The ShadowMusic Web Community

The Etap2 HW is fantastic value and the one that Ecca built for me has the valve pre-amp and I have added green and blue LED lights inside to 'backlight' the controls which look terrific. The sound is also terrific and is hard to tell from the real thing when used with the band. The Hall & Collins also does the business and is better because of the way it is laid out with easy access to the very accurate patches mid gig via the foot controls. I don't think either of these units are expensive for what they have to offer. The ESE Echomatic cost over double the price of the Hall & Collins, but is real as it is mechanical and employs a motor, valves and a tape loop, making it more authentic with all the quirks that this combination provides, such as the little defects and nuances that are very musical and feature on the old records. I can hear a difference for the better since at last finding a very compatible tape to use with it. The tapes I had previously sadly let it down, but now it's the best I ever heard.
That said, unless you can play with a similar style and feel to the way Hank did, none of the above can be a 'magic bullet' and replace that element, which should be considered before buying any of them. I have witnessed people who have drooled over my equipment and then tried it out manage to sound nothing like they had hoped they would, simply because of their input, or lack of it. Charlie Hall once told me that at a Hank concert at the sound check when he used to provide Hank's echo machines, Hank invited him to play his guitar and even he suffered the same fate and Charlie is a very good player - food for thought.

The "new" Etap which is known as "Blue Nebula" addresses all the issues raised by people looking for a plug & play device.

Preset patches are available for common Shadows tunes with 128 spaces to create your own assignable patches, add to this the flexibility of midi & usb function and a very "user friendly" unit is on offer.

How does it sound ?.......................that is the big question,the pre-amp has been improved to sound more "Meazzi" like & now uses 4 FET's (transistors that work & sound like valves) the H&C unit uses one of these in as well.
Extra work has been done on the "halo" effect & more electronic "fine tuning" for example "wow & flutter" with additional control over input & output levels & drive this results in an improved "sound" over the last version of the Eta2hw series of units.

Is it the right sound for you ?

That is the question, everybody who has tried the prototypes & the "Baby Blue" version from StanleyFX is impressed by it.

Remember though, as Dave has said above...... it's the player who will have the most impact on the finished sound & the only way that can be decided is by playing the machines on offer, sadly not everyone can do this so comments from owners will normally be the first source of information in that respect.

Baby Blue ......... .on sale now

Blue Nebula.........on sale shortly

Dick.

dave robinson wrote:I have an Etap and ended up buying the Hall and Collins. That said, my ESE Echomatic sounds better than each of those.

I`m with you Dave! I have all the echomachines (Etap, H&C, Amtech, Atlantis, Magicstomp, Zoom ) , sounding yery good. But my ESE ( with the new tapeloops from UK works perfectly ) is for me the best sounding unit !

Regards
Hans

hansaustria wrote:

dave robinson wrote:I have an Etap and ended up buying the Hall and Collins. That said, my ESE Echomatic sounds better than each of those.

I`m with you Dave! I have all the echomachines (Etap, H&C, Amtech, Atlantis, Magicstomp, Zoom ) , sounding yery good. But my ESE ( with the new tapeloops from UK works perfectly ) is for me the best sounding unit !

Regards
Hans

It's good to know I'm not alone in my thoughts.

dave robinson wrote:.....I can hear a difference for the better since at last finding a very compatible tape to use with it. The tapes I had previously sadly let it down, but now it's the best I ever heard...

Dave - do you know the brand/type/specs of the tape you found made a difference?

Erik

Hi Erik, I recently sold my Meazzi Factotum along with original spool of BASF audio and a spool of Agfa PEM 468, the Agfa was the nearest to the original spec audio tape I could find and it worked perfectly,you may find some on eBay, as I did, good luck.

Hi Erik, I recently sold my Meazzi Factotum along with original spool of BASF audio and a spool of Agfa PEM 468, the Agfa was the nearest to the original spec audio tape I could find and it worked perfectly,you may find some on eBay, as I did, good luck.

keithmantle wrote:Hi Erik, I recently sold my Meazzi Factotum along with original spool of BASF audio and a spool of Agfa PEM 468, the Agfa was the nearest to the original spec audio tape I could find and it worked perfectly,you may find some on eBay, as I did, good luck.

Thanks Keith

I have an assortement of different tape brands/types and I've tested intensively how they behave on my Meazzi.
Out of curiousity I was interested in Dave's tests and findings.

I wonder how you recon the PEM 468 is nearest to "the original specs audio tape" - which are?

Erik

Graylion wrote:Like Einstein said - "It's all relative" so for costs I would suggest that anything in the music field that's less than £150 is "Cheap" but anything more than £500 isn't! Obviously when people have paid squillions for their solid, 18 carat gold piece of kit their views may be slightly rose-tinted and not too objective! And the opposite might be true - E.g. "This guitar wot cost me £10,000 doesn't sound/play as good as the one that cost £1000". I am a firm believer, from experience, that you don't necessarily get what you pay for. I have a fair collection of echo units including a Binson B1 and EC3, Klemt Echolette, Zoom 508 (2!), RFX2000, RFX2200, Dynacord S65, Copicat IC400, Quad GT, Magic Stomp - ad nauseum! Which one sounds best? They ALL do of course! . As another example - The Squier Standard Strat I bought in the early 2000s (Unimportant dates to me!) with AlNiCo pickups is NOT a "Beginners guitar"! Mine's Tobacco burst and sounds like Buddy Holly's. Great action, finish and jangly sound - and what did it cost me? Dunno! (About £160 I think).
I used to be a part-time barman many years ago (Yes - it does sound like I digress!) and there were a couple of regulars who would only drink Bell's Whiskey. When I mistakenly (the first time)went to the wrong optic they corrected me and when they drank it with great enjoyment they said "You can't beat Bells!" The joke was that the landlord used to refill the Bell's bottle with a cheap supermarket brand! It was an illusion caused by the extra cost of the Bells Whiskey! My theory anyway but I've seen it in other areas of life, especially music kit. . The Etap site doesn't get a lot of input but I will probably buy one to add to my collection as it' so cheap! Time for a coffee

You won't regret buying an ETapHW. I have Ecca's valve preamp version, which is excellent, and the Stanley FX Baby Blue - which is a steal at £129 - and guess what? It's excellent too!