How does the SHecho compare to a Boss DD-2 or DD-3?

[nosajwp]

I've found very little information regarding the GGG SHecho digital delay project, and was hoping to get some opinions on it here.

What do you guys think of it?  Is it an easy build?

Also, can anyone compare it to a Boss DD-2 or DD-3, or any other commercial delay pedal?  The DD-2 is my alltime favorite, and I'm wondering how close the SHecho can get to it.

Thanks!

[Mark Hammer]

The Holtek HT8955 will do up to 800msec of delay with a 256k ram chip.  I suspect the DD-2/3 do more.  The HT8955 has an A/D resolution only slightly better than your old 8-bit Soundblaster.  Once the lowpass filtering is factored in, it won't sound horrible, but the A/D conversion is not up to the level of that seen in the Princeton chips or the Boss pedals.  The companding certainly helps a great deal, though.

So, if you need high quality delay, and you especially value leaving space between notes and letting delay repeats fill up that void (which is where lower-resolution pedals reputedly fall down), you may want to look beyond the SHEcho.  The HT8955 is not a cheap and increasingly rare chip.  I happen to have bought a couple of them 7 years ago, when Radio Shack carried them for $4.95 or something, so I built a pair of SHEchos with them (not completely wired up yet).  I did have one of Dean's pre-SHEcho HT8955 delay projects built and boxed, and it sounded okay.  Certainly, the 800msec delay time allowed one to accomplish a lot, and the noise wasn't bad, compared to many other pedals.  If you already have the chip, it's worth the effort.  If you don't, it might be less worth the effort.  Note that although the excellent board layout keeps the various possibilities for noise at bay, it is still a digital board and your wiring  will play a role in assisting to keep that noise at minimum.  Given the complexity and the number of ways for it to go wrong....

If I was starting from scratch at this point, I think I'd look elsewhere.  There is an embarassment of riches when it comes to delay pedals under $100 these days, and if you're willing to look at 2nd hand, you should be able to get yourself something pretty decent for under $70.

[nosajwp]

Thanks Mark...anyone else have an opinion?

[MartyMart]

I have stayed away from the DIY delay in general, unless I "Wanted" to make one for a challenge, it seemed
a little pointless.
About three years ago, I picked up an Aria digital delay ( metal box type ) for £24 ( 50 bucks ) which will do a
clean 800 Ms and is a great little box.
Also a £14.99 Dano echo can be modified to give a decent 600Ms with no artifacts, there's a thread here about that
it uses the "PT" chip and could also be easily re-housed from it's crappy plastic box.
MM.

[Processaurus]

I have stayed away from the DIY delay in general, unless I "Wanted" to make one for a challenge, it seemed
a little pointless.

Exactly, I'd reserve the ingenuity and hard work for something that doesn't have a close, mass produced equivalent you can buy economically.

If you decide to get a DD-2, the early DD-3s are exactly the same circuit, different paint job, and are cheaper.  There are two killer mods you can do to that pedal (the new dd3s as well), to make it super powered.

One makes the hold function have super short, cd skipping sounds

The other adds an external effects loop, that the delay regeneration runs through.  It is great.  You can use whatever pedal you want in the loop, and whatever it does acts on each repeat, example if you eq out the highs and lows, each repeat gets more midrangey, like a caricature of tape delay. 

[nosajwp]

After thinking about it some, I may actually get a DD-5 and rehouse it into a bigger enclosure.  I would keep the stock buffered bypass, but put in a heavier duty momentary footswitch.  I would also add a second momentary footswitch to the enclosure for built-in tap tempo, and a switch to darken the repeats.

It would also be neat to built a wah enclosure with a multi-pole rotary switch to be able to select the different delay modes with your foot, but that might be a little more difficult than what I want to try to attempt.

Now I just have to find a beat-up DD-5 that I can steal the guts out of!

[aneeshprasobhan]

I'm trying my luck here on a 10 year old post, but does anyone suggest any new DIY delay pedals ? All I'm finding are circuits with rare components.....Any help is much appreciated..
Thanks

[blackieNYC]

the PT2399 chip can be bought.  One good circuit is the Rebote (latest version.  2.5?)  It's digital, but every design seems to roll off the highs to give you an echo that isn't just a hi-fi repeat of your note.  I have some analog delays, but I'm very happy with my PT2399 builds.
What country are you in? Is shipping an issue?

[aneeshprasobhan]

Great timing....I just ordered 4 PT2399 chips because every delay schematic I saw had those puppies 
I live in India btw and the DIY pedal community here is literally non-existent. Many components are also hard to find but luckily the PT2399 were available so I ordered 4 of them just in case a new delay schematic comes up with more than one of these....
tonepad listed the rebote 3 few years ago but there's no schematic published yet. I'll probably build the 2.5 .Any advice before I start the built ?
Thanks

[bluebunny]

Many components are also hard to find

If ordering from abroad is doable for you, check out Tayda.  They're in Thailand and are good value for money.  Many of us use them and they have regular discount coupons on their Facebook page.

[aneeshprasobhan]

Thanks...I'll check it out