Tag: echoplex

Echoplex EP3 Review

This is a Guest Post by Guitarist, Jason Rooney

Echoplex EP-3On the long and winding road that is the pursuit of tone, it’s not long before we arrive at the Echoplex. We have no doubt read about tape delays, dreamt about them, but have definitely heard them on countless recordings. The EP3 Echoplex is the second generation in the Echoplex line and the first to offer a solid state preamp. The EP3 is an analog delay that does something I’ve found only tape can provide. Like many analog delays, the repeated notes continually degrade and ultimately taper off in a musical and natural way. However, the Echoplex does something very special with the repeated notes. The entire sonic space comes alive without stepping on the original notes. The echoed notes grow into a 3D atmosphere behind the performance that become slightly compressed with hints of a bright and chimey chorusing effect.

The Echoplex is in no way a one trick pony, it can do it all. From a guitarist’s perspective, the EP3 can handle diligent slap back to dotted eighth notes inspired by The Edge. Vocals sound amazing through it, and many keyboard and synth enthusiasts swear by them as well. If you desire, you can send the delay oscillating and get some UFO sounds as well. And that is just in ‘echo mode’. The EP3 also offers a Sound on Sound feature that allows the user to take advantage of the Echoplex as a personal recorder and playback device. You can record a performance onto the tape and play it back to play over it. Somewhat of a looping feature only limited to the length of the tape in the cartridge.

The control panel of the Echoplex may seem a little menacing at first, but the controls are very standard to the delay world;

Echo Sustain: This controls the amount of delayed notes and also serves as the power switch.

Echo Volume: The volume of the delayed notes.

Echo Delay: A slider bar that controls the delay time by moving the playback head closer or farther away from the recording head.

Sound on Sound/Echo switch: This toggles between echo and sound on sound modes.

There are four 1⁄4” jacks on the face of the unit as well. Input, output, a footswitch jack to switch the delay on and off, and one to turn the sound on sound feature on and off.

When it comes to gear, especially vintage, we must factor in maintenance and a little bit of TLC. After all, the EP3 is a machine with moving parts that need to be cleaned and oiled. The tapes will eventually wear out, the sound gets increasingly wobblier, and the repeats become less strong. When it comes to tape replacement, cartridges are still available through a few sources as well as tape rewinding services. As the tape wears, it leaves a magnetic footprint and a brown dust behind. About the time the tape needs to be replaced, it’s a good idea to demagnetize and clean the tape heads, tape path and roller with either 100% denatured alcohol and a high quality rubber cleaner, or specific cleaners available for tape machines.

I must admit, I have received some strange looks and many questions when I’ve toted my EP3 to a gig or rehearsal. After all, it is somewhat of a clunky “mystery box” weighing 15lbs and requires a fair amount of real estate. After the EP3 has been set up and I start playing through it, The heavenly sound speaks for itself.

How to get Eddie Van Halen Tone


Eddie Van Halen, known as one of the best electric guitar players ever has amazed audiences for years with his fast picking and tapping skills. For many guitarists, Eddie’s tone is quite sought after. Without his rig, he wouldn’t be able to properly get his guitar to scream, or hold copious amounts of sustain for those tapping solos. So todays’ article will show you how you can get Eddie Van Halen’s guitar tone.

Guitars
First lets look at which guitars Eddie used. Early on, he used a a crazy looking stratocaster-style guitar with a humbucker pickup for a fatter sound. In the early ’80s, Eddie famously used Seymour Duncan pickups. Over time, this strat became a partsocaster with different necks and such. One of the biggest changes to Eddie’s guitar was that he swapped the bridge for a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo. This would allow him to go crazy on the whammy bar without going out of tune. Other guitars Eddie used were the Gibson 335, Les Paul, and Les Paul Jr.

Amps
One of Eddie Van Halen’s favorite amps to use was a ’60s Marshall SuperLead Plexi. Many have said that he would crank all the dials on the amp to get a lot of his tone by pushing the power tubes. Some guitar magazines say that Eddie used an attenuator to control the output of the amp. In later years, he used Peavey Amps which he had a part in designing. As for the cabs, his were loaded with either Celestion 25-watt Greenbacks, Vintage 30s, and/or 75s. He would use multiple cabs on stage for that really fat sound.

Pedals & Effects
Eddie would use a MXR EQ in the studio that was set to give him a mid-boost. Other MXR pedals he would use is the Flanger and the Phase 90. He was also known for using an Echoplex. Throughout his career, he started incorporating all kinds of rack processors to get the exact tone he wanted.

Eddie Van Halen Tone on the Cheap
Of course acquiring all of the equipment mentioned can be rather costly. In order to get Eddie’s tone at a low cost, here is what I suggest. Use a high-gain amplifier, a guitar with a humbucker pickup, your favorite distortion, echo, and phaser pedals, and that should get you close.

In the end, if you want to sound like Eddie, you gotta play like him. So of course practicing his technique will give you his sound, much more than any rig could. Hope this article brings you one step closer to Eddie Van Halen tone!