3 Minute Demo: Electro-Harmonix Slapback Delay (Should You Get It?)

Hey everyone! So, this one is a bit of a sticky situation -- I do not tend to make "negative" content on my channel; not because "bad" gear does not exist, but rather because I choose not to cover it.
That said, I do not believe this pedal is bad. In fact, it is quite good if this is what you are looking for. The question is, however, whether this is actually what you are looking for. To be blunt, a pedal by the same brand (the EHX Memory Boy) can get all of these sounds at the same price range, but it will also give you a whole variety of other delay times and sounds as well.
That said, I can certainly see situations in which you might want a one-trick-pedal that will basically act as an on-off slapback that is fairly tamper-resistant. So, I think it is important to know what it is you are shopping for before you jump on this pedal.
I also think it is worth pointing out that this pedal came about as the result of a call-to-action by a very popular guitar/gear KZbinr, and EHX released this pedal in response. This might very well be targeting the pedal collectors market even more than it is targeting the musician/utility market. Now, I understand that there is quite a bit of overlap in that market, including myself to a certain degree. However. I think that needs to be included in this conversation, so there you have it.
Other than all of that, I recorded this video with a 1990's era Gretsch G6121 "Round Up," a Partscaster built by me, an original 1950 Tweed 5b3 Tweed Deluxe, and of course the EHX Slapback Delay.
If my content interests you, please check out my other videos, subscribe, and feel free to check out my website where you can contact me!
www.codyjungmusic.com/
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Longest Delay Time (Rockabilly)
00:25 - Medium Delay Time (Thumbstyle)
00:52 - Fastest Delay Time (Bakersfield)
01:10 - Discussion

[@danielsalisbury245]

Not sponsored. Not hyper critical (does what it's advertised to do/"it's on me"). Clearly stated onscreen chyrons for settings. Calls out the obvious industry plant-ness without naming names. Instant subscriber here.

[@danmccarthy9677]

Appreciate your video .. experienced player but not with rockabilly… seeing your application of the delay times so useful… nice playing

[@junggyujoo]

I 100% agree with your opinion. now using dm-2w.

[@danpugatch]

Its Danno from the Gretsch Talk Forum, I don't currently have a delay and just want Slap Back and nothing else. If all I had was these three quick demo snapshots you provided I'd be set for life. This plus a Tremolo Pedal and maybe a Spring Reverb pedal and I think I'm done spending money.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Hey Danno! From what you described in your comment, then I think this pedal might be for you! I definitely think that a certain type of player would find the benefit to a pedal like this. While it is not necessarily as tweakable or broad in its use cases, it can certainly work for you.

[@edgilligan5078]

Loved the demo and I liked the slapback delay. I like pedals that do just one thing well. Good video!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

That’s a fair point! Thank you.

[@mattharrison4238]

Even the longest setting on this is too short for me, I don’t use reverb in my Tele chain for Chicken 🐔 Pickin, so I like a bit longer of a slap that you can actually hear, it fills up the sound and plays well with a Phaser. Thanks for demoing products that cater to our small corner of the guitar community! Keep Cluckin Son!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thanks so much! Yeah, that’s kind of the problem with this pedal. There’s no tweaking or control whatsoever. You either have to like the delay setting, or just not use the pedal. I understand that that is an appeal to a very specific type of player, but I’m not sure the form factor is worth what you’re giving up in terms of control.

[@michaellamm5512]

I actually looked at one of these this past weekend. For me using a sans amp pedal board and playing in a variety style band, it seems like a good idea. Thanks for showing what it does. I was thinking about replacing one of my delay pedals for real estate issues. I use a TC electronics Flash back for just this type of delay. May have to go back to the store and revisit it.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Sure thing! Yeah, if you have a specific use case for an on-off slapback specific delay, then at $80 it’s hard to argue with. I can imagine a few different scenarios where that would be the case.

[@michaellamm5512]

@@CodyJungGuitar I'm thinking that it would be a good fit for a go board situation. Now to find one that has a good long delay that I don't have dial in as well. Giging players need quick use stuff sometimes. Un-complicated. (Especially us older guys!! LOL!) And the price is nice too.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

That’s definitely a scenario that I could see it working for. However, I toured for a lot of years and never really had a complaint about the various single unit analogue delays I used for slapback, whether i was using a Carbon Copy, Memory Toy, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of simple pedals and controls, though.

[@guitareveryone]

I would prefer a more broader adjustable delay pedal than that one. But it provides slapback hence its name. Good demo Cody.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you! Yeah, I agree - it does exactly what it purports to do. I’m just not sure I love it in actual use case scenarios.

[@konjunto2477]

I bought thist axact pedal. I love it as I dont play in a band. It is just what I need simple for my 70 year old brain. Im just curious which pickup were you using (neck/bridge/both) for each demo?Thank you.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

I will go back and watch the video and answer that for you ASAP.

[@konjunto2477]

Thank you for responding!

[@ac30lifestyle]

I watched loads of vids on this pedal and was underwelmed with it,so I appreciate your "coded" opinion on this pedal. I'll give it a miss and buy a different pedal. It didn't nail that rockabilly echo that I'm after

[@CodyJungGuitar]

I cannot blame you one bit!

[@MyTwangyGuitar]

Any slapback needs to be adjusted according to the BPM of the song. With that said, anything shorter than 170ms tends to sound like a 'Room' reverb more than anything else. 100ms being the longest for this pedal is absolutely useless in my opinion. A good, honest review... 👍

[@CodyJungGuitar]

I think I am in your camp. I did my best to try and find uses for all three settings, but the faster of the two definitely gave "room sound" vibes. Thanks!

[@FuzzgrinderJames]

Not at all necessary for a live situation. The video demonstrates perfectly that tempo isn't important for the effect and if thats what you need then that's okay but that's not a shortcoming of the pedal.

[@benjohnson4810]

First thing, you sound great, Cody. The pedal sounds great, but $80 is way too much for that pedal. It is a reissue of an older pedal though, i guess. I have a Caline Blue Ocean delay pedal and it is great for slap back, but on long delays it gets a distorted repeat going. Anything above about 1 o' clock on the delay time. I have a Fab Echo that i got 8 years ago and it is decent too.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you! And yeah, I think I would have to agree. I could see a couple situations where someone might have a very specific use for this pedal, but generally speaking, if you already have a delay then you don’t need this. It does less than a normal pedal, and the trade off just isn’t worth the “convenience” for me.