JAM Pedals Debuts the Delay Llama Xtreme

January 12, 2020 · 4 sources

JAM Pedals announced the Delay Llama Xtreme, a delay pedal the maker describes as a "three-BBD analog delay that pairs 800 ms of warm repeats with presets, expression control" and modulation. Three 3205 BBD chips, the same bucket-brigade devices used in classic analog delays, provide up to 800 ms of delay time, and the pedal carries a regular price of £339.00¹.

Time, Repeats and Level controls cover the main delay sound, with tap tempo offering eighth-note, quarter-note and dotted-eighth subdivisions. Tap the right footswitch at least twice to set tempo; hold it for oscillation. A prolonged press on the middle footswitch turns the selected XTREME mode on or off¹.

The XTREME modes are where the pedal reaches beyond a standard analog delay¹:

• Vibrato: sine-wave modulation with adjustable depth and speed¹
• Tape-Age: random, worn-tape-style pitch variation¹
• Random: changes delay time at fixed intervals for abrupt pitch and rhythmic shifts¹
• Pitch-Shift: five interval pairs and five playback patterns, including a five-mode sequencer¹

GuitarPlayer's review described the Tape-Age mode as emulating "the slight and random pitch variations, i.e. warble, of a worn tape in vintage echo machines," and noted that the last Pitch-Shift playback pattern is "a five-mode sequencer that produces a series of multiple predetermined pitches in a specific sequence." The reviewer also found that the pitch-shift intervals are not user editable, but that variations can be had by turning the feedback/interval knob, and that using the CV input to clock the delay time can turn the repeats into a programmable sequencer².

Rear-panel options extend the pedal's flexibility. The TRLS switch selects buffered trails or true bypass, and the KD switch activates kill-dry operation, which GuitarPlayer noted lets a player run the effect 100 percent wet in a parallel effects loop or maximize some of the wilder effects. The DT input accepts a passive 10 kΩ expression pedal for delay time, or 0-5V CV when the internal DIP switches are set to CV mode. The PS input accepts a TRS preset controller, and the TAP input accepts a normally-open TS momentary remote switch. Inside, a multi-turn trimmer sets the maximum repeat count and a second trimmer sets maximum trails decay in buffered bypass¹².

The pedal measures 14.9 x 12.4 x 5.6 cm (5.8 x 4.8 x 2.2 in) including jacks and controls, weighs 620 g (1.35 lb), and is built in Greece¹². JAM Pedals also offered the Delay Llama Xtreme as one-of-a-kind hand-painted limited artwork versions, each differing in detail from the photos shown¹³.

GuitarPlayer's reviewer found a wealth of inspirational tones, from gorgeous delays to pitch madness, and concluded that the pure analog signal path ensures that no matter how extreme the effects are, they sound gorgeous, with no reasons to avoid the pedal overall². Player Brandon Seabrook, whose pedals include the Delay Llama Xtreme, put it another way: "The Delay Llama Xtreme contains multitudes, I'll always be discovering new things that it can do."⁴