The Machine That Changed What a Delay Pedal Could Be: Strymon TimeLine

In 2011, a small California company called Strymon walked into NAMM and dropped a delay pedal that quietly rewrote the rules. The TimeLine wasn’t the first boutique delay, and it wasn’t the cheapest, but within eighteen months it had colonised more professional pedalboards than any delay unit before it. Not because of marketing. Not because of celebrity endorsements. Because it was, by any serious measure, the best-sounding, most versatile delay pedal that had ever fit into a standard pedalboard slot.

More than fifteen years later, that reputation has barely faded. Strymon’s own marketing copy still carries the phrase “on more pro boards than any other guitar delay pedal” — and nobody disputes it. The Equipboard database lists nearly 350 professional artists who have confirmed TimeLine use in interviews, rig rundowns, or documented pedalboard photos. That number spans jazz guitarists, post-rock instrumentalists, country players, arena-rock rhythm guitarists, and ambient composers. The TimeLine is the rare piece of gear that transcends genre entirely.

This is the story of how three ex-Line 6 engineers built that machine — what it does, how it works, who actually uses it, and whether the original is still worth buying now that the TimeLine MX has arrived to upgrade its legacy.

From Damage Control to Strymon: The Origin Story

Pete Celi, Gregg Stock, and Dave Fruehling spent their careers inside the engineering departments of companies like Line 6 and Alesis, building other people’s products. By 2004, all three were done with that arrangement. They incorporated Damage Control Engineering in Westlake Village, California, and set about making tube-driven effects units under that name — large, rack-oriented pieces that showed off what serious DSP engineering looked like when paired with quality analog components.

In 2009, the trio rebranded under the Strymon name — a reference to a river in northern Greece, chosen because it sounded like nothing else in the effects world — and launched with the OB.1 optical compressor. The brand’s aesthetic was immediately distinctive: clean industrial design, deep parameter control, and a willingness to charge professional prices for professional performance. The BigSky reverb and the TimeLine delay arrived as the company’s flagship double act, both built around the same Analog Devices SHARC DSP at the heart of the processing chain.

The TimeLine landed at NAMM 2011 with its first firmware in August of that year. Its design philosophy was clear from the start: instead of offering one or two very good delay sounds, Strymon would model twelve entirely different delay types, each with its own dedicated parameter set, all sitting behind the same front-panel controls. Twelve distinct sonic universes accessible from a single box. That ambition, executed at 24-bit/96kHz with a 115dB signal-to-noise ratio, was what set it apart immediately.

The Twelve Delay Machines

The TimeLine organises its delay palette into twelve “machines,” each a distinct algorithm with its own character, controls, and signal philosophy. Understanding what each one does explains why the pedal resonates across so many playing styles.

Digital is the foundation — a clean, voiced digital delay with control over Filter (adjusts repeats’ frequency character), Grit (progressive lo-fi distortion), Smear (softens attack transients), High Pass (cuts low end from repeats), and Modulation. This is the workhorse delay: pristine, transparent, adjustable to taste. The non-linear mode allows repeats to decay more naturally rather than following a fixed tail.

Dual runs two completely independent delay lines simultaneously, configurable in series or parallel. Each delay has independent Mix, Repeat, and Time values. This is where dotted-eighth layering becomes architectural — two delays interacting rhythmically in ways that a single engine cannot produce.

Pattern provides multi-tap rhythmic patterns spanning percussive to ambient textures. Think of it as a programmable ping-pong with more complex timing relationships than standard stereo alternation.

Reverse plays your input backwards as repeats — but unlike many reverse delay implementations, the TimeLine’s Reverse is predictable and repeatable, triggering off your playing rather than producing random artefacts. Smear softens the attacks while retaining full frequency response, making reverse practical for melodic lines rather than purely textural use.

Ice pitch-shifts the delayed signal by a selectable interval — from an octave down to two octaves up — with blend control and adjustable Slice size (the chunk of audio that gets shifted). It is the closest a delay pedal gets to a harmonizer crossed with a shimmer reverb.

Duck is a dynamics-responsive delay that pulls back the wet signal when you’re playing and lets it swell forward in the spaces. Sensitivity and Release Time are adjustable, with an optional Feedback duck mode. Practically: your playing stays clean, your rests fill with echo. The inverse of fighting your delay for sonic space.

Swell creates auto-volume swells synced to the delay time. Variable Rise Time sets how quickly the swell develops. At full wet with high Repeats, it produces the kind of wash that took a separate volume pedal and careful technique to achieve manually.

Trem pairs a synchronized tremolo with the delay — selectable waveform (triangle, square, sine, ramp, saw), Depth and Speed. The modulation rides the delay amplitude rather than the dry signal, which produces a rolling, rhythmic character different from standard trem placement in the chain.

Filter runs a synchronized LFO-driven filter over the delay signal with eight waveform options, adjustable Resonance, and switchable pre/post placement relative to the delay. This is where auto-wah-meets-delay territory opens up.

Lo-Fi degrades the delayed signal via adjustable Bit Depth and Sample Rate, with a selection of hand-crafted filters modelled on transistor radios, telephone handsets, and phonographic horns. Strymon added their “dVinyl” record noise layer — a scratchy vinyl artefact complete with dust and dirt. It is the most deliberately ugly machine in the set, and one of the most useful for cut-through texture.

dTape is the tape echo recreation — full simulation of sliding-head tape machines with control over Tape Age, Wow and Flutter, Tape Crinkle, Tape Bias, Low End Contour, and Tape Speed. These parameters are not approximations. Strymon spent serious research time modelling how specific tape degradation phenomena interact, and the result is a dTape that responds to extreme parameter positions with the same character collapse that a real tape machine produces when pushed past its comfort zone.

dBucket models the analog bucket-brigade delay circuit — two delay time ranges covering single and multiple BBD chip configurations. Bucket Loss (the signal degradation that accumulates in real BBD chips) is directly controllable, alongside Filter and Mod parameters. Players who want the warmth and slight instability of a real analog delay without chasing vintage hardware gravitate here.

Specifications

Famous Players: What the Research Actually Shows

The spreadsheet that drives this series flagged The Edge, David Gilmour, John Frusciante, Andy Summers, and Steve Vai as potential TimeLine players. Standard practice here is to verify every claim independently before putting a name in print. For all five of those artists, no primary source — no rig rundown, no manufacturer’s artist page with gear photo, no interview naming the TimeLine specifically — could be confirmed. Some of them use other Strymon products. None of them have documented TimeLine use via a primary source.

Here is what the research actually found, with specific sourcing.

Ed O’Brien (Radiohead)

Ed O’Brien is the TimeLine player from the classic-rock firmament who can be confirmed via primary documentation. He acquired a TimeLine around 2012 — the gear tracking site thekingofgear.com, which maintains exhaustive documentation of his pedalboard over time, records the TimeLine appearing as a replacement for his Boss DD5 during that period. During the 2016 Radiohead world tour supporting A Moon Shaped Pool, both the DD5 and the TimeLine appear on his board simultaneously — two different delay voices for different textural requirements. O’Brien’s playing philosophy, which he has articulated in multiple interviews, centres on using effects as compositional tools rather than decorative add-ons, making the TimeLine’s preset depth and parameter range a natural fit.

Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)

Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters runs two Strymon Timelines — one for each amp — as documented in multiple Premier Guitar Rig Rundown features. His approach to the pedal is instructive precisely because it is so stripped-back. “I have a light 400ms, a heavy 400ms and a slapback,” Shiflett told Premier Guitar in a documented rig breakdown. He uses only the dTape mode. Two hundred presets, twelve machines, 96kHz converters — and the Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist has settled on three tape-delay presets and stays there. This is not a criticism of the pedal. It is evidence that the dTape machine is good enough to anchor a working arena-rock rig without the other eleven modes needing to justify their existence. In his 2024 configuration, Shiflett carried two Strymon Decos alongside the pair of Timelines, one of each assigned to either the Vox AC30 or Friedman amp path.

Mike Sullivan (Russian Circles)

Mike Sullivan, the instrumental post-rock guitarist of Russian Circles, has been using the Strymon TimeLine across multiple Premier Guitar Rig Rundowns, including features in 2017 and 2025. Sullivan uses the pedal for rhythmic delay work — specifically the kind of dotted-eighth-note and subdivision layering that forms the backbone of Russian Circles’ guitar textures. “I can change dotted eighth notes and different subdivisions that are useful live,” he noted in one rundown.

What About The Edge, Gilmour, Frusciante, Summers, and Vai?

The Edge’s delay architecture is thoroughly documented in the 2018 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown by Dallas Schoo, his longtime guitar tech. His fundamental delay system runs TC Electronic 2290 and Korg SDD-3000 rack units, with Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL units handling the modern processing. No TimeLine appears in that rundown. Fan-maintained documentation of his boards across multiple tours corroborates this — the TimeLine is popular for emulating Edge-style dotted-eighth textures, but he doesn’t use one himself. David Gilmour’s documented rig centres on his vintage Hiwatt/Pink Floyd setup with Boss DD-2 delays; no TimeLine confirmation exists in primary sources. John Frusciante’s post-RHCP solo output uses largely analog signal chains; no TimeLine documentation surfaced. Andy Summers and Steve Vai similarly returned no primary source confirmation despite both using effects-heavy rigs. These are cases where the pedal’s association with certain sounds leads to artist misattribution — the TimeLine can produce tones associated with all five of these players, but that is not evidence that those players use the TimeLine.

Tone Recipes and Settings

Signal Chain Placement

The TimeLine belongs after your drive pedals and before your reverb — the standard delay placement that keeps repeats clean and un-distorted. Running a heavy ProCo RAT 2 or Big Muff Pi before the TimeLine keeps the distorted dry signal intact while sending a clean, gain-shaped echo into the delay input.

One meaningful consideration: the TimeLine’s analog dry path means your unaffected signal is never converted to digital. There is no latency on the dry signal, no quantisation noise, no A/D conversion artefacts in your clean tone. This design choice matters on a board that runs any kind of A/B switching or parallel routing — the dry signal through the TimeLine is as clean as bypassing the pedal entirely.

The Feedback Loop function repurposes the Right In and Right Out jacks as a serial effects loop that sits inside the delay feedback path. This means you can place a modulation pedal — a chorus, a phaser, a vibrato — inside the delay regeneration circuit, so each repeat accumulates modulation. A Boss CE-2 in the feedback loop of the dTape machine produces tape-echo repeats that warble and drift with each pass. This is one of the TimeLine’s most sophisticated features and one of the most underused.

For stereo rigs, the TimeLine outputs genuine independent stereo signal — not mono-summed with a simulated second channel. The Dual machine’s parallel configuration and the Ping-Pong style machines genuinely spread across two amp paths, which is why Chris Shiflett runs two separate units (one per amp) rather than splitting one TimeLine’s stereo output.

Power requirement: the TimeLine needs a dedicated 9VDC centre-negative supply capable of 300mA. This is substantially more than most analog pedals draw, so plan your power supply accordingly. Strymon’s own Zuma and Ojai power supplies include high-current outputs specifically sized for their products. The power adapter is included in the box.

Comparisons and Context

Strymon TimeLine vs Line 6 DL4

The Line 6 DL4 arrived in 1999 and the TimeLine arrived in 2011 — twelve years of DSP advancement separate them. The DL4’s sixteen delay models at 16-bit processing versus the TimeLine’s twelve machines at 24-bit/96kHz is not a fair numeric comparison: the TimeLine’s fewer machines are each substantially deeper and more accurate than the DL4’s emulations. The dTape machine alone does more to capture real tape echo character than the DL4’s Tape Echo and Tube Echo models combined. The DL4’s advantage is cost ($80-150 used for the original, $299.99 for the MkII), simplicity, and a looper that runs 14 seconds on the original and four minutes on the MkII. If you need a workman’s delay with looping on a budget, the DL4 MkII wins. If you need studio-grade accuracy and stereo depth, the TimeLine is in a different category.

Strymon TimeLine vs Boss DD-3

The Boss DD-3 is the working guitarist’s delay — four modes, three knobs, $59.99. Its 12-bit architecture with analog feedback produces a musical, warm character that serious players specifically seek out. The comparison with the TimeLine is almost unfair in either direction: the DD-3 does its single job (a warm, simple digital delay) excellently and costs a fraction of the price. The TimeLine does twelve jobs at a dramatically higher quality level and costs eight times as much. They are not competing for the same gig. Many players who own a TimeLine also own a DD-3 for boards where simplicity and cost are the priority.

Strymon TimeLine vs MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

The Carbon Copy is a pure analog delay — bucket-brigade, warm, slightly dark, with no presets and no digital processing whatsoever. Its single-oscillator simplicity is exactly what certain players want, and nothing in the TimeLine’s dBucket machine, however accurately modelled, will completely satisfy someone who specifically wants real BBD chips in the signal path. The TimeLine’s dBucket is an excellent model. It is still a model. If analog circuitry is the point, the Carbon Copy wins on principle. If tonal versatility is the point, the TimeLine wins comprehensively.

TimeLine MX (2026): When to Upgrade

In 2026, Strymon released the TimeLine MX, powered by an 800MHz tri-core ARM processor rather than the original SHARC DSP. The MX runs two delay machines simultaneously (series, parallel, or split routing), adds a built-in reverb engine, expands the looper to five minutes with half-speed and reverse options, and introduces new algorithms including Spectral (granular grain control), MultiTap (individual shaping and pan per tap), Oil Can, and Drum delay. A large OLED screen replaces the original’s simpler display, and a configurable hardware insert allows external effects in the signal path with more routing flexibility than the original Feedback Loop.

Street price for the MX is $679, versus $449 for the original TimeLine. The original is not discontinued and remains fully supported. The case for buying the original in 2026 is strong: it is cheaper, and every machine it contains was good enough to earn the TimeLine its reputation in the first place. The case for the MX is equally strong if dual-engine routing or the new algorithms address something specific in your playing that the original cannot cover.

Buying Guide

New original TimeLine from Strymon directly or an authorised dealer: $449, includes power supply, ships same or next business day per Strymon’s stated policy. Strymon offers a 30-day return window and free US shipping over $49.

Used original TimeLine: expect $250-330 in excellent condition, $200-250 in good condition with cosmetic wear. The TimeLine has no moving parts beyond the footswitches and tap tempo footswitch — the most common used-market issues are worn footswitches on heavily gigged units and missing power supplies (the included adapter is specific to Strymon’s spec, so verify it’s included or budget for a replacement 9V/300mA supply). Firmware is updateable via MIDI, so any unit can be brought to current firmware regardless of production date.

TimeLine MX new: $679 street. First-run units are available at launch (released 2026). Used MX units are beginning to appear on Reverb as players upgrade — early pricing $500-550.

If budget is the constraint: the Strymon El Capistan (tape echo specialist, $229), Strymon DIG (dual digital delay, $199 used), or Strymon Brigadier (bucket-brigade analog, discontinued but $150-200 used) each offer Strymon’s build quality and algorithm depth at lower entry points. For full-featured multi-algorithm delay at a similar price point, the Eventide TimeFactor ($200-250 used) and Boss MD-500 ($200 new) are the most credible alternatives.

Living with a TimeLine

The TimeLine’s learning curve is real but not steep. Twelve machines each with their own parameter vocabulary means the first week involves a lot of reading the manual — genuinely reading it, not skimming. The reward for that investment is a pedal that does not force you to scroll through menus in performance. Once a preset is saved, recall is two footswitch presses or a single MIDI program change. Players who set up their twelve most-used delay sounds across twelve presets and bank through them can operate the TimeLine as intuitively as a simpler pedal in a live context.

The 200 preset slots are organised as 100 banks of two presets each, accessible via the A and B footswitches. Bank up and down by holding A+B or B+Tap simultaneously. For players who need to jump non-sequentially between presets mid-set, MIDI program change is the practical solution — Strymon’s MultiSwitch Plus or any standard MIDI controller can address all 200 presets directly.

The expression pedal input can be assigned to control any single knob or any combination of knobs simultaneously — Map a heel-to-toe sweep across Mix, Repeats, and Mod Depth simultaneously for evolving delay textures that develop as you rock the pedal. This is one of the TimeLine’s most overlooked features and one of its most powerful for live performance.

The 30-second stereo looper is capable but not the primary reason to buy the TimeLine. For dedicated looping work, a Boss RC series or Boomerang looper offers more dedicated loop management. The TimeLine’s looper is best understood as a practice and composition tool — record a riff, layer over it, explore how a specific delay machine sounds against it — rather than as a performance looper for complex real-time composition.

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