Echoplex Demo

[Heavenoid]

This is very similar to Eric Johnson's intro to "Trail of Tears" that he used to do in concerback in the mid - 80's. Nice chops, man.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. That's the intro I am playing.

[nile5150]

I just realized I never thanked you ,so sorry.

[ScottNicholasSimpson]

Your style is very much like Eric Johnson's... I like it!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks.

[nile5150]

Is it possible to have the old Van Halen sound and a Eric Johnson lead/clean from the same guitar? I keep coming back to your videos for reference and reading up on certain effects etc.I would love to build a dream rig where I could have those sounds but be able to switch from sound to sound like Eric does with the echos still hanging in the air and the lead comes in with it's own echo repeats and not needing a mountain of gear to do so. Maybe 3 cabs maximum.What would u suggest Doc?

Thanks.

[RACKDOCTOR]

You would basically need an A/B box feeding two chains of pedals and amps. A would be an Echoplex into a TC chorus into a clean amp-B would be a Phase 90, Flanger and a Delay into a dirty amp, or a XTS Atomic into a clean amp.

[nile5150]

@RACKDOCTOR Thanks ,what would u recommend guitar wise? Because when I hear most guitars, either they do one or the other sound great but not both. Example I will hear a great lead tone from an amazing amp but they will switch to clean and it falls short or the sound is not musical.Same thing with a fantastic clean sound and strat style guitar but when it switches to lead there is a funny low end thing (most of the time) too dark muddy not clear.

[RACKDOCTOR]

A Strat with two Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot Single coils and a Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker- 4 conductor so you can tap it for single coil sounds.

[nile5150]

@RACKDOCTOR Sweet. Thank you so much.

[SlashWorshipper1993]

Are you by any chance an Eric Johnson fan?

[RACKDOCTOR]

You got me.

[theShowStopper321]

@RACKDOCTOR Which EP is it? 1,2,3, or 4? Also, does the preamp in the EP really add some color and oomph to the signal?

[RACKDOCTOR]

EP-3. Yes ithe preamp adds warmth and fatness.

[ejSignStrat]

@RACKDOCTOR Where can I get an echoplex from? Where did you find yours?!

[philmwhite]

@theShowStopper321 Yes you're right. I would like to try this but have a suspicion that fully attenuating a roaring marshall and then bumping it up again using another power amp might change the sound a bit!

[lostlemming]

that's a sweet pedalboard....

[bigtophalloween]

Hey Doc, I just got an Echoplex (EP-3) and I'm wondering what settings work best. Also, what's the best way to set the record level?

[andy92811]

Does it add a lot of extra preamp noise? It sounds very nice, this would be the only other delay I would use instead of my DMM.

[RACKDOCTOR]

A little. But only noticable when you are not playing.

[BaneOfXistence4]

Those are some good effects there. Have you ever heard "New Day" by Joe Satriani? You could do a cover with those same effects, except with a little less echo.

[hanzelhansolo]

hey i've always got to wonder to myself?

In that session did you got only the echoplex turned on? and what happens if you add more pedals?

[RACKDOCTOR]

Only the Echoplex is on. There is no problem with adding more pedals.

[n2motocross]

I heard a little of EJ's Bristol Shore in there! COOL!

Great rig! Great guitar! I love Tyler guitars

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks.

[DemoColorScheme]

I presume this is the EP-1? Or .. ?

[RACKDOCTOR]

EP-3.

[DemoColorScheme]

Thanks! :)

Makes sense when you hear the repeats.

[asafav]

that sounds... amazing

and i'm saying this as a huge EJ fan and as a hugee sound freak.

keep rocking

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[tritonefascination]

i have played many echoplexes and that one in particular is extraordinarily great sounding

[fatuglyseth]

very smooth and the effect breathes with your notes. well done.

flat wound strings might complement your playing style.

[ejlister]

SOMEBODY likes EJ! :-)

[RACKDOCTOR]

Yes...I'm guilty.

[kdjfnvjvd]

are thoes two AB boxes above the cheese wedge octavio? What do they do?? Where do u get them?

[RACKDOCTOR]

They switch between three chains of pedals on the board. They were made by Bill Ussery of Austin Tone Labs.

[kdjfnvjvd]

hm  is that so all the pedals arent all going to the same location?

[RACKDOCTOR]

One switch sends the guitar to the Echoplex and a Fender Super (the sound in this video), another switch sends the guitar through all the pedals on the board (except the MXR pedals) into a Blankenship Variplex, last switch sends the guitar through the MXR Flanger--MXR Phaser--another Echoplex and a Boss GE-10 EQ into the Variplex.

[joelkeaton]

I just heard about these things.. are they all vintage? Where did you get yours? how much? sounds really nice btw.. I would love to have one! ;)

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. They are vintage. I have two. One was 350.00, the other was 850.00. I bought them on Ebay.

[rufuss1973]

hi!!!! here from argentina :

the echoplex is in the chain of pedals or via loops??

[RACKDOCTOR]

Guitar----Echoplex----Amp.

[drunk0nj1n]

dam eric added alot of pedals

[maugbj]

Further reply to JamesOhGoodie:

If it's coming from the poweramp section (ie when the overdrive is coming from sheer volume, think old marshalls etc), then not even an effects loop will help (as it comes before the poweramp). Only option is to mic up and put delay on that signal ala Eric Johnson!

Having said all that you can get some cool sounds by running delay before distortion, just have to watch what you play, short percussive notes work well

[theShowStopper321]

@maugbj U could also do a dummy load style setup using the D.I. output and potentiometer at line level to run time-based FX after the power amp, but it still would be running into the cab

[aftguitar94]

Sounds amazing! I'm bidding on one on ebay right now...wish me luck!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. Good luck.

[aftguitar94]

I won!!! should be here in a few days!

[sev48202]

Hey man sounds awesome. PLease can you tell me what the settings are for the echoplex in this video? I want to try it out on mine, I just bought it today

[JamesOhGoodie]

Hey rackdoctor, what're the advantages and/or disadvantages to running a delay unit either in front of the amp or in the effects loop?

[maugbj]

Hey james. I'm not too experienced with doing this for a clean setup, I would think either way would work fine. But as soon as you have the delay before any distortion, then the echos get distorted (creating a mush) rather than the distorted tone being echoed.

If your distortion is coming from the preamp of an amp (ie with the gain knob), then put the delay in the effects loop to avoid mush.

[wopman1010]

Hey Rackdoctor, love the vid.

I'm interested in purchasing my first delay pedal, and I don't know where to turn. I thought the Roland Space Echo pedal is cool, but these Echoplex's sound SO great!

Is an Echoplex worth the price and maintenance? Thanks for yer help.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Echoplexes are fragile and need to be cared for. It is hard to find one that has not been abused. The Roland is great for running in the loop of an amp. they are a little easier to work with. If you want a great delay pedal I recommend the Ibanez Echomachine EM-5. they are on ebay all the time.

[theShowStopper321]

@RACKDOCTOR I had an Ibanez EM5 but sold it. I ran it thru the loop of my JCM800. I liked it at times and disliked it. After I got a reverb pedal, I preferred the sound of just reverb and no echo rather than just echo of that pedal. When I used them together it sounded muddy. Now I'm wondering if I should have held onto it cus everyone says it sounds close to a tape delay. It did sound good at times, but I wasn't happy with it all the time.

[RACKDOCTOR]

The EM-5 is not designed to go in the loop of an amp. That is probably why it sounded muddy.

[exvotivezach]

Line 6 DL4

[guitarspeare]

stunning tone there!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[robinelfstrom]

Your tone is amazing man. Fuckin sick setup! *drools*

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[benrox26]

nice pedal board there man, octavia looks super slick

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. The Octavio is an amazing pedal.

[sev48202]

Speaking of Eric Johnson, nice Job on the East Wes part

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[sev48202]

Holy Shit. Excuse my language...that's pretty much Eric Johnson's clean tone in a nutshell. VERY well done. And how much does an Echoplex cost? I really want one =3

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. They are between 250.00 and 550.00. It's tough to find one in good shape.

[BoxofDevils]

nice tone bro.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[GuitAri13]

nice little hint of castles made of sand

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks.

[chriswrigley]

what about playing some loops, which the echoplex is made for?

[DemoColorScheme]

God, that's one gorgeous tone! I can only imagine how it would sound in real life. Impressive!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you. It is really spacious in person.

[lildog1290]

is that a vintage tube screamer i see down there?

[RACKDOCTOR]

Yes. It is.

[tony2500ie]

Amazing....Nothing else sounds this good !!

Sweet playing by the way....

What would you recomend as a "next best thing"

Line 6 DL4, A Memory Man, An MXR Carbon Copy?

Tony

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks.The next best thing would be a Ibanez Echo Machine EM-5. That's my favorite. They are no longer made but you can find them used.I use it on all the other clips.

[blahman178]

I heard some EJ, East Wes, and Trail of Tears in there haha. It sounds awesome. Great tone man! Just thought I might let you know that Fulltone is going to be coming out with a solid state tape delay for $500-$600, it's said to be exactly like an EP-3, but more reliable. It my be better than lugging around a fragile Echoplex! EJ is getting one sent to him as soon as they come out, according to the Fulltone website. I'm getting one too. Anyway, great tone!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. Nothing sounds like an original EP-3. I'll never part with the two I own. There really isn't a reliabilty issues. Just cleaning the heads and a new tape every couple of years. Because of the parts used in the vintage ones thats what gives it it's sound. If you try and update and recreate one with newer parts it won't sound the same. That's probably what Fulltone will do.

[blahman178]

I agree that nothing sounds like an original echoplex, I would get one if I could. I will say that Mike Fuller at Fulltone is making the EP-3 style ones with the same type of cool preamp effect that the real EP-3's have. I know many people like them because of their cool preamp sound, even when disengaged.

[Stringprodigy]

How do you like the Burkey Flatliner? Is it worth the expense? Cheers

[RACKDOCTOR]

It's a great power supply. Yes, it is worth the money.

[n2motocross]

Another fantastic demo. I appreciate it.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you very much.

[eddielang2]

Very nice job David! Sweet.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[moonchild89]

Johnson uses two EP3s and a deluxe memory man to his clean sound and two twin reverbs one with JBL D120 speakers and the other one has the kind of old Jensen´s, he uses the MXR dynacomp to to get the tones hold out more.

I also know that he used a Line 6 delay modeler on his Bloom album.

[nicoledec1215]

this demo sounds mezmorizing. :)

[burnsdemon]

where do you get one

[bmanmatterdaddy]

sounds like Eric Johnsons echo does he use an echoplex or a digital delay you think?? his sound sounds a bit to warm to be a digital delay im thinking.

[RACKDOCTOR]

He uses an Echoplex EP-3.

[bmanmatterdaddy]

ha thanks! im gonna get one of these.. just discovered my dad had one in a box for 20 years just sitting there.. they bought it for their mics in the 70s.... i almost hit him for not telling me lol

[stratmaniac]

nice pedalboard, very nice sound. have you got any kind of noisegate or noise supressors in the lineup?

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. No, don't have any noise supressors.

[HecticWatermelon]

That sure is a beautiful tone and vibe, Dave!

[AlexanderNygaard]

Great playing and sound!

[bigtophalloween]

Dude, gorgeous fucking tones! Everyone else said it, but very EJ. Keep up the good work, sir!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[n2motocross]

I love your demo vids.. also Eric Johnson, the man who inspired me to play the guitar.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you very much. Eric inspired me tremendously.

[66jtm45]

This sounds fantastic. It's very clear & dreamy. What are your settings?

[RACKDOCTOR]

240 delay,sustain 4,volume 3.

David

[kevinm4435]

sounds absolutely beautiful. reminds me of bill frisell at his most relaxed.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[Steve141986]

What does a bass sound like through that? I'm no musician but this sound is...wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. It's a guitar setup, so bass probably wouldn't work to well.

David

[marcelcruzeiro]

Great pedalboard!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. It has all my favorite pedals on it.

David

[lenlaine]

I have a Echoplex and mainly use it through my marshall and Chandler Tube Driver for those Ej lead tones.Are you running yours stero?Also what are your settings for Echo,Volume,and Delay?

[mmasters]

Which specific model Fralin pickups are you using? They sound wonderful with your guitar and set up.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. I had a custom set made to my specs. Check your mail.

[sega62s]

Hi,

I'm thinking bout getting some Fralins for my Fender Strat 2007.

How would you compare the Fralins vs the Fender standard pickups???

GREAT CLEAN SOUND!

GREAT CLEAN......

GREAT.....

.....

:-)

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you very much.Fralins are the best sounding single coils made. They are extremely musical and sound the closest to vintage Fender pickups.Very bell like and organic. They sound more alive then current production Fender ones. Just tell Lindy the type of sound you are going for and he will recommend the best ones.

David

[MusicDude86]

nice pedalboard....what are the pedals you have on it? I recognize the Tube Screamer and the MXR phase shifter...am I right?

[RACKDOCTOR]

The clean chain is a/b box-- Echoplex into the Fender. The main A lead chain is a/b box--1973 King Vox Wah--Octavio--KR Megavibe--1968 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz(silicon)--Roger Mayer Voodoo 1--TS-808--Arion SCH-1 Chorus--Boss FV300L--Ibanez Echomachine. The second B lead chain is: 1977 MXR flanger--1975 MXR Phase 90--Echoplex--Boss GE-10.

[hypnoxic]

wow. so I have a little list of effects I want. does 12 effect pedals change your tone?

I'm not buying a volume because i heard it takes away some tone on the high end. and I'm trying to get around 10. what do you think?

[RACKDOCTOR]

It depends on how many pedals you are using are buffering. If they are all true bypass then you will need a buffer up front to push the signal. A Boss FV 300L doesn't effect the tone that much. Also the type of cable matters as well. Contact L.A. Sound Design for any advice.

[Windbreaker9]

just beautiful.

the echoplex just laughs at delay pedals.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. Nothing comes close to an Echoplex.

[dominikcgx]

Trent sie skonczyl, k ?!

[metalcore929]

Sounds great. Beautiful clean tone.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[caroy111]

Cool we have the same echoplex. Echoplex are the best!

[5150guitarist]

Very nice Eric Johnson style improv! And great tone!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you. He is one of my favorites.

[Pandurrrr]

Oh fuck me I need to get one of these...

[cataclysmichael]

very nice sound!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks.

[lawsmich587]

Is that an Ep-4? Excellent playing as well!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you. It is an EP-3.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thank you.

[checo1977]

What amps and guitar are you using? Your setup look pretty much like EJ's. Cool stuff

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. I am using an Echoplex into a 1965 Fender Super with Kendrick Blackframes. The guitar is a James Tyler SE with custom Lindy Fralin single coils.

[vadlasletta]

Ohh your echoplex sounds so much better than mine. How often do you clean tape heads, demagnitize heads and change tapes?

Roffe

[RACKDOCTOR]

I don't clean it that often. I use a Fulltone tape cartridge. It sounds great and has a nice amount of high end and I also set the azimuth a little on the brighter side.

[mintlp]

Sounds great!! Do you notice "cone cry" from the 

Kendrick blackframe speakers?

Nice playing and tones!

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. No, never had any cone cry.

[dstrats]

That is a sweet looking Fuzz Face! Is it blue or black? I'd love to hear that on a vid. Is that an original Ts-808 or a reissue?

Oh yea, the Echoplex sounded sweet too. Is that a EP-3 like the one EJ uses?

Take care.

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. It is a Blue one. If you click on my video called KR Megavibe Demo is use the fuzz on that one. It is an EP-3 same as Eric's.

[RACKDOCTOR]

It is an original TS-808.

[dstrats]

Do you demo the original 808 anywhere? What amp are you putting the Fuzz Face and 808 through? That vibe pedal sounded great but I'd like to hear that Fuzz Face by itself. Does the Fuzz Face have BC108s' in it?

[RACKDOCTOR]

Yes it has BC 108'S. The amp I am using is Blankenship Variplex into a Kerry Wright 4x12 with 1978 Celestion Black Backs.

[1984acl]

Beautiful, some of the best clean tones I've heard anywhere, and well played, too. The very slight breakup from the overwound pickups is a perfect compliment against the ringing chime of the low-fidelity echos. [The Echoplex is truly a magic box, isn't it?]

Would love to hear what you'd choose for a lead tone to work with that clean!

[rjs15]

that sounds a lot like eric johnsons stuff from that intro to his instructional video. sounds great!

[Powerslider]

im not sure if you have experimented alot with the delay setting but im sure u will like this 1: put the delay less intense, and make it sustain longer. this works great for me too.

anyway, great sound out of ur gear and fingers!! love the east wes opening chord!

[StratMatt70]

Dave- As usual your tone and playing smoke. LOVE the board, and it makes me want an Echoplex. Matt

[tomfromdelmonte]

really enjoyed that, can tell u have been learning some ej tunes... well done!

[riffguy2]

Dave, you know now i must get a echoplex. great playing my friend. :-)

Mark

[gregory49]

I adore your set up! Where did you get the board?

[RACKDOCTOR]

Thanks. My company made the board. I wired it at my shop. L.A. Sound Design.