Fulltone Tube Tape Echo

Where do I begin....nothing really sounds like a tape echo...except for a real tape echo. This is a unit that you can have fun with for a very long time. It simply just generates sweet sounding delay tones and warble-y fluttering echos that makes you want to join a Pink Floyd cover band.

It doesn't change you original tone but gives a layer of extremely usable echo repeats. It is pretty much as basic as the original Echoplex's.

UTILIZATION

The editing process is very simple with just a few knobs changing the color of the unit. The manual is helping full to get you started. This unit will be very different if your used to digital delays. But the learning curve is short and the manual will help.

SOUND QUALITY

I was using a Strat with single coils and humbuckers. The sound quality is quite amazing. It sounds so three dimensional and room filling. The best part about the unit is getting it repeat within time of your playing.

Beware though this is a unit that will need maintenance. The tape will break down over time and will need to be replaced. However, there is a cool sound that comes from a worn out tape that sound completely different than a new tape. Plus the thing needs to be clean periodically.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a steep price for an effects unit. Right around $1000 bucks can be steep for most people but quite frankly "it is so choice if you have the means I highly recommend picking one up".

This unit is big and bulky and won't be that convenient for live use. I would not bring this thing into dingy clubs. I see this unit being very useful in home records or in the studio. If you have a stationary setup like at a church or something then this would work perfectly for you.

The Fulltone Tube Tape Echo is essentially a reissue of the classic Mastreo Echoplex tape echo box. It gives you a true tape echo sound right in a nice and compact box. It’s got handles to carry it around, with ¼” connections for your input, two outputs, and a playback and echo off output as well. It’s not a rackable piece of gear as it comes in it’s own portable box.


UTILIZATION

The make up of the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo isn’t hard at all to follow. It has a nifty slider to set the delay time, which ranges from 0 to 35 ms, as well as knobs for guitar volume, echo volume and echo repeats. It also has switches for bypassing the effect and for setting it to a stereo mode if needed. Lastly, it has two smaller knobs for record level and echo tone. I doubt most users will require a manual for this…



SOUND QUALITY

The sound of the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo is pretty much just like the real thing. Even if it doesn’t match up exactly with the Mastreo Echoplex, which I’m not sure if it’s suppose or not, it’s an incredible sounding delay in it’s own right. You can definitely get a nice collection of different analog delay tones, but I like it best for it’s slapback. It’s hard to really describe how good this box sounds without you having the chance to hear it, but this is the ultimate true analog delay box for applications of all kinds.


OVERALL OPINION

While it’s going to cost you a pretty penny, the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo is really an incredible delay box. It’s perfect for use on anything and everything in the studio, but also would be awesome for your guitar on gigs. I don’t know what it costs to get an original Echoplex, but I would think that it’s definitely worth looking into this instead since it’s probably a bit cheaper (or around the same price) and is going to be in much better shape. Absolutely worth a try for anyone interested in acquiring an incredible delay box.

This is a tape echo unit. It's quite bulky, and large, which might make it seem difficult to use. I honestly wouldn't recommend carrying it around much unless you absolutely must, and even then, make sure you have a heavy duty case for it. The thing is honestly too big to tour with, though, so it's better used at home or in the studio. It actually contains tape, which is used for the echo effect, thus it is a legitimate tape echo. Thus, it has sounds that can really not be replicated fully by any pedal. This model is good because it is less noisy than most tape delays. It has two modes, hi-speed and low-speed, which both result in high end and low end tones, respectively. It has three knobs, echo time, echo volume, and echo repeats.

UTILIZATION

This is a pretty simple pedal to operate. It goes from a quick slapback to up to 2 seconds of delay, which is long for a tape unit. It has a lever up top that will adjust the speed of the tape inside. It also uses tubes to help lower noise, which makes finding good tones easier. The manual is pretty complex, but it is sufficiently in-depth, and if not, the fulltone website has more than enough information to answer the questions. It is far less problematic than the tape echos of old due to its modern design and updates on the vintage gear.

SOUND QUALITY

This is probably up there with the best tape units I've ever seen. It has a better sound than the vast majority of analog and digital units I've encountered. It has such a unique, psychedelic sound that I can't really believe it. It is the absolute perfect way to get the Pink Floyd, psychedelic sound for guitar. It also has a feature where you can split it into a stereo signal, and have one side of it be the guitar signal itself, and the other side have just the echo effect, getting into some wacky stuff. All in all, this is probably the most fantastic-sounding unit out there.

OVERALL OPINION

I'll be honest, as good as this unit is, it's way too expensive. However, the people who made it deserve what they can get for it, as I'm sure the labor that went into making each one is quite a burden. For anyone who can afford this, this is without a doubt the best analog tape echo I've ever seen. This puts even some of the best regular analog delay pedals to shame. Highly recommended.