More and more pro bass players and guitarists are choosing the Black Country Customs Difference Engine Delay pedal.
With its 3 unique delay era’s expertly recreated, including Analogue, Digital and Dynamic, 50 artist patches and expert functionality for the uncompromising musician, it’s the perfect delay pedal for those who want a one-and-done delay pedal that covers everything they need.
With over 50 artists presets, some of which are created by the artists themselves, and many of which are based on classic album sounds, there’s a delay sound for every type of guitarist.
This is one of the main reasons pro guitarists play the BCC Difference Engine – it’s everything they could ever need in one pedal.
So we thought we’d showcase what artists play the Difference Engine Delay and what they say about it! Also – I took one home to see what the settings were like and how they can be used!
Artists such as Tony Iommi, Tom Quayle, Lari Basilio, Martin Miller, Billy Duffy, Max Clilverd, Alex Hutchings, Vernon Reid, The Fixx and Pete Honore are all BCC Difference Engine Delay Pedal users (and owners!)
In fact, the Difference Engine delay pedal from the Laney Black Country Customs series is preloaded with 50 artist patches created by some of these pro musicians themselves, including signature delay settings from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Lari Basilio, Tom Quayle, Martin Miller, Billy Duffy, Alex Hutchings, Vernon Reid, and many more. These presets can serve as a great starting point for crafting your own unique delay sounds, as you can tweak each preset to your own unique needs.
Let’s dig into what the artists are saying about the Difference Engine Delay.
Pic: Tony Iommi is s Laney Artist
Yes. You read that right. Tony Iommi created a custom patch for the BCC TDE and is another guitarist who plays the Difference Engine Delay pedal.
In case you didn’t know, as the guitarist for Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi is known for pioneering the heavy metal genre – and he did it with a Laney Supergroup amp!
Fans of Sabbath will know that his use of delay is typically subtle and is mainly used to add depth and space to his massive riffs and solos, especially on the ‘Heaven and Hell’ album more so than others. As Tony tends to use it for adding a sense of space and depth to his guitar sound rather than as a prominent effect, his Signature Difference Engine Delay Pedal patch, titled ‘Iommi Heaven” provides some elongated delay, offering a spacey, yet not “in-your-face” slapback style delay in Mono. This ensures your riffs stay heavy, hard-edged and powerful, but provide a little more depth – especially useful for solo guitarists in bands that need to fill the spaces.
It’s actually one of our favourite Difference Engine Delay patches!
As we all know, Tony Iommi doesn’t use a lot of effects, so it’s with great pride that we can say he provided a signature artist setting that effectively replicates the subtle delay sounds of his “Heaven & Hell” era guitar sound. Particularly on tracks like ‘Lonely Is The Word’ and ‘Children of the Sea’. This provides a subtle yet fuller, richer tone on both the acoustic and electric guitar sounds, especially when coupled with his Laney Supergroup amp.
Pic: The Tony Iommi Difference Engine Delay preset
Check out Tony Iommi’s signature Laney TI-Boost guitar pedal too!
Lari Basilio, one of the world’s most respected guitarists, is one of the artists who have incorporated the BCC Difference Engine Delay into her setup. Her signature delays are some of the best artists’ presets on the Difference Engine Delay pedal. “Every time I turn on the delay, I feel inspired. I can say that for sure”
We invite you to watch this incredible demo of Lari using the Difference Engine delay:
One of the cool things about Lari’s signature patches, titled the “Lari B 8th Note”, “Lari B .8th” which is a dotted eight style delay and “Lari B Solo” is how responsive all delay sounds are, and how they don’t just simply replicate existing sounds out there – they bring some really interesting flavour not yet seen in other delay pedals, filling in the gaps of your playing and adding a life of their own.
I recommend the 8th Note patch for riffs or those guitar lines that need an extra bounce or U2-style movement, while the Solo version is perfect for adding that extra life to your guitar sound. Check out Lari Basilio’s guitar rig and Laney amp setup.
Pic: One of the 3 Lari Basilio Difference Engine Delay presets
Tom Quayle, easily one of the most recognised guitar instructors (and YouTubers) on the planet, is not only a Difference Engine Delay artist but has written a custom patch for the delay pedal for you to use, called “Wetta The Betta”
Speaking to us, he said he was stoked to use the pedal and commented on the fact that you didn’t need a manual to navigate it!
“…I am amazed at how intuitive and easy this delay unit is to use (no manual required!) and the sound quality is off the charts, especially the incredible analogue tape delays and modulation”
Watch him chat about it and bust out some riffs below:
As you can hear, this delay patch is drenched in delay, adding some serious weight to whatever you’re playing and bringing an entirely new dynamic to your sound.
Pic: The Tom Quayle Difference Engine Delay Preset – “Wetta The Betta”
Check out Tom Quayles Laney amp set up and guitar amp and pedal rig.
The great Alex Hutchings is a Difference Engine Delay artist and has also created a custom patch for us, aptly titled “Strsky & Hutchings” – the name alone is incredible!
Of the pedal, he said:
“..the sign of any great bit of gear is that you can lose yourself in the Music, I really enjoyed it – sounds great, looks cool and the screen is brilliant”
One of the big focus points for us here was to ensure artists could use the Difference Engine Delay in any environment, light or dark, stage, studio or festival. That’s why The Difference Engine Delay pedal features an ultra-sharp, easy-to-see 2.43” OLED display screen. You can see it at all times!
Pic: The Alex Hutchings Difference Engine Delay Pedal Preset
Check out Alex’s in-depth demo of the BCC Difference Engine Delay pedal below:
And watch him hang out at Andertons and get some incredible delay tones and scroll through patches here:
Check out Alex Hutching’s Laney amp setup and rig.
Pic: Pete Honore is a Difference Engine Delay artist
Speaking of Andertons, Pete Honore is yet another extremely well-respected guitar personality and another firm friend of ours here at Laney.
We can count Pete Honore as another guitarist who plays the Difference Engine Delay pedal, as he actually created a custom Analogue delay patch for it, titled “The Purple Tape”. We all know Pete loves purple, so it makes perfect sense!
We asked him what he thought – and he flat out said “…It sounds brilliant!!”
Pete’s delay is not particularly long winded, but more a quicker, almost immediate delay effects that is perfect for adding weight to your guitar sound – ideal for the likes of Telecasters and single coil guitars that need extra power.
Pic: The Pete Honore Difference Engine Delay Preset
Billy Duffy’s use of delay is prominent in his work with The Cult, – try and think of ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ without delay – weird right?!
Billy is a Difference Engine Delay artist and often uses it to create a large, atmospheric sound that fills out the band’s sonic landscape. As he tends to use longer delay times for a big, echoey effect.
Fortunately, we know that the pedal’s capabilities of up to 2500 MS of delay is more than enough for what Billy needs on stage and in the studio providing that call-and-response delay style he is so well known for. Simply knowing that Billy is one of the many pro-level guitarists that play the BCC Difference Engine Delay is an incredible honour! The fact he created a custom patch for us, is even better!
Pic: Vernon Reid is a Difference Engine Delay user and Laney artist
As the guitarist for Living Colour, Vernon Reid is known for his experimental approach to guitar sounds, including the use of delay, so we’re proud to welcome him as a Difference Engine Delay artist and user.
Anyone who has ever heard a Living Color track knows that he often uses delay in creative ways, such as for creating rhythmic patterns or for making his guitar solos sound larger and more powerful. He also uses a slapback, subtle delay, especially on tracks such as ‘Solace of You’, but then goes for a slightly more delayed echo sound on that fills the spaces on “Flying”. As a guitarist who plays the Difference Engine Delay pedal, we know that this incredible multi-delay pedal can handle the entire Loving Color back catalogue!
Check out Vernon Reid’s Laney rig and amp setup.
Pic: Martin Miller is a Difference Engine delay artist
The incredible Marton Miller, famed guitarist, guitar instructor, composer and producer is another artist using the Difference Engine Delay pedal as part of his rig.
Of the pedal, Martin said: “…The core sound is very good! I especially enjoy what the colour function is doing to the sound and the tape delay is especially cool”
Check out Martin Miller’s Laney gear and amp setup.
Pic: Max Clilverd is a Difference Engine Delay user
Renowned session guitarist for the likes of Tom Odell, Andy Burrows and composer, credited with playing guitar on the Ricky Gervais “Afterlife” TV show, Max Clilverd is easily one of the most sought-after musicians today.
Of the pedal, Max said: “…It’s an amazing bit of kit, really intuitive”
One of the reasons why pro guitarists play the BCC Difference Engine Delay is down to its intuitive design. We’ve made it extremely easy for you to change presets, access new sounds, and build all the different types of delay into your rig using one pedal.
So it’s easy to see why session guitarists and those who want to put an ampless guitar rig or guitar fly rig together and save room with minimal pedals choose the BCC Difference Engine delay.
Check out Max Clilverd’s Laney amp setup.
When you’re playing at the level that these guitarists and bass players are at, you need something SUPER reliable, with many different kinds of delay to suit the different genres or different moods you want to move between on guitar. You also need studio-quality sound, functionality to support live and studio connections and of course, the ability to change settings on the fly, scroll through ready-made, user-friendly presets or dial your own in!
If you’re making a flyrig the Difference Engine Delay is perfect, as you can have 3 different types of delay in one pedal, saving that valuable pedal board real estate!
You need the best delay pedal for EVERY scenario!
We’ve covered 5 reasons why everyone will love the Difference Engine delay. But, here’s why Pro Guitarists Play The BCC Difference Engine Delay, right now.
Pro guitarists will love the Difference Engine Delay as it gives you a true stereo input and output, which allows for the production of a stereo output from a single input or running stereo in and out. But if you just want mono sounds, you’ve got the option.
For those who need accurate MIDI-level delay, we’ve thrown in a full-featured MIDI input and output, supporting both MIDI CC numbers and Program Changes for total control.
When you’re playing live, you need to see what you’re doing! For stage use under low house lights, you’ve got an ultra-sharp, stunning 2.43” OLED display screen that is perfect for all types of performance environments.
We’ve also made it SUPER easy to manipulate the delay settings, as we wanted to give pro guitarists, session guitarists and studio engineers the ability to shape the tone, control the feedback, and adjust the amount of modulation of the delay repeats when quickly, when you need to.
The multi-function rotary encoder (with Laney Supergroup style knobs) makes adjusting parameters way faster and easier to get to your desired delay setting – no fuss. If you want more control over your delay sound, you’ve also got the use of an expression pedal for real-time control of various delay settings.
Basically, it’s ready to rock when you are. Its ease of use for beginner delay users and pro players alike makes it one of the key reasons you need the Difference Engine Delay.
Watch Lee Wrathe demo some of the sounds within the Difference Engine Delay:
We believe you shouldn’t have to choose when it comes to different delay types, or have to worry about which delay is better, analog or digital delay. And that you should have access to everything you need to create the sounds YOU want without compromise. So when it comes to crafting signature delay sounds or creating music without compromise, the Difference Engine Delay guitar pedal plays a vital role for guitarists who need more, especially pro and session guitarists.
We’re happy to say that it’s a pedal that is widely recognised by pro guitarists for its versatility and tonal depth as well as its range of different presets. And as we can see here, not only is it favoured by a ton of world-renowned artists, but it also features a range of settings that allow for an incredible variety of sound textures and effects that anyone who appreciates delay guitar sounds will find useful.
The Difference Engine is more than just an ordinary pedal—it’s a time machine that superbly emulates three classic eras of delay: Analogue, Digital, and Dynamic. That’s why pro guitarists play the BCC Difference Engine Delay. It just works!
Check out our 8 best artist delay settings on the Difference Engine Delay too!