The Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay is a delay pedal from Empress Effects, a vintage-voiced take on the company's original Superdelay. It keeps the feature set of the original, including eight delay modes, presets and an 11 second looper, while revamping the tape mode for more of the compression, grit and saturation heard in real tape echoes1. Empress pitched it at players whose delay was "sounding sterile and boring" and who wanted a more vintage character1.
The pedal has been discontinued and replaced by the Empress Echosystem1.
The eight modes and the controls
Empress lists eight modes on the pedal1:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Normal | Standard delay |
| Tap | Delay time set by tap tempo |
| Autoset | Delay time is set by the tempo played1 |
| Reverse | Reversed repeats |
| Rhythm mode | Multitap repeats, with intervals between repeats set by the tap tempo footswitch2 |
| Tape mode | Tape echo emulation1 |
| Misc | Dynamic and gate delay1 |
| Looper | An 11 second looper1 |
The tape mode is the heart of the Vintage Modified version. Empress revamped it from the original Superdelay to give more of the compression, grit and saturation heard in tape echoes1. MusicRadar's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found the tape delay mode offers three characters: standard tape delay, tape delay emulating an old machine with wow and flutter, and tape delay from a tape that's past its best2. Barry Rudolph, reviewing the Superdelay family, describes the Tape mode as one that "mimics old-time analog tape echo"3.
Around the modes sit a set of shared controls and features13:
- Feedback, mode selector knob and output volume controls, as on the original Superdelay3
- Tap tempo with ratio selection, which Empress says makes fast, in-time delay times easy across the tap-based modes1
- High pass/low pass filter: Empress suggests high pass for electronic music and low pass for darker, analog delay type sounds; Curwen describes it as a filter switch that rolls off either the top or bottom end of the repeats12
- 8 presets, with settings saved to eight presets and accessed through three stomp switches1
- Expression pedal input, allowing control of either mix or feedback with your foot1
Power and connections
The Vintage Modified Superdelay runs on 9V DC with a positive tip, through a 2.1mm barrel connector, and draws approximately 300mA1.
The positive-tip power requirement is the opposite of the center-negative standard used by most modern pedals, and the roughly 300mA draw is well beyond what a typical daisy chain supplies. This pedal wants its own dedicated supply, and the polarity must match what Empress specifies.
Input and output are both 1/4" jacks, and the pedal employs true bypass, so it is not affecting the signal when disengaged1. The enclosure is die cast aluminum, measuring approximately 5.7" by 3.75" by 1.75" and weighing 1.5 lb1.
History and versions
The Vintage Modified Superdelay is a further version of the original Empress Effects Superdelay, a stomp pedal delay that Barry Rudolph called "the 'mother' of all stomp pedal delays"34. Pedal of the Day, reviewing the Superdelay in 2017, pointed readers to the Vintage Modified as the pedal's evolved sibling4. The original offers up to 2.8 seconds of delay time, the same ceiling as the Vintage Modified3.
The Superdelay's influence reached beyond Empress's own catalog. In 2023, Chase Bliss and Empress Effects released the Reverse Mode C, a limited multidirectional delay inspired by the Superdelay's Octave Tap mode, as the first pedal in Chase Bliss's Small Batch Bliss series.
The Vintage Modified Superdelay itself is discontinued. It carried a list price of 449.00 USD1, and MusicRadar's reviewer called it expensive at that price2.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen reviewed the Vintage Modified Superdelay and summed it up as "A multi-faceted delay with great tape echo emulations."2
"it's a practical all-round delay with a range of sounds, including some of the best single-head tape echo emulations around."
His verdict lists the pedal's strengths as practical, flexible delay sounds and excellent single-head tape echo emulations, with "Expensive." as the noted downside at its $449.00 USD list price12.
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Questions
What replaced the Empress Superdelay?
The Vintage Modified Superdelay was discontinued and replaced by the Empress Echosystem, a dual-engine digital delay pedal released on May 4, 2017. Empress Effects lists the Echosystem as the replacement on its own product page for the Vintage Modified Superdelay.
What is the difference between the Superdelay and the Vintage Modified Superdelay?
The Vintage Modified Superdelay keeps the features of the original Superdelay but revamps the tape mode to add more of the compression, grit and saturation heard in real tape echoes. MusicRadar's reviewer found its single-head tape echo emulations among the best around.
How long is the Empress Superdelay's maximum delay time?
Both the original Superdelay and the Vintage Modified Superdelay offer up to 2.8 seconds of delay time, which Empress describes as being for extra long delays. The pedal also includes a separate 11 second looper mode.
Does the Vintage Modified Superdelay have a looper?
Yes. One of its eight modes is an 11 second looper, listed by Empress Effects alongside normal, tap, autoset, reverse, rhythm (multitap), tape and misc modes that include dynamic and gate delay.
Is the Empress Superdelay true bypass?
Yes. Empress Effects states that the Superdelay employs true bypass, so the pedal is not affecting the signal when it is disengaged.
Who uses the Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay?
Empress Effects lists Mark Webber among the artists who use the Vintage Modified Superdelay on its product page for the pedal.
Sources (4)
- Vintage Modified Superdelay, Empress Effects Inc.
- Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay review, MusicRadar, 2015-02-26
- Empress Effects' Superdelay Pedal, www.barryrudolph.com, 2024
- Empress Effects Superdelay Guitar Effects Pedal, Pedal of the Day, 2017-07-14
