The Laney Black Country The Difference Engine is a three-mode delay pedal from Black Country Customs, the UK pedal-building subsidiary of British amp maker Laney. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it "a 3-mode delay pedal" from "a British builder that had made a name for itself through quality amps and stompboxes since 1967"1. It belongs to the wider family of delay pedals, but it is built more like a compact multi-mode unit than a single-function echo box.
What it does
The pedal's three modes are built around what De Gregorio described as "three classic eras of delay"1:
| Mode | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Analog | A tape echo era sound, modeled around the Roland RE space echo family of delays, with what the review describes as "warm sounding analogue tone"1 |
| Digital | The modern digital delay era1 |
| Dynamic | A third mode completing the set1 |
The Analog mode is the one given the most detail in the write-up: it is modeled around the RE space echo family and aims for the warmth and analog character of tape1.
Controls and presets
The Edit button is the pedal's main control. De Gregorio explained that "it acts as a time knob but also doubles as a push button to navigate" the LCD's menu1. The LCD screen itself is one of the features that sets this pedal apart within Laney's range.
The Difference Engine ships with 100 patches, and half of them are ready to play out of the box: "The Difference Engine is preloaded with 50 artist patches created by the players themselves"1.
This was a first for Laney: it is "the company's first pedal to feature more than one mode, to have presets, stereo in/out and an LCD screen"1. Players familiar with simpler single-knob Black Country Customs pedals will find a deeper, menu-driven unit here.
Where it came from
Black Country Customs is a subsidiary of Laney, and its pedals are manufactured in the UK. Delicious Audio's Nicholas Kula noted the company "is no stranger to gain pedals," which is where the line made its name before the Difference Engine added a delay to the range2. Laney itself has been building amplification since 19671.
What reviewers said
That Pedal Show featured the Difference Engine in a new pedal day segment, where Mick and Dan introduced it as "a new mega delay"3.
Delicious Audio's verdict was strongly positive on both design and sound. In De Gregorio's words1:
"The Difference Engine looks like a very well-designed delay pedal with unique features and a sound that rivals the top DSP-based echos currently on the market1."
Paolo De Gregorio, Delicious Audio1
On the strength of that, the site added it to its roundup of multi-mode delay pedals in January 20231.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
Pete Thorn
Guitar World
Sources (3)
- Laney Black Country The Difference Engine Delay, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-16
- Laney Black Country Customs Steelpark Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-01-25
- New Pedal Day TC SCF Gold, GEE Design-A-Drive, BCC Difference Engine, Empress Para EQ MkII DLX, That Pedal Show, 2022-11-11
