Line6 DL-4

Have they fixed the problems everyone was having or are they still fragile?

We had a solid two years of use on our 2004 DL4 before saying bye-bye to it due to the momentary "buffer-silence" when engaging, but had zero problems with the switches or anything else.

Love everything about mine. it's one of the 2 pedals in my rig that i will never, ever sell, trade, part with volountarily. In fact, it is my "desert Island" pedal.

I too will never part with mine. One of the most comprehensive trick boxes ever built, a veritable "delay's greatest hits", and a default studio delay and echo screwdriver of choice, for myself.

However, I'll never again gig the thing. The voltage-sensitive issues are easy enough to work around, but what those A/D converters do to the high end of your base tone is just not something I've been able to deal with, in the long run... very brittle, harsh overtones. And for the record, I'm not overly picky, in that regard; every signal chain that I run contains a buffer or three... but it's not about the buffer, as the Line 6 has "true bypass" option - the thing is, those converters screw with your tone, in my opinion. For what it's worth, nearly every working player that I know has replaced this unit for their live working board(s).

As for "general ambience" delay tones, every single digital and analog delay that I own wipes up the floor with the big green monster, as to pure tone... conversely, none can hold a candle to the Line 6, as to versatility, especially if a cool or esoteric effect is needed quickly. Thus, it's a studio tool, for me.

Why not just do what I did and give up on the DL4 and get a Boss DD-20, most of the features, much more reliable, and sounds great. I wouldn't go back to the green.

Maybe I got a lucky one, but mine's been through gig hell and back without any noticeable problems. I agree with Tim, it's a bit of a tone sucker, but the versatility factor–plus the fact that I use Barden p/ups and a Tone King Meteor II amp mostly–render that challenge fairly moot for me. Then again, I favor a non-traditional tone anyway, and of course, YMMV. I really depend on having those pre-sets night after night, and it's one unit that's never been off my board. I am generally not a Line 6 fan, but this is one thing I'm keeping.

Why not just do what I did and give up on the DL4 and get a Boss DD-20, most of the features, much more reliable, and sounds great. I wouldn't go back to the green.

Agreed, all the problems I read about with the DL-4's were enough to keep me away and steer me toward the DD-20. Versatile, no tone sucking that I've noticed, and easy to use - and smaller, I think, than the L6.