Looking for something to make your guitar sound more interesting but don’t want to spend a lot? It turns out there is loads of choice when it comes to budget pedal options. Case in point: the best budget delay pedals can deliver everything from subtle slapback to shimmering, spacey echoes. We've rounded up our top picks in this guide.
Delay can be used in so many different ways. It can be kept always on with the repeats and delay time knocked down so that it’s almost like a double-tracked guitar sound, it can be kicked in to make solos sound bigger, it can be used to make it sound like there are two guitarists playing different things, and so much more. However you plan on using a delay pedal, there should be something here that ticks the boxes you’re looking to tick.
We’ve highlighted the best cheap delay pedals currently on the market that will give your guitar sound more texture, without breaking the bank. We’ve tried to keep most of the options under $100, though some of the more premium choices may creep just above that.
Intuitively laid out, but easily customizable, this no-frills offering from JHS has to be one of the best budget delay pedals you can buy right now. The toggle switch lets you go from analog to digital style delay, giving you the most popular options straight away, while the three knobs allow you to dial in your sound.
Straight out of the box, you can use the three knobs to dial in a nice, tape-style delay tone with up to 800ms delay. However, connect it to TC's Toneprint app and you can change the delay style to a digital, analog, shimmer or pretty much any other type, including artist-crafted presets.
A great sounding, compact analog delay pedal with up to 550ms of delay time, and as short as 30ms, giving you a wide range of different sounds at your disposal. You can thicken up your whole tone by setting the delay time and blend quite low, or add a more traditional delay sound by cranking them up.
From a basic snapback, to more ethereal, ambient and atmospheric sounds, the Space Delay can do quite a lot, whilst remaining simple and easy to use. The delay has a touch of nice analog-style saturation and tape-esque warble to give your repeats a classic sound. There are internal trim pots for adjusting the rate and depth, too.
The Ibanez ADMini aims to replicate the sound of some '80s classics, in a much smaller casing. The result is an incredible analog delay pedal made in Japan that takes up barely any space on your pedalboard. The repeats are warm, with that lovely, natural tone degradation, and you can dial in delay times from as little as 20ms to 600ms.
The TC Electronic Prophet is a really easy to use digital delay pedal that isn’t going to break the bank. It’s housed in a solid metal casing; it’s not compact like some of their other pedals, but it isn’t huge. If you’re seeking a pedal with a longer delay time, this one has up to 1300ms. It’s super easy to use, and it does the job really well.
With fully analog circuitry and an extremely attractive price tag, there isn’t much to not love about the NUX Analog Delay. It allows you to get the classic, lush ’80s-style bucket brigade device analog delay sound, and it’s really easy to use. For players seeking a straightforward analog delay pedal on a budget, look no further.
This is a really interesting delay pedal, and it’s affordable – it’s also nice that it comes with a power supply. It’s a slapback delay pedal, so if you’re after something with longer delay times, then this isn’t for you. Old school country and rock’n’roll players will love it though.
Quite simply one of the best cheap delay pedals you can get for all manner of uses
Our expert review:
Specifications
Type: Digital (with analog style delays as well)
Knobs: Mix, Time Repeats (plus delay type switch)
Connections: Input, output, power
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V DC
Reasons to buy
+
Solid build
+
Simple, but versatile
+
Good delay time range
Reasons to avoid
-
Not the most exciting aesthetically
Intuitively laid out, but easily customizable, this no-frills offering from JHS has to be one of the best budget delay pedals you can buy right now. The toggle switch lets you go from analog to digital style delay, giving you the most popular options straight away. The three knobs then allow you to dial in your sound.
Like everything else from JHS, it sounds great – the analog delay is warm and gritty, and the digital delay gives you pristine and clean repeats, plus you can dial in delay times ranging from 80-800ms. It’s also built solidly, making this a super reliable choice for around the $100 mark.
It’s very simple and easy to use; it doesn’t have the most exciting design in the world, but you can get a wide range of incredible sounds from it!
Smartphone or tablet required to get the most out of it
This little delay pedal might look simple on the surface – and it can be if you want – but there’s a lot of exciting things bubbling beneath the surface. Straight out of the box, you can use the three knobs to dial in a nice, tape-style delay tone with up to 800ms delay.
However, when you connect it to the Toneprint app, you can change the delay style to a digital, analog, shimmer or pretty much any other type. There are loads of artist-crafted presets, but you can also make up your own. All of this can be done via your smartphone by beaming the signal from your phone’s speaker to your pickups.
There’s only one footswitch on the pedal, but it’s sensitive to the pressure that you apply to it, so it basically becomes an expression pedal, allowing you to control different parameters in real time. You can also choose to use it as a tap tempo, ensuring that your delay is perfectly in time with what you’re playing.
This is a great sounding, compact analog delay pedal with up to 550ms of delay time, and as short as 30ms, giving you a wide range of different sounds at your disposal. You can thicken up your whole tone by setting the delay time and blend quite low, or add a more traditional delay sound by cranking them up.
The classic analog delay tone is lush and warm, and reminiscent of those legendary old Electro-Harmonix Memory Man units. There’s then an additional modulation switch which gives you the option of adding in some subtle chorus to give some more movement to your tone.
It’s really easy to use and dial in a great sound, and it’s pretty small so it doesn’t hog too much precious space on your board. One of the best cheap delay pedals around, plus it’s from one of the biggest pedal companies in the world.
Knobs: Feedback, Time, Level (plus delay pattern and modulation switches)
Connections: Input, output, power
Bypass: True-bypass switching, analog dry-through
Power: 9V DC or 9V battery
Reasons to buy
+
Great tape-style delay
+
Provides some really interesting tones
+
Modulation can be tweaked internally
Reasons to avoid
-
Not for those that want clean repeats
The Fender Hammertone series of effects pedals represents great value for money from one of the most trusted names in the guitar world. The Space Delay is a really cool analog-style delay pedal with a modulation switch that allows you to add in a little more texture.
From a basic snapback, to more ethereal, ambient and atmospheric sounds, the Space Delay can do quite a lot, whilst remaining simple and easy to use. Three knobs allow you to dial in delay time, repeats and volume while small toggle switches control the modulation (on/off) and delay pattern (there are three different ones).
The delay has a touch of nice analog-style saturation and tape-esque warble to give your repeats a classic sound. Should you wish to control the sound of the modulation more, there are internal trim pots for adjusting the rate and depth.
This can be used as a nice, basic delay pedal but there’s actually quite a bit going on under the hood, allowing you to get experimental if you want to.
The Ibanez and Maxon AD9 pedals are favored by a range of players, and have been since the 1980s. The Ibanez ADMini aims to replicate the sound of those but package it into a much smaller casing. The result is an incredible analog delay pedal made in Japan that takes up barely any space on your pedalboard.
The repeats are warm, with that lovely, natural tone degradation, and you can dial in delay times from as little as 20ms to 600ms. This makes it suitable for a range of uses, from big, spacey, experimental riffs to simply adding some girth to your regular sound, or perhaps a rockabilly style slapback.
It is more towards the expensive side of cheap, but it’s built really well, and it sounds fantastic. The only thing to bear in mind is that the repeat and blend knobs are quite small, so they might not be easy to dial in for some people.
Best digital delay
(Image credit: TC Electronic)
6. TC Electronic The Prophet
Because not everyone wants the sound of an analog delay!
Our expert review:
Specifications
Type: Digital
Knobs: Time, Mix, Repeat (plus pattern switch)
Connections: Input, output, power
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V DC or 9V battery
Reasons to buy
+
Pristine repeats
+
Easy to dial in
+
Long delay time
Reasons to avoid
-
Not the smallest pedal around
The warble and saturation of analog-style delays can be great for those seeking a more old-school tone; however, some players prefer the pristine, untouched repeats of a digital delay.
The TC Electronic Prophet is a really easy to use digital delay pedal that isn’t going to break the bank. It’s housed in a solid metal casing; it’s not compact like some of their other pedals, but it isn’t huge – something to bear in mind though. Individual knobs control the delay time, how much delay signal is mixed in with your dry sound, and how many repeats you get. There’s then a separate switch that controls the pattern of the delay: you’ve got the choice of 1/16, 1/8 and 3/8 patterns.
If you’re seeking a pedal with a longer delay time, then a digital delay could be the way forward – this one has up to 1300ms. It’s super easy to use, and it does the job really well!
Cheapest option
(Image credit: NUX)
7. NUX Reissue Analog Delay
A simple, affordable analog delay pedal that gets the job done
Our expert review:
Specifications
Type: Analog
Knobs: Delay Time, Blend, Repeat
Connections: Input, output, power
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V DC or 9V battery
Reasons to buy
+
Simple analog delay
+
Affordable
Reasons to avoid
-
Doesn’t look great
-
Not especially versatile
With fully analog circuitry and an extremely attractive price tag, there isn’t much to not love about the NUX Analog Delay. It allows you to get the classic, lush ’80s-style bucket brigade device analog delay sound, and it’s really easy to use.
With three simple knobs and a very natural sound, it’s impossible to get a bad tone from this pedal. There aren’t huge delay times on tap, but it is particularly effective if you’re wanting to fatten up lead sounds or introduce some texture to your tone. You can also dial the time right down for some really cool double-tracking style sounds.
For players seeking a straightforward analog delay pedal on a budget, the NUX is one of the best budget delay pedals you can get your hands on!
Best slapback
(Image credit: Electro-Harmonix)
8. Electro-Harmonix Slap-Back Echo
A super compact slapback delay with a ton of attitude!
Our expert review:
Specifications
Type: Analogue
Knobs: Gain, Blend (plus Time switch)
Connections: Input, output, power
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V DC
Reasons to buy
+
Easy to dial in delay time with three options
+
Gain option is really cool
+
It’s tiny
Reasons to avoid
-
It only really does one thing, delay-wise
This is a really interesting delay pedal, and it’s affordable – it’s also nice that it comes with a power supply. It’s a slapback delay pedal, so if you’re after something with longer delay times, then this isn’t for you.
Old school country and rock’n’roll players will love it. It’s actually a reissue of an old pedal, except this time it’s encased in a very pedalboard-friendly casing. Unlike many other delay pedals, this has a switch that controls your delay time – you’ve got the option of either 45ms, 65ms or 100ms. On the shortest delay time, you can get some really cool double-track kind of tones.
You can then dial in how much you want to hear the repeats, but then you’ve also got a gain knob that adds analog-style saturation to your sound. It increases the input going into the pedal so it essentially works as a really nice boost to push your preamp.
Buying advice
(Image credit: TC Electronic)
With the best budget delay pedals, you’re getting something that’s probably only going to do one thing really well – in most instances, you won’t be overwhelmed by different options, menu screens or multiple footswitches and channel switching. That said, there are still a few things to think about before parting with your money.
Digital vs analog
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There are different types of delay out there, and they all have their unique tonal characteristics. The two most popular styles are analog and digital; in fact all delay pedals can be categorized as one of these. Analog delay pedals utilize something called a bucket brigade device (BBD) and digital units use digital processing.
In terms of sound, a sweeping generalization could be that analog delay pedals sound lo-fi, and digital ones sound hi-fi.
The repeats on an analog delay pedal will sound slightly different each time as the signal degrades naturally. They usually sound warmer, and the delayed signal may have a touch of saturation added in. The repeats on digital delays on the other hand usually sound pristine, clean and clear, though some digital units may offer a variety of different delay sounds through modeling.
Modulation
On some delay pedals, quite often on analog ones, you’ll find that there’s a modulation switch or knob. This usually blends in some of the chorus or vibrato to your repeats giving them a little more movement, or contributing to a sort of warbling sound. It isn’t always for everyone, but it can sound really interesting, and help add character to your guitar sound, especially if you’re going for a more old-school tone.
Size
As with any new pedalboard addition, size should be considered when looking for the best cheap delay pedal. If you know you want to fit as many tonal options on your board as possible, then go for something compact. If that’s not an issue, then you’re less restricted. A similar consideration is also where the jack inputs and outputs are located, as this could affect how you put your board together.
How we choose budget delay pedals
Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us all. We live and breathe everything guitar and bass related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best budget delay pedals available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best budget delay pedals on the market right now.
Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we test each product.
After spending a decade in music retail, I’m now a freelance writer for Guitar World, MusicRadar, Guitar Player and Reverb, specialising in electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and almost anything else you can make a tune with. When my head’s not buried in the best of modern and vintage gear, I run a small company helping musicians with songwriting, production and performance, and I play bass in an alt-rock band.
