Watkins Copicat Gold

[Pitts]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience with the "new 2009" Watkins Copicat Gold unit ??

The demos sound very nice on the website.

Wonder how it would compare to say the TVS3... it is a lot cheaper (about $2,500.00 NZ$) than a TVS3 but at what cost by comparison, in terms of quality, signal to noise ratio, originality (to the Shadows sound) etc etc

I am keen on a TVS3 but I am not keen on the very large price tag (about $6,000.00 here in NZ) so I guess the question is "is the TVS3" THAT much better than a Copicat Gold ??
I do like the fact that you can easily alter settings (knobs and switches ... gotta love 'em) on the Gold but still have pre-sets as well.

Any feedback appreciated.

I currently run an Alesis Q20 with EFTP and it sounds great, but there is always that DSP digital noise in the background quietly buzzing away. (love the EFTP patches) this is not a bitching session about the Q20 or EFTP, just digging around to see what options exist.

Thanks

Ray
NZ

[dave robinson]

I did the demo's for the Copicat Gold and assisted Alan Jackson with some of the programming, so having owned a TVS3 as well, I can give you an informed opinion.
It's nearly a year since we finished the Copicat demos and when we sent it back to Charlie Watkins and I was reasonbly happy with what it was doing, though I felt it could have been even better given more time with it. The sound is good and it does the business as well as being easy to edit 'on the fly' in a live situation. The Copicat also offers other features i.e. Tremolo/Phasing/Flanging/ EQ as well as some weird sound effects that were beyond me. For the money it is good value.
I had the TVS3 for a while and it too was excellent at what it was designed for, to give the 'vintage' sound that we all love - particularly when D.I'd..
As I also own other devices including the ESE Echomatic, Alesis Quad GT with EFTP, Magicstomp with EFTP, Zoom G7lut with EFTP and the humble tape Copicat, with which I did comparison tests and eventually decided that I couldn't justify the high cost of the TVS3 and sold it on. The TVS3 is the best of it's type if you can afford it, but I didn't feel that it gave enough, over and above what I was getting from my existing kit, to warrant it's cost. With my band I actually use the Copicat IC400 varispeed for most gigs and my ESE Echomatic for 'one offs' that need the correct echo patterns. When working solo I now use the Magicstomp all the time and still get the desired sound. Like I said, I still believe that the TVS3 has the edge in elctronic devices, but the Copicat Gold runs close and it takes a good ear to appreciate the differences, as it does with all the gear I have mentioned, especially when played through a good EF86 driven Vox AC15 or 30 by someone who knows how to set it up.
I hope this helps.

[youngjohn]

hi ,i have just joined,what is eftp? many thanks ,john

[keithmantle]

Digital echo patches that emulate Shadows+outher guitarists echoes/tones/sounds for individual tunes - Echoes From The Past. Just Google Charlie Hall who supplies these patches for different echo machines

[s4wgb]

.

[Pitts]

HI Dave,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply in depth.

It looks like your extensive experience with the various units has confirmed what I was thinking based on my homework to date.
ie the TVS3 is really great but it's the price that's the killer...
It would take one heck of a echo unit to warrant an extra three thousand dollars over the Watkins Gold. (like over double the price)

Like many of us I have had a history with Copicats over many years and was fortunate enough to come into owning two in recent times.
One is a mark 2 valve job and the other the later Mark4. Today they are outgunned like in many areas of technology today but they are part of our history.
To think the man is still designing and actively involved is amazing after all these years.

I am warming to the idea of the Gold unit, it seems to have the sound (certainly enough for me anyway).. If I keep the Q20 and the Quad G2 I will have the best of
outcomes at a reasonable price.

Once again thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Regards

Ray
NZ