The JHS Milkman Tape Delay is a delay pedal built by JHS in conjunction with Milkman Sound, covering the slap-back and short echo territory players associate with tape echo units. Alongside its delay controls, it carries a fully independent clean boost, which Guitar World describes as "ideal for solos or left on as a natural-sounding preamp"1.
Controls
The pedal keeps its layout to five knobs1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Slap | Sets the slap-back character of the delay |
| Mix | Blends the delayed signal with your dry tone |
| Repeat | Sets the number of repeats |
| EQ | Shapes the tone of the echoes |
| Boost | Independent clean boost, usable on its own |
The Slap control points to the pedal's focus on short, slap-back style echoes rather than long, self-oscillating delays1.
The boost section
The Milkman Tape Delay's boost is fully independent of the delay circuit, so it can be used on its own as a clean volume lift or left always-on as a preamp-style stage in front of your amp1. That makes it a two-in-one layout: a delay for rhythm playing and a boost you can kick in for lead parts.
What reviewers said
Guitar World included the Milkman Tape Delay in its buying guide to tape echo pedals in February 2023. Its reviewer counted the separate boost as a plus, writing "+ Separate boost", but flagged one limitation: "Some players may need a longer delay time"1. In other words, players after long, ambient repeats may find the pedal's range shorter than they want, while players focused on slap-back and short echoes are the pedal's natural audience.
If you are comparing JHS delays, the JHS 3 Series Tape Delay and the JHS Tape Delay sit in the same family, and the wider field of options is covered on our Delay Pedals page.
Videos
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JHS Pedals
R.J. Ronquillo
Sources (1)
- Best tape echo pedals: Nail the warm sound of tape delay, Guitar World, 2023-02-07
