Model Description:
During the early 1980s, echo pedals seemed to bright pink for some reason. The Ibanez AD80/AD9 and the BOSS DM‑2/DM‑3 are distinctively… well… in the pink. The DM‑2 and DM‑3 were the last of the original BOSS analogue delays; after that, the effects went digital and lost something in the binary processing. While the digital delay pedals are undoubtedly very good indeed, there is something ‘old school’ about the way the sound breaks up as the echoes tail off that modern effects find it difficult to recreate authentically. As a result, the old analogue solid state ‘bucket brigade’ delays like the DM‑2/3 that were produced in the relatively brief period between the old tape echoes and the all-digital ones are now very sought after. In my view, the Electro‑Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe is still the best of the bunch with the BOSS and Ibanez pedals as worthy competitors. The DM‑2 has been re-issued by BOSS as the enhanced ‘DM‑2W Waza Craft’ version. The DM‑2 was a popular pedalboard workhorse and good quality original ones are becoming much harder to find. As a result of their strong reputation and relative scarcity, prices on the vintage market are rapidly escalating.
Pedal Description:
This compact BOSS pedal is very robust and recognisably typical of the brand. It is an original Japanese pedal and not one of the modern reissues. While not immaculate collector‑grade, it is in very good original condition and much better than the many well‑used and beat up ones that come up every so often. There is only a small amount of cosmetic wear but nothing of any consequence. The pedal’s features, including the desirable black ‘Made in Japan’ label, date it to around October 1982, before the model was superseded by the DM‑3 in 1984. In use, it is a really lovely effect; lush, noisy, and lacking the edgy sibilance of the newer digital effects. It is very engaging and addictive to play with. In sound quality terms, it easily beats the equivalent Ibanez and it is almost up there with my reference Electro‑Harmonix Memory Man. It may not be the most flexible tool by today’s standards, no ‘tap tempo’, stereo output or lengthy delay times/repeats (only 20~300ms) but its operational simplicity and character are also its strengths. It isn’t easy to drive into self‑oscillation and neither can the level of the repeats be set much higher than the original signal, both characteristics that the Electro‑Harmonix does with ease. The original BOSS DM‑2 is becoming an ever more collectible little stomp box, and for good reason. Don’t delay, track one down while you can… can… can.
Features:
- Made in Japan by Roland Corporation in 1982
- The ‘Repeat Rate’ knob controls the interval between the original note and the delayed note
- The ‘Echo’ knob controls the volume of the delayed note compared to the original note from 20ms~300ms
- The ‘Intensity’ knob controls the number of echoes, from a single echo to multiple repeats
- The ‘Check’ LED light indicates when the effect is in use
- The BOSS treadle footswitch turns the effect on and off
- Standard ¼” single input and output mono jack sockets
- Delay time: 20ms~300ms
- DC power supply input or 9V battery
- Black ‘Made in Japan’ label on the base of the pedal
- Dimensions: 70mm (w) x 125mm (d) x 55mm (H)
- Weight: 450g
- No box or instruction manual
Detail Gallery:
