I've had one of these for about 15 years now, and used it with a variety of Gibsons into Fender, Ampeg and Mesa tube amps. While dry signal fidelity isn't as high as the 18v, 808-series delay (these are admittedly matters of small degrees), this box and the earlier AD-9 both sound great with a fresh battery or line power supply. Higher signal headroom, btw, than either the Boss DM-2 or the MXR Analog Delay I've owned when hit with overdrive/fuzz effects, and works better in the loop of a Mackie mixer, too. Great for slapback, "tile" reverb and short following delay.
Reliability/Durability:
The switches on all 3 generations of '80s-era Ibanez pedals are a potential headache, and while I haven't had problems with this piece, other 10-series boxes I've known have had problems.
Battery life is respectable- about 25-30 hours before some signal degradation becomes apparent, another 8-10 hours before it becomes objectionable (depends on battery type).
Ease of Use:
Your basic 3-knob analog delay, 330ms max. delay time.
To get a longer delay from bucket-brigade analog chips, you need to reach for an EH Memory Man. Watch the Feedback control- you can send this circuit into infinite cascade (which sounds interesting in theory but can wreak havoc on your speakers).
Customer Support:
Ibanez/Hoshino doesn't provide support or replacement parts for its discontinued effects. If you've got one and the switch or light fails, look into having the circuit transplanted into a DIY Hammond pedal housing, and wire it up with a DTDP switch.
Overall Rating:
This piece is one of the best of its kind- if you're looking for warm slapback and don't want to break the bank, these are a best-buy.
I've used this in a variety of applications- electric and acoustic gigs, demo recording and a bit of proper studio work- and it always produces a pleasing sound. This box and an old Big Muff are the only pedals I still have from my high school days, and I'm in no rush to replace it.
