If only one delay... Strymon Brig or El Cap?

[Webfoot]

So I have a simple setup... tuner, dirt pedal and want one effect... delay.

Built a BYOC and is okay.

Raised the bar to $150 - $170 and am thinking DL8 over the carbon or DLA boost.

But then read the thread abou the El Cap at the $$$ mark.

So for basic hard rock which is better... the Brigadier or the El Cap and why?

Are people using these mainly for clean rhythm spacey sounds or more like a faux reverb/delay always on.

 

[memoryman81]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the brigadier is voiced to sound like an analog delay (with bucket loss and modulation) where the other leaves the repeats uncolored...so..for "the edge" sound I'd go with the brigadier. But I don't own either of them but have looked into both.

 

[Sammicus15]

I can only speak for El Capistan, having never played the Brig. El Capistan absolutely kills! I freaking love it. It works wonders for the ambient clean spacey stuff and is equally great for slapback/reverby sounds, although admittedly, I use those sounds much less. I also think it sounds great with drive, though I never get into real heavy distortion. If you haven't already checked out the sound clips on the Strymon site, those are a fantastic resource and should give you a good idea. I'm the sure the Brig is absolutely stellar, but for me, El Capistan has quenched my delay thirst. I've been through several analog delays including the Maxon AD999, Boss DM3, MXR Carbon Copy, EHX Deluxe Memory Man, etc. While those are all different from the Brig, they are analog, which is how the Brig is voiced - it gives a wide range of analog delay tones. I favor the sounds of El Capistan - at least compared to the sound samples/vids of the Brig. I love the way the repeats are brighter than analog but aren't sterile or digitized. Since I received my El Capistan (I got mine out of the first batch) I have a hard time turning it off and I'm always finding new sounds. For me, regardless of where the knobs are, it sounds fantastic. So there you have it... a lot of hot air in there but the bottom line is El Capistan RULES and I could not recommend it more wholeheartedly. Ya know, you should buy them BOTH - delay heaven!

 

[fusionbear]

Another big fan of the El Capistan. I have tried a bunch of delays over many years, this pedal is really, really nice!

 

[memoryman81]

I was way off. Forget what I said

 

[ES330]

I think the best delay out there is the CMATMODS Deeelay... $150.

 

[jfromel]

I have a Brig and can't wait till I have the funds for an El Cap, perhaps Terry will do a trade with me?

I am so impressed with the Brig, one thing it does that no other analog pedal does IMO is get studio quality analog delay sounds like you get from a Roland DC-30, or a Yamaha E1010. I don't see a lot of talk about this on the forums but if you keep the bucket loss to a minimum and have it in med or long mode it gets pretty close to a studio quality analog delay.

 

[JimmyR]

The DL8 is a really good buy for the money. I have a DL8 and a Brigadier and yes the Brigadier is better and quieter but it is also twice the price! For under $200 I think the DL8 is the best bargain going. I have tried the CC, various Malekkos, Wampler, DBD etc etc and for me the versatility and sound quality of the DL8 makes it win hands down.

The best thing I can say about the Brigadier is that it doesn't have any of the "faults" other delays have. It is almost noiseless. It has excellent "body" to the repeats where others sound thin and weak. It is almsot perfect sonically. It almost sounds as analog as the amazing AD999. But I haven't found it to be as inspiring as I expected. Maybe I'm just used to delay as an effect? I dunno. Mine is not for sale but it doesn't excite me like I thought it would. I'm not going to buy a Cap because I don't need what it does.

If $$ are at all an issue, get the DL8. It has more stuff and sounds great. If $$ are not an issue and you need a dead-quiet analog sounding delay with modulation, get the Brig. Bear in mind that you may also need a more powerful power supply for the Brigadier.

 

[Webfoot]

Great info and thanks...

Between the el cap and the brig.... which one is better with the 'chorusing' like stuff. Tyring to avoid any of that 'seasickness' or overly detuned stuff.

 

[JVIOLIN]

Great info and thanks...

Between the el cap and the brig.... which one is better with the 'chorusing' like stuff. Tyring to avoid any of that 'seasickness' or overly detuned stuff.

Brig

 

[Webfoot]

if you could only have one...

geeez... this is gonna be a tough.

After listening to the site demos it seems like El Cap is much more interesting and fun but the Brigadier is maybe more practical and would get used more?