Whenever we come close to Fool’s Day, we can always wait for a Chibson product that will blow us away. Yes, it’s a bit paradoxical because this “fake” company reveals “real” products the exact day everyone else is trying to mock people.
That’s exactly what Chibson does the other 364 days of the year.
But, what did Chibson come up with this April to surprise customers and fans around the world? Well, it’s a clever, fun, versatile, musical, and great-sounding delay pedal that, although it has a big carcass, can produce many great sounds.
Chibson did it again; read on and find out why!
What is Chibson USA?
As a concept, when we talk about a Chibson guitar, what we’re talking about is a counterfeit of a real Gibson made in China or Asia. The thing is that these replicas we’re talking about are complete with a Gibson logo on the headstock but usually sell for a ridiculous price when compared to a real Gibson.
So, from joining the words Gibson and China, you get Chibson.
Well, beyond that concept, you can also find a company under that name. Yes, Chibson USA takes on the whole mockery of having a Chinese-made Gibson to a whole new level. I mean, if you go to their webpage, you can find hilarious examples of fake guitars with all kinds of crazy stories behind them.
For example, the Stevie Ray Vai signature ax is as far away from reality as you might expect, but with a comic twist, it’s a good laugh.
But where are we going with this? Is Chibson USA a mockery company that just makes stuff up for fun? Well, the answer to that is no. They also create (awkward and fun) real products for guitarists around the world.
They usually release the physical, real products on the same day every other company mocks their customers with fake ones.
Yes, they’re that interesting.
The Priority Delay, A Real Analog + Digital Delay Pedal
To begin with, let’s say that this pedal isn’t just a Chibson USA creation but a combined effort with Blammo Electronics. A Portland-based company that handmakes great pedals.
These companies have been secretly working on this pedal for the past four years. The visual idea is quite obvious; they’re mocking the postal service. That’s where the name of the pedal comes from but also where the pedal looks come from.
But that’s not all, because the position of the knobs and the size copy a legendary overdrive pedal called Klon Centaur.
Just like the Klon, the pedal’s controls are straightforward to use. You have three knobs to control parameters, input and output jacks, a footswitch (with a corresponding LED), and an adapter jack for power.
Inside the nice, white, red, and blue enclosure, we have a hybrid pedal that’s half digital and half analog.
How Does it Work?
The Chibson Priority Delay works much like some well-known pedals such as the MXR Carbon Copy or the EHX Memory Man. Yet, with a dual PT2399 chip, you can have the best of both worlds. Yes, this pedal does a great noise-free delay (1.5 seconds) as well as a very usable short, rockabilly-friendly, slapback delay.
The icing on the cake is the ability to create fake double-tracked sounds.
Let’s review the pedal’s operation.
• Footswitch – The no-click footswitch works, as you would expect, turning the effect on and off. But that’s not all, because you can also use it as a momentary switch by pressing it and leaving your foot on the switch. Finally, what I thought was really clever was that once you turn the effect off, the decay continues rather than stopping drastically.
• Days Knob – This is what Chibson USA calls the feedback or repeats knob in a regular delay. If you crank it clockwise, what you get is a psychedelic self-oscillation effect you’ve heard a thousand times.
• Tracking Knob – This is what Chibson calls your time knob in a regular delay pedal. The combination of cranking the Days knob and the Tracking knob activates that space-age swooshing effect that makes the time between songs live a fun moment.
• Months Knob – This control is what most delay pedals call the mix knob. If you move it clockwise, you increase the volume of the repeats. They can go from a slightly audible trail to louder than the original sound.
Some other specifications:
• Buffered bypass
• Top-mounted jacks
• Blue LED indicator
• 9-volt (Boss style) DC power supply
How Does it Sound?
It is impossible to talk about this delay without comparing it to a classic analog delay like the MXR Carbon Copy, for example.
But the coincidences are only at first glance. Once you start playing with it, you realize there’s no dark element in the tone. On the contrary, it’s a bright delay pedal that adds presence to the signal.
Also, there’s something about the natural degradation of the sound when in short or mid-time delay settings that’s truly analog flavor. Furthermore, since it is a hybrid, this is one of the few delay pedals that can do a great slapback delay as well as a lush, Pink-Floydesque, long delay.
Finally, when pushed into self-oscillation, this pedal works great as a noise maker.
Verdict
This pedal is not a small one, it takes precious real estate on your pedalboard. That said, it’s also not a one-trick pony.
You can use it for some cool slapback delay (given you play rockabilly with a proper hairdo). Also, some long delay that would make David Gilmour jealous. What’s more, you can even use it to add a sweet and nice analog flavor to your signal.
Finally, you can go into full shoegaze mode and oscillate your way to happiness.
I have to say that Chibson USA did it again. They tricked everyone into believing they were a shell company and then delivered a great-sounding, perfectly built, versatile delay pedal that can compete with anything in its price range.
What will they prepare for next April? We’ll have to wait and see.
Happy (appy… appy… appy…) playing!
If you like this article, please share it!
Be sure to join our FB Group Guyker Guitar Parts & Accessories Community to share your ideas! You can also have connections with like-minded guitar players, Guyker updates as well as discounts information from our FB Group.
