Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo Pedal

Perfectly imperfect sounds

To create the selectable nuances of the EC-1, Strymon dissected multiple vintage tape echo units of varying conditions and extensively studied how each part affected the signal flow. The result is a delay unit capable of producing natural, lush-sounding delays. The Tape Age control replicates the quality — and degraded quality — of tape heads, motors, tape condition, bias, and other analog components. Turning this dial clockwise introduces a warbly and uncontrollable nature to tape echo repeats, faithfully reproducing the wear and tear typically found on older tape delay units — a quality that Suhvimart guitar players characterized as joyful and authentic. Flip the 3-position Record Level switch to give your delay signal a jolt of power, adding extra overdrive into your trailing repeats. Finally, the Mechanics control introduces further sonic disturbances from inconsistencies like tape crinkling, splicing, and motor slippage, resulting in extra reverberation and a wider, organic-sounding echo.

A brief history of tape delay

As an effect, tape delay traces back to the 1940s. The effect was created by using two tape machines running the same length of magnetic tape: one to record the take and one to play it back. While this method was useful in creating an echo on a track, the speed of the echo itself could not be changed without physically moving the two tape machines from either a shorter or greater distance from one another. A notable example of this was legendary guitar player/inventor Les Paul stringing two Ampex Model 200A reel-to-reel tape recorders together to produce the effect. Les and other inventors designed their own tape delay contraptions but were ultimately not ideal for practical use due to their overall bulky sizes. The first portable tape delay device came from technical designer Ray Butts, which was incorporated into his Echosonic guitar amplifier. Guitar greats such as Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore used this exciting effect in many popular recordings — the latter used it on Elvis Presley’s classic, “That’s All Right,” and many subsequent recordings with the King of Rock and Roll.

More portable tape delay designs were brought to market in the late ’50s and early ’60s, which were separate from guitar amplifiers and contained movable playback to delay times. Japanese manufacturer Ace Tone introduced the EC-10 Professional Echo in the late ’60s, which ultimately became one of the most recognizable tape delay effects today: the Roland Space Echo. With the storied history of the tape delay, it’s no wonder many artists flock to that warm, organic tone that has defined early rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly recordings. With the Strymon EC-1, that effect is now yours for the taking on your pedalboard.

Strymon EC-1 Features:

• Rich, dreamy, classic sounds of ’60s-style tape echo in a pedal
• Low-noise Class A JFET input increases touch sensitivity and responds to every nuance of your playing
• Integrated tap tempo works flawlessly with no muting, pitch shifting, or other sound artifacts
• Rec Level switch has 3 settings that range from cleaner repeats to boosted, distorted echoes
• I/O jacks operate in mono, mono-to-stereo, or stereo while maintaining a smaller pedalboard footprint
• Buffered or true bypass operation — either pass your signal unaffected or recover lost high end from long cable runs
• EXP/MIDI input to control specific parameters for real-time control or clock-syncing with a production
• USB-C input for firmware updates and computer control via MIDI