Editing Echoplex (section)

==The original tube Echoplex==
Tape echoes work by recording sound on a magnetic tape, which is then played back; the tape speed or distance between heads determine the delay, while a feedback variable (where the delayed sound is delayed again) allows for a repetitive effect.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Milano|first=Dominic|title=Multi-Track Recording|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=1988|page=37|url=http://books.google.com/?id=flNjvqwwCAgC&pg=PA37|isbn=978-0-88188-552-1}}</ref> The predecessor of the Echoplex was a tape echo designed by Ray Butts in the 1950s, who built it into a guitar amplifier called the [[Ray Butts EchoSonic|EchoSonic]]. He built fewer than seventy of them and could never keep up with the demand; they were used by players like [[Chet Atkins]], [[Scotty Moore]], and [[Carl Perkins]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Ray Butts EchoSonic|last=Hunter|first=Dave|date=April 2012|work=[[Vintage Guitar (magazine)|Vintage Guitar]]|pages=46–48|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref>  Electronics technician Mike Battle copied the design and built it into a portable unit;<ref>{{cite book|last=Hunter|first=Dave|title=Guitar rigs: classic guitar & amp combinations|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=p1-kULtG9tgC&pg=PA54|accessdate=11 February 2012|year=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=978-0-87930-851-3|page=54}}</ref> another version, however, states that Battle, working with a guitar player named Don Dixon from Akron, Ohio, perfected Dixon's original creation.<ref name=dregni>{{cite news|title=Echoplex EP-2|last=Dregni|first=Michael|date=July 2012|work=[[Vintage Guitar (magazine)|Vintage Guitar]]|pages=54–56|accessdate=10 May 2012}}</ref>

The first Echoplex with vacuum tubes was marketed in 1961. Their big innovation was the moving head, which allowed the operator to change the delay time. In 1962, their patent was bought by a company called Market Electronics in Cleveland, Ohio. Market Electronics built the units and kept designers Battle and Dixon as consultants; they marketed the units through distributor Maestro, hence the name, ''Maestro Echoplex.'' In the 1950s, Maestro was a leader in [[vacuum tube]] technology. It had close ties with [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], and often manufactured amplifiers for Gibson. Later, Harris-Teller of Chicago took over production.<ref name=dregni/> The first tube Echoplex had no number designation, but was retroactively designated the EP-1 after the unit received its first upgrade. The upgraded unit was designated the EP-2.<ref name="passing"/> These two units set the standard for the delay effect, with their "warm, round, thick echo."<ref name="hunter">{{Cite book|last=Hunter|first=Dave|title=Guitar effects pedals: the practical handbook|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2004|pages=77–78|url=http://books.google.com/?id=myP-4CZWyxcC&pg=PT78|isbn=978-0-87930-806-3}}</ref> Two of Battle's improvements over earlier designs were key&nbsp;— the adjustable tape head, which allowed for variable delay, and a cartridge containing the tape, protecting it to retain sound quality.<ref name=dregni/>

The Echoplex wasn't notable just for the delay, but also for the sound; it is "still a classic today, and highly desirable for a range of playing styles&nbsp;... warm, rich, and full-bodied."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hunter|first=Dave|title=Guitar rigs: classic guitar & amp combinations|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2005|page=55|url=http://books.google.com/?id=p1-kULtG9tgC&pg=PT55|isbn=978-0-87930-851-3}}</ref> The delay could be turned off and the unit used as a filter, thanks to the sound of the vacuum tubes.

While Echoplexes were used mainly by guitar players (and the occasional bass player, such as [[Chuck Rainey]], or trumpeter, such as [[Don Ellis]] or [[Miles Davis]]), many [[recording studio]]s also used the Echoplex.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hurtig|first=Brent|title=Multi-track recording for musicians|publisher=Alfred|year=1988|page=51|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ByJG1iwUHBAC&pg=PA51|isbn=978-0-88284-355-1}}</ref> In addition, [[Andy Kulberg]]---the bassist for [[The Blues Project]] who doubled on flute---used an Echoplex with his self-electrified flute to play his second solo during the group's performance of "Flute Thing" at the 1967 [[Monterey International Pop Festival]].