DLS Echo Tap

I cannot really say much about "ease of use". If you know how an echo/delay pedal works, then it shouldn't be a problem.. right?

I've tried a lot of delay pedals... Boss Space Echo, various boss delays, ibanez ad9 etc..

This is my favorite one. Sounds great. Adjustable -- make it sound like you want it to. Subtle all the way to over-the-top.

Lots of playing at home, been on the pedal board during a couple shows, played on it during every practice. No issues here.

No idea, bought it on eBay and I've never had to bother but it's a small company so I imagine you could contact them through their website fairly easily.

Great, it's what I've been looking for and if I never lose it, I'll probably never buy a different echo for the rest of my days.

Very easy to use, the manua?? is almost not needed except for the power supply and outputs info.

You however do have to take care of the slight pop it makes when changing ans synching to a new tempo (better do it when the effect is off).

Havin two levels of delayed sounnd is very useful in a live situation.

The direct sound is almost transparent (very slightly duller or compressed than bypass).

The delayed sound is already affected even at the clearer setting, it is however sweet sounding and does get darker with the decay juste like an analog counterpart.

It is a robust and fine delay that doesn't get in the way with endless presets and too many choices.

However for the price I would like to have an option of a TOTALLY transparent delay sound like it should be possible with a digital delay.

There is definitely a slight and noticeable hiss when engaged. It might be a bit of a problem when recording.

I already have a Maxon AD-900 for comparison. The Maxon is duller (and therefore less versatile) but a little more organic and quieter than the DLS. The Maxon switches more seemlessly than the DLS which will pop slightly if switched while playing.

There are three low level pops when the delay is synching with the chosen tempo either with the rotary knob or with the tap tempo switch. But it is not audible if done when the pedal is off.

It seems well built. Still need to use it for a while to answer the question.

No problem until now.

I play all styles of music; Blues, Rock, funk, jazz etc... I started playing guitar 27 years ago.

This a nice pedal that will fit most of your applications but it is definitely not perfect. It has its shortcomings like the synch pops and the general hiss (signal to noise level too small). These corrected along with an available transparent delay would make it the perfect delay pedal for most of us.

Well I have not quite mastered the tap tempo bit but otherwise pretty easy and intuitive.

Boy I have owned just about every brand pedal from 75 to 375 bucks on the market including boutiques. This is replacing my very nice Goddie delay that i like. The DLS adds a seperate tap channel with 2 different volumes.This is very usefull as you can set the static channel on big delay mix for solo's etc and keep the tap channel at a more usable volume for rythem etc. The tones are great check out the demos on youtube. True bypass does not mess with your signal and the delay adds a digital signal with a tone roll off to your analog signal , BRILLANT! Does pristine clean to echoplex with ease short to long as well for live use this may be the best pedal ever made for guitar period..

built like a tank

Not cheap but not over priced and worth every penny. This is one of those rare pedals like ,TS9, Vox Wah, OCD, deja vibe, that just got it right...........

Very easy to use. Not much of a manual, but there's not much to it. Simply tap the tempo of the delay you want tempoed, or simply toggle back to the fixed time delay. The feedback and tone controls are a no brainer. The delay mix controls are also easy.

Great sound quality. Does a very good job of nice dark and mellow repeats. The analog dry signal path has a tiny bit of white noise to it, but really it's neglegible, c'mon it's a guitar pedal. I was searching for a delay that kept your dry signal purely analog and simply blended the delay along with that. This pedal does exactly this.

It feels very reliable and rugged. Very solid chassis, excellent quality parts, Fulltone footswitch for reliable true-bypass. Mine did however get a glitch where the noise floor became a bit more audible, and the delays wouldn't completely turn off with the mix knobs. But it was quickly and easily repaired by DLS.

Excellent and friendly and quick. My problem listed above was addressed instantly. They fixed it within a few days and shipped it back in perfect shape.

This is the delay pedal I had wished someone would invent. Very, very musical an great in the live performance setting. Love it!

The EchoTap is fairly straightforward to use, but I will admit takes a little bit of time to learn. The unit is set up with a normal delay mode (called Echo-1 mode)with a knob going from 50ms all the way to 3 seconds. A small complaint early on was the fact that the Delay Time Knob has presets, about 16 in all. This would say that you couldn't get the exact delay time you wanted. However the unit ALSO has a Tap Echo setting that allows you to set ANY tempo you choose but tapping your foot twice in rapid succession on the footswitch. I also learned to appreciate the presets while in regular delay mode after I started a cover band and needed to know exactly which delay time I was choosing and keeping it the same time after time. So with 16 presets and Tap Echo, there is tons of variety and flexibility.

Plus you have a separate Volume for Echo 1 and Tap Echo which is nice. The Echo Repeats and Echo Tone controls both Echo-1 and Tap Echo.

As one review already stated, the controls are pretty interactive with each other. For instance, as you darken the tone, the repeats don't last as long so you need to turn up the repeats. I don't see this as a bad thing however as I am used to interactive controls, my Matchless amps have interactive controls like this.

The manual, which I remember being a few well diagramed printouts were sufficient in figuring out the unit. Also included was a sheet explaining how to adjust an internal pot which control volume output. I also later noticed that this information is listed on the main DLS website, so you can print one off if you lose it.

I am running through a couple Matchless amps, Lightning 15 and Clubman 35. I use the Lightning the most. For overdrive I use a TS-9 TubeScreamer and Keeley modded BD-2 Blues driver. I use both a Les Paul and American Strat so I run the range of tones through the ET.

The unit itself is pretty quiet, not dead quiet however. I do notice very slight "shhhhh" noise when the unit is engaged and no notes are struck, but it is minimal and hardly noticeable unless you are listening for it. When it is off it is out of the chain and quiet due to True Bypass.

As far as the delays sound, I am blown away. The Echo Tone knob gives you a lot of variety. I tend to favor a bit brighter sound, so a lot of the dark settings are too dark for me, but they are there if you need them and the "milder" dark settings sound fantastic and warm as hell. On the brightest setting, this thing sounds so far beyond any Digital Delay I've ever heard, it's still warm but bright and clear, and organic sounding, not "tinny" or too sharp. I've heard others say that this isn't a true Analog delay, and I'm not really sure, but it sounds amazing. I compared it to a Maxxon which sounded great, but this had more variety as the Maxxon didn't give me the option of brighter tones or the Tap Tempo option. Plus the Maxxon was more expensive with fewer features.

As far as artists go, I love all kinds of effect laden bands, U2, Coldplay, Bloc Party, Pink Floyd, Travis, and this pedal works very well for making you sound dark and dreamy. When you push the Echo Repeats all the way up, the pedal feeds back in such a lush dreamy way, it's awesome. I should add through that this feedback is only available on brighter settings, really dark settings won't feedback very well.

The EchoTap is very solidly built, with a sturdy metal casing that feels indestructable. It's larger than a standard boss or mxr sized pedal but not enormous. I've never had a problem with it and would never worry about having a backup.

I have spoken to Dave at DLS via email several times and he was always very friendly and responded to my emails quickly. I recently had some issues in my pedal line and was trouble shooting and so I sent my Echo Tap to him just to have it checked over and tuned up and he gave it a "once over" free of charge and paid the return shipping to me. Plus the turn around was about a week and a half. A very nice guy. I also asked him about adding a mod to the pedal in the way of a footpedal control and was told it could be done, and the price was really reasonable.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years and this delay was music to my ears when I first heard it (still is). It is very organic and musical sounding. While the EchoTap isn't cheap (I think I paid near $275), it is a hell of a value if you're looking for an Analog or analog sounding delay with useable features. Honestly, compare to the price of a Maxxon. I would definitely repurchase this unit if it were stolen. With both a regular delay mode and Tap Echo, separate volumes and a huge variety of lush tones, this pedal is a keeper. It sounds especially great through my Lightning with just the amp clean tone. Through a volume pedal in there and bam...moody, dark, lush music! It also sounds fantastic as just a good slap back delay. Sometimes it sounds so good, I just leave it on all the time.

I'm a bit of a clod when it comes to dialing in the right sound and I found it quite easy to get good sounds in no time !

OK ..Sound quality is a subjective thing .. one mans idea of perfect tone may sound like nails on a chalkboard to somebody else but IMHO .. This unit is as good or better than my Boss DM 2 vintage analog delay and very musical ! I'm not the kinda guy who gives 10's but man this deserves it !!!!

Seems built quite well.. knobs feel a little bit delicate

Emailed them and they responded within a day !

Buy an EchoTap !!!!! It's $$$$ well spent !!

After a few minutes of reading the E-Z guide, tweak the knobs, etc.
You can hit the pre-set knob or tap what you want: very flexible.
It goes for up to 3 seconds, and can cop all the analog/warm sounds you want.

With an excellent sampling rate, true/unadulterated bypass, and a range of 30 ms. to 3 seconds: you cannot go wrong. Whether you have single coils or HH, and whether you have an active guitar or passive: the sound is THERE. Using it with Mesa Lone Star Special & Stilleto Ace combos: sounds good in the FX loop or on the floor pre-input. Not noisy at all. Works with any 9V power source/adapter altho it comes with it's own.

Made like a tank, excellent coating with knobs that don't stick out/up. You can use it without worry just as long as you don't stand on it or dropkick it (or maybe you could?).

Dave wrote me back the next day after an e-mail.
Very pleasant to deal with.

This unit is good from country slapback to Pink Floyd space delays. All the middle settings for Doobie/Zep/ambient stuff are excellent, plus you can tap out what you want. The reviews in Vintage Guitar and Tone Quest Report do not lie. And the number of superb players is a testimonial too. The samples on their site will convince you too.

The pedal is pretty easy to use. If this pedal is difficult for you, I would suggest a different line of work.

Contrary to some of the reviews here, this pedal is a 16-bit digital delay. Your original tone is not messed with, but the delay is blended in. It says exactly this on the DLS website. So to say this is an analog delay with tap tempo is completely incorrect. It is warmer than Boss-type delays but not as smooth as say, the Maxon units. I did not compare it to the T-Rex or even the new TC Electronic. I play professionally in Nashville and tried it out in a store down here. I did notice the thumping sound when engaging the tap tempo and it bothered me. I thought it was pretty apparent. I decided against buying it.

The pedal is very well built and seems durable. I wouldn't think you would need a backup.

Did not deal with them.

I play lots of styles in the studio and primarily country on the road. I've been playing for 25 years. The pedal isn't bad, and for the money it does some nice things and has a pleasing tone. But, the thumping sound kinda detracts from it. It all depends on what you are willing to live with. I recommend trying it out first to make sure...or at least be able to return it for a refund!

Ok here goes, It is easy to use as far as having straight forward controls and getting it to make delays. However, it is hard to get it dialed in for a truly musical sounding delay. The reason for this is each control is inter-related. What I mean by this is...if you turn up the repeats, it seems to effect the delay level also. If you decrease level of echo, the repeats now have to be cranked up again. Needs more isolation of controls to make it user friendly. Sold it and bought the replica.

I have a Tom Anderson, a high quality board through a Divided by 13 ftr amp. Pedal not noisy at all. Just not musical to my ear. Does do the job of delay. Maybe if I spent loads of time dialing it in it would be ok. but...

Had it for one week. I use a DLS rotosim and have had no problems.

No dealings with them.

Well, for me the relica is way better and worth the extra $100. It's very musical and very easy to get a usable delay. This thing just is too hard to tweek with the interactive controls.

Very easy. Unless your a novice and don't understand the principal of delay functions. With a little practice it does exactly what you want it too. The tap function works exactly as it should. You only have to give it 2 taps at whatever tempo you want and your there. No fuss at all. Not much for a manual. Dont really need one anyway. Its analog, true bypass, and with tap function. Any good player who digs delay can appreciate the last feature the most.

I use a Bogner Shiva with this running last in the fx loop after a mxr phase, fulltone choralflange, and a tremelo. I used to use a SIB echodrive, but the delay timing control was not exacting. The SIB added a real nice warm midrange that I actually dug, but it also developed a low hum after awhile. The echotap is about as transparent as you can get, which suits me fine. I run the repeats at about a 1/3 turn of the knob and the tone at about 1/4, which is actually brighter. It darkens up the farther you turn it. It also has a knob for manually setting the delay, which I have NOT used. Thats just a credit to how good the tap function works. It works extremely well with all my effects as well as with the Shiva, which is the most smokin amp ever in my 17 years of playing. My only gripe is the slight thump sound it makes when engaging it, however this is not noticable when playing with my band.

Ive only had it a few months, but so far no problems. Seems well built. I dont use a back up for anything, except guitar.

no idea. Did I mention I'm not gay? Has nothing to do with the Echotap. Just thought I'd mention it.

Overall I'd give it a 9. For the tone chaser out there I'd recommend it. You cant beat analog with a tap function and true bypass. Im surprised there aren't more companys making them. Most delays now are digital, which I cant abide by. My only complaint is the minor pop it makes, but like I said, its pretty minor. That being said, all in all, I give the Echotap a 9. I give myself a 10, because I'm damn sexy.