The Keeley Electronics Halo Dual Echo is a compact digital delay pedal developed by Robert Keeley of Keeley Electronics together with guitarist Andy Timmons, whose signature it carries. Its purpose is specific: to put Timmons's modulated dual-echo sound, a refined take on a Memory Man-style tape-modulation echo, into a single stompbox12. The pedal comes programmed with his sound, and preset 1A alone is his go-to echo setting12.
Timmons described the project in an interview with JHS Pedals: "Basically, the main idea was to get my sound in a smaller box, which is what it comes programmed with." Development took three years1. The maker's description of the effect is that "Andy spent decades combining and crafting the sounds you can now get from the HALO"3.
A Memory Man-style echo built around Andy Timmons's sound
The Halo works like having two separate delay pedals in one box5. Each side (A and B) can be set to a different delay time, up to 1500 ms each, and you footswitch between them34. The core "Halo" sound is a modulated dual echo: as Timmons explains it, "The center of the note stays where it is, and then the echoes gently kind of feathering away, but actually starts to detune," replicating the tape modulation he has long used on his repeats1. He calls the pedal "the most refined version of that basic sound"1.
Beyond the signature setting, the pedal handles what Timmons calls "other basic delay things like just a single dotted eighth or a quarter note"1. A Rhythm control selects between five echo types: HALO, Analog, Tape, Quarter and Dotted Eighth4. With the Time and Feedback controls set low, the same controls open up ambient chorus and flanger effects3.
Guitar Player's reviewer Jude Gold tested it in mono, in the style of Timmons's Memory Man setup, and found the repeats "hypnotic," tastefully chorused and warmed by the high-pass filter and saturation controls2.
"Packs more features than its small size would suggest, including Andy Timmons' coveted Halo setting."
The controls
The pedal's knobs each have two functions, with the Feedback knob acting as the key: push and hold it to engage the other knobs' alternate functions2. The maker also fits saturation, tone and shelving filter controls for shaping the repeats36.
| Knob | Primary function | Alternate function (press and hold Feedback) |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Sets delay time | High pass filter |
| Level | Sets delay level | Saturation |
| Feedback | Sets repeats (push and hold for alternate functions) | - |
| Rate | Modulation rate | Tone |
| Depth | Modulation depth | Rhythm (mode select) |
Sources: Guitar Player2, Delicious Audio4, westcoastpedalboard3.
The Tone and High Pass Filter controls shape the overall delay sound and mix4. A toggle switch advances the preset bank2, and soft stomp switches handle tap tempo, infinite hold, preset save and recall4. Holding a footswitch gives tap tempo per side, and holding the opposite side engages an Infinite/Freeze effect7.
Presets, stereo and expression control
The preset system gives you four banks, each holding two delay settings (A and B), for eight user-storable effects38. The pedal also ships with eight factory presets loaded with delay and modulation sounds4. Preset 1A is Timmons's own echo setting, available as soon as you plug in2.
Connectivity is where the small enclosure surprises:
- Mono and stereo inputs and outputs2
- True stereo path with up to 1500 ms per channel49
- True-stereo imaging when run in stereo3
- Expression pedal control, programmable24
- Remote switching46
On the JHS Pedals interview, when asked whether stereo and expression were included, Timmons confirmed: "Yeah. Stereo and expression packed in there"1.
Versions: Halo and the Light Bending Edition
The standard Halo Dual Echo was joined by a limited Light Bending Edition, restricted to 100 units7. According to Guitar Pedal X's review, "the only difference for the Halo Bending Light edition is its transparent etched enclosure": the circuit, controls and features are the same as the standard pedal7. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists the Light Bending Edition as a digital delay and reverb pedal by Keeley Electronics10.
The Light Bending Edition's control set matches the standard pedal: Time/HPF, Level/Saturate, Feedback (press for alternate functions), Rate/Tone and Depth knobs, a Rhythm mode switch offering Halo Effect, Dotted Eighth, Analog Rack Delay, Quarter and Multi-Head Tape Delay, and a Settings A/B/Status switch7. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found it "adds depth and dimension to all your tones," particularly on spacious lower-gain sounds, and that overall "it really does sound immense"7.
A simplified three-knob version, the Halo Core, was later released as a limited run in July 2024 and returned to production in November 2024 at an MSRP of $249.
What reviewers said
Reviews of the Halo have been positive about its sound while noting its price and complexity. Delicious Audio's best delay pedals guide summed it up as "Pros: Beautiful-sounding and full of range. Cons: Pricier than its competitors and a little harder to navigate"11. The same site's digital delay buying guide highlights its true stereo path, presets, tap tempo, five delay rhythms, optional modulation and "a high degree of tweakability"9. Pedal of the Day described the repeats in evocative terms: "Notes from the HALO dance rhythmically, almost creating a reverb diffusion," held together with tape-style modulation, saturation and compression8.
Why it is called the Halo
The name comes from Timmons himself. In the JHS Pedals interview he explained that the Halo is "kind of how I imagine the tone": the note's center stays put while the echoes feather away and detune around it, the way tape modulation behaves on repeats1. The ring of detuning repeats around a solid center is the halo.
Videos
JHS Pedals
Sweetwater
Pete Thorn
Questions
Is the Keeley Halo Dual Echo stereo?
Yes. It has mono and stereo inputs and outputs, and running it in stereo gives what the maker calls true-stereo imaging, with a true stereo path delivering up to 1500 ms of delay per channel324. In mono it works like a single Memory Man-style echo setup, which is how Timmons himself has long used delay2.
Can you use an expression pedal with the Keeley Halo?
Yes. The pedal is controllable via an expression pedal and a remote switch, with programmable expression pedal control24. Remote switching is also supported, so presets can be changed without touching the pedal itself46.
How many presets does the Keeley Halo Dual Echo have?
Four preset banks, each holding two delay settings (A and B), give eight user-storable effects38. It also ships with eight factory presets loaded with delay and modulation sounds, and preset 1A is Andy Timmons's go-to echo setting24.
Is the Keeley Halo analog or digital?
It is digital, powered by a Dream multi-core DSP chip45. Its modeled echo types include Analog Rack Delay and Multi-Head Tape Delay alongside the signature Halo Effect7.
What is the longest delay time on the Keeley Halo?
Up to 1500 milliseconds, and that figure is per channel, so sides A and B can each be set to different delay times34. With Time and Feedback set low, the controls can also produce ambient chorus and flanger effects3.
Why is it called the Halo?
Timmons named it for how he visualizes his basic tone: the center of the note stays where it is while the echoes feather away and detune at the end, replicating tape modulation on the repeats1. That ring of sound around a steady center is the halo he imagines.
Sources (11)
- ANDY TIMMONS SIGNATURE PEDAL (KEELEY ELECTRONICS), JHS Pedals
- Keeley Electronics Halo Andy Timmons Dual Echo Review, GuitarPlayer, 2022-09-23
- Heavenly Halo Andy Timmons Dual Echo, westcoastpedalboard.com
- Keeley Halo Stereo Dual Echo, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-20
- Keeley Halo Andy Timmons Dual Echo, gearnews.com, 2022-06-13
- Keeley's new HALO Dual Echo brings Andy Timmons' secret signature sound to the masses, Guitar World, 2022-06-13
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-05-24
- Keeley Electronics Halo Andy Timmons Dual Echo, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2023-06-01
- Best Multi-Mode Digital Delay Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-11-29
- Halo - Andy Timmons Dual Echo (Light Bending Edition) by Keeley Electronics | RockBoard | PedalPedia, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- The 3 Best Delay Pedals Per Type, In 2023, Delicious Audio (delicious-audio.com), 2023-08-25
