GEAR REVIEW
LINE 6 DL4 MKII | Doug Doppler
There was a time that the Line 6 DL4 was a mainstay on worship guitarist ’ s pedal boards – and for good reason . The trio of presets , tap tempo , massive array of classic delay algorithms , and knobs that enabled you to ‘ tweak and tweez ’ in real time made this unlike any pedal that came before . The DL4 literally set the tone for virtually every major delay pedal since .
When the DL4 was released in 1999 , the idea of digital modeling was in its infancy . There was no Helix , there was no HD500 , and there was nothing on the market like it . Where many companies have claimed their products to be groundbreaking , Line 6 delivered in spades . The sound design was done by Jeff Slingluff ( now at BOSS ) and the dedicated tap tempo footswitch came at the suggestion of Jeorge Tripps ( Way Huge , MXR ). Released at a time when guitar players were still using ‘ real amps ’, having the massive array of sounds and control under your feet was a game changer , especially for worship guitar players .
Like many of the ‘ it pedals ’ of the day ( Route 66 , H20 , Jeckyll & Hyde , OCD , Full-Drive … etc .) the DL4 eventually faded away , but the impact it made has not . For worship guitar players , tap tempo functionality remains a must , as does the modeling ingenuity this pedal brought to the forefront on so many players ’ boards . From Helix to Strymon ( founded by former Line 6 engineers ), the impact of the DL4 is still quite visible .
So , with all the preamble out of the way , is the DL4 MkII worth all the buzz ? The answer is an undeniable yes ! Although the MkII came into a much different world than its forefather , it ’ s packed with a ton of great sounds and features that are ideal for today ’ s worship guitar player .
SMALLER IS BETTER Physically speaking , the MkII retains the fourbutton format of the original but is less deep from front to back ( a hair smaller than your average Boss pedal ). And unlike the original , it runs on traditional pedalboard power clocking in at a 500mA DC power requirement .
CONTROL + SOUNDS In terms of control , the lack of a screen really puts it at your fingertips . Turning the Model Selector Knob toggles between algorithms , while a press of the Alt / Legacy Button toggles the unit between MkII delay algorithms and legacy DL4 delays . Pressing and holding the Alt / Legacy Button accesses the ‘ secret ’ HX reverbs , which are selected via the Model Selector Knob and controlled by the same five knobs used to modify the delays .
Legacy Mode ( Alt / Legacy Button LED is green ) enables you to select your choice of the fourteen original DL4 delay algorithms , the iconic Looper , plus the Echo Platter ( Binson EchoRec ) Model from the Echo Pro . For those of us who date back to HD500 days , it was refreshing to hear how incredibly well the pre-Helix family delays stand the test of time . The names of each of the delay models are silkscreened in green around the Model Selector Knob .