i need reverb or delay(echo)for my plexi head.will a pedal like a maxon analog delay give me a echo effect,like old van halen,or just delay like any other delay pedal?if so who makes a good warm reverb effect?tnx for any help

Sorry, I can't answer your question specific to Van Halen. The Maxon AD80 delay is just a delay like any other delay pedal. ANALOG delay pedal, that is. An analog delay sounds different than a digital delay, so no, it won't sound like digital delay pedals, if that's what you're used to. Most people think analog delays do a pretty good job of sounding similar to a tape echo, except they can't do long delay times (only a maximum of 300 milliseconds, or about a third of a second on the AD80).

People who don't like digital delays say they're too cold and precise. People who don't like analog delays say they're too muddy. People who like analog delays say that's not muddy, that's warm, classic analog tone! To me, the Maxon gives a sound that reminds me of Jimmy Page's solo on Stairway to Heaven. Of course, he wasn't using a Maxon AD80(!!), but it adds a similar kind of warm thickening to single note lines.

Short delay times can give you a 'reverb-like' effect, but side by side with a good reverb, they don't really sound the same. Some people actually prefer the short delay sound to using reverb, however.

The chip that analog delays have been built from are out of production, so these Maxons are pretty much the end of an era. You might even buy one just as a kind of collectors item. On the other hand, digital modeling is getting so good it's ridiculous - and it will only get better. I doubt many people will really need a real analog delay in a few years, when they can get a perfect copy of the sound digitally (plus with much longer delay times).

Check out the Line6 DL-4 for the ultimate delay (make sure to get the foot controller). It has good models of old echoplexes, digital delay, analog delay - hell, everything. I own and like both the DL-4 and the Maxon. Enjoy that Plexi (I'm jealous!).