It seems that there is a constant debate over different delay pedals. Although there are a billion delay pedals out there, I wanted to zero down on two popular ones: the Line 6 DL4 and the Boss DD-20 Giga Delay. These are two very different delay pedals, and although I won’t go through all the modes, I’ll be sure to hit on the big differences.

The DL4, or “the fabled green box,” has many different modes: Tube echo, Tape echo, Multi-Head, Sweep echo, Analog echo, Analog with Modulation, Lo Res (low resolution) delay, Digital delay, Digital with Modulation, Rhythmic delays, Stereo delays, Ping Pong, Reverse, Dynamic delay, Auto-Volume echo, and a cool Loop sampler. From this list you can tell that there are some cool noises and delays you can get from the pedal. With three presets and a tap tempo onboard, this is a great pedal for saving settings, or doing something different on the fly. There are 6 knobs including the effect mode selector: delay time (in addition to the tap), repeats, tweak, tweez,  and mix (wet/dry effect). The tweak and tweez knobs do different things for each of different effect modes (you can use the stickers that come with or the manual as a reference for what each does in the different modes) and there is also an expression pedal available for extra control and more features.

The DD-20, or Giga Delay, has many different modes as well: Reverse, Modulate, Smooth, Pan, Dual, Standard (Digital), Analog, Tape, Warp, Twist, and an SOS setting (like the Loop Sampler on the DL4). Comparing this list with the DL4′s list of modes, you can tell that this pedal is more of your standard delay sounds, rather than strange delays that can make some weird noises. But don’t judge this pedal and think it can’t do as much. Along with the effect mode knob, there is an effect level (wet/dry effect), feedback (repeats), and tone knobs. The Giga Delay also has knob that adjusts the delay time, complete with a screen that digitally shows number of BPM’s or msec’s (you can switch between which is shown). With the twin pedals and an additional footswitch you can purchase, you can choose and switch around which one turns the effect on and off, one switches between the presets, and one can be used as a tap tempo between the three. There are 4 presets and a manual setting that is set to whatever it currently dialed in on the knobs. You can choose between whole, half, quarter, eighth, dotted half, dotted quarter, dotted eighth, triplet half, triplet quarter, and triplet eighth note delays. This delay pedal is great for your standard delay sounds, with a few extras.

So these two pedals are very different. While the both can produce some similar sounds, they produce very different delays as well. While you can get standard delay sounds from the DL4 and strange unique delay sounds from the DD-20, the DL4 has more features that aren’t your standard digital delay sounds and the DD-20 has more of your straight up delays.

For me, it’s important to have both. The cool thing about both delays is that you can have both. You can have a preset or two of standard delays and another preset or two of strange delay sounds. The DD-20 has four presets (technically five with the manual setting) versus the three on the DL4. Both have a tap tempo, but the DD-20 also has the BPM setting where you can program in the tempo that you’re running with the click. However, the DL4 has more modes and lots of flexibility with the different delays.

I can’t tell you which one to get because both of their sounds have become almost essential to my playing and tone. If you don’t want all the extra features of either of these pedals, check out their little brothers, the Line 6 Echo Park or the Boss DD-7. The big difference between these and their big brothers is the ability to store presets. With the DL4 at about $250 new and the Giga Delay at about $220, either is a good pick and worth having.