So the DL4 looks pretty cool, im a big delay fan, but i'm pretty happy with my boss DD-6, although it seems the Line 6 delay does what my DD-6 does plus alot more! So im pretty keen to get one, BUT, i a few years ago i got an FM4, the crazy purple filter modeler, it was utter crap, i found no use for any of the stupid sounds and I hated the idea of always kneeling down to flick through all the sounds(4 presets dont seem to be enough). So is the DL4 worth it? Oh and has anyone experienced any trouble with them?

I've been using a DL-4 for about 4 years with zero problems.
It's only got 3 presets, the 4th switch is tap tempo (or either the reverse or 1/2 speed selector - I forget sometimes). If you need 4 different delay settings you'll have to bend down. I used to have a slight issue with a little extra brightness, or what I call "digital sheen" that the DL-4 will put on your sound. I pretty much alleviated it by using a normal/cheap patch cable coming out of it. It killed a little bit of the extra high-end that I wasn't digging.

Another issue with the DL-4 is a slight loss in volume when the pedal is switched on, even with the mix knob more on the dry signal. I'm not sure why, but Robert Keeley does. He mods it to fix the volume output drop. robertkeeley.com
This is a problem for a bass player such as myself. But this pedal offers SO many different types of delays that it doesn't have to be a factor for a 6 string.
It's built well, has a loop sampler setting, stereo outs and a crapload of delays! You should be happy tweeking this thing.

i used an echo park for a while, wasnt crazy about it really...replaced with a dd3 with much better results, ive played dl4s also and i didnt feel much better about it than i did the echopark.

I've been using the DL-4 for a long time with alot of gigging, not just bedroom use. The issue that I found was the aforementioned volume drop, and I had to replace two of the stomp buttons (the foot switches are poor quality, and an awkward angle for stomping on). I use it mainly for looping, which is great, but all the effects it offers are pretty good as well. Figure out what you might use it for the most, if it is just the digital delays only, stick with the DD-6. If you only want the analog delays, I'd suggest going for a legit analog delay. The sound of this pedal is very digital so to get that pure analog feel, you just gotta go for analog. It is very versatile, though. All this to say it really is a great pedal!

I had a lot of problem with my DL-4. When I got it home it just went dead. A extremly slow support guy in N.Y. fixed it for me. A year later I was able to use it again and it´s been working fine for two month. Now it switch off from time to time. I have to unplug the adapter to restart it. And I haven´t yet used it on the road. I also found out from Line 6 support pages there are a lot of problem. I´m not really impressed at the moment and will look for another delay pedal pretty soon. Anyway, I like it when it works but I can hear a volume drop when switching it on.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nanook,

quote:

Originally posted by Nanook:
... Anyway, I like it when it works but I can hear a volume drop when switching it on.

Yup. That damn volume drop is hard to get over for some people. Though the mechanical and power failure problems are unfortunate, on top of the already known condition. Cheap switches too? Man. I must have a freakishly well working DL4. No mech problems for me.

quote:

Originally posted by ceez:

quote:

Originally posted by Nanook:
... Anyway, I like it when it works but I can hear a volume drop when switching it on.

Yup. That damn volume drop is hard to get over for some people. Though the mechanical and power failure problems are unfortunate, on top of the already known condition. Cheap switches too? Man. I must have a freakishly well working DL4. No mech problems for me.

Same here. 3 years - no issues. I don't even notice the volume drop on mine.

quote:

Originally posted by klasaine:
Same here. 3 years - no issues. I don't even notice the volume drop on mine.

I also have a Line Tap Tremolo that works well but I will surely keep away from
buying another Line 6 pedal. I might reconsider when it´s known Line 6 has state-of-the-art products, but that´ll be the day. :-(

Damn, speak of the devil. The DL-4 died on me today. It´s some problem with the power I suppose. Well, at least it worked from november - may and I haven´t used it on gigs and I just kept it fixed on my pedal board.

quote:

I also have a Line Tap Tremolo that works well but I will surely keep away from
buying another Line 6 pedal.

Let me know how the Tap Tempo performs. Just so happens I get mine tomorrow. Hope for the best I guess.

quote:

Originally posted by ceez:
Let me know how the Tap Tempo performs. Just so happens I get mine tomorrow. Hope for the best I guess.

It´s solid rock. Bought an used one at Cowtown Guitars, Vegas last year. It´s been working fine ever since. It sounds great and there are different kind of shapes. The reason I bought the Tap Tremolo was for the the knob you can make it go faster when you hit the strings harder. It slows down to your set speed really smooth. But that doesn´t work very well with the Fulldrive in front. When I have the Fulldrive on it´s on the higher speed all the time. It´s like I hit the strings really hard all the time. But that feature works fine with a clean sound. It´s a little tricky to get used to how to turn the pedal on and off or change the speed of it. Just tap softly to change speed. Stomp harder to switch off. I think you gonna have a great time with the tap tremolo. I know I have.

quote:

Originally posted by Nanook:
Damn, speak of the devil. The DL-4 died on me today. It´s some problem with the power I suppose.

Got it fixed now. It was a bad zenerdiod which is a common problem.
The repairman got recommendations from the Line6 main service center
to switch to a stronger one. It runs much better now. Maybe it help
someone else with a dead Line6 DL-4.