Maxon AD-9 Analog Delay
MN3205 BBD analog delay with NJM4558 mix — the warm, dark cousin of the DD-3.
We don't ship reference schematics until they've been hand-authored against authoritative sources (manufacturer service docs, ElectroSmash analyses, GEOFEX writeups) and reviewed in the simulator. Until then, the BOM, signal chain, controls and mod notes below are accurate, and you can still add this pedal to a project — it just won't include a circuit yet.
About
MN3205 BBD provides 20-300 ms of analog delay with the characteristic darkening repeats. NE570 compander reduces BBD noise. The voicing is famously warm, dark, and 'tape-like' — quite different from the bright, pitch-stable digital DD-3 of the same era.
Signal chain preview
7 stagesQuick facts
- Maxon designed the AD-9 (and the original TS-808) for Ibanez; AD-9 was sold as Ibanez AD9 first.
- Reissued in 2002 with NOS MN3205s and praised as faithful to the 1982 original.
- Used heavily by The Edge (U2), Andy Summers, and Trey Anastasio.
Controls
- Delay Time
- Repeat (feedback)
- Mix
Mod recipes Pro
3 mods- Modulation mod
Add a chorus-style LFO on the BBD clock.
How: Add a slow triangle LFO (TL072 + 1 µF timing cap) summing a small amount of CV into the MN3102's clock input. Rate ~1 Hz, depth knob external.
- Brighter repeats
Less of the dark, vintage character.
How: Reduce the de-emphasis low-pass cap from 0.0033 µF to 0.0015 µF — repeats keep more top end each pass.
- Longer delay (AD-99 style)
Up to 600 ms instead of 300 ms.
How: Replace MN3205 with two MN3208s in series, or substitute a single MN3008 (4096-stage 16 V version) with a 12-15 V supply via a charge pump.