MXR Carbon Copy

The MXR Carbon Copy is an analog delay pedal made by MXR, the effects brand of Jim Dunlop. Released in 2008, it uses bucket-brigade device (BBD) chips, the classic analog delay technology in which the signal is passed along a chain of capacitors rather than converted to digital, and it offers up to 600ms of delay time with optional modulation¹². Dunlop describes it simply as the MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay, model M169³.

For a player, the appeal is the analog bucket-brigade character. Guitar Player's buying guide writes that "being a true analog bucket-brigade device this emulates the best qualities of vintage tape echoes"⁴. The pedal sits in the familiar compact MXR box, the same size as a Phase 90, with a heavy duty die-cast chassis finished in emerald-green metalflake enamel and chassis-mounted 1/4 inch input and output jacks⁵⁶.

What it does

The Carbon Copy produces repeats the analog way, with a bucket-brigade circuit and 2:1 ratio noise reduction, and up to 600ms of delay with switchable modulation¹. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen found the range wide for a compact analog delay: "The sounds range from springy metallic reverb at very short delay times through Elvis-style slapback and on to all types of rhythmic and ambient delay up to the maximum 600ms"⁵.

The modulation is the pedal's other half. Premier Guitar's reviewers describe it as "a modulation that replicates the tape warble found in older tape units"¹¹, the pitch wobble that old tape echo machines produced as their transport drifted. It is switched on from the top of the pedal and shaped by internal trim pots (covered below).

According to MXR, quoted by Gearnews in 2018, the Carbon Copy is the "best-selling analogue delay worldwide"⁸. Its circuit lineage reaches back further: MusicRadar notes it "has, er, echoes of the old MXR Analogue Delay (discontinued in the eighties)"⁵, though Guitar World reports it was not directly influenced by the Boss DM-2, instead filling a gap in the market for a reasonably priced analog delay¹².

The controls

The face of the pedal keeps things simple: three knobs in a triangular configuration, plus a Mod switch⁵¹.

The modulation itself is adjusted inside the pedal. Two internal trim pots, one for width and one for rate, control the modulation circuit, and you reach them by removing the bottom plate¹¹⁰. MusicRadar's buying guide calls these "user-adjustable width and rate control of the modulation for even more tonal options", while also noting a practical drawback: "Internal trim pots are tiny"⁹.

History and versions

The original Carbon Copy arrived in 2008, and Dunlop marked its tenth anniversary in 2018 with the Carbon Copy 10th Anniversary Analog Delay, a limited edition in a lighter aluminum body painted metallic silver²⁸. Gearnews reported that the innards were identical to the normal green version, with the same 600 ms of delay time and the same Mix, Regeneration and Delay controls, and summed it up as "still the same old delay just in a new silver case. Not exactly a huge deal"⁸. Dunlop now lists it as a legacy product no longer in production².

The line has since grown to several versions:

Dunlop's own write-up noted in 2019 that this made three Carbon Copy delays on offer, the M169, M292 and M299¹⁷. The Mini shares the original's circuit: Delicious Audio says it "delivers all the BBD delay and modulation goodness of its sibling"¹⁸, and Guitar World's Paul Riario confirmed 600ms of delay time and true bypass in a smaller box, powered only via a 9-volt DC adapter¹⁹. In a demo video, Pete Thorn said the Mini "retains the modulation section from the original" and named Jeorge Trips as its designer²⁰.

What reviewers said

Reviewers have been consistent in liking the pedal since launch. Vintage Guitar's 2008 review found it "fairly quiet, producing just a little white noise when run in front of the amp, and even less through the effects loop" unless the Mix control is turned well up⁶. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen gave it a blunt verdict: "Great sounds in a compact box - brilliant"⁵.

Premier Guitar's round-up review praised the repeats in particular, writing that "The MXR Carbon Copy is one of the most musical analog delays I've ever tried" and that the regeneration setting "provided a naturally occurring trail of echos"¹¹. That review listed an MSRP of $254.61¹¹; Delicious Audio's 2024 buying guide gave the street price as $149¹⁰.

On the Bright version, opinions split usefully by use case. Premier Guitar's reviewer wrote: "I love both the Bright and the original, favoring the Bright for clean tones on this test, and the original for fuzz assaults"¹⁶. Pedal of the Day suggested the two work well together in one rig as an analog delay pairing¹⁵.

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