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Over the years i’ve played and owned many echo units but i haven’t tried them all not even close, So if i never played it i won’t review it. So no AMS digital delay reviews, Echozar reviews or Stymon El Capistan either. So heres my top 16
I’ll start at the ones i like the least and work my way through to the best
16 Zoom Digital multi effects pedal
A cheap digital delay but had some interesting other effects including Flanger
15 Mellos Tape Echo
This was my first echo, One Head only, Poor sounding very muffled run on a very small tape cartridge perhaps smaller than the standard 1/4 inch. Used by Joy Division
14 Abletons lives digital delay’s
,
Surprisingly good sounding if not a little sterile, Can sound great when used in conjunction with each other and chained to other effects, First of the delay’s i like on the list.
13 Solec Tape Echo SS8,
Similar to the Mellos a single head tape delay but this one runs on 8 track Nothing to right home about though i did get some interesting sound effects from the unit
12 Concert echo chamber SS100,
Also runs on 8 track I bought this unit in conjuntion with the Solec around ffifteen years ago from a market stall $150 for the Concert and $100 for the solec which is coincidently what i sold them both for last year, (no longer getting much use) The Concert is a somewhat superior echo unit however with 4 heads a cleaner sound and 4 fixed speeds that are adjustable in steps, The only downside being the slowest echo was more like medium and the fastest more like compressed reverb.
11 Ibanez Digital delay DDL
O.K i got this unit in 1996 after hocking my DD3 in 95, Very similar units The ibanez had a warmer sound and longer delay time nice, They go for really cheap on ebay I used this unit on my track the Transcenders perhaps my best Guitar track.
10 Boss DD3
My first great echo device used most of the tracks i did with the Bizarre Dwarfs, After listening to Pink Floyd”s Syd Barret era guitar epics, i just had to run out and get an echo box and what a sound analog/digital /insane. Clinical but never sterile or polished, My old synth tec said it best when he coined the phrase Old Digital Mojo
9 Carlsbro Echo AD1
I bought this echo unit in 2014 right at the heart of my analog echo craze, At first i did’t think much of the unit it sounded kinda flat looked huge and cumbersome in my rack but just before i sold the unit, ( it’s always the way) it sounded fantastic, Warm but beautifully clean echo’s Definitely one off the best echo’s either digital or analog i’ve ever heard and one i wish i held onto longer.
8 Mxr M118 Analog Delay.
This unit employs the Reticon Sad CCD delay chip which is different to the BBD delay chips that most analog echo’s use. There’s plenty of info online about CCD and BBD delays for those that are interested. Anyhow it’s that fact that got me interested in the pedal and perhaps the fact that it’s dark green too, Lol. On the surface this pedal is full of mistakes No led light, No on/off power switch (I mean what electrical appliances don’t have on off switches or indicator lights? Bizarre. But to make matters worse the Preamp produces a very week signal and the chip is rare and expensive and hard to replace.
Now for the good news The echo’s sound warm yet dark ideal for science fiction but the real highlight is it’s Compressed Reverb Unbelievably fat sounding effects can be obtained especially useful for bass guitar, If you own a Bass you have to have this pedal period.
Summing up it might be a bit of a one trick pony in some respects but when it get’s down to it you won’t find a better compressed reverb effect anywhere.
7 Univox Echotec EM200
This echo device is a Disc Echo similar to a tape echo or Binson disc echo, They all use tape heads but they also have key differences, Unlike tape it uses a metallic drum with a floppy disc attached to the surface ( electro magnetic) The Binson uses a wire disc/drum for it’s surface, So it’s somewhat similar but different.
This unit has some unique features: Not just a tunning knob but also a fine tune knob as well as it’s head mixing knob/pot where you can interesting effects from balancing the relative head outputs. Also of note is it’s repeat effect, Self Oscillation, It sure sounds differenent to most repeat effects as it goes into a piercing high pitched maraca like effect, Some people hate this but i used it to good effect on my track Rhino West Tension.
Unfortunately the unit broke down and i had to sell it, I had too many other echo’s too fix, Looking inside the unit you can see how complex it is not for those who don’t like repairs.
6 Gibson GA4RE Tel ray Oil Can Echo Effect
This unit is a Tel ray oil can effect that uttlises a metallic spinning disc encased in a small tin with oil in the bottom (kinda like a tuna can) and wipers instead of tape heads, The wipers read/write the material to the disc and the oil in the bottom of the can keeps the information from being lost electo static as opposed to electromagnetic like the tape delays disc echo’s etc
I bought this unit on a Gamble that i could get it to work but i was wrong not through lack of effort and time mind you and it could be a real tease and work perfectly for a while and then back to the same unsolvable problems. When it worked it sounded fantastic warm clean echo’s with just the slightest touch of vibrato Fantastic.
One of it’s other great features is it’s separate power supply for the effect and the amp sections It’s more like an amp with a built in oil can effect and it looks like it too until you take a closer look and find out that there is no speaker, So it’s not a combo amp. No other Tel Ray had this feature and this makes for cleaner more character more headroom. A great unit if you can find one that works More info can be found here http://telrayoilcanaddicts.yuku.com
So Far all the Echo unit’s listed i no longer own With the exception of the Albelton rack which is part of a Daw and i’m unlikely to sell but now were getting to my favorite echo’s effects
5 The Carlsbro Mantis Analog delay
“Wow” Big favorite of mine this one Clean crisp echo’s analog warmth modulation Chorus with speed control multi fixed heads with multi swell speeds, I still don't exactly understand this one, I think swell is repeats and you can adjust a different echo length to a different repeat length, Say a short echo with a long tail or a long echo with short repeats, Also i think it's a multi tap because you can select head 1, 2 or 3 or have all depressed at once, Cool confusing different.
This echo device sounds good on Guitar or anything you run it through but really shines on my Roland System 100, Out of all my echo’s this one is my favorite for use with the Roland System 100. .
4 Tel Ray Variable Delay
When i first saw the VST version of this unit i thought my god where did they model such a cool looking device from. This was my introduction to the dark world of Tel ray
I already went into some detail on the oil can effects on the Gibson review, So i won’t repeat myself i’ll just stick to the details of this unit. It took me many years to track down this one, Their very rare as are all the oil cans, So your just better off buying what’s available as opposed to tracking down a specific unit,
The big difference on this unit compared to other oil can’s is the contiguously variable speed, Most of the other Tel ray’s had fixed speeds and a limited amount at that, So this unit’s special but it has it faults or if i’m in a generous mood foibles, For a start the speed is controlled not by a variable speed motor no but rather a piece of string attached to a potentiometer which is then attached to braking mechanism to the motor, I think you can see where a lot of problems could emerge, Also on the good/bad side are some of the parameters, Good in that it has a parameter for repeats bad in that it’s at the back of the unit, Same goes for the pre amp volume also rather strangely at the back.
Now that the oddness is out of the way errr not quite as i never really gotten to hear this unit in full health, It sure make strange otherworldly sounds of all descriptions but never a clean echo. You can tel just by looking at it that’s it’s the bees knees just needs a lot of attention and perhaps some useful mods like a variable speed motor and pot’s realigned to the front, Perhaps if that was the case it would make my number 1
3 Tel Ray Super Organ Tone
My first oil can effect and my best one err the only one that works properly
It’s hard to put my finger on what make this effect so pleasing, I guess it’s not technically an echo but more a vibrato effect ( called organ tone because they were trying to emulate the Leslie rotating speaker effect used on organs) It makes a strange weierr weirr efect more than a wha wha but sounds different for each signal put into it. You can really swim in this effect or thrash about in oil if that’s what you into. It only has two knobs but makes the most of these for sure, Like all Tel ray’s it needs it’s special Oil Ucon LB65 or cheaper pag oil equivalent, More info on these devices can be found on the Tel Ray oil can addicts forum, Used on most of my tracks from my second third and fourth albums.
What can i say about this unit that hasn't already been said before. It’s the most popular Tape Echo device of all just like the Boss DD3 is the most popular digital echo and for a good reason it sounds great. Warm tape meets digital clarity though theres no digital components whatsoever just quality components Everything about this unit is great, from the VU meter to the multi heads to the variable speed motor and sound of it’s repeats, very long echo’s, build quality. I could go on forever by far the most practical echo of all and number 1 desert island choice for sure.
Only one downside the labeling at the front panel, It lists Speed as repeat rate and repeats as intensity, Very annoying to adjust the speed and get repeats etc but it’s an easy solve as i re labeled them by the correct terms speed and repeats and by placing two sticker over the originals, You can probably hear them in the R and D department in the 70′s going you idiots you called the speed repeat rate lol.
Only one downside the labeling at the front panel, It lists Speed as repeat rate and repeats as intensity, Very annoying to adjust the speed and get repeats etc but it’s an easy solve as i re labeled them by the correct terms speed and repeats and by placing two sticker over the originals, You can probably hear them in the R and D department in the 70′s going you idiots you called the speed repeat rate lol.
Drum Roll please the number 1 echo device is
1 Montarbo Disc Echo 115
Why did i choose the Montarbo Disc Echo as the Number 1 echo unit?
Great question on the surface it’s specs aren't great 3 fixed speeds no valves, integrated instead of discreet circuits etc etc but as Joe meek said “if it sounds good it is good” Not my favorite quote but it works in regards to the Monty and Yes it is the Monty it has character it has personality it has soul. I used it on the title track to my last album The Healing Practice.
Details:
The Montarbo Disc Echo unit is similar to the Univox EM200 and it uses 5 fixed tape heads 3 write 1 erase and 1 record head for it’s operation, it uses a small plastic disc covered in a ferrite type material inside a metal drum for the heads to contact.
Sounds:
How about a space Cathedral for starters Echo’s are clean and warm It’s repeats are cloudy and milky, sounds more like the Binsons i’ve heard than any other echo. I think i know it’s X factor? Don't quote me but i think it might be it's it’s transformer which gives it that depth and space to really bring the sounds out, More headroom than any other unit i’ve played, Great on all instruments blends well with the Tel rays valves.
Reliability You just have to look at this echo unit and t breaks down
Summing Up, I think the main theme of all these old echo devices is repair, So while their fun be able to fix them or know someone who can. checkkhk out his video to see how much fun repairs are https://youtu.be/Hhdyf04vAhk
Feel free to leave a comment in the Comments page
Update 2022 Since 2016 i've managed to try a few more echo pedals
Boss DM2 Wazza Craft
I really like this pedal i thought it a little bland at first but after spending a while with it and trying it out with chorus and reverb i really changed my mind, Its dark but warm a very versatile pedal and can get very psychedelic if needed. The only thing ive got against it is Roland kept the same labelling for the Repeats Speed etc, Its very confusing having speed labelled repeat rate could wreck your gig.
Strymon DIG
I like this pedal, its not without it's faults the biggest of which is the 3 toggle settings for AMD 12 bit and 24bit the AMD sounds terrible and trebly and and the 24 bit sounds sterile like a new digital pedal luckilly the 12bit sounds awesome just like a boss dd3 80's model, ( not the sterile 90's 24bit one) the other features are interesting aka subdivisions etc but i sold it nothing i can't do already with the DD3 or eventide pitch factor.
EH Memory Boy.
Not a big fan of this one, delay sounded good a bit dark but mixing the mod with delay function seemded to malfunction a lot with mod on when it should've been off and worse still the mod effect aka vibrato didn't sound good, rather artificial
I like this pedal it's analog and has a beautiful warm sound similar to the DM2 but you can't really get long delay from it little more than a slap back it won't go into self-oscillation and build quality is poor ( It's plastic) However if you use it more for mellow rock or jazz and not really big on delay this might be your perfect pedal and its cheap too
Summing up
Where would i place these 4 pedals on my list? Not sure probably somewhere in the middle, They didn't knock me out i think i liked the DM2 the best of them although they all sounded good, I went along the Analog delay route because my Carlsbro Mantis broke down and i was looking at something to replace it. I sold the Strymon and the memory boy but kept the Arion and the Boss. Draw from that what you will.
