The Boss DM-1 Delay Machine, released by Boss in 1978, was the company's first-ever analog delay unit12. Boss describes it as an analog delay offering a distinctive sound and delay times up to 500 milliseconds2. Its circuit used a charge-coupled device (CCD), an electronic component Boss notes went on to be widely used in digital applications2.
Power and chassis
The DM-1 uses the same heavy-duty metal chassis and AC power configuration as the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, according to Jim Bybee writing in Boss's history of its delay pedals2. That shared enclosure marks it as part of Boss's earliest run of full-size effects, before the compact pedal format the company later became known for.
What is a CCD delay?
The DM-1's circuit used a charge-coupled device, an electronic component that stores and moves an electrical signal in stages, creating the delay. Boss notes that the CCD went on to be widely used in digital applications2. GuitarPlayer likewise reports that the DM-1 was based on CCD technology3. This places the DM-1 apart from the bucket-brigade device (BBD) circuits used in later analog delays such as the Boss DM-2 and the modern Boss DM-101.
Production and used market
Boss produced the DM-1 for less than two years. Jim Bybee, in the company's own history article, puts it plainly2:
"The DM-1 was produced for less than two years, so it's a rare bird on the used market and commands high prices if you ca"
That short run is the reason the DM-1 is expensive on the used market today: it is rare, and Boss says it commands high prices when one can be found2.
Where it sits in Boss's delay line
The DM-1 was the first entry in a delay line that ran from 1978 onward. Pedal of the Day, reviewing the Boss DD-500 Digital Delay, traces the lineage back to "the inception of the DM-1 Delay Machine way back in 1978"4. Later analog delays in the family include the Boss DM-2 and the Boss DM-3 Analog Delay, while the digital side runs from the Boss DD-3 Digital Delay through units like the Boss DD-7 Digital Delay and Boss DD-8. See Delay Pedals for the wider effect type.
Videos
Nail Guitar Skills
Vintage Stompboxes
bob hermans
Questions
Is the Boss DM-1 analog or digital?
The DM-1 is an analog delay. Boss's own history of its delay pedals describes the DM-1 as analog, and Guitar.com calls it Boss's first-ever analogue delay unit. Its circuit used a charge-coupled device (CCD), an electronic component that Boss notes went on to be widely used in digital applications, but the DM-1 itself is an analog design.
What is the maximum delay time of the Boss DM-1?
The Boss DM-1 offers delay times up to 500 milliseconds, according to Boss's history article on its delay pedals, written by Jim Bybee. That is a short delay range by modern standards, but it was the starting point for Boss's delay line.
How long was the Boss DM-1 made?
Boss produced the DM-1 for less than two years. Jim Bybee, writing in Boss's history of its delay pedals, notes that this short run makes it a rare bird on the used market and that it commands high prices when one can be found.
Does the Boss DM-1 run on a battery?
Boss's history article says that the DM-1 uses an AC power configuration, sharing its heavy-duty metal chassis and power arrangement with the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble.
Why is the Boss DM-1 expensive on the used market?
Because it was produced for less than two years. Boss's own history article, speaking through Jim Bybee, says the short production run makes the DM-1 a rare bird on the used market, and that it commands high prices when one can be found.
What is a CCD delay?
A CCD delay uses a charge-coupled device, an electronic component, to store and pass the audio signal along to create the delay effect. Boss's history article notes the DM-1's circuit used a CCD, and that this component went on to be widely used in digital applications. GuitarPlayer likewise reports the DM-1 was based on CCD technology.
Sources (4)
- Boss unveils the “ultimate stereo analogue delay”, the DM-101, Guitar.com, 2023-06-22
- Echoes in Time: The History of BOSS Delay Pedals, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2024-01-10
- If You Like Analog Delay You'll Love the New Boss DM-101 Delay Machine, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2023-06-22
- Boss DD-500 Digital Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2016-03-07
