyway, imho. Just use a separate pedal for modulation
I haven't tried the 616, so I can't comment on that one. I'd imagine that it's better than the cc. Would be cool if I could a/b it with this one, but, for now, I'm happy with the AP.
Possible issues (not really issues to me, but it might be for some)
- It's got the jacks on top. I'm fine with that since I have a lot of space on my board. However, I do know that some people like them at the side.
- I think it takes up some more space than the cc. But it's not that big a difference.
- No modulation. Both the cc and the 616 have it built-in.
And the big knobs are cool! You can adjust them easily with your feet (well, maybe except for the feedback knob since it's wedged between the two bigger knobs)
This for simple echoes, slapback and the El Cap (malapit na! some more nights
) for other things. Win.
