Echo machines...

[Bluesnote]

Oi! Where's this argument you promised us Only joking.

Just the mention of "Copycat there. When I started, most of the Shads type bands had Watkins copycats to emulate their sounds as did I. Did anyone else on here have one of these machines at the time. As far as I remember it sounded fine although I dont know if its the many years that have since passed that makes me think this. I dont remember any other echo machines on the market then. I can remember mine cost me £38/10shillings. Got my mother to nag my father into going guaranter for me, which he was none too pleased about. Paid for itself in no time too as I was in a band with plenty of gigs.
God I feel old

[abstamaria]

Thank you, Paul. Are both the Echomatic I and II drum-based units?

Andy

[fenderplucker]

Hi Andy,

Yes, they are both drum machines but have different head spacings and switching arrangements.

Best Regards,

paul.

[dave robinson]

Perhaps someone knows - Up to which year did the Shadows use the Meazzi? Were all the pre-Burns pieces (to end-1963) recorded with Meazzi drum echoes?

Thank you in advance.

Andy
Manila

After much listening over the last few years I am convinced that Hank used the Binson Echorec II on 'Flingel Bunt' , as the echo pattern matches perfectly and the Meazzis don't. I saw Hank use a Baby Binson at Sheffield City Hall when Licorice was in the band. It was easily identified by the green 'magic eye' and the metallic grey box and was of great interest to us because we had seen them in the music shops and couldn't afford one. The current release that they were pushing was the EP 'The Boys'. I remember later seeing a green Binson Echorec II when John Rostill was with them . . . . confused ? So am I.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Dave,

The two Echorec 2's I have measured had head spacings of 77 and 78 mSec (all heads equally spaced). Multiples of these spacings (either by switching in different heads or from feedback) can only give delays of 154, 231, 308, 385, 462, etc and these do not match the delays measured for Flingel Bunt from the original recordings.

I think that the options for Flingel Bunt (which could match the measured delays) are possibly an Echomatic 1, an Echomatic 2 with an extra head added or possibly a Long Tom.

That said, they certainly did use a number of Binsons (Baby, EC1, EC2 and EC3) up to the 1980's, either as main or backup units.

Regards,

Paul.

[MeBHank]

Yes, to back up Paul's statement (and to kick the cat even further into the dove cote), in Jim Eylea's Vox book Hank is pictured using a Vox "Long Tom" Echo in the studio, in conjunction with his Burns. No date is given for the photograph, though.

To be honest, I hope we never find conclusive answers! I love speculating. I love the mystery.

J

[Gary Allen]

Regarding echo units...Would Hank be safeguarding the shads sound by not going into any great detail about the units he s used. Or is it the case he just cant remember?....Also...Did he use a re3 (digital) rack for moonlight shadows album.?.....Gary

[AlanMcKillop]

I think it's a case that he probably couldn't/can't remember, although there are plenty of photos of what was used. The RE-3 is a single rack unit more reknowned for it's reverbs rather than echoes, so I don't think he ever used one. He did use an SRE-555 rack unit which was the same as the Roland RE-501, but in rack format.

[Gary Allen]

Hi Alan and thanks for your reply...gary

[MeBHank]

Hi Gary...

Hank recorded so many tunes I doubt he'd remember exactly which one was used on which, especially if the echo's not an integral part of the music, such as Flingel Bunt (unlike Wonderful Land).

I'm pretty sure that Hank would have used the Roland RE-301 tape echo on the "Moonlight Shadows" album.

J