Conference napalm::guitar

    So...where's the question?

    
    Does anyone have or know of someone who has a Binson Echorec? I have one
    that I'm trying to get working and I don't have a manual. I do have a
    schematic but I need to know if and how tape is supposed to be loaded on
    it. This unit is in a green galvinized steel enclosure with a plexiglass
    front panel and a cool "electronic eye" for adjusting input level. It's
    a vacuum tube design and is made in Europe.

    --Ron

    Yowza!  Where'd you find this beast?  I believe the Binson Echorec
    was Gilmore's warp-drive of choice during early/middle Pink Floyd.
    
    Believe it or not, I have some information on these somewhere; will try
    to dig it up.
    
    /eugene

    Please do, Eugene. Someone gave this for me to fix eons ago and just
    left it with me. I tried to get it working. Couldn't figure out what's
    wrong with it and put it aside to give back to the guy. So it sat there
    for like 15 years waiting to be picked up. I think it's about time I got
    it working.

    It passes the dry signal fine, but there's no echo. Actually, it may be
    that it just needs to be properly set up but the mechanics are baffling.
    A rubber drive wheel turns a large steel disk (6" dia) that has 7 or 8
    heads arranged around it. But there's no tape anywhere. Is the signal
    encoded directly onto the disk without tape? Should there be tape?

    I gotta know.

    \sony boy williamson

    Actually, yeah.  I think the recording is done onto the disk; there are
    no tapes.
    
    /dingus

    Wewll then, that wou' explain the lack of tape, then wou'nt it? But
    then, that's the bloody whyee I been trying to ge' it to work.

    \mr. sting

    Still on the topic, but off the initial note, I use a Roland RE-150
    tape echo which is great, but VERY noisey.  Wish I could find some
    way to stifle the 'surf effect'.  Anybody have a clue ?   Are there
    any decent noise gates on the market ?  And if so, do they negatively
    effect the sound in other ways ? 
    
    Just haven't heard one of 'dem DIG-IT-AL units that doesn't
    sound somewhat brittle.......
    
    /old_timer
    

    Paul,

    It seems to me that standard encode/decode NR like dbx would do the job.
    Probably type II dbx rather than the type I (which requires that you
    have a lot of hi freq head room, type II is designed for applications
    with limited HF response).

    The only problem is that you need to buy two channels of NR just to get
    one. But I'll bet it would clean up the Roland's hiss nicely. After all
    it's just a little tape machine.

    --Ron

    Ron and .7:
    	
    	YOu know i havent seen a tape echo in many years but the one i did
    see actually did have tape in it. I can remember being fascinated by
    it.
    The guy that was playing it opened it up for me and said that the
    tape had to be replaced every now and then. i cant rememeber it too
    well; seems like there was a window that allowed you to see the tape
    loop and also allowed access for changing it. It was much longer than
    the unit itself. i.e. it was 5 or 6 feet of tape that somehow was
    spooled on a coninuous loop. YOu varied the delay time by a slide bar
    that moved the two play heads farther apart.
    
    	.7 if yours has tape in it, replacing the tape may cure some of
    your noise problems.
    
    
    					keep on rockin',
    	                                             
    						Fred 

    Showing my age here but I remember the WEM Copycat tape echo unit - my
    brother's band at school used one - a blue (and white?), fabric
    covered, lidded box about 12" x 7" x 4".  The tapes were forever
    breaking - they were only about 20 inch loops of standard 1/4" tape.

    But at the time, to us, this unit was the be-all-and-end-all of effects
    (other than the famous Hank Marvin Strat tremolo, of course....)

    Andrew  (exit humming Apache)

    Re: WEM copycat.
    My Dad still has one of those. I always remember making up a loop of
    tape about 4 feet and holding it out using a mike stand,getting very
    long repeats out of it. These have a record head and three playback
    heads,with a control to adjust the volume of the playbacks.
    
    								Jim.

    
    I think WEM have recently gone back into production with the Copy Cat.
    I seem to remember its solid sate now but still has the tape.
    
    Richard_who_may_have_been_dreaming_but_whose_pretty_sure_he's_right
    
    Basingstoke

    I just become the owner of a genuine Echoplex tape echo unit (thanks,
    Andy!). This is one of the solid state models. It's in great shape.
    A little armour-all and it looks like new. The cover is  removable 
    and inside is a description of all the controls. There is a notation 
    inside that says "For Factory service send to: Market Electronics, 
    Cleveland, Ohio". Apparantly it's one of the later models made after 
    Maestro sold the company. I doubt if Market Elec. is still in business.
    
    This unit works fine in both echo and sound-on-sound modes. It brings
    back memories. I used to play in a band with a guy that had one just
    like it. Fortunately, I have a source for new replacement tapes for
    this. It just so happens that Jim Dunlop sells a replacement for it.
    They list it as an "ECH-01 Echoplex Tape cartridge" and they sell
    them direct for $20.95. Their phone number is 707-745-2722. Fax is
    707-745-2658.  Jim Dunlop will sell any of their products direct,
    however, they charge full list price since they do not want to compete
    with their dealers. Theses tapes may be available for less money
    through a Jim Dunlop dealer. I'll have to check around before paying
    the list price. 
    
	Mark