Tape Delay units

[repoman]

anyone have something like an echoplex, spaceecho, copicat?

are they really all that?

do they make the repeat much more ....there?

Are they worth the 500-1000 bucks if you pretty much only use short delay and reverb as effects?

[popvulture]

I have a Fulltone TTE. It sounds amazing—for rich, gooey awesomeness, a real tape delay just can't be beat. BUT, there's no way to deny that they're a luxury item. I bought mine before there were any really good tape delay emulations out there (I guess the DL4 was the only thing), and I can't say I'd buy one now, seeing how there are so many close-enough options for a lot less money/maintenance. I've held onto mine because I use it pretty much every time I end up in a recording studio.

[DRodriguez]

I have a space echo. It sounds truly amazingly imperfect. The flaws are part of the charm on the thing, something not always emulated well. You really don't need one, but they are amazing to have.

Part of the benefit is the always on preamp those things have.

Do know they almost all require regular maintenance.

[space6oy]

RE-201 & 301. they aren't pedals but they're my favorites, and i have tons of delays.
totally worth the $ if you can find them in good shape & order.

[echorec]

Don't go with tape. Go with wire. The T-Rex Echorec relaunch will be quieter and easier to maintain than any vintage tape delay. With 4 switchable heads, it will be able to do ethereal or sharp cascading repeats (short or long). After 40 years of rack delays, TT analog units, and plug-ins, there's still nothing that supplants the original (and I've had all the tribute units).

That being said, at $999 ($850 on holiday sale, $650-750 used), it's still a lot of dough for premium slapback. For $850, you could buy 5-6 decent analog-voiced delays and set them to mixed times for a nice room/reverb, doubling/thickening effect. If all you want is a studio-style effect (60s London), then perhaps something like a Keeley ADT or Abbey Chamber pedal would be a more sensible purchase and significantly less expensive.

I've got nearly every kind of delay, but the simulators aren't going to match the real thing in a controlled environment. If you're a live player, an Ego X4 or a Boss RE-20 is a fine substitute for a Space Echo in a club setting. If you're actually making albums and can afford it, I would definitely advocate the real thing over 10+ years of buying and flipping imitation units. As much as top-shelf gear costs, you can actually save money by starting high, instead of low. Every time you buy a substitute/compromise item and sell it at a depreciated price, you're losing money and time.

I say that as someone who still buys expensive and cheap gear. Sometimes the cheap stuff has its pros (size, road worthiness, less fear of damages, simplicity), but in my experience a $200 synth + $2000 worth of pedals is not as much fun as a $2000 analog synth-----just like a half-dozen budget delays isn't as much fun as an MF-104M.

---Final point: like always, nothing we say is going to give you any real closure. You won't know how much you like/dislike something until you actually hear it in your setup. Good luck.

[The Eristic]

I have an EP-2. It's a massive pain in the ass in so many different ways, but it sounds hella cool.

[actual]

I have no experience with them, but the Dynacord Echocords (Mini, Super) go for a whole lot less than even an RE-201 and around the same price as some of the more spec'd out new delays.

[popvulture]

For $850, you could buy 5-6 decent analog-voiced delays and set them to mixed times for a nice room/reverb, doubling/thickening effect. If all you want is a studio-style effect (60s London), then perhaps something like a Keeley ADT or Abbey Chamber pedal would be a more sensible purchase and significantly less expensive.

This is essentially what I was getting at. $1K can get you a lot of other stuff, but tape delays are wonderful things if you're willing to take the plunge (and not think about all the other things you could buy )

[coldbrightsunlight]

I used to have a Copicat and it's certainly a unique sound and I loved it. But for me the size and impracticality meant I felt I couldn't justify it in the end.

[actual]

I have no experience with them, but the Dynacord Echocords (Mini, Super) go for a whole lot less than even an RE-201 and around the same price as some of the more spec'd out new delays.

Was searching youtube for demos of these yet again, and saw that BOB/UG has a video featuring the Mini. Maybe he can tell whether they're worth pursuing. #talkingtomyself

[rfurtkamp]

I have a Space Echo (a 2 head RE-150), and used 301s and 501s for years. The 301 and the 150 have the same preamp, the 501's too clean/hi fi for the glory of the preamp IMO.

That said, the Boss RE-20 is 98% of the real unit (or more), what it doesn't do is the stuff that I have mine hacked to do (adjusted how much the erase head actually erases each pass, etc).

The problem of the cheap units mentioned above is they're picky and not really what people are referring to - if you're going to cheap out, buy an emulator.

The other thing I can advise: you will not get the wow+flutter etc that every idiot making a boutique delay seems to think is part and parcel of tape. If a real tape unit threw tape around like these fake units often do....they'd chew stuff up daily. A well maintained Echoplex or Space Echo will have *very* little wow+flutter, and the "modulation" on a Space Echo isn't chorus, it's the interaction of the heads and their interplay, not pitch warble.

[actual]

The problem of the cheap units mentioned above is they're picky and not really what people are referring to - if you're going to cheap out, buy an emulator.

What do you mean by picky?
Suggesting an emulator doesn't really make sense. I know you're all for digital multi effects and the likes, but if I can get real tape + decent analog preamp for a low price, I'll get that.

[rfurtkamp]

They're not the 'Plex or Space Echo preamp, nothing to write home about, and reliability/access to tape/fidelity aren't hot. They're cheap for a reason. Depth of echo, variation, options, etc. just aren't there.

It's like going for a Fostex junker 4 track and wondering why it doesn't sound like the decent Tascam or Yamaha ones.

It's not about "real tape" in this instance, it's more "it uses tape, but..."

[actual]

Dunno, I feel like that's just like your opinion, man. Have you tried the Echocords?
Also, sidenote: the Mini's are about as "cheap" as the RE-150, the higher-end versions such as the S65 are about double that, ie. =~RE-201 prices, so I can't really follow that argument.

Edit: I'm also pretty sure that some would argue that the Space Echo preamps are no Echoplexes.

[popvulture]

The other thing I can advise: you will not get the wow+flutter etc that every idiot making a boutique delay seems to think is part and parcel of tape. If a real tape unit threw tape around like these fake units often do....they'd chew stuff up daily. A well maintained Echoplex or Space Echo will have *very* little wow+flutter, and the "modulation" on a Space Echo isn't chorus, it's the interaction of the heads and their interplay, not pitch warble.

Yep. My Fulltone sounds pretty pristine. Beautiful, just not in any kind of fucked up/modulation/warble kind of way. Letting the feedback run away sure is glorious, though.