Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay HW

A modern take on "vintage" delays, in a high-end Handwired version

The Deep Blue Delay has become known for its ability to deliver a warm, musical echo without unnecessary complexity. Here, the philosophy remains the same: a carefully controlled digital foundation, combined with an analog dry signal and filtering precisely tuned on the repeats to recreate the behaviour of tape delays and analog circuits.

The HW (Handwired) version takes the boutique approach even further, with reinforced construction and quality components, designed for pedalboards that see frequent use, both in the studio and on stage.

Which guitarists and situations is it designed for?

The Deep Blue Delay HW is aimed at guitarists who want a musical, easy-to-use delay: no menus, no tap tempo, just the right echo in the right place. It excels in blues, rock, pop, indie and country, and also works very well for thickening a more saturated sound without blurring the attack.

Designed to work equally well with clean and distorted sounds, it can be placed before or after an overdrive/distortion pedal, in front of the amp or in the effects loop. It is an ideal pedal if you are looking for an "always-on" delay to add space, or an instant slapback to energise a riff.

Controls, behaviour and design: efficiency above all

The controls are deliberately straightforward. Level adjusts the volume of the repeats in the mix: fully counter-clockwise, the signal remains 100% dry. Delay covers a highly practical range, from 25 ms to 450 ms, perfect for slapback, doubling, simple rhythmic echoes and short ambiences. Repeat controls the number of repeats, from a single bounce all the way to self-oscillation (infinite feedback).

The circuit does not rely on noise reduction: the result is a more natural decay of the repeats, with a fade-out that dies away musically. The repeats themselves benefit from carefully tuned filtering to maintain a coherent sound even with extreme settings, without interference or low-end "mush".

For pedalboard integration: true bypass, a rugged enclosure, top-mounted jacks to save space, and standard DC power (2.1 mm connector, centre-negative) with reverse-polarity protection.

The sound

The Deep Blue Delay HW is designed to blend into your sound rather than dominate it. The repeats have a warmth and rounded character reminiscent of tape machines: the echo naturally sits behind the note, allowing the attack and dynamics of your playing to breathe.

With a short setting, it delivers a lively, very "studio-like" slapback, perfect for thickening a rhythm part. Increasing the delay time and feedback produces a more enveloping delay, ideal for expressive lead lines, spacious arpeggios and short ambient textures. Even with a high Repeat setting, the voicing of the repeats helps keep the overall sound clear.

Technical specifications

Effects	Delay	Type	sector
Technology	Digital	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Blue

Bypass	true bypass	Maximum input level	2 V peak / 650 mV rms
Operation	mono	Signal-to-noise ratio	80 dB
Construction	Handwired, made in Finland	Dimensions	129 x 65 x 57 mm
Level	level of the repeats in the mix (at 0, dry signal only)	Weight	420 g
Repeat	number of repeats, from 1 to infinity (self-oscillation)	Chassis	custom sheet-metal enclosure
Input	Unbalanced 6.35 mm jack	Components and hardware	Alpha potentiometers and switches, Switchcraft jacks
Output	Unbalanced 6.35 mm jack	Power supply	not included
Jacks	top-mounted	Connector	2.1 mm, center-negative (negative center / positive sleeve)
Input impedance	180 kOhms	Protection	reverse-polarity protected
Output impedance	10 kOhms