Editing Echoplex

[[File:Maestro Echoplex EP-2 (edit1).jpg|thumb|220px|Echoplex EP-2]]

The '''Echoplex''' is a [[Magnetic tape|tape]] [[Delay (audio effect)|delay]] [[Sound effect|effect]], first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle,<ref name="passing">{{Cite journal|last=Cleveland|first=Barry|title=Passing Notes: Mike Battle|journal=[[Guitar Player]]|volume=42|issue=8|page=60|date=August 2008|accessdate=2009-10-01}}</ref> the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured."<ref name=dregni/> It was used by some of the most notable guitar players of the era; original Echoplexes are highly sought after.

==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]].

==The solid-state Echoplex==

===EP-3===
Market Electronics held off on using [[transistor]]s while other companies made the transition.  Nevertheless, in the late 1960s they set Battle and Dixon to the task of creating the first transistor version of their product. Once the two were satisfied, beginning in the 1970s, the [[Solid-state (electronics)|solid-state]] Echoplex was offered by Maestro<ref name="hunter"/> and designated the EP-3, but Mike Battle, unhappy with the sound of the EP-3, sold his interest in the company.<ref name="passing"/> This unit offered echo, sound-on-sound, and a number of minor convenience improvements. Having been produced from 1970 to 1991, this unit enjoyed the longest production run of all the Echoplex models. The FET-based preamp became legendary in its own right, with players like Eddie Van Halen, Brain May, Tom Verlaine, Andy Summers, and Jimmy Page using it with and without the echo on just to boost and color their sound. About the time of the public introduction of the EP-3, Maestro was taken over by Norlin Industries, then the parent company to Gibson Guitars.<ref name=dregni/>

===EP-4===
[[File:Maestro Echoplex EP-4 with analog meter (edit1).jpg|thumb|EP4]]
In the mid-1970s Market created an upgrade to the EP-3, designated the EP-4, adding features such as an LED input meter and tone controls and dropping the sound-on-sound feature. The EP-4 has an added output buffer to help improve impedance matching with other equipment. A compressor board based on the CA3080 [[Operational transconductance amplifier|transconductance amplifier]] was added to the record circuit of both the EP-3 and EP-4 models for a short while after the EP-4 model was introduced and then the compressor board was dropped from both the EP-3 and EP-4 models. The EP-3 model was also offered for sale alongside the EP-4 model after the EP-4 was introduced.<ref>{{cite news|title=Echoplex: Roots of Echo, part IV|last=Teagle|first=John|date=7 December 2004|work=[[Vintage Guitar (magazine)|Vintage Guitar]]|accessdate=10 May 2012}}</ref>

Battle's final consulting with Market yielded the EM-1 Groupmaster, which offered a four-channel input mixer section and a mono output section. Dissatisfied with the transistor-minded direction Maestro was taking, Butts left the company.<ref name=dregni/> In the mid-1970s Maestro also created the ES-1 Sireko (pronounced "Sir-Echo"), a simplified, echo-only unit with a bin-loop cartridge system.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}

==End of the brand==
[[File:Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro.jpg|thumb|Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro]]
At the end of the 1970s, Norlin folded and their Maestro brand and Market Electronics was forced to find another distributor for their products. They found that distributor in Harris Teller, a Chicago musical wholesaler. Units built for Harris Teller carried an Echoplex badge that omitted the Maestro name. In 1984, Harris Teller bought out the Echoplex name and the stock of Echoplex parts from Market Electronics.  Harris Teller used the back stock to assemble reissues of the EP-3, EP-4, and tube EP-2, which they designated the EP-6t. In 1991, the thirty-year run of electro-mechanical Echoplex production finally came to an end. Towards the middle of that decade the Echoplex brand was purchased by Gibson and applied to its line of digital looping units,<ref name="Gibson EDP">{{cite web |title=Looping: A talk with Matthias Grob |url=http://www.gibson.com/absolutenm/templates/_gibsonnewstemplate.aspx?articleid=184&zoneid=2 |work=Gibson News |date=December 13, 2004 |publisher=Gibson Labs, Gibson Guitar Corporation }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Teagle|first=John|year=2004|title=Roots of Echo Pt4|journal=Vintage Guitar Magazine Online|volume=1|issue=1|page=1|accessdate=7 December 2004|url=http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=1170}})</ref> one of which was sold under the [[Oberheim Electronics|Oberheim]] brand as the Echoplex Digital Pro.<ref name="NAMM94">{{cite journal
 |title=NAMM '94 Report |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/mar94nammreport.html?print=yes |journal=Sound on Sound |issue=March 1994}}</ref>

==Notable users==
<!--only those users who are notable (i.e., that have a WP article) and verified--thanks. oh, please follow the alphabet.-->
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*[[Duane Allman]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Gress|first=Jesse|title=10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Duane Allman|newspaper=[[Guitar Player]]|date=April 2007|pages=110–17}}</ref> 
*[[Chet Atkins]]<ref name="passing"/>
*[[Tommy Bolin]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Molenda|first=Mike|title=The Guitar player book: 40 years of interviews, gear, and lessons from the world's most celebrated guitar magazine|year=2007|publisher=Hal Leonard|isbn=978-0-87930-782-0|author2=Les Paul|page=187}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Méndez|first=Antonio|title=Guía del pop y el rock, años 60: aloha PopRock|year=2007|publisher=Editorial Visión Libros|isbn=978-84-9821-569-4|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=IBXw9YpLhuYC&pg=PA411|page=411}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ross|first=Michael|title=Getting great guitar sounds: a non-technical approach to shaping your personal sound|year=1998|publisher=Hal Leonard|isbn=978-0-7935-9140-4|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CddgbKkAoxYC&pg=PA45|page=45}}</ref> especially for the "ray-gun" effect heard on [[Billy Cobham]]'s ''[[Spectrum (Billy Cobham album)|Spectrum]]''<ref name="tones">{{cite journal  | last = Blackett  | first = Matt  | title = The 50 Greatest Tones of All Time  | journal = [[Guitar Player]]  | volume = 38  | issue = 10  | pages = 44–66  | date = October 2004  | accessdate = 2009-04-30}}</ref>
*[[Wes Borland]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Newquist|first=H.P.|author2=Rich Maloof|title=The new metal masters|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2004|page=70|url=http://books.google.com/?id=3Yw_qDQxNLAC&pg=PA70|isbn=978-0-87930-804-9}}</ref>
*[[Miles Davis]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carr|first=Ian|title=Miles Davis: the definitive biography|publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press|year=1999|page=261|isbn=978-1-56025-241-2|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Z3r7WLkWjxgC&pg=PA261|accessdate=5 February 2010}}</ref>
*[[East Bay Ray]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Foley|first=Michael Stewart|title=33 1/3 Series - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2015|page=55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZW6BwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>
*[[Don Ellis]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Yurochko|first=Bob|title=A Short History of Jazz|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2001|page=175|url=http://books.google.com/?id=C5xPc2jwkNEC&pg=RA1-PA175|isbn=978-0-8304-1595-3}}</ref>
*[[Jerry Goldsmith]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Timm|first=Larry M.|title=The soul of cinema: an appreciation of film music|year=2003|publisher=Prentice Hall|isbn=978-0-13-030465-0|page=228}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cramer|first=Alfred W.|title=Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century-Volume 2|year=2009|publisher=Salem Press|isbn=978-1-58765-514-2|page=514}}</ref> 
*[[Eric Johnson]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prown|first=Pete|author2=Lisa Sharken|title=Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2003| pages=20|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vqQjuzPrqIwC&pg=PA20|isbn=978-0-87930-751-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Fischer|first=Peter|title=Masters of Rock Guitar 2: The New Generation, Volume 2|publisher=Mel Bay|year=2006|page=67|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ctDTmoh3vDAC&pg=PA67|isbn=978-3-89922-079-7}}</ref>
*[[Esteban Jordan]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Corcoran|first=Michael|title=Music Crossing Jordan|publisher=San Antonio Current|date=November 20, 2005|url=http://www.sacurrent.com/special/story.asp?id=60869|accessdate=2010-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Corcoran|first=Michael|title=Steve 'Esteban' Jordan gave the accordion a new sound|publisher=Austin 360|date=August 14, 2010|url=http://www.austin360.com/music/steve-esteban-jordan-gave-the-accordion-a-new-859946.html|accessdate=2010-08-20}}</ref>
* [[Andy Kulberg]] ([[The Blues Project]])
*[[John Martyn]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Martyn Biography|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p2063|pure_url=yes}}|accessdate=2009-11-09}}</ref>
*[[Brian May]]<ref name="campion">{{Cite book|last=Campion|first=Chris|title=Walking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2009|page=62|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ODs8IEzC4Z0C&pg=PA62|isbn=978-0-470-28240-3}}</ref>
*[[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Gress|first=Jesse|title=10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Steve Miller|accessdate=21 January 2011|newspaper=[[Guitar Player]]|date=February 2011|pages=75–88}}</ref> 
*[[Gary Moore]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prown|first=Pete|author2=Lisa Sharken|title=Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2003|page=10|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vqQjuzPrqIwC&pg=PA10|isbn=978-0-87930-751-6}}</ref>
*[[Jimmy Page]]<ref name="passing"/><ref name="campion"/>
*[[Chuck Rainey]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Friedland|first=Ed|title=The R&B Bass Masters: The Way They Play|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2005|pages=17, 19|url=http://books.google.com/?id=QqNdKMf6q8UC&pg=PA19|isbn=978-0-87930-869-8}}</ref>
*[[Randy Rhoads]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gress|first=Jesse|date=May 2009|title=10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Randy Rhoads|journal=[[Guitar Player]]|volume=43|issue=5|pages=98–105|accessdate=2 February 2010}}</ref>
*[[Joe Satriani]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prown|first=Pete|author2=Lisa Sharken|title=Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2003|page=68|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vqQjuzPrqIwC&pg=PA68|isbn=978-0-87930-751-6}}</ref>
*[[Neal Schon]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Marshall|first=Wolf|date=April 2010|title=Fretprints: Neal Schon|journal=[[Vintage Guitar (magazine)|Vintage Guitar]]|volume=24|issue=6|pages=66–70|accessdate=5 February 2010}}</ref>
*[[Sonny Sharrock]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chambers|first=Jack|title=Milestones: the music and times of Miles Davis|publisher=Da Capo|year=1998|page=203|isbn=978-0-306-80849-4|url=http://books.google.com/?id=nNHpQ1b9Q5gC&pg=RA1-PA203}}</ref>
*[[Ace Frehley]] <ref>http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21374-ace-frehley-cosmic-space-invasion?page=3</ref>
*[[Andy Summers]]<ref name="campion"/>
*[[Eddie Van Halen]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Newquist|first=H.P.|author2=Rich Maloof|title=The hard rock masters|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2004|pages=31, 34|url=http://books.google.com/?id=nOKYUcPvysMC&pg=PA31|isbn=978-0-87930-813-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gill|first=Chris|title=Some Kind of Monster|journal=[[Guitar World]]|volume=28|issue=3|pages=56–62, 104|date=March 2007|url=http://books.google.com/?id=gvsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|issn=1045-6295|accessdate=2009-09-28}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
*[[Joe Walsh]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crockett|first=Jim|title=Joe Walsh, a Pro Replies|work=[[Guitar Player]]|page=6|date=October 1972|accessdate=2010-03-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ten Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Joe Walsh|publisher=[[Guitar Player]]|url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/10-things-you/apr-07/27270|accessdate=2010-03-24}}</ref>
*[[Keller Williams]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Low-End Loop Master|publisher=[[Premier Guitar]]|url=http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Mar/Keller_Williams_Low_End_Loop_Master.aspx|accessdate=2012-02-17}}</ref>
*[[Neil Young]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Obrecht|first=Jas|title=Neil Young's Guitar Equipment|publisher=[[Guitar Player]]|date=March 1992|url=http://thrasherswheat.org/ptma/equip.htm|accessdate=2012-08-13}}</ref>
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==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Echoplex}}
[[Category:Effects units]]