Tone Report Weekly Issue 144 | Page 63

the Echoplex delivers clean, clear, yet warm repeats, with just a hint of wobble. It sounds fantastic for ambient clean chording, slapback, and everything in between. If you’ve ever played through an actual tape echo, you know that one in good health sounds much closer to a digital delay than any analog device. The Echoplex has that sound—not quite pristine, but almost there. Age mode, however, is a different story. If you like your delay down and dirty, the Echoplex is a real treat. Pressing the Volume knob accesses Age mode. With the knob pushed in, the Age LED indicator blinks red and you can select the amount of Age you want. When you push the knob again, the Volume knob returns to its normal function, and the LED stays a solid red to let you know you’re in age mode. With the knob fully counterclockwise, there is a subtle, but noticeable, darkening of the tone, with a few more warps and wiggles than normal mode. As you turn it up, the tape machine gets sick as a dog, and your repeats become a gritty, dark, warbly soup—a delicious one, at that. Although there’s only a single knob to control it, there is a lot of variation available. My only concern is that when a significant amount of Age is added, the volume of the pedal increases, which may be a nuisance if you want to keep your levels the same during a live performance. WHAT WE LIKE Great variety of tape echo tones in a compact package. Simple operation. Built to last. Tons of delay time with accompanying tap tempo switch. CONCERNS Volume knob will need to be adjusted depending on the amount of Age dialed in. Dunlop has knocked it out of the park—this pedal is phenomenal. It is easily my favorite tape echo on the market. If you’re looking for an authentic-sounding tape delay that is easy to use, this is a gift from the tone gods. Just go buy one, but you’ll have to get in line behind me. ToneReport.com 63