Speak to me of tape-style delay pedals

Beyer160 · Post by **Beyer160** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:27 am

I've never been much of a delay guy, but recently I've been thinking of adding something Echoplex-y to the mix. What I'm looking for is Jimmy Page/Joe Walsh classic rock style stuff, not U2-y rhythmic style (I love me some early U2, I just don't play that way). I've got a couple of pedals in mind to check out, if anyone has compared them or has any other additions to the list, I'd love to hear about them. And I'd like to keep it in the under-$200 new range... preferably a lot less (I'll buy used if I can).

Catalinbread Belle Epoch- The obvious choice. I'm a big fan of their dirt boxes, and the BE is modeled on the Echoplex. This is probably the one to beat.

Digitech Obscura- I grew up when Digitech boxes were cheap shit, so I was pretty blown away by their new pedal line. Youtube demos sound pretty good, and it seems to have a wider range of sounds available than the Belle Epoch. It's also a little cheaper. Still... Digitech. It's probably unfair, but I have a hard time imagining a Digitech product sounding as good as a Catalinbread.

Wampler Faux Tape Echo- This one seems to be similar in concept to the Belle Epoch. I've never played any Wampler stuff, but they seem pretty popular.

Electro Harmonix Memory Man- This may be a little too flexible for my needs, but the Memory Man was the original "sounds like a tape echo" box. And, Guided By Voices used one heavily in their "classic" (Bee Thousand / Alien Lanes) period. And I have a soft spot for EHX stuff. It is pretty big, though.

So, did I miss anything? Comments?

s_mcsleazy · Post by **s_mcsleazy** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:39 am

danelectro reel echo

Steadyriot. · Post by **Steadyriot.** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 10:22 am

How about the Boss RE-20?
Slightly over budget (when new) but gets great reviews!

shoule79 · Post by **shoule79** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:09 pm

Trying a DMM will probably end your search.

Aside from that, I've tried the Obscura and was impressed. Mind you I was pairing it with a freeze at the time and didn't spend too much time with it. I wasn't expecting or trying to get an analog vibe from it either.

The Malekko 616 Dark also springs to mind, I used that to fill this void on my board for awhile.

garyfanclub · Post by **garyfanclub** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:15 pm

Highly recommend an older Deluxe Memory Man, I've got one and it's my desert island pedal. If there could only be one, this would be it. If you're judicious with the vibrato/chorus, you'll find yourself leaving it on all the time. In fact, my "clean" guitar sound nearly always includes the DMM with the blend rolled back to where the effect is just barely noticeable - adds warmth/depth that you won't believe until you hear it. It's also got a boost knob, but YMMV on how it sounds according to your rig and what you've got chained up before it. No experience with the newer stuff, but these are well worth the asking price.

Haven't tried any of the others you suggested, but my runner up is the Ibanez DE-7. Cheap as dirt, sounds pretty good, indestructable, self-oscillates.

MechaBulletBill · Post by **MechaBulletBill** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:37 pm

Steadyriot. wrote:How about the Boss RE-20?
Slightly over budget (when new) but gets great reviews!

It sounds like an absolute tip-top space echo, which is great, but it can't sound as warbly and cool as the real one I heard in a studio once. That one, the engineer was cleaning the heads after every single take. I don't know if there was something wrong with it or it needed new tape or something, but it sounded fantastic. The oscillation was more "real" or "analog", for lack of a better word. They should have put some kind of 'degrade' control on the Boss version.

Maggieo · Post by **Maggieo** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:53 pm

Another vote for the big-box DMM, with the Belle Epoch as the runner-up.

I've got both but the DMM is pretty much how I get "my sound."

Yardbox and Deluxe Memory Man, February 23, 2013 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

Gavanti · Post by **Gavanti** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 5:29 pm

I haven't played an old DMM, but I can speak for the crazy fun that is the Belle Epoch. I've been running mine in between Rat and Timmy clones to space out the former and thicken up the latter. It also makes a pretty effective dirt pedal on its own, as well as having a lot of flexibility as a tape echo simulator. I use a Reel Echo too, and it's a great for sonic manipulation, but for what you're thinking the BE has better tone.

mackerelmint · Post by **mackerelmint** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:06 pm

Boss dd-20 has a decent tape setting. You have to menu dive to really tweak it, but it can do much better than just putting it on the tape setting and setting the time would lead one to believe. There's also the echo park and its behringer knockoff. Their tape settings can sound pretty good as well, though I'm not sure if I'd call either of those pedals physically robust. There are some ok options on the cheap, though.

The re-20 is a great option, but if you decide you want more versatility, the dd20 is kinda great. There's also the zoom ms 70 cdr, which has umpteen gazillion different delays, including models of the DMM and three different tape echoes. I use that, and I like it a lot.

DarnWeight · Post by **DarnWeight** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:04 am

The tape modes on the new Source Audio Nemesis (Tape and Noise Tape) are fantastic.

Jaguar018 · Post by **Jaguar018** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:06 am

New kid on the block is the MXR echoplex.

Shadoweclipse13 · Post by **Shadoweclipse13** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:24 am

If it doesn't have to be an Echoplex type delay, you could also check out the Catalinbread Echorec. Multihead is SO much fun.

julius2790 · Post by **julius2790** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:31 am

I have an old DMB Lunar Echo that I really like. I found it on Reverb for $200. Might be worth looking into those.

Ursa Minor · Post by **Ursa Minor** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:40 am

I use a DMM daily. It's just perfect for me. It's the only pedal I've found to have a great 'feel' aside from its perfectly dialed-in repeats. Definitely worth looking into.

I also like the Dan Echo. They're cheap and not built to last but sound excellent for what they are. Easy to use and really dialed-in. Sits nice in a mix too. They can be noisy though.

Not tape-like at all, but I also use a Maxon AD900 when I want ambience that doesn't always sound like a guitar with an apparent delay. Great for fattening things up with softer repeats and has a longer delay time than my DMM.

Fwiw, the Maxon and DMM are 12v and 24v respectively. This higher voltage gives you more headroom and I believe adds a lot to the 'feel' of these devices.

maximee · Post by **maximee** » Sun Oct 09, 2016 4:17 pm

I'm surprised that there's no El Capistan love.
I have one and it's great. The great thing I find is the many tweakable things like flutter and glitches/tape wrinkle.
Although it's pricy I find it is good value. So many nice sounds and a little looper, too.

OffsetGuitars.com

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