The Transponder Delay Roller is a delay pedal from Classic Audio Effects that replaces the usual delay time knob with a roller wheel. The company had already used that roller idea on its Stumphouse Drive Roller, an earlier pedal, and the Transponder applies the same concept to delay. Pedal of the Day's reviewer described it as a pedal that "rolls (pun intended) it into an echo machine capable of huge tones and easy usability."1
Controls
The pedal keeps its control layout simple. The roller wheel sets the Delay Time and offers a full 270 degrees of rotation, which the reviewer said allows for "exacting and uber-sp" precise adjustment of the delay length. A Repeats knob adjusts the number of echoes, and a Mix knob rounds out the controls, letting you dial in as much or as little of the delayed effect as is desired.1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Roller wheel | Sets the Delay Time, with 270 degrees of rotation1 |
| Repeats | Adjusts the number of echoes1 |
| Mix | Blends in as much or as little of the delayed effect as desired1 |
With a max time of 1000ms, the reviewer noted that "the crystal clear repeats will echo from your amp for days."1
The roller wheel and build
The roller is the pedal's defining feature, and the build around it is more involved than a simple knob. It runs on a reinforced belt drive with a fully sealed bearing drive system, and a roller positional LED shows where the wheel is set. The whole assembly sits in a sturdy aluminum enclosure.1
"Easy to use, superb sound and reliable build structure all make the Transponder an A+ delay in our book."
Background and pedalboard use
The roller wheel concept comes from the Stumphouse Drive Roller, an earlier Classic Audio Effects pedal. As Pedal of the Day put it, the makers "taken that concept and applied it to probably our favorite genre of pedals: Delay."1
For players fitting it onto a board, the top-mounted jacks make the pedal super pedalboard-friendly, since input and output connections at the top leave the sides free and let the pedal sit tightly alongside others.1
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Questions
What is the maximum delay time on the Transponder Delay Roller?
The Transponder Delay Roller has a maximum delay time of 1000ms. Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted that with that max time, the crystal clear repeats will echo from your amp for days, making the pedal suitable for longer, more spacious echo settings as well as shorter slapback-style delays.
Is the Transponder Delay Roller true bypass?
Yes. The pedal uses soft touch true bypass relay switching, housed in a sturdy aluminum enclosure. Relay switching means the footswitch activates an electronic relay rather than a conventional mechanical switch, and true bypass takes the pedal's circuit out of your signal path when it is off.
How does the roller wheel work on this delay?
The roller wheel sets the Delay Time and offers a full 270 degrees of rotation, which the reviewer said allows for exacting adjustment of the delay length. A roller positional LED shows where the wheel sits, and the wheel runs on a reinforced belt drive with a fully sealed bearing drive system.
Where are the jacks on the Transponder Delay Roller?
The Transponder Delay Roller has top-mounted jacks. Pedal of the Day's reviewer called this super pedalboard-friendly, since top-mounted input and output jacks let the pedal sit closer to other pedals on a board and leave room for patch cables at the sides.
What is the Stumphouse Drive Roller?
The Stumphouse Drive Roller is an earlier pedal from Classic Audio Effects that introduced the company's roller wheel concept. The Transponder Delay Roller takes that same roller wheel idea and applies it to delay, letting players sweep delay time with a wheel rather than a conventional knob.
Sources (1)
- Classic Audio Effects Transponder Delay Roller, Pedal of the Day, 2017-04-14
