Laney's first foray into Delay is the superb 3-Mode 100 Presets Black Country Customs The Difference Engine

Hitherto Laney’s Black Country Customs Pedal imprint has solely concerned itself with 4-knob compact enclosures - currently consisting of a range of 5 guitar effects, and 3 for bass. Its new Difference Engine Delay ups the stakes considerably with a significantly larger enclosure featuring full stereo input and output and full size Midi In and Out.

Controls - Colour (Modulation), Mix, Tone, Repeats / Feedback, Edit / Rotary Encoder, Menu Button, Mode Button, On / Bank Down Footswitch, Tap / Freeze (Hold) / Bank Up Footswitch. Press and hold both Footswitches to switch between Live Mode (On + Tap / Freeze), or Preset Mode (Bank Down + Bank Up).

7 smart controls give you immediate and easy access to parameters - with everything superbly depicted on a supremely clear 2.43” OLED display screen.

The pedal has 3 Distinct Modes / Delay Types :

ANALOGUE - The Tape Echo Era : modelled around the RE-201 Space Echo family of delays - featuring all the warmth and analogue nuances of tape.

• Straight digital delay with 2500 MS of delay
• Multi Tap Delay
• Freeze via Right Footswitch Hold
• Modulation on repeats (Colour)
• Tap tempo

DIGITAL - The Digital Delay Era : based on the crisp sounding digital delays of the 80’s (TC2290) with tap tempo and freeze functions.

• Based on the legendary TC2290 Rack Delay
• Straight DUCKED digital delay, with up to 2500 MS of delay
• Modulation on repeats
• Phase reversal on delay repeats - wrap around delays
• Multi Tap delay

DYNAMIC - The Dynamic Digital Era : based of the power delays of the 90’s with modulation and ducking features

• Warm sounding analogue tone
• Delay times up to 1250ms
• Straight delay from a single head
• Multi-head delays - classic overlaid delay effect
• Tape artifacts - Wow & Flutter

You can Combine features from each era / main type  to create unique delays.

Generally a really well thought out delay workstation with plenty of variation possible, and loaded with presets from Laney’s Artists Roster - including Lari Basilio, Martin Miller, Tom Quayle, Pete Honoré. Alex Hutchings, and Max Clilverd.

This goes on the nice-to-have list for me - particularly since I’ve just recently ordered the Meris LVX - it may well be something I add to the collection eventually. As one of my readers pointed out - 2022 has very much become the ’Year of The Delay’ - following Major Releases by Boss, Line 6 and Meris!

I feel Laney has a done a really good job on this - while I think some of the aspects of the screen could have been more smartly done - it’s decently priced and all-round really very good - it does though carry the same retail price as the Line 6 DL4 MKII which has considerably more to it, but no screen!

What are your views?