There’s a sound every guitarist chases. It’s the warm, slightly imperfect, and beautifully degrading echo that defined countless records from the ’70s and ’80s. It’s the sound of a true Bucket Brigade Device (BBD) analog delay. For years, I, like many others, have been on a quest for that tone. The journey often leads to vintage units that are noisy, unreliable, and frustratingly limited. You find a pedal with the perfect dark, chewy repeats, but it lacks tap tempo. You find another with a gorgeous, modulated warble, but its delay time is frustratingly short. This constant compromise is the central problem for tone chasers: how do you get the authentic soul and character of vintage analog delay without sacrificing the precision, reliability, and features of a modern pedal? Failing to solve this means settling for sterile digital delays that lack character or wrestling with vintage gear that’s more trouble than it’s worth on a live stage. The dream has always been a single box that captures the spirit of the classics while delivering the performance we demand today.
- UNLEASH UNIQUE DELAYS – Experience delays beyond the ordinary with the Brig delay pedal, where each repeat is a masterpiece, adding captivating complexity and rich tonal characteristics to your...
- 3 DISTINCT DELAY VOICES – The Brig delay guitar pedal opens the door to the sound and vibe of analog bucket brigade delays (BBDs), delivering nostalgic warmth, subtle grit, and an unmatched tactile...
- ARTIFACT FREE TAP TEMPO – Ditch the limitations of a traditional analog delay pedal with Brig's new Tap Tempo mode, and enjoy seamless and precise tempo control without the fear of pitch shifting,...
What to Consider Before Buying a Delay Pedal
A delay pedal is more than just an effect; it’s a key solution for creating space, rhythm, and texture in your music. It can transform a simple guitar line into a complex, atmospheric soundscape or add a percussive, rhythmic foundation to a riff. The main benefit is its ability to add depth and dimension, making your instrument sound bigger, more engaging, and more professional. Whether you’re a guitarist filling out the sound in a three-piece band, a synth player creating evolving pads, or a vocalist adding a touch of classic slapback, a quality delay is an indispensable tool for sonic creativity.
The ideal customer for a high-end delay pedal like this is a musician who is serious about their tone and values both authenticity and versatility. This player is likely facing the limitations of simpler or purely digital delays and is ready to invest in a professional-grade tool that can serve them both on stage and in the studio. They understand the nuances between different delay types and crave the character that analog circuits provide. On the other hand, this type of product might not be suitable for the absolute beginner who is just starting to explore effects and may be overwhelmed by multiple voicings and deep controls. Similarly, a musician on a very tight budget might find better value in a more straightforward, single-function pedal that covers the basics without the premium price tag. For them, a simpler analog or a budget multi-effect unit could be a more practical starting point.
Before investing in a new delay pedal, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Pedalboard real estate is a finite and precious resource. Before you buy, measure the available space on your board. A compact pedal like the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal packs immense power into a standard-sized enclosure, but you still need to account for power and audio cables. Consider whether you need a mini-pedal for a crowded travel board or if you have room for a larger, more feature-rich unit.
- Performance & Voicing: This is the heart of the matter. What kind of delay do you need? Are you looking for pristine, crystal-clear digital repeats or the warm, darkening echoes of analog BBD circuits? Consider features like maximum delay time, the availability of tap tempo for syncing with a drummer, and whether the pedal offers modulation (like chorus or vibrato on the repeats) for added texture. A pedal with multiple voicings offers far more sonic flexibility.
- Materials & Durability: A pedal is meant to be stepped on. Look for units with a rugged metal chassis, like the anodized aluminum enclosures Strymon is famous for. Cheaper pedals might use plastic housings that won’t survive the rigors of gigging. High-quality jacks and footswitches are also essential for long-term reliability, ensuring your signal path remains clean and the pedal functions flawlessly night after night.
- Ease of Use & Connectivity: There’s a balance between deep functionality and intuitive control. Do you prefer a simple three-knob pedal that you can dial in instantly, or do you need advanced features like MIDI control, presets, and stereo inputs/outputs? While more controls offer more power, they can also introduce a steeper learning curve. Think about your workflow and whether you need a simple “set-and-forget” tool or a deeply programmable sonic workstation. The inclusion of stereo I/O, for example, is critical for keyboard players or guitarists with complex rigs.
Making the right choice involves balancing these factors to find a pedal that not only sounds great but also fits perfectly into your musical ecosystem.
While the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- Digital Delay/Plate Reverb 2 effects in 1 guitar effects pedal
- 4-Mode Delay and 4-Mode Reverb in One delay reverb Pedal
- [2-in-1 Pedal]: The 2-in-1 Revecho pedal seamlessly integrates meticulously chosen delay and reverb effects, offering musicians a powerful combination of tonal possibilities in a single, compact pedal
First Glance: Unboxing a Modern Classic
Opening a Strymon box always feels like an event, and the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal is no exception. The pedal is nestled securely in custom-fit packaging, and the first thing you notice upon lifting it out is the reassuring heft. The anodized green aluminum chassis is both beautiful and built like a tank, conveying an immediate sense of professional quality. The knobs have a smooth, firm resistance that begs to be tweaked, and the footswitches provide a solid, satisfying click. There’s no flimsy plastic here; every component feels premium and road-worthy. Compared to the often-clunky vintage pedals it emulates, the Brig is sleek, compact, and perfectly suited for a modern pedalboard. Powering it up, you’re greeted with a simple, intuitive layout that hides an astonishing amount of depth. Our initial impression was that Strymon has once again successfully married vintage soul with modern engineering, creating a pedal that feels both timeless and forward-thinking right out of the box. For those wanting to see its full feature set and user reviews, the level of detail in its design is immediately apparent.
Key Benefits
- Three distinct, authentically recreated BBD analog delay voices
- Groundbreaking artifact-free tap tempo for clean tempo changes
- Full stereo I/O and versatile signal path options
- Deep MIDI implementation with 300 presets for complex rigs
- Exceptional build quality and premium components
Potential Drawbacks
- Premium price point may be a barrier for some
- The depth of features can have a slight learning curve for beginners
Performance Deep Dive: How the Strymon Brig Sounds and Feels
This is where we move beyond specs and into the soul of the pedal. A delay’s worth is measured not just in milliseconds but in the character and musicality it inspires. We spent weeks with the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal, running it through its paces with various guitars, synths, and even vocals. It quickly became clear that this isn’t just a delay pedal; it’s a meticulously crafted instrument designed to be an extension of your creativity. The “dBucket” algorithm at its core is Strymon’s secret sauce, a technology that so perfectly captures the component-level nuances of BBD chips that the line between analog and digital becomes beautifully blurred. It delivers all the warmth, grit, and feel of the real thing, but with a stability and feature set that vintage pedals could only dream of.
The Three Voices of Brig: A Sonic Time Machine
The true genius of the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal lies in its three-position Voice switch. This isn’t just a simple EQ tweak; it’s a complete re-architecting of the virtual BBD circuit, giving you three distinct and legendary analog delay characters in one enclosure. We found ourselves constantly switching between them, as each one offered a unique texture that inspired different musical ideas.
The “3205” voice is pure ’70s stompbox grit. It’s based on a BBD chip famous for its darker, lower-headroom character. When we dug in with single-coil pickups, the repeats started to break up and saturate in a wonderfully musical way. The echoes are thick, chewy, and they degrade with each repeat, melting into the background rather than cluttering the mix. This was our go-to for classic rock leads and percussive, rhythmic parts where we wanted the delay to feel like a part of the amp’s overdrive. With the feedback knob pushed, it cascades into a noisy, chaotic self-oscillation that is delightfully unpredictable and fun to manipulate in real-time, a testament to its authentic analog modeling.
Flipping the switch to “3005” was like stepping into a high-end ’80s studio. This voice emulates a different BBD chip that offered longer delay times and more headroom. The difference was immediately apparent. The repeats are warmer, clearer, and more defined than the 3205 voice. It’s perfect for lush, ambient chords and pristine melodic lines where you want the echo to be heard with clarity. We used this voice extensively with synthesizers, where its ability to create clean, long, and beautifully modulated trails was simply stunning. It can be clean and beautiful, but it still has that unmistakable analog softness around the edges that prevents it from ever sounding sterile.
The “Multi” voice is where Strymon’s innovation truly shines. This setting creates two cross-coupled, super-clean dBucket delay lines with a golden ratio timing relationship. The result is a complex, sprawling, and incredibly immersive stereo echo that feels more like a reverb at times. It’s a sound that is both huge and intricate, creating a sense of space that is perfect for atmospheric pads, shoegaze textures, and modern worship guitar. Playing a simple arpeggio in this mode transforms it into a symphonic wash of sound that envelops you without turning to mud. This single voice could be a pedal in its own right and is a major reason why the Brig is such a powerful creative tool.
Artifact-Free Tap Tempo: The Holy Grail of Analog Delay
For any gigging musician, tap tempo is non-negotiable. The problem with traditional analog delays is that changing the tempo involves changing the BBD’s clock speed in real-time, which results in a chaotic cascade of pitch-shifting, clicks, and mutes. It’s a cool effect sometimes, but a nightmare when you just need to cleanly sync your delay to a new song. Strymon has completely solved this problem. The artifact-free tap tempo on the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal is, frankly, a game-changer. We could tap in a new tempo mid-song, and the delay seamlessly adjusted without a single unwanted sound. The repeats from the old tempo fade out naturally while the new ones come in perfectly on the beat. This feature alone bridges the gap between vintage tone and modern playability. It gives you the confidence to use authentic analog sounds in a live setting where precision is paramount. We could also hold down the footswitch to engage the “Infinite” repeat function, creating a sustaining pad of sound to play over—another powerful performance feature made possible by this flawless digital control over an analog-sounding heart. The ability to check the latest price and availability on a pedal with such a crucial, well-implemented feature is well worth it for any serious player.
Modulation, Filtering, and Sonic Sculpting
Beyond the core voices, the Brig offers a suite of powerful tone-shaping tools. The Mod knob is far more than a simple add-on. At lower settings, it introduces a gentle, shimmering movement to the repeats, reminiscent of classic tape echo warble. It adds a beautiful three-dimensional quality that keeps the echoes from sounding static. As we turned the knob clockwise, the modulation became a lush, watery chorus, and when pushed to its extremes, a dizzying, seasick vibrato. The range is incredibly well-tuned and musical at every point. We found that a touch of modulation was essential for making the delay trails sit perfectly in a dense mix.
The Filter knob is another deceptively powerful control. This single knob provides a tilt-style EQ for the repeats only, leaving your dry tone completely untouched. Turning it counter-clockwise darkens the repeats, rolling off high-end and helping them recede into the background—a classic analog delay trick for keeping your primary signal clear and present. Turning it clockwise brightens them up, adding a top-end sheen that can help rhythmic delays cut through. This level of control over the echo’s EQ is invaluable for sculpting your sound to fit any song or venue. It’s this deep-level control that transforms the Brig from a simple echo unit into a true sound design station, a feature that truly sets it apart from simpler pedals on the market.
What Other Users Are Saying
While our own testing was exhaustive, we always look to the wider community of musicians for confirmation. The general sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, mirroring our own experience. One user’s comment perfectly encapsulates a key aspect of the pedal’s appeal: “More than satisfied with this one. So many options with the pedal expression.” This highlights a feature we also found to be incredibly powerful. By connecting an expression pedal, you can gain real-time, hands-free control over any knob on the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal. We loved setting it to control the feedback, allowing us to swell the repeats to the edge of oscillation with a rock of our foot. This sentiment of deep customizability and performance-oriented features is a recurring theme. While there’s very little negative feedback, some users new to the Strymon ecosystem note the slight learning curve involved in accessing secondary functions and MIDI programming, which is a fair trade-off for the immense power on offer.
How Does the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal Compare to the Alternatives?
No pedal exists in a vacuum. The Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal is a premium offering, and it’s important to see how it stacks up against other options at different price points and with different feature sets. We’ve selected three popular alternatives to see who might prefer them and why.
1. Ibanez Analog Delay Mini Pedal
- Delay Time Controls; All-analog Signal Path; True Bypass Switching
- Delay Effects Pedal f Electric Guitar with Repeat
- Blend
The Ibanez Analog Delay Mini is a direct descendant of a true classic. Its appeal lies in its simplicity and purity. It offers one thing: a warm, fantastic-sounding analog delay in a tiny enclosure. There are no voicings, no tap tempo, no MIDI—just three knobs for Delay Time, Repeat, and Blend. For the musician who wants an authentic, no-frills “set-and-forget” analog delay for slapback or a single core echo sound, the Ibanez is a fantastic and much more affordable choice. It’s for the purist who values simplicity over versatility. The Strymon Brig is for the player who wants that same analog DNA but also needs the flexibility of multiple voices, tap tempo, stereo, and presets.
2. Donner Reverb Delay Pedal 2-in-1
- [2-in-1 Pedal]: The 2-in-1 Revecho pedal seamlessly integrates meticulously chosen delay and reverb effects, offering musicians a powerful combination of tonal possibilities in a single, compact pedal
- [Instant Precision Control]: Adjustable effect level, delay time, delay feedback, reverberation time, makes it suitable for every music genre
- [Tap Tempo]: The Tap Tempo function provides instantaneous control over delay time, allowing you to effortlessly sync your effects with the rhythm, making it an ideal choice for live performances and...
The Donner Revecho represents the budget-friendly, multi-function end of the spectrum. It combines both delay and reverb into a single, compact pedal with tap tempo, making it an incredible value for beginners or players on a strict budget. It’s a great way to get two essential effects without breaking the bank or taking up much pedalboard space. However, the compromise comes in sonic depth and build quality. While functional, its digital algorithms don’t have the warmth, character, or nuance of the Strymon’s dBucket engine. A player should choose the Donner if budget and basic functionality are the absolute top priorities. The Brig is the choice for the professional or serious hobbyist who prioritizes ultimate sound quality and is willing to invest in it.
3. Walrus Audio Slö Multi Texture Reverb
- Allows players to create lush, modulated, sleepy and ambient soundscapes
- Dark – add a lower octave to your reverb trail. Here you'll create deep and wide atmospheric sounds and channel nightmarish soundscapes. X knob sets the level of a -1 octave signal that feeds the...
- Rise – this is an auto-swell reverb for beautiful cinematic swells. Don't rush it. Let it breathe and gently wake up. X knob sets the amount of time It takes the reverb to swell in after a note is...
The Walrus Audio Slö isn’t a direct competitor, as it’s a dedicated reverb pedal, but it targets a similar user: the player looking for lush, ambient soundscapes. The Slö excels at creating vast, atmospheric reverb tails with unique modes like Dark, Rise, and Dream. A musician might choose the Slö over the Brig if their primary goal is creating non-rhythmic ambient washes and textures. While the Brig’s “Multi” mode can create reverb-like sounds, the Slö is a specialist in that domain. Conversely, a player would choose the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal if they need the rhythmic precision of a delay with the ability to also create ambient textures. Many players would even use both on the same board, using the Brig for repeats and the Slö for the ambient bed underneath.
Final Verdict: Is the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal Worth It?
After extensive use, our conclusion is unequivocal: the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal is a masterpiece of audio engineering. It’s a pedal that successfully solves the core conflict between authentic analog tone and modern digital control. It delivers not one, but three distinct, iconic BBD voices with a richness and character that is deeply inspiring to play. Features like the flawless artifact-free tap tempo, deep modulation, and comprehensive connectivity (Stereo I/O, MIDI, Presets) elevate it from a simple stompbox to a professional-grade creative workstation. While the price point places it in the premium category, the value it delivers in tone, versatility, and build quality is undeniable. We recommend it without hesitation to any serious musician—guitarist, keyboardist, or producer—who is on the hunt for the ultimate analog delay experience without any of the vintage compromises.
If you’re ready to end your search for the perfect analog echo and invest in a tool that will inspire you for years to come, we highly encourage you to explore the Strymon Brig dBucket BBD Delay Pedal further and get one for your rig. You won’t be disappointed.
Last update on 2025-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API