The Steel Guitar Forum

been looking for a delay to work with my 6string and soon arriving steel (fingers crossed)...

I love analog delays with 6string and seems that there are some on here that use them as well...but, I always end of going for more of a tape echo feel on the settings...which has lead me to thinking i should get a tape echo like pedal for my 6string...but the question is has anyone used one for steel?

Thanks.

Any effect, if used correctly and not in excess can work on a steel. But, some effects are more for single string picking, such as a lead guitar, rather than a steel with the slides, chords, etc.

You will find that what was great for a guitar may not be appropriate for a steel.

When I think of tape echo, I think of Chet Atkins and some of the Nashville recordings with lead guitar in the 70's and that would not be very good for steel for "everyday picking".

Pete Drake.

Plus countless studio sessions in the pre-digital age when tape was commonly used for echo and reverb pre-delay.

Try to find the Echoplex 301 which has tape delay as well as a small internal spring reverb.

Dave, I'm with ya...if I could find one of those, whew! that would be a dream. I was rather impressed by the fulltone TTE...but alas, like the echoplex, a bit too much dinero for me...

However, I think I might have found my pedals...
Strymon has an amazing reverb pedal now called the blue sky that interests me greatly, even with my BF spring reverb that i love...a nice shimmer function would really make some interesting music...

Also, strymon is coming out with a new echo delay called the capistan...they researched all the original echo boxes including the echoplex and it seems to have quite an arsenal of capability...sure, it's not a tube tape, but it seems like it's very promising....

I believe that would be a Roland Space Echo 301, not an Echoplex. Roland made the machines that combined reverb and/or chorus with the tape delay. The chorus is the same as the CE-1. There was an Echoplex for sale on the forum recently for a good price. I don't know if it's still available but it looked like a solid unit. The Echoplexes and the tape Space Echos can usually be bought on Ebay for around $400.

You are correct, Cliff, thanks for the clarification. The Roland picked up where the Echoplex left off, back in the day when a six-channel mixer was 3 feet wide....

Paul, the tape echo's all have "flutter" which may be what is attracting you to that sound. Some of the stomp box delays now have a "tape echo" setting which adds fake flutter... They can save you a world of hassle compared to dealing with a real tape echo unit.

If it's a distorted tube sound your searching for, the Fulltone Tube/Tape echo is what Keith Richards plugs into. He uses it just for the tube preamp into 2 tweed Fenders. He doesn't use the echo at all. BTW, there is a video of his rig on YouTube. Look at his face. Keith looked 70 years younger before he started using a tape echo.

I used an Echolette echo for years and now I don't understand how I put up with the constant tape echo maintenance issues. I guess I was "Young, Dumb and Full of ____ (You know what word goes there)

@Danny... exactly! while I would love a true tape echo, the upkeep seems just a little too much...already have to deal with tubes, etc. Actually, I have an Xotic EP booster which is modeled after the ep-3 preamp of the tube echo...does very nice, but does feedback a bit with the t5's hollow body...can't wait to hear how this sounds with the steel...

I will post a link of the new strymon dEcho unit when they load the demos (currenty being recorded now)...this unit has a 5 knobs..wow/flutter, tape age, repeats, time, and mix as well as two three way switches...one has modes A, B, C and the other labeled as tape head with choices of fixed, multi, and single..not to mention tap tempo, true bypass, and a add on pedal called the "favorite" that stores a preset...that unit should be out over the next week or so, can't wait! Here's the white paper release summary:

"Strymon dTape Technology allows for various tape machine types to be re-created authentically, including the wow and flutter, tape friction, bias adjustment, oscillation, saturation, and delay-time-adjustment artifacts. Furthermore, user adjustment of the parameters allows for a range of tape experiences unattainable with a single traditional tape machine."

I have a Hiwatt Custom tape echo....It sounds great on steel, but I'm not sure if you can even find them anymore, they were only made for a short period of time.... http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=152500

I also just bought a little Univox tape echo, super cool, but not sure if i'd trust it outta the house...

Gordon

Gordon, have seen that little guy around before...yeah, pretty rare bird for sure...i'm looking forward to posting some reviews of that new strymon if i'm lucky enough to make it in on the first batch

I'd like to hear the new Strymon pedal, they make nice stuff, although their reverb pedal didn't do it for me.
I bought the BSR and ended up sending it back, very dissapointing, I have higher hopes for the Capistan and/or Brigadier.

I have an EP 3 like new it will need a new tape I have the old tape and cratridge it worked good but that was afew yrs ago,It even has a foot switch with it

Here's the link for the audio and video clips of the new strymon dTape Echo....

http://www.strymon.net/products/elcapistan/

I must say I'm impressed so far with what it has and sounds like...would like to get some longer stuff demoed...probably shipping out in the next few weeks...

Cartwright, haven't heard many bad things about the BSR...do tell!?!
was thinking about trying the BSR and capistan...Still the thought of not using the reverb on my amp is strange for some reason...The capistan does have a spring verb setting as well...

The BSR is a nice unit, just not as nice as others that I own, and I don't think it lives up to its $300 price tag.
I was tweaked by the samples of the shimmer mode but it really didn't work well with steel guitar. Also the controls, while extensive, really only made subtle changes in sound. The overall sound was good but had a bit of, for lack of a better word, graininess about it.
I a/b'd it with a Radical Red Reverberator, a T-Rex Roomate, a Tech 21 RVB and a Digitech RV-7.
They all had their little "plusses and minuses", but the T-Rex and RRR were, to my ears, far superior and I couldn't justify keeping the BSR. The Tech 21 and RV-7 both had things that were just as good as the Strymon, at about 1/3 the price.
My experience with this stuff has taught me that the only way to really try these things is to buy 'em, take 'em home and give them a good work out with your own rig. You can read all the Gear Page or Harmony Central fluff you want, but until you try it with your stuff, you'll never really know how good or bad it is. I've had some huge dissapointments with expensive gear that was raved about on the net.
The modulated setting on the BSR was pretty nice, I want to hear the flutter on the El Capistan.

Ha! I understand the problem of getting worked up reading about all these effects and the need for trying them yourself...has happened far too many times...

Interesting to hear the shimmer "mode" doesn't work well with steel..that's one of the major reasons I was looking at it...

I recently picked up an Echoplex EM-1. It's the 4 channel/SS version probably intended for studios, but it's not that much bigger than an EP-3. I got it cheap (150 bucks) because the seller (a fellow musician) said it doesn't work right but used to.

I took it home and hooked it up and it only made the most awful warbly noises. I took the tape out, oiled the wheels and cleaned the tape heads with a little alcohol and now it works perfectly. This took five minutes at the most.

I hear a lot of people say that the maintenance of these units is more than they want to deal with, but if it's just doing what I did every few weeks plus a change of the tape every year or so, then I'd have to say it's worth it. The sound I get from it is much better than any reverb/delay combination I've ever used. It's not the warble and flutter that I like so much, it's the rich and clear slap back and natural reverb sounds it creates. I always thought that the digital units had a good high end and note clarity and the analog pedals had a good warm low end, but this sounds better than any pedal I've had across the board.

I use a tube amp and SS echo, but I bet using a tube tape echo with a solid state amp like a session 400 would be a great combination. Would probably warm up the sound of the amp much like a black box does.

Brett

I agree with Bret about maintenance. I have a Roland RE-150 and it's been trouble free for a couple of years, I just clean the heads and change the tape every now and then.

Hi Paul,

I've recently used the MXR Carbon Copy analog delay and, having used a Roland Space Echo and WEM Copycat tape echos, find it to be the closest pedal to the actual. It features a button which adds modulation similar to the drag on a real tape echo. Plus, the controls glow in the dark!

There's a cheapie I've used which sounds amazing for the $14.95. The Danelectro Fab Echo has just a rate and depth control and the number of repeats is preset, but it sounds 'fab'.

Alexa, I have used the carbon copy as well and was very impressed...sold it, but think i'll probably pick another up along with the El Capistan for both an echo and an analog...

I'm still very intrigued by both the Roland 150 and/or 201 as well as the EP-2/3...Think I'll try the pedal first...If i find I need the effect more for the house/recording, might go with the roland or EP.

The original blue SIB Echodrive is darn close to an echoplex. At least to my ears. Hard to find but worth searching for. No maintenance except for maybe an AX7 tube and lot's of analog controls.

During my prime playing days I used an Echo-Plex with Standel amps, both tube and solid state. It was a tempermental alliance, but when working properly it exceeded all of the electronic alternatives.

Jan Dunn wrote:The original blue SIB Echodrive is darn close to an echoplex. At least to my ears. Hard to find but worth searching for. No maintenance except for maybe an AX7 tube and lot's of analog controls.

Yeah, those blue ones are incredible, that being said, I could by a new strymon, EP-2, AND a roland 150 for the price of one SIB right now

As someone who is a delay freak, and who until recently had tape, oil can, analog and digital delays I can recommend the Freakshow FX Digilog pedal (easy to use, great sounds and a self oscillation button for when you want "go there").

The Empress Super Delay does EVERYTHING conceivable in delay/echo (including loops). It is pricey and a bit of a learning curve but it is a remarkable device. Best tape emulations ever (and now they have a "vintage version" which supposedly has even more organic sounding delays).

I currently use (and love) a Diamond Memory Lane (original version). Highly recommend...and no maintenance.

Geoff...yes, the empress has really intrigued me for some time, esp the vintage mod...there will be some demos up of the strymon vs. the empress soon (on the tape setting)...I do like the empress, but I really only feel I use the echo more than an analog/dig delay...will see how the strymon compares and make the next move...