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Electro-Harmonix Memory Man
Rockabilly to Ambient. Glam Rock to Psycadelic. Meet your new best friend.
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| The delay or echo effect has been around for as long as tape machines and were used by the likes of Les Paul (inventor of the multi track recorder- yep, same guy) and Chet Atkins as long ago as the 50's. Along comes solid state and in 1976 the Memory Man modulation delay made its debut. The Memory Man was popularised by 'The Edge', one of the most influential guitarists in recent history. Since his first albums with U2 his creative use of delay effects has been and still is a huge part of his sound. His touring rig now a day is legendary, looking more like a cockpit of an aircraft than a guitarist's set-up because of his massive effects rig but for the first three U2 albums his humble pedal board consisted of 2 Memory Mans with an A/B switch plugged straight in to two Vox AC30's. I remember well the first time I heard the Memory Man. One of those 'Holy Cow' experiences that stays with you and often comes up in conversation with fellow tone hounds.
Analog V Digital
15 years ago you couldn't give away an analog delay, as digital delays were the latest in technology. They ruled the market and not without reason as on paper the digital delay has a lot going for it. They're generally much quieter than analog delays and the delayed signal is much cleaner. The Memory Man has a maximum delay time of 550 ms where as digital units could easily be four times this. So why in recent years has there has been a massive swing back to the analog variety? For the simple reason of great tone and the Memory Man is a perfect example. Today Electro-Harmonix can't produce these units fast enough because despite the Memory Mans limitations it has it where it counts, in truckloads. You can be as subtle or as intense with the settings as you like and your tone will never sound processed or thin. Your original tone remains intact, in fact with use of the input gain control your dry signal can be given a real boost. Fantastic for solos where they are most commonly used. As if this wasn't enough the added modulation effects are truly inspired. You have a choice between chorus and vibrato that is applied to the wet signal only. Such a great idea and gives you an inspirational and addictive tonal palette to choose from. If you haven't tried one of these before I would not suggest doing it in your lunch hour. You'll need the whole day.
How much should I pay?
The re-issue that you see here can be bought new for around £170 so you shouldn't pay more that £120 for a second hand unit. The re-issue is generally preferred as it includes a true bypass footswitch and is quieter than the original, but that amazing delay circuitry is the same. They are available second hand but not in huge numbers so get in quick.
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