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Tell me about old school tape delay's...


soundcreation

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The good the bad etc...

 

Some of the clips I've listened to on youtube sound great...but are they reliable? Do you need to replace the tape in them? If so how hard are they to get?

 

Some one in my area is selling one of these and I'm curious..

 

[YOUTUBE]MOxRZ7Xt-ys[/YOUTUBE]

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Have you looked at the RE20 space echo by boss?

I have one and its the bees knees.
Sounds like the 201 without the hassle.

Self modulates, has that trippy melty feel, runs off AA batteries, reverb, stereo ins and outs, and tap tempo.
And no tapes.

Plus it smiles at you.:)

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I was on the fence for a long time about the Fulltone tape delay. Just fantastic unit but I just don't want to deal with the maintenance and tape replacements. I ended up going with a Lovetone Echo Baby. The sound is unbelievable.

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I've owned a couple of Echoplexes (still own a EP-3), a Space Echo and a Copicat.

Since the are mechanical and old, there is a hefty maintenance curve. And Reliability can be a problem, my Echoplex is working fine these days, but I would never take it out to gig, and it is too noisy for the studio (I use a DM-2)

Yes, tape wears out and needs to be replaced, and guess what, no one makes magnetic tape these days, so it's getting harder to retape some echos. And it's just going to get harder.

These days, obsolescence makes it harder to maintain one, and i don't recommend one. If you get one, consider a new Fulltone, it does NOT have the same tone as an old echo, but it's new, solid, has a company behind the warranty and you can buy tapes for it, plus it can offer a nice tube boost as well.

Otherwise, these days, I really recommend the Wampler or Skreddy pedals designed to emulate Echoplexes.

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I've owned a couple of Echoplexes (still own a EP-3), a Space Echo and a Copicat.


Since the are mechanical and old, there is a hefty maintenance curve. And Reliability can be a problem, my Echoplex is working fine these days, but I would never take it out to gig, and it is too noisy for the studio (I use a DM-2)


Yes, tape wears out and needs to be replaced, and guess what, no one makes magnetic tape these days, so it's getting harder to retape some echos. And it's just going to get harder.


These days, obsolescence makes it harder to maintain one, and i don't recommend one. If you get one, consider a new Fulltone, it does NOT have the same tone as an old echo, but it's new, solid, has a company behind the warranty and you can buy tapes for it, plus it can offer a nice tube boost as well.


Otherwise, these days, I really recommend the Wampler or Skreddy pedals designed to emulate Echoplexes.

 

 

 

How long does the tape last? I see some new replacement tapes on ebay for 45 bucks. It wouldn't be leaving the house so it would be babied..but are they that fragile?

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How long does the tape last? I see some new replacement tapes on ebay for 45 bucks. It wouldn't be leaving the house so it would be babied..but are they that fragile?

 

 

Luckily, with the invention of Al Gore's internet, there are a few places out there that can give them complete overhauls. Making them more reliable.

 

Tape life is a matter of use, though the older the tape gets, the more it's going to deteriorate even without use. And for Echoplex's and Fulltone's, they are making any new stock, so everything is on it's shelf life now. With occasional use, I would a few years out of a tape. If you would using it daily, than less.

 

These days, they really are more of a novelty, and I think people buy them mostly as something fun to try.

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Luckily, with the invention of Al Gore's internet, there are a few places out there that can give them complete overhauls. Making them more reliable.


Tape life is a matter of use, though the older the tape gets, the more it's going to deteriorate even without use. And for Echoplex's and Fulltone's, they are making any new stock, so everything is on it's shelf life now. With occasional use, I would a few years out of a tape. If you would using it daily, than less.


These days, they really are more of a novelty, and I think people buy them mostly as something fun to try.

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm still on the fence about it. It's selling much cheaper than I see them on ebay for. The guy wants around 350 in good condition and I saw one on ebay at near 700 (with bids). So i at least could get my money out of it I think.

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