The Good Life, currently on Saddle Creek records, feature Cursive's Tim Kasher, Stefanie Drootin, Ryan Fox, and Roger Lewis (among others). The band has four albums out, the most recent being Help Wanted Nights which was released in September 2007.

Guitarist/keyboardist/raconteur Ryan Fox took some time to talk about a few of his favorite things. First on the list was the Ibanez AD202 Analog Delay, a vintage, rack-mounted Ibanez delay unit.

So why this delay unit? what makes it specifically work for you?

I have a friend who has an Ibanez UE-405, which includes a similar-sounding delay circuit. I always loved how it sounded, so I found this one. He's more willing to drag his around to play live with, whereas mine stays in my living room or basement. Typical digital delays sound kind of harsh and clinical to my ear. The decay of the AD202 delays is really musical, and it has modulation controls to make the repeats fall out of pitch, which is pretty cool.

How about the "learning curve" and ease of use? Is it something you take out of the box and use or do you actually need to read the manual?

I didn't have a manual but the controls are pretty standard--delay time, regen (repeats), and blend (mix), along with speed and depth controls for modulation. Like a lot of pedals, it's just a matter of spending some time twisting knobs and tinkering to find what sounds right. There's also a flanger, chorus and another delay setting, but I haven't used those much.

After reading about the rack I came across several instances where people complain it isn't a true bypass and therefore there is some loss of tone when you bypass the effect. Has this been a problem for you?

I've noticed that but it hasn't been a problem for me. Sometimes I run an A/B switch around a group of pedals when I want to keep a more pristine clean tone. When I use the AD202, it's often for a blurred, softer tone anyway, so I've never been bothered by it.

Have you had any other issues with the rack and how did you deal with them?

Yeah, I don't actually have a rack, so usually the AD202 sits on top of a milk crate with an old t-shirt beneath it so it doesn't slide around. Maybe this is the year I get a rack.

Do you use this live or in the studio or both? Talk about the process of integrating the AD202 in your signal-chain; how and where does it fit?

I mostly use it in the studio or for writing and fooling around at home. I've used it live, but only around town and never yet on the road. I put it near the end and often have another delay (like the Antech Echoluxe) earlier in the chain. I usually set the earlier one to a shorter delay and have a longer delay on the AD202. I'm definitely a fan of having multiple delays in the chain and running one into another.

What is the best single feature of the AD202?

The modulation controls are nice both when used for a subtle effect and when I really want to warp the sound of the delays. It sounds pretty smooth and sweet without the modulation too though.

The Good Life, after being quiet for a bit as members tend to other projects, family or plans for world conquest, are planing to write and record a song in one day. Fox has also been working with his ambient/space-out/guitar project, Our Fox.