Experience the dreamy sound of a classic ‘60s single head tape echo, complete with the harmonic richness of the accompanying tube preamp. Initially inspired by our long history of research into tape-based echo designs, we brought it to the next level after the recent acquisition of a pristine tube-based unit that was extensively modified by one of the most storied gear techs of the last fifty years. The result is the most inspiring tape echo ever crammed into a small form factor, positively brimming with the gooey magic that only tape-based manipulations and imperfections can create.
Product Highlights
• Impressive power and flexibility in a small and elegant form factor.
• Two authentic preamp voicing options reproduced through meticulous tube modeling techniques.
• Our proprietary dTape system, developed for El Capistan, allows precise replication of tape echo characteristics such as tape condition, capstan slippage, the mechanical effects of motors and more.
• Record Level feature provides three unique and tailored tape saturation settings at the flip of a switch.
• Mechanics reproduces motor and mechanical component fluctuations, allowing for truly gorgeous, organic stereo modulation effects unlike anything you’ve ever heard.
• Discrete stereo operation for independent processing of the left and right inputs.
• Mono-to-Mono, Mono-to-Stereo and Stereo-to-Stereo back panel switch.
• True Stereo In and Out via TRS jacks to make connections easy.
• Full MIDI integration: save up to 300 presets, real-time parameter control and more.
• TRS MIDI/Expression pedal jack allows easy control over most pedal parameters.
• Integrated USB-C connection for firmware updates and MIDI control.
• Premium analog JFET input circuit ensures superb responsiveness.
“It’s a pretty inspiring pedal to play – like it’s really fun. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play, whether it’s guitars or keyboards or whatever. I’m hearing tape based music coming out of all the spaces and offices. Around here lately, so. People are pretty inspired by it, and we put a lot of time and effort into it. And the hope is that when people finally get a chance to play it and, you know, sit down with it, that they really do fall in love with it. That’s The hope anyway. “
“I think we had it in the back of our minds that we would want to do a tape echo for the new, smaller form factor pedals, but I don’t think anybody knew what was going to do or what it was going to be. Uh and so the engineering guys, just to start out, started looking at the tube preamps out of older Echoplexs, and that’s when things started to get interesting.“
Development of EC-1 started with the groundbreaking single moving head algorithm originally developed for our El Capistan pedal, which is renowned for its lifelike reproduction of vintage tape echo. From there, we were fortunate to acquire what turned out to be a very special Echoplex EP-2, as the unit was in amazingly good condition and had been worked on by storied technician Cesar Diaz. We discovered that several purposeful and skillfully-implemented modifications had been made to the unit, including tweaks to the tube preamp for a warmer sound closer in frequency response to an EP-3. The modifications seemed aimed at bringing the best aspects of the various vintage Echoplex models into a single unit, and the inspiring result significantly informed development of EC-1, imbuing it with a special character that is immediately nostalgic.
Featuring meticulous tube modeling techniques, EC-1 offers a choice of two authentically reproduced preamp circuits that lend a subtle vintage character to your input signal. One is based on the classic EP-2 tube preamp and features an enhanced high-end shelf perfect for brightening up darker humbuckers. The other preamp option (the default setting) produces a warm, balanced response based on the modded preamp circuit in the EP-2 unit that we studied during the development of EC-1. This option adds a pleasing sense of heft, especially to single-coils. Both preamp choices offer an optional boost of up to +6dB, or the preamp can be bypassed for an unprocessed dry signal if desired.
