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Old 11-11-2017, 05:35 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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Default Waking Up the Echoplex

I'd been avoiding my Echoplex EP-3 for a while. Last time I fired it up there was a bunch of hum and scratching if I moved the input cord at all. Today I decided to try it out again so I opened her up took a look to see if the electrolytics looked like they were going and allowing current on the input before I started off. When I opened it up it looked like the Sprague cans were just fine but you can't always tell by leakage or bulges so I pulled out the multimeter and and fired up the Echoplex. The transport was slow to start moving, kinda like, "Ugg. Do I have to?" I could practically hear it groan but it took off. I checked the input and output jacks for AC or DC on the line. No deal, no current at all.

Alrighty then, I plugged up a guitar and amp and fired everything up. No echo. That had happened before and it had snapped to life when I moved the record level pot so I tried that. No joy. Hmmm... I turned the echo level control (a screw pot) all the way to the right (echo only) and exercised the pot. Still no joy. Hmmm... I used the screwdriver to pry around on the screw head a little and POP! we were back. There's still some crackle on the jacks so I'll have to clean them.

I enjoyed a nice session playing with the Echoplex being reminded why nothing else on earth sounds like it. It's as dumb as dirt but boy does it sound nice. I'll have to dig around inside and see if the record level pot has a bad connection, but it is nice to be playing the 'Plex again.

Oh, did I mention that this is possibly the cleanest 'Plex I've ever seen? I sold my early EP-3 when the house was cluttered with kids and my wife suggested I find another. This one, a '78 model showed up for beans on eBay a few years back, looking like it had spent its life in the closet. Zero head wear and pristine rubber. It's basically clean enough to eat off of. Nice to have it working as well as it looks.





I'm feeling a weird desire to compare this to one of the Catalinbread units and do a review for my website. I've already got a page on the Echoplex. I suppose I'd better try the Deluxe to be fair but that's going to be expensive. What do you think?

Bob
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Old 11-11-2017, 06:15 PM
jalbert jalbert is offline
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Thanks for sharing this! My son uses a Xotic EP Booster which is supposed to be reminiscent of an Echoplex. Sounds good to my ears! In addition to the Catalinbread, I've also come across the Dunlop EP101/EP103 combo. I see that Dunlop has acquired the rights to use the Echoplex name and while their EP103 isn't a tape unit like your original, it's at least analog.

You're right, this gets expensive!
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Old 11-12-2017, 06:40 AM
Rodger Rodger is offline
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Nice story Bob. I bought an Echoplex about 1982. The price was somewhere in the $400 - $500 range. I used it live for a couple years, but it was temperamental. Keeping a clean tape installed started to bug me.

It's now sitting upstairs collecting dust and a Lexicon rack unit is my delay of choice. Not exactly as good sounding as the Echoplex, but close enough. The lack of maintenance and such things as tap tempo make the trade off worth it for me.

When I was buying the Echoplex, the store owner offered me a Dean Explorer shaped guitar for the same money. Deans were the new thing then and went for about $1,000 street price, IIRC. He hated the Deans and was trying to get rid of the two he had. Dean refused to take them back. In hindsight, I would have been better off with the Dean. Oh well. The E-plex gave me a couple of years of nice live playing echo/reverb.

Enjoy your E-plex in good health Bob!!!
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Old 11-12-2017, 08:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodger View Post
Nice story Bob. I bought an Echoplex about 1982. The price was somewhere in the $400 - $500 range. I used it live for a couple years, but it was temperamental. Keeping a clean tape installed started to bug me.

It's now sitting upstairs collecting dust and a Lexicon rack unit is my delay of choice. Not exactly as good sounding as the Echoplex, but close enough. The lack of maintenance and such things as tap tempo make the trade off worth it for me.
I tweaked my original and kept it clean as could be. I tried running mastering tape in it and found that it bound up. I loved that thing and allowed the lack of space and the attitude of the time (tape is dead) to convince me to sell it. I'm just glad I was able to find another. As a recording engineer, tape transport maintenance is no big deal to me. I used to do it all day long. These days the best sort of tape is CART tape, self-lubricated tape made to go in broadcast cartridges.

Does your 'Plex still work?

Bob
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Old 11-12-2017, 12:30 PM
Rodger Rodger is offline
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It worked the last time I played it, but that was about 10 years ago. Now I'm fighting the urge to go fire it up. Thanks a lot Bob!
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Old 11-12-2017, 12:40 PM
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It worked the last time I played it, but that was about 10 years ago. Now I'm fighting the urge to go fire it up. Thanks a lot Bob!
My pleasure!

Bob
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Old 11-12-2017, 06:53 PM
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bob: you woke up my real tube, now you woke up my echoplex.

i decided to go all the way and hook up the real tube thru a morley aby pedal with one out going to a 75 vibro champ and the other out going to the echoplex and its out going to the 76 champ. then, i spread the two amps apart as far as i can. turn everything on and go for it! quite noisy with all those antiques running at the same time and, i think i'm going to throw up due to the echo in one and vibrato in the other running at the same time!!

play music!


[IMG][/IMG]
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Old 11-13-2017, 07:05 AM
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Looks like fun! I ran my Tube Driver into my Champs and it came alive. I think the echo on one side and vibrato on the other might be best done with the lights down low... That's what I do when I run the Leslie on one side and the Leslie sim on the other. We get along swimmingly....



Bob
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Old 11-13-2017, 05:41 PM
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I pulled the 'Plex apart again today to deal with the crunchies on the input jack. First I took Caig's DeOxit #5 to the jack sleeves and contact arms with a Q-tip. Reassembled, took it upstairs to the guitar room, and plugged it up again. Mmmm... still some crunchies. I pulled it apart again. First I scrubbed the contacts REALLY hard with the DeOxit and Q-tip. Then I re-tensioned the contact arm to make better contact. Much better. I reassembled the whole shebangy-bangy.

Of course, then it was time to enjoy another playing session with the 'Plex. Loads of fun!

Bob
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Old 11-13-2017, 07:51 PM
Wozer Wozer is offline
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I got my early '70's EP3 used from Guitar Showcase around '85 or so...love that thing and its very unique low-fi sound.

unfortunately the last time I tried to fire it up it shut down...apparently an "easy" fix, and luckily Austin has a shop (open on Sunday of all things) that has experience fully teching plexes...that will wait until some time in the future when finances restabalize after all the cancer bills.

mine is now where near as clean as that one, that's for sure

Last edited by Kerbie; 11-13-2017 at 08:32 PM. Reason: Removed masked profanity
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Old 11-13-2017, 08:04 PM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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My recollection of the Echoplex was when we (the supper club trio I was in as a sideman) encountered a friend of the band leader playing solo guitar in the lobby of a hotel in the town we were playing that week. He was using an Echoplex. As I recall, he told us that the hotel had to pay sideman's wage for the Echoplex as per the union rules. We were all (the hundreds of bands like ours that were touring at the time) AF of M union back then in order to play Holiday Inns and supper clubs.

Anyway, I as impressed with the guy's Echoplex. I never owned one (couldn't afford it back then), but I do have a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro Plus with the foot pedal in mint condition:

http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools.../echoplex.html

Mine is exactly like the one on top on that page, the black one. I also have two of the earlier Oberheim units. These are nothing like the original Echoplex, but they are really nice in their own right.

Tony
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Old 11-13-2017, 08:29 PM
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I found my first one used in a little country music guitar shop in Maryville, TN, in 1978, for something like $175. It looked a little rough but I could tell it could be cleaned up. I took it home, cleaned it really well, demagnetized the heads, and tracked down a new cartridge. It served me really well until the middle of the '90s when I sold it for $250, like an idiot.

That one was a fairly early EP-3. When I had it open I began to realize that the front panel was unsupported so it flexed uncomfortably. I took a piece of quarter round molding, measured the height from the base of the case to the lower lip of the front plate, cut two supports, and glued them into the case. The result was a much more stout front panel. I was gratified to see this later model added supports much like the ones I had cut for mine first one.

There's also an interesting addition to my later model:


If you look to the left of the rubber pinch roller you'll see a brass spring, presumably to catch the roller when the solenoid releases and it springs back from from engagement when you turn off the unit.

Bob
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:00 AM
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Be interesting to see how close this pedal can get to the original. Apparently this has the same circuits same 22 volt power rails (with 9 volt in) etc.
Kind of long video but interesting.
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