Tape Echo pedal options.

Heartfeltdawn

NickB said:

The Roland Space Echo emulation in the HX family is pretty darn good. Get a HX one and you can get a whole load of other great FX as well. 

Yes it is. Transistor Tape and CrissCross are also very good delays. HX One when thought of a multi-delay package is pretty good. 

fretmeister

I’ve got a helix rack, but I’m looking for something for my little Tonex board.

JayGee

The tape echo based models in my big TC Alter Ego x4 are pretty nice and it does a lot of other stuff too. Maybe worth a look at it’s smaller brother?

AntonHunter

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Danelectro Reel Echo is a great pedal. Very basic and takes up a good amount of pedalboard real estate, but it sounds great and can be had for a lot less than some of the options previously mentioned.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256573619130?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=WHZdS0nDQBe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=A7Jojk31SVm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I love mine very much, but it is a bit noisy, so not sure if I'd recommend it to everyone. Works great for me in my noisy improv settings though.

richardhomer

fretmeister said:

I’ve got a helix rack, but I’m looking for something for my little Tonex board.

HX One? Loads of great delays in these.

JCA2550

Another shout for the Dulop Echoplex,  it only really does one flavour with or without tape degradation emulation at a time, but it's a great sounding compact pedal.

TimmyO

What’s the driver - one ace sound, tweakability, simplicity…?

At the simple and cheap end, Mooer AnaEcho is basic and lofi - not ‘tapey’ but cheap. Max Delay time is a bit short for some applications. 

Dunlop Echoplex sounds wonderful as long as you don’t mind not being able to control how much modulation there is. It’s also easy to add a compact external tap tempo button. I think this gets glossed over these days because it’s so old now.

Belle Epoch sounds great - I still think the Echoplex sounds better and if the EChoplex let you dial the modulation down a smidge I’d have never looked further. Also BE has more knobs than I can be arsed with and it distracts me. And you can’t add an external tap tempo. You’d need to get the bigger BE Deluxe then add an external switch to that. 

Keeley Halo - it’s so good. I really love it. I massively underutilise the features - mostly stick to one or 2 presets, use it mono. Spent ages enjoying messing around with all the presets and delay types, then ended up factory resetting it and making v minor adjustment to the first preset and putting a single vanilla tape delay on the 2nd one and… <fonz in front of mirror moment> 

Tap tempo access is a compromise (hold the 2nd button then tap) but an external button (or exp) can be added. 

I was also v impressed by the sound of the NUX one that emulates the Boss -  but some of the settings are controlled in a software companion and even if that was to be done once and then left I just got put off by the faff 

TimmyO

Oh but also - yes Transistor Tape in HX is really nice. So an Hx One as someone said is def worth considering, considering the prices of most of these.

fretmeister

Tim, you’ve changed man! Since the days of your JCM800!  

fretmeister

I got interested because of a demo by PGS Andy of the Belle Epoch. After reading the comments I found out he was playing “Police Truck” by the Dead Kennedys.

I found the song and I really liked the sound. 

TimmyO

fretmeister said:

Tim, you’ve changed man! Since the days of your JCM800!  

Ha - Yes - I used to completely ignore delay back then

But I also used to often use the 800 in the low input for an epic clean sound (as well as the more usual ‘SCRAANNNGG’ sounds with the proper input) 

Part of working out how to like felt was realising the kind I like - tape, not digital or cleaner stuff, and not wooffly analogue

Keefy

TimmyO said:

What’s the driver - one ace sound, tweakability, simplicity…?

At the simple and cheap end, Mooer AnaEcho is basic and lofi - not ‘tapey’ but cheap. Max Delay time is a bit short for some applications. 

Dunlop Echoplex sounds wonderful as long as you don’t mind not being able to control how much modulation there is. It’s also easy to add a compact external tap tempo button. I think this gets glossed over these days because it’s so old now.

Belle Epoch sounds great - I still think the Echoplex sounds better and if the EChoplex let you dial the modulation down a smidge I’d have never looked further. Also BE has more knobs than I can be arsed with and it distracts me. And you can’t add an external tap tempo. You’d need to get the bigger BE Deluxe then add an external switch to that. 

Keeley Halo - it’s so good. I really love it. I massively underutilise the features - mostly stick to one or 2 presets, use it mono. Spent ages enjoying messing around with all the presets and delay types, then ended up factory resetting it and making v minor adjustment to the first preset and putting a single vanilla tape delay on the 2nd one and… <fonz in front of mirror moment> 

Tap tempo access is a compromise (hold the 2nd button then tap) but an external button (or exp) can be added. 

I was also v impressed by the sound of the NUX one that emulates the Boss -  but some of the settings are controlled in a software companion and even if that was to be done once and then left I just got put off by the faff 

I’m a huge analog delay fanboi but I tried @TimmyO’s Dunlop Echoplex and it instantly sounded great. By contrast I once bought an Empress Tape Delay and it just sounded all wrong.

To me the tapiest-sounding analog delay is the Deluxe Memory Man. It’s voiced quite bright compared to a lot of analog delays, which can be rather dark (looking at you Carbon Copy). You can get the Nano version for about £170, or a flavour of the same in the form of the Memory Boy and Memory Toy.

EDIT: And yes the Keeley Halo sounds nice. It’s chiefly pitched at ambient backings but is capable of a great deal more.

EricTheWeary

I think Andy also covers Holiday in Cambodia on one of his other old demos so I guess he must have liked the DKs. 
On East Bay Ray's Rig Rundown a couple of years ago he was using a Line 6 DL4 although it doesn't say which model on it although originally he used an Echoplex originally so I guess whatever is closest to that (on the picture it's an analog model selected but he uses presets so it isn't necessarily that). The DL4 goes into a compressor so that the repeats don't fade away too quickly on Police Truck and Holiday in Cambodia (also what Andy Summers did in the early days of The Police) and then into the front of the amp (like all good people he scoffs at effects loops). 

TimmyO

This thread prompted this afternoons noodling:

I’d had the HXFX up for sale for ages with no bites (I had to go find where it was boxed up)

It is no longer for sale. 

My 2p based on some basic comparisons - the EM sounds ace when things are loud or busy but the TT is just such a gorgeous vibey sound I prefer it. 

(Also the 145 rotary is better than I remember it) 

guyinlyon

fretmeister said:

I’ve been listening to loads of demos of the Catalinbread Belle Epoch and the Keeley Tape Echo etc.

What others should I consider? Anything from cheap clones upwards is good.

Strymon El Capistan.

dcg

Dawner Prince Boonar does the Binson Echorec schtick to perfection...and many other wonderful things

Keefy

dcg said:

Dawner Prince Boonar does the Binson Echorec schtick to perfection...and many other wonderful things

Although the Echorec was (and now is again) a magnetic drum echo rather than tape.

TimmyO

If we’re getting into Echorec types then I really liked the Foxgear Echosex Baby when I tried it 

daveyh

Any thoughts on the Wampler Faux Tape Echo?

jimification

There are so many....  (haven't tried the Wampler, sorry!)

I really like the MXR Echoplex too. It's small, really simple, sounds great and (though it's digital) has a really nice organic feel to it. The controls interact in a slightly eccentric organic way. I'm tempted to get a 2nd one for stereo! (is that daft?)

I thought the UA Starlight was an amazing reproduction of both EPIII and MM but not very useable (for me) without a way to darken / take the initial percussiveness out of the repeats. If you fancy that option, there's an Orion (which is just The EP3 model from the Starlight) for sale in the classifieds atm. (nothing to do with me)

I'm currently using a Timefactor quite a bit too. The tape echo model on that is awesome and has really useful controls to adjust the repeats.

I've a Keeley Halo too, it's a really great, high performing pedal in a very small package. They did a really awesome job with fitting so much into that, it's a great choice IMO.