Promoted as a pedal that offers “everything you need in a delay and nothing you don’t,” the JHS Flight Delay combines elements of some of the best and most useful delay pedals and integrates them in a simple, effective pedal that switches easily between settings and provides a striking variety of easy-to-use delay options. As their promo copy states, “In a world full of complex effects pedals, we worked hard to bring you the opposite.
The Flight Delay features three delay modes (analog, reverse, and digital) and was inspired by some of JHS founder Josh Scott’s all-time favorite delays, the EHX Memory Man, Boss DD-5, and Line 6 DL4. These features are all fluidly combined, preventing the need for menu diving or complicated user interfaces to operate all of its functions right out of the box.
The Flight Delay features six control knobs, three 3-way toggle switches, and two foot switches, providing simple ways switch between desired settings.
MAIN KNOBS
MIX – Controls the mix of delay with your dry signal. All the way left is fully dry, all the way right is fully wet. Noon is a 50/50 blend.
REPEATS – Controls the amount of feedback or repeats in the delay signal. Left is less, right is more. Fully right will give infinite repeats. Be careful! This feature can quite literally spiral out of control.
EQ – Adjusts the tone or color of the repeats. Left is a darker, warmer delay tone. Right is brighter and crisper.
TIME –Â Controls the length of the delay from 50ms to 1 second. Left is shorter, right is longer. The Tap Tempo foot switch can also be used to adjust the time.
Toggle Switches
The primary switch on the pedal shifts between the three pedal modes: Analog, Reverse, and Digital. The first is a filtered analog-style BBD delay redolent of vintage echo pedals including the EHX Memory Man and the BOSS DM-2. The reverse mode plays the delay signal backwards and was inspired by the Danelectro Back Talk and the reverse mode of the Line 6 DL4. The Digital setting provides crisp, digital-style delay that pays tribute to early DSP delays like the BOSS DD-5 and the Ibanez DE7.
The Second toggle switch sets the interval of delay repeats. The settings are quarter note, eighth note, or dotted eighth note in relation to your tapped tempo. One of the coolest features of the Flight Delay is the Trails Bypass Mode. This is activated by holding both footswitches for two seconds while the pedal is on. The left bypass LED will blink, and the setting will be retained, allowing the pedal to echo as long the player desires.
Another feature that takes the Flight Delay to breathtaking heights is the Modulation switch, which adds chorus or vibrato to the signal. When activated, the chorus and delay are controlled by the MOD Rate and MOD Depth knobs, which can be used to emulate a wide range of sound settings, from the lo-fi warble of a vintage tape delay to the vibrato’s repeats of a Memory Man.
The Flight Delay also offers players the option of using an expression pedal to fluctuate the delay settings with the use of a stereo TRS cable that plugs directly into the Flight Delay’s TAP/EXP jack. Heel down produces the fastest delay time, and toe down produces the slowest delay time.
Once again, JHS has analyzed many of the features guitarists love most and created an innovative, highly functional, and great-sounding pedal to suit their needs.
