The Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 is a fully analog delay pedal built around a pair of studio-grade Xvive MN3005 reissue bucket-brigade devices (BBDs) run at high voltage. Designed by analog designer Hawker, it delivers up to 700ms of repeats with an extensive, fully analog control set, including an LFO for modulation of the delay time1. Asheville Music Tools describes it as the latest installment in Hawker's legacy of highly sought-after analog delay designs, and it is designed, manufactured, machined, and assembled in North Carolina12.
The pedal is part of the maker's Analoger series, which Delicious Audio characterizes as an "analog Bucket Brigade Delay with modulation"3. A limited special edition, the ADG-1 SE, added a third delay bucket and is now discontinued4.
A three-bucket analog delay
The ADG-1's core is a classic delay architecture: two reissue MN3005 bucket-brigade delay lines fed by a high-voltage step-up power supply, which is what lets the BBD chips run at the voltage analog designs favor for headroom and tone1. Pedal of the Day notes the pedal "features two reissue Bucket Brigade Delay lines for up to 700ms of delay"5. The signal path is 100% analog, and the feedback circuit uses a voltage-controlled transconductance amplifier, which the maker says provides Hawker's classic feedback tone1.
The pedal carries over 400 carefully selected components, with premium audio-grade op amps and high-tolerance, non-microphonic capacitors throughout the signal chain1. A VCA handles the feedback control5.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time | Delay time, 35 to 700ms with the Bucket switch down (all BBDs), or 17 to 350ms with it up (half the BBDs); expandable to 27 to 900ms (or 13 to 450ms) with expression pedal, control voltages, or LFO1 |
| Feedback | Amount of repeats, tapered to reach infinite repeats without runaway or self-oscillation1 |
| Rate | LFO rate, 0.08Hz to 40Hz, or faster with an expression pedal1 |
| Amount | LFO amount, from completely off to pronounced warbles, using an exponential modulator for smooth volt-per-octave time and frequency shifts1 |
| Expression switch | 4-position rotary switch assigning an external expression pedal or 0-5V CV input to Time, Feedback, Rate, or Amount1 |
| Bypass footswitch | Effect on/off; an internal switch selects true bypass or JFET-buffered bypass1 |
| Tails/Mod footswitch | Depending on the internal mode, engages the modulator or mutes the input for trails (spillover) bypass1 |
The bypass scheme deserves a note: an internal switch selects between true bypass, which takes the ADG-1 entirely out of your signal path, or a classic JFET-buffered bypass with switchable trails, so repeats can continue after you switch the effect off1.
The ADG-1 runs on 9V DC at under 150mA, with 85mA nominal and up to 250mA at start-up1. That start-up surge means a shared or marginal power supply should have headroom above the nominal figure.
Delay time and bandwidth
The Bucket switch gives two delay ranges: 35 to 700ms in dual BBD mode, or 16 to 350ms in single BBD mode, where the shorter path trades delay time for wider bandwidth1. With external CV control the range widens to 27 to 900ms, or 13 to 450ms1. Delicious Audio cites repeats from 16mS to 700mS for the Analoger ADG-13.
Like all bucket-brigade delays, the repeats lose high-frequency content as delay time lengthens. The maker says this rolloff becomes prominent at around 500ms and longer on the standard ADG-1; the discontinued SE pushed that point out to around 700ms4.
Asheville Music Tools describes the sound as "up to 700ms of harmonically rich, perfectly floating echoes," ranging from bright country slapback to dotted-eighth leads to modulated, psychedelic washes1. Pedal of the Day went further in its 2024 review:
"the ADG-1 is the new standard in compact analog delays"
Pedal of the Day, May 20245
Delicious Audio included the Analoger ADG-1 in its list of the Best Tape-Style Delay Pedals, grouping it with pedals that lean into tape-style character3.
A special edition of the ADG-1, now discontinued
The ADG-1 SE was a special edition of the ADG-1, first announced by Hawker in January 2021 alongside the pedal's Revision B, as a limited run with added features, longer delay, and special high-gloss paint2. It added a third high-voltage Xvive analog delay bucket, allowing switching between delay times of 16ms to 350ms or 50ms to 1.055 seconds, extendable to 1.35 seconds with control voltages or an expression pedal4. It also added a bonus delay insert loop that, unlike many insert loops, affects the first repeat and all subsequent ones4.
The ADG-1 SE is discontinued. It was always intended to be a limited special run, and Asheville Music Tools states it has no current plans to build this special pedal again4.
The SE listed at $598.00 versus $397.00 for the standard ADG-114, and wore a color-shifting chameleon powder coat that moves between blue, teal, purple, and more as the light hits it4.
Where it came from
The ADG-1's development is documented in the maker's own update posts. A 20 1/4-page draft manual with 12 presets was released in November 20202. By late January 2021, all US and international pre-orders had shipped, with remaining Rev A inventory offered to early wait-list signups at $369, and a Revision B planned at a slightly higher price2. Revision B brought easier build and calibration, a fix for an out-of-spec power supply issue, an increased control-voltage range with an expression pedal, and the hooks for the special edition that followed2. The standard ADG-1 is offered in two colors, Dusk Emerald Texture and Black1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 SE discontinued?
Yes. Asheville Music Tools states the ADG-1 SE has been retired, with the fall 2023 run as the last production run and a few more units built in early 2024 from remaining inventory. The company says it was always intended as a limited special run and it has no current plans to build it again.
What is different about the ADG-1 SE compared to the standard ADG-1?
The SE adds a third high-voltage Xvive analog delay bucket, extending delay time to 1.055 seconds, or up to 1.35 seconds with control voltages or an expression pedal. It also adds a delay insert loop, a color-shifting powder coat finish, and it listed at $598 versus $397 for the standard ADG-1.
Does the ADG-1 SE have true bypass?
Yes, and it is switchable. An internal switch selects between true bypass, which takes the pedal entirely out of the signal path, or a classic JFET-buffered bypass with switchable trails, letting repeats continue after you switch the effect off.
What can the expression input control on the ADG-1 SE?
The expression and CV input is assignable to Time, Feedback, Mod Amount, or Mod Rate, with a CV range of 0 to 5V. The ring of the jack is supplied with current-limited 5V, so a standard expression pedal works without extra wiring.
How much current does the ADG-1 SE draw?
It runs on 9V DC at under 150mA, with a nominal draw of 90mA and a start-up draw of up to 350mA. That start-up surge is worth accounting for on a shared power supply. The standard ADG-1 draws a nominal 85mA with up to 250mA at start-up.
Who designed the ADG-1 SE?
The ADG-1 SE was designed by Hawker, the analog designer behind the ADG-1 and its lineage of sought-after analog delay designs. Asheville Music Tools describes the SE as a special edition of that circuit, with Hawker and the team choosing its finish from dozens of paint samples.
Sources (6)
- ADG-1 Analog Delay, Asheville Music Tools
- ADG-1 Preorder Updates, Asheville Music Tools, 2021-01-29
- Asheville Music Tools Analoger ADG-1 Analog Delay, Delicious Audio, 2026-05-28
- ADG-1 Special Edition (Discontinued), Asheville Music Tools
- Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 Analog Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2024-05-19
- Asheville Music Tools APH-12 Plus, Asheville Music Tools
