The TC Electronic Bucket Brigade is a compact analog delay pedal built around a bucket brigade device (BBD) circuit, the chip-based technology behind the vintage analog delays of the late 1970s and early 1980s. TC Electronic describes it as a "wall-to-wall analog design" with up to 600ms of delay time, warm repeats, optional modulation and an external depth control1. It arrived in February 2022 as TC Electronic's move into analog delay territory, a shift the press found notable because the company had built its reputation on digital effects like the Flashback2.
Where a digital delay samples your signal and plays it back exactly, a BBD delay passes the signal along a chain of capacitor "buckets" inside a chip. Each pass through the circuit loses a little top end, so the repeats get progressively darker and warmer. TC Electronic leans into this: the pedal "treats the delay line to a carefully crafted series of filters in the feedback circuit, resulting in deliciously warm repeats"1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it "a rather standard mini analog delay" whose value lies mostly in the price, but credited it with "that distinct and genuine vintage vibe that only a true analog BBD-design can give you"3.
Controls and modulation
The control panel is simple: four knobs and a switch.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DELAY | Sets the delay time |
| FEEDBACK | Sets the repeat amount; at maximum you reach 600ms of delay1 |
| DEPTH | Adjusts the modulation depth on the delayed notes1 |
| VOL | Sets the level of the delayed notes only; the original signal is unaffected1 |
| MOD switch | Engages modulation on the delayed notes1 |
The modulation is the pedal's one twist on a standard analog delay. Flip the MOD switch and the Bucket Brigade adds modulation, which gearnews describes as gentle chorus on the repeats9, to the delayed signal only, never your dry sound. The depth of that modulation is set from the external Depth knob, but the speed is fixed at a factory setting. To change it you have to open the case and turn an internal SPEED trim pot1, something Delicious Audio flagged as "not very practical to access"3.
One behavior worth knowing before you gig with it: RockBoard's PedalPedia entry notes that maxing the Feedback knob "can lead to wild self-oscillation"8, meaning the repeats build into self-sustaining howls, a trait shared with many analog delays.
Delay time and sound
The maximum delay time is 600 milliseconds, reached with the Feedback knob cranked to the max1. That Pedal Show's demo confirmed "600 milliseconds is the longest delay"10. That is short by digital standards, TC Electronic's own Flashback family goes far longer, but it is in the normal range for a BBD circuit, where longer times cost more high end and add noise. On That Pedal Show, the hosts placed it squarely in the lineage of classic analog delays, saying it "sits very much in that" world of the original Boss DM-2, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man and the MXR Carbon Copy10.
TC Electronic's own framing, via Premier Guitar's press coverage, was that the company "created the BUCKET BRIGADE to give players a distinct and genuine vintage vibe"5. MusicRadar's launch coverage promised "warm and articulate reproductions with up to 600ms of delay time"2.
Size, power and bypass
The Bucket Brigade is a mini pedal in a tough, compact chassis that TC Electronic says fits easily on any pedalboard, with top-mounted jacks to save even more horizontal space1. RockBoard calls it "a tough, compact delay pedal"8.
It runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 40mA8. There is no mention of battery power in the maker's specifications. The bypass is true bypass, so your dry signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off1; MusicRadar's coverage also noted the true bypass can be switched on and off2.
Price and value
The pedal launched at $69 in February 202226. A later figure shows pricing holding steady: $69.99 in Delicious Audio's February 2026 coverage3. In the UK, That Pedal Show noted it at "a whopping 59 quid" in December 202210.
That price is the heart of most press commentary. Delicious Audio's verdict was blunt about the pedal itself being conventional, but concluded that "the magic, as usual with products by Music Group, is almost exclusively in the pricing"3. At that level it undercuts most other analog BBD delays on the market.
What reviewers said
"This is a rather standard mini analog delay"
That Pedal Show gave it a full demo in their December 2022 new pedal day video, introducing the Bucket Brigade at 30:25 with sounds from 31:1511. In the demo the hosts compared it against the market leading analog delays and found it sitting comfortably in the Carbon Copy's company, while noting the bargain UK price10.
The video walks through both standard and modulation modes, with the hosts noting the pedal behaves consistently between them10.
Where it sits in TC Electronic's lineup
TC Electronic is known for digital effects like the Flashback delay pedal. The Bucket Brigade instead uses a bucket brigade device (BBD) circuit, a true analog BBD design. For a player deciding between the two approaches, the choice comes down to whether they want digital flexibility or the vintage analog character this circuit produces261.
Videos
TC Electronic
TheGuitarGeek
Mike Hermans
News
Questions
Is the TC Electronic Bucket Brigade true bypass?
Yes. TC Electronic gives the Bucket Brigade a True Bypass design, so the original guitar signal passes through unchanged when the pedal is off. Press coverage from MusicRadar and Guitar World also describes it as a true bypass on/off footswitch design.
What is the maximum delay time of the TC Bucket Brigade?
Up to 600 milliseconds. TC Electronic says that with the Feedback knob cranked to the maximum you arrive at no less than 600ms of delay, and That Pedal Show's demo likewise noted 600 milliseconds as the longest delay time.
How do you change the modulation speed on the Bucket Brigade?
The modulation speed is fixed at the factory but adjustable through a SPEED trim pot inside the case. You have to open the pedal to change it, which Delicious Audio's reviewer found not very practical to access. Modulation depth, by contrast, is set from the external Depth knob.
Is the TC Electronic Bucket Brigade analog?
Yes. TC Electronic describes a wall-to-wall analog design built on a classic Bucket Brigade Device (BBD) circuit, the same chip family used in vintage analog delays. Delicious Audio calls it a true analog BBD design with a genuine vintage character.
How much does the TC Electronic Bucket Brigade cost?
It launched at $69 in February 2022. A later listing shows $69.99 in February 2026, so street pricing has stayed in the high sixty dollar range.
How long is the delay time on the Bucket Brigade?
The delay repeats go up to 600ms, reached with the Feedback knob at maximum. Maxing that knob can also push the pedal into wild self-oscillation, a trait RockBoard's PedalPedia entry notes.
Sources (11)
- BUCKET BRIGADE ANALOG DELAY, TC Electronic
- TC Electronic goes analogue with its $69 new Bucket Brigade Delay pedal, MusicRadar, 2022-02-04
- TC Electronic Bucket Brigade Delay, Delicious Audio, 2026-02-19
- BUCKET BRIGADE ANALOG DELAY, TC Electronic
- TC Electronic Debuts the Bucket Brigade Analog Delay, Premier Guitar, 2022-02-07
- TC Electronic debuts $69 Bucket Brigade Analog Delay pedal, Guitar World, 2022-02-04
- TC Electronic BUCKET BRIGADE Analog Delay pedal, gearnews.com, 2022-02-03
- Bucket Brigade Analog Delay by TC Electronic, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- The 7 Best Delay Pedals for any Budget: Endless Depth and Lush Vibes, gearnews.com, 2026-01-19
- Maestro Agena, Mythos Cestus, Aclam Woman Tone, TC Bucket Brigade New Pedal Day, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2022-12-13
- New Pedal Day Maestro Agena, Mythos Cestus, Aclam Woman Tone, TC Bucket Brigade, That Pedal Show, 2022-12-13
