taking a gamble on an old German tape delay...!

[46346]

i'm curious about most any of the tape delay units ever made, but the vintage and European ones are most intriguing. and of course even here in L.A. they are rarely seen in person.

the two classic 60's German tape delays have been on my bucket list for decades. finally last year i had
success with a golden Echolette i found while traveling, the price was right and the guy had it since his band started in 1962! it ran 100%, and after a once-over and some maintenance on my part, it's a real sci-fi monster. it was a sonic triumph!

then there's the Dynacord Echocord Super. similar design, but with different controls. prices on Reverb were steep, with most coming from Europe. i'd passed on dozens of them over the years, they are complex beasts, and i was hoping to find one in person like with the Echolette.

Welp, this one appeared on eBay with a nice (but realistic) starting bid. the photos are pretty lo-res, but i realized this is an older cat. i got a pretty good feeling from the seller, based on the quality of some other cool old stuff he had. still, i was willing to let it pass, cuz i'm temporarily broke, still waiting to get paid from summer sessions (media conglomerates, i tell ya...).

strangely, not one bid on that low starting price. i got the sense that this was a nugget, about to slip away unnoticed somehow. that's when the lone shot rang out, 12 seconds later it's mine.

fingers crossed, the guy is a quick responder and uses his words well...

how do you think i did so far?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115920876205

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Rare and vintage for the price of a boutique pedal seems okay to me, assuming you can fix it up yourself.

For what it's worth these are not exactly ubiquitous in the UK either. I've never seen one in the wild (though Pat probably has a few).

[N0_Camping4U]

Totally woulda bought it if I saw it. never even considered it. May need to change voltage.

All it takes is MGMT using one of these for them to be 1,200 bucks.

[øøøøøøø]

At that price, a no-brainer. Well done!

[Vinkie]

Congrats with the Echochord, great score! The condition looks fine to me. I am sure some maintenance, new tape and a few new caps will have it running just fine again. I am looking forward to your impressions once it's back in prime order.

While I used to own both Roland 201 and 501 Space Echoes I am much more into simpler and maybe somewhat cruder tape echo machines, often European. My current fave is my WEM/Watkins Copicat MkII, an all-tube tape echo from 1964. Copicats often need quite a few caps and resistors replaced and some alignment etc. but once they are runing fine they are fantastic.

[GreenKnee]

That's good to know! We have a couple of knackered ones at our studio. I should give them some TLC and see if I can breathe some life in to them

[JVG]

Looks very cool.

The advert says it weighs 28 lb…..could that be right? That is wayyyy heavy!

[46346]

Rare and vintage for the price of a boutique pedal seems okay to me, assuming you can fix it up yourself.

For what it's worth these are not exactly ubiquitous in the UK either. I've never seen one in the wild (though Pat probably has a few).

yeah, it's a pretty big assumption on my part and there are plenty of good techs here in L.A. if
i get stuck. i looked at some gut shots of another one online, and the layout is deep, but not nearly as hairy looking as the PTP nest of the Echolette.

interesting that they didn't infiltrate the UK. i see them for sale from Neteherlands, France, Belgium, and of course Germany. i guess you guys had the Copicats and apparently the Echorec from Italy.

hey, good point - i hadn't thought to ask Pat to find me an Echocord when he moved back to Germany!
but i was always wary of a long shipping route on something like this.

[46346]

Totally woulda bought it if I saw it. never even considered it. May need to change voltage.

All it takes is MGMT using one of these for them to be 1,200 bucks.

part of the motivation is that it's here in the U.S. and has been running on domestic voltage it's whole life.

funny you mention MGMT - my bandmate did their covert art for Congratulations and apparently they've seen us play. but yeah - i oughta keep them away from my tape echoes!

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Yes, plenty of Copicats doing the rounds (and Roland Space Echos). Time was there were a few Binsons too, but I've never actually seen one in use myself.

[46346]

At that price, a no-brainer. Well done!

Thanks! yes, though there was that first Echolette that i bought (unheard) for only a bit less, and turned out to be a basket case. it's fully complete but seems to have endured a botched restoration that is pretty confusing. now that i have an excellent Echolette to compare it with, i may have a road map to bring it back on track. but they're an intimidating rat's nest of literal PTP, quite unruly for German design!

Gut shots i've seen of the Echocord are thankfully much tidier. and i have better confirmation from the seller about its functionality.

on our latest chat i learned that he bought it second hand in 1972! he has lived the majority of his long life with this thing

[46346]

Congrats with the Echochord, great score! The condition looks fine to me. I am sure some maintenance, new tape and a few new caps will have it running just fine again. I am looking forward to your impressions once it's back in prime order.

While I used to own both Roland 201 and 501 Space Echoes I am much more into simpler and maybe somewhat cruder tape echo machines, often European. My current fave is my WEM/Watkins Copicat MkII, an all-tube tape echo from 1964. Copicats often need quite a few caps and resistors replaced and some alignment etc. but once they are runing fine they are fantastic.

aye - being that it is complete and functioning, and he just told me he's had it since 1972 (!)
i feel there's a fighting chance it can shine.
although he said he retired it when he came across... a Space Echo

can't blame him, i snagged a 501 on eBay long ago for $99 and it has been a delight.

i was eyeballing MkII Copicats earlier this year, actually i looked into ALL the copicats and figured the MkII is the one for me. but i didn't find anything in the U.S. before my budget went elsewhere.

my simpler tape echo is an early tube Echoplex quite a fun time and classic tone, though it's a bit noisy, especially mechanically. the Roland 501 and the Echolette are dead quiet in comparison.

[46346]

Yes, plenty of Copicats doing the rounds (and Roland Space Echos). Time was there were a few Binsons too, but I've never actually seen one in use myself.

i've only encountered two Binsons in L.A. both were in local gear shops that were pretty well regarded and well staffed.
but in both cases they didn't sound right, with me and the staff scratching our heads about what they needed.

i should have the Echocord at home later today!

[46346]

Looks very cool.

The advert says it weighs 28 lb…..could that be right? That is wayyyy heavy!

i don't doubt it. even though they are smaller than a Space Echo or Echoplex, they are impressively hefty.
thick, rolled steel chassis *and* cabinet, big dual transformer, six tubes!
the feeling is very durable, though it would be cool if they had a hard cover for the faceplate and controls for transit.

[Steadyriot.]

Oh that's a good deal! These have been creeping up in price lately.
There's plenty of spare parts around (in the EU) I believe, so anything amiss can be fixed pretty easily.


Just for fun; one of my favorite performances featuring it's little cousin, the Klemt Echolette 5.