Jimi_lp wrote:Your best bet is to find a good distortion/OD pedal and run the amp clean and loud. Then use the distortion before the delay.
As what an effects loop does is puts the delay in after the preamp. If you're using a completely clean tone there is no need to use an effects loop, doesn't have much effect. But as the preamp is where the gain comes from you're better with certain pedals after it.
So, get your gain earlier in the line from a pedal.
There are some fantastic pedals out there. Fulltone would be the ones to look at I'd say, and Wayhuge seem to be making some great pedals too.
Just an idea 
Rob,
I agree with Jimi, but the key to this and getting the big sound is parallel mixing the delay signal. Basically you need to run your distortions into a parallel loop box, and put the delay in the looper (the best ones on the market are the Gigrig Wetbox, Suhr, RJM and I believe Radial Eng make one). This means when your signal hits the wetbox thing it splits into two- one delayed signal, one not delayed. They then get mixed back at the end of the looper and back in. You need to make sure your delay pedal has a 'kill dry' type button on it (eg meaning that you can remove the initial guitar signal). If you read my post on the sticky on Joe's Reverb tone it's got all the details in, but trust me, for a $100 investment in a parallel looping box, this is about the best investment you'll ever make.
THis will explain all
http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/TheGi … t_Box.html
PS I run a Cornell 18/20 too (in stereo with a Fender 57 twin) with delays as above. It's tone nirvana.
PPS- that note on the other thread- pasted here for you- David and Dg refer to David Gilmour.
Wanted to post this as it's a great piece of advice re parallel delay mixing for mono amps from someone I know and is another huge Gilmour fan...
It very much applies to JB tone too, and works with a mono rig for those of us without stereo!
In the last few years I've used:
Boss RV-3
Boss DD-2
Maxon AD-900
Blackbox Quicksilver
Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay
Trex Replica
These are some of the best delays out there, but I've always had trouble getting them to sound exactly right.
Basically no matter how good a delay is, whether it's a tc2290 or a Cornish TES, David doesn't let his main signal go through it- it gets split so one side goes straight through and one side goes to a delay and then they get mixed back together.
I wanted to try this, but the first obstacle was that the delay should be set to 100% wet to sound right. My Replica doesn't do this. So I got an old Boss DD-2 again as well as a Radial Bigshot Mix pedal. !@#$%^&! It sounds great! No more crappy AD/DA conversions messing with my killer distortion sound! No more of the blurring the edges of the notes and squashing of the harmonics I've been trying so hard to accentuate. All the clarity and liveliness of the orignal signal is there, and I can just mix in as much or little delay as I want. A side benefit that I didn't expect is that the DD-2 actually sounds better at 100% wet, the delays are even warmer sounding this way.
So to everyone with a delay pedal: get a parallel mixer!
Some more observations:
If you're going for the early(pre-'75) sounds, this whole thing may not matter so much. In fact you may WANT the edges blurred and the delay to "take over" the tone. The Replica, the Quicksilver, and other analog-styled delays are great for this.
Conversely I'm going for the '76-on tones and I believe parallel-mixed delay has been an integral part of DG's tone since then. The Boss DD series and the new TC Nova should work perfectly for this.
A note on the Mad Professor Delay- this pedal features built-in parallel mixing. By no coincidence this was the best-sounding delay I tried before I knew exactly what I was looking for in a delay, but I sold it to try out the Replica. The downside(to me) is that the repeats were voiced kind of dark IMO, so even though the parallel mix design is great(and should be featured in more delay pedals!) I wouldn't be surprised If I still prefer the DD-2/mixer combo over it. Hopefully I will get to compare them someday
.
The route is thus:- Radial Bigshot Mix at the end of the chain or close to it. This pedal is bypassed when bypassed . When engaged however, this pedal splits(and buffers, for those wondering) the signal in two. One side goes directly to the output; this is your main guitar sound. The other side goes to a send/return loop. This is where you put your delay. Delay should be set to 100% wet. Then there is a knob on the Bigshot that adjusts how much of the effect will be mixed back in at the output- however one whole side of the mixer is dry so even though the delay pedal is set to 100% the maximum delay you'll hear at the output is 50%- or in other words the delay would be the same volume level as the dry signal. Mine is set considerably lower than that for typical lead sounds.
The real beauty of this system though, is that your dry signal stays intact. That kickass lead tone we've worked so hard to achieve, that carefully crafted comp> distortion> EQ> tone, goes straight through the pedal to the output. Which is unlike MOST delay pedals that will convert your sonic work of art into a digtal signal before(weakly) turning it back into analog.
The parallel mix system seperates the two so your dry signal stays analog and only your effected signal gets digitized.
_________________
Worth mentioning that we need to get a list here for quick reference as to what delays do a "true" 100% wet with no dry. These are the ones I know do "true" 100% wet.
Boss DD-2 (with dummy plug)
Boss DD-3
TC Electronics Nova Delay
Boss DD20 giga Delay
MXR Delay system II (the best delay unit EVER!!!)
TC D-two
Line 6 Echo Park
Line 6 DL4
Empress Super Delay
Diamond Memory Lane
Eventide Timefactor
Yamaha UD stomp
Skreddy Echo
TC 2290
Skrydstrup DDL Custom Delay
Providence Delay 80 (with dummy plug)
EHX Deluxe Memory Man
Ibanez DE7
I trust this assists and I hope this information helps someone!
"Who wants an orange whip? Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips...."
JB LP Goldtop No. 290- Aged...rather like me.