One bonus of using an original Maestro Echoplex EP-3 tape delay is the added color and bite of its preamp. MXR’s new Echoplex Preamp delivers this sound in a sturdy, elegant, and stupidly simple stompbox that even a pedal hater can love. Like the preamp it replicates, the pedal delivers relatively subtle overdrive. I used it on a session with an old Fender Vibro Champ for Crazy Horse-style grind on a rhythm guitar track. (It sounded fantastic cranked all the way, or almost there.) The Echoplex Preamp’s range and potency were more apparent with a bigger amp. Through a 30-watt, 2x10 blackface Tremolux, it enhanced picking dynamics and added organic-sounding dirt.
Test Gear: Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster, ’80s ’52 Reissue Fender Telecaster, ’64 Fender Tremolux, ’70s Fender Vibro Champ
Ratings
Pros:
Incredibly easy to use. Natural sounding overdrive. Sturdy construction. Responsive to picking dynamics at high gain.
Cons:
Lacks some range with smaller amps.
Street:
$119
Company
jimdunlop.com
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Zach loves his Sovtek Mig 60 head, which he plays through a cab he built himself at a pipe-organ shop in Denver. Every glue joint is lined with thin leather for maximum air tightness, and it’s stocked with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers.
![Devon Eisenbarger [Katy Perry] Rig Rundown](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=61774583&width=1245&height=700&quality=70&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
