NPD - Diamond MLjr (WOW!)

ruoma

I've had my eye on this one for at least 4 years, never getting around to buying one, until now.

Wow! Simply wow! 

- It keeps my base tone and hardly changes anything, not making it brighter or darker or this or that, retaining 95% of the dynamics, which for me is hallelujah!!! Yes yes, I know some people will say true bypass can't change your tone or dynamics, but it does folks, it just does. Sticking one true bypass pedal through the same cable length vs the other, can be apples to oranges, and can noticably alter my core tone and feel, and I'm insanely picky about this! But this one does a very VERY good job! Perhaps it's just a tiiiiiny bit darker, but it has adds a great sense of space around the notes, even your dry signal. The big moog still eats the cake in this regard, but has it's other issues...

- The repeats are very defined, thick and a bit brighter than my moog 104m sd on it's brightest setting, so very well balanced.

- It doesn't hiss as much as the big moog, which is the main reason I bought it, to replace the moog on stage.

- It is so easy to dial in and very full featured! I prefer the 4th mode, as that's the only mode in which you can change the delay tempo and have it do crazy ramping stuff. Having dotted eights is a bonus.

- The modulation on it is very good. 

- The knobs are so well dialed in, turn up everything at noon and you get the most usable delay tone, only requiring final touches.

- The only down side for me is, I wish the mode switch was placed slightly lower, for easier toe control of the feedback knob

Other delay pedal's I've had:
- Maxon AD900
- Timeline
- Empress Echosystem
- TC Alterego x4
- Caroline kilobyte
- Catalinbread belle epoche
- Moog minifooger delay
- Moogerfooger 104m sd (still own)
- MXR Echoplex (still own)

For me this one beats the big moog for ease of use, less analogue hiss and practically as dynamic and full sounding, with a slightly brighter, more balanced tone. Ok the moog will get you that last 5% there regarding dynamics and repeats, but with more hiss and darker. The mxr echoplex can get a more beautiful bed of almost oscillating repeats, but sounds thinner overal, and of course way brighter.

If my long lasting gut feeling about this one turned out so right, I might have to follow that last other delay itch I've had for ages, the skreddy echo...

simonk

Yep, great pedal and one of my favourite delays.

Majorscale

Funnily enough I ditched my MLjr for a Skreddy Echo years ago. Very different beasts mind...

ruoma

Majorscale said:

Funnily enough I ditched my MLjr for a Skreddy Echo years ago. Very different beasts mind...

Still have the skreddy? Lack of tap tempo is a pity though.

Majorscale

Still have the skreddy? Lack of tap tempo is a pity though.

I do, and I don’t miss tap tempo with it, it’s a lot “softer/more atmospheric” than the MLjr, but then it’s Echo vs Delay...

I also use a T Rex Replica on a different board  for more traditional straight-ahead delay and that has a tap tempo. 

meltedbuzzbox

My Moog mf104 is silent. Why does yours hiss?

ruoma

meltedbuzzbox said:

My Moog mf104 is silent. Why does yours hiss?

Dunno. I have the super delay, maybe because there are more bb chips in there? I had the whole motherboard replaced here at the official service center, didn't really change anything. So figured it was just the way it is.

menamestom

I sold mine when I hot a Helix, but will probably get another one day.  Great pedal. I loved the way the repeats sit so well and also the modulation.  

ThorpyFX

ruoma said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

My Moog mf104 is silent. Why does yours hiss?

Dunno. I have the super delay, maybe because there are more bb chips in there? I had the whole motherboard replaced here at the official service center, didn't really change anything. So figured it was just the way it is.

i have the SD and mines silent. bear in mind the drive should be run higher than you think and it can quieten the pedal down if there is hiss.

ruoma

@ThorpyFX, can I email you a sound clip to see if you recognize the hiss?

ThorpyFX

ruoma said:

@ThorpyFX, can I email you a sound clip to see if you recognize the hiss?

yeah, absolutely

Wazmeister

Some of the MF104s do hiss... some dont...

Thorpys SD is def one of the quiet ones

ThorpyFX

ruoma said:

@ThorpyFX, can I email you a sound clip to see if you recognize the hiss?

I’ve listened to the clip, firstly what strikes me is the amount of singlecoil noise you have regardless of the pedal. It indicates to me that you may have a bigger issue than this pedal. I.e there is a lot of hun that I just don’t get from singecoils in my house. It sounds like a bad earth connection.

if this is the case then the moog is just amplifying the status quo..

if you think its its normal then your moog may have a problem, the thing is there is no way of knowing unless you can do a comparison. I’d happily check it in comparison to mine in situ here if you like? 

colourofsound

It's an interesting pedal this, based on their blurb: 

http://www.diamondpedals.com/products/memory-lane-jr/

It's ostensibly a digital delay with an all analog signal path; which is why you're experiencing a cleaner tone I'd say. Sounds like a similar concept to the way Spin FV-1 based pedals work

mburekenge

I have one for sale in the classifieds

ruoma

@ThorpyFX thanks Adrian. Let me have moog get back to me first, if nothing definite arises, I might take you up on that offer!

Dan_Halen

Great pedal. The above guy does a good demo of the pedal pulling a load of cool sounds out of it which might be of interest..