Danelectro DTE-1 Reel Echo

The controls and features have already been covered in previous reviews so I'm not going to go over them again.

If you've ever used a delay before, there isn't much on this pedal that you won't already be familiar with.

I'm not sure what the "tube/solid state" switch does; it makes an audible difference, but it's not clear what it's actually doing to the sound. I prefer the solid state setting.

I'm stumped by the Sound on Sound feature. The manual could've done a better job of explaining it. You're supposed to turn the repeats/feedback knob to the max and turn the lo-fi/hi-cut knob to its lowest setting in order to use this feature, but when I do this and engage the SOS footswitch, I get treated to runaway feedback/self-oscillation.

I've only used the pedal for a total of about two hours since I bought it, so I may yet figure these things out.

Speaking of manuals, they used to be much nicer. The manual that came with this pedal is one page on a piece of plain white letter-sized paper. The manual that came with my Dan-Echo pedal was a nice little square booklet printed on thick beige paper, with a color, glossy cover. Looks like the bean counters over at Danelectro are having their way.

First off, I'd just like to point out that most of the ideas incorporated into this pedal were taken from a review of the Dan-Echo I wrote here on Harmony Central on 03/07/2001. From that review:

BEGIN QUOTE:

"Here's a couple of changes that in my opinion, would've greatly improved the Dan Echo and made it a more 'authentic' re-creation of a tape echo (or atleast, made it a more interesting digital delay - I've yet to hear a truly convincing digital emulation of tape echo in any price range, and even if it can be done, it's in bad taste):

1) The addition of a 'MODULATION' (LFO) control. Among other things, this would allow vibrato/pitch shifting effects and could be used to approximate "wow & flutter". In terms of pedal real estate, I would gladly trade off the HI-CUT or MIX knob for such an LFO.

2) Substituting the REPEATS knob for a *real* FEEDBACK control. With a feedback control, you could get "self-oscillation" (runaway feedback) effects and do sound-on-sound (where echoed phrases keep re-circulating and don't decay). At shorter delays and with a bit of modulation from the LFO, you could do flanging and chorusing - all from the same pedal!

3) A 'DRY' (bypassed) output jack in addition to the EFFECT output. This would be convenient for stereo and for parallel (rather than serial) setups. If Danelectro managed to pack a bonus output in their Cool Cat chorus, I don't see why the Dan Echo should go without one.

4) The MIX knob goes from dry signal only at counter-clockwise position to dry with wet mixed in when fully clockwise. Apart from the fact that it strikes me as counter-intuitive, this pedal would be much more versatile if the dry signal was completely absent when fully clockwise (center position would be an equal mix of wet and dry). For example, in a stereo setup (with a Y-cord and a mixer), you could have the dry signal panned one place and have the echoes coming from a different direction. Or you could split the dry signal, with one end going into a fuzzbox, phaser, or whatever, and the other going into the Dan Echo (wet signal only) - combine the outputs and you're in for some tasty effects!"

END QUOTE:

Not long after I wrote that review -- a few months, maybe a year -- Danelectro put out the Reel Echo pedal, which interestingly, incorporated *all* of the ideas I had suggested. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Hey, I'm not complaining about it or anything -- I'm glad this pedal was made and I must say that my ideas turned out well! -- but it would've been nice to at least have gotten a complimentary Reel Echo out of it.

I also believe that I inspired Danelectro's Spring King pedal, since a while before its release, I had sent the company an email suggesting they make a reverb pedal that used a real spring tank to compliment their line of practice amps, which didn't have reverb tanks. I haven't had a chance to try out the Spring King, but it can't be that bad if it's still on the market after all these years.

Well, enough of me tooting my own horn. How does this thing sound?

continued under "Overall Rating" section:

Can't say. Seems extremely well made. Though I'm likely to use this more for recording in my home studio than anything else, I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it.

continued from "Sound Quality" section:

As an effect in its own right, without comparing it to anything else, I think it's pretty darned good. It's the deluxe version of the Dan-Echo (and the Dan-Echo was already plenty good as it was). If you're looking for a pleasant-sounding, sophisticated digital delay with a few bells and whistles in a fun, eye-catching package that won't break the bank, you can't go wrong with the Reel Echo.

As to whether this thing is a perfect simulation of a tape echo, that's debatable.

If what you're doing is relatively straightforward, then yes, this pedal will do a passable job of sounding like a tape echo, but you could say that about just about any delay on the market that has three or more knobs (including the Dan-Echo).

Unlike the Dan-Echo, this pedal allows you to go into runaway feedback, which can be fun, but it's not the same as when you do it on a real tape echo.

The "warble" control, which is meant to simulate tape stretch and the slight fluctuations in motor speed you'd find on an old tape echo, will do a nice chorus at short delay times, but again, it doesn't really sound like what it's supposed to be emulating.

Overall, this is a fun pedal and an excellent digital delay that can do double duty as a simple chorus pedal, but the bottom line is, if you're a purist who wants real tape echo sound, you're going to have to cough up the cash to get a real tape echo (the only tape echoes I know of that are in current production are the Fulltone, about $1000, and the studio-oriented Blue Coconut, about $3000, while used units like the Roland Space Echoes are going for outrageous prices; if anyone knows of any real tape echoes that are currently being produced that I haven't mentioned, email me, 'cause I'd like to know). If you're not a purist and you're not doing anything specialized like dub reggae (which practically demands real tape in order for it to not sound like ass), this will get you 90% of the way there.

(FYI, I've been using the pedal with a Telecaster knockoff through an old Fender Princeton amp. The pedal is completely transparent, other than the effect; no clipping, no noise whatsoever.)

The controls and features have already been covered in previous reviews so I'm not going to go over them again.

If you've ever used a delay before, there isn't much on this pedal that you won't already be familiar with.

I'm not sure what the "tube/solid state" switch does; it makes an audible difference, but it's not clear what it's actually doing to the sound. I prefer the solid state setting.

I'm stumped by the Sound on Sound feature. The manual could've done a better job of explaining it. You're supposed to turn the repeats/feedback knob to the max and turn the lo-fi/hi-cut knob to its lowest setting in order to use this feature, but when I do this and engage the SOS footswitch, I get treated to runaway feedback/self-oscillation.

I've only used the pedal for a total of about two hours since I bought it, so I may yet figure these things out.

Speaking of manuals, Danelectro's used to be much nicer. The manual that came with this pedal is one page on a piece of plain white letter-sized paper. The manual that came with my Dan-Echo pedal was a nice little square booklet printed on thick beige paper, with a color, glossy cover. Looks like the bean counters over at Danelectro have had their way.

First off, I'd just like to point out that most of the ideas incorporated into this pedal were taken from a review of the Dan-Echo I wrote here on Harmony Central on 03/07/2001. From my review:

BEGIN QUOTE:

"Here's a couple of changes that in my opinion, would've greatly improved the Dan Echo and made it a more 'authentic' re-creation of a tape echo (or atleast, made it a more interesting digital delay - I've yet to hear a truly convincing digital emulation of tape echo in any price range, and even if it can be done, it's in bad taste):

1) The addition of a 'MODULATION' (LFO) control. Among other things, this would allow vibrato/pitch shifting effects and could be used to approximate "wow & flutter". In terms of pedal real estate, I would gladly trade off the HI-CUT or MIX knob for such an LFO.

2) Substituting the REPEATS knob for a *real* FEEDBACK control. With a feedback control, you could get "self-oscillation" (runaway feedback) effects and do sound-on-sound (where echoed phrases keep re-circulating and don't decay). At shorter delays and with a bit of modulation from the LFO, you could do flanging and chorusing - all from the same pedal!

3) A 'DRY' (bypassed) output jack in addition to the EFFECT output. This would be convenient for stereo and for parallel (rather than serial) setups. If Danelectro managed to pack a bonus output in their Cool Cat chorus, I don't see why the Dan Echo should go without one.

4) The MIX knob goes from dry signal only at counter-clockwise position to dry with wet mixed in when fully clockwise. Apart from the fact that it strikes me as counter-intuitive, this pedal would be much more versatile if the dry signal was completely absent when fully clockwise (center position would be an equal mix of wet and dry). For example, in a stereo setup (with a Y-cord and a mixer), you could have the dry signal panned one place and have the echoes coming from a different direction. Or you could split the dry signal, with one end going into a fuzzbox, phaser, or whatever, and the other going into the Dan Echo (wet signal only) - combine the outputs and you're in for some tasty effects!"

END QUOTE:

Not long after I wrote that review -- a few months, maybe a year -- Danelectro put out the Reel Echo pedal, which interestingly, incorporated *all* of the ideas I had suggested. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Hey, I'm not complaining about it or anything -- I'm glad this pedal was made and I must say that my ideas turned out well! -- but it would've been nice to at least have gotten a complimentary Reel Echo out of it.

I also believe that I inspired Danelectro's Spring King pedal, since a while before its release, I had sent the company an email suggesting they make a reverb pedal that used a real spring tank to compliment their line of practice amps, which didn't have reverb tanks. I haven't had a chance to try out the Spring King, but it can't be that bad if it's still on the market after all these years.

Well, enough of me tooting my own horn. How does this thing sound?

continued under "Overall Rating" to get around Harmony Central's length restrictions:

Can't say. Seems extremely well made. Though I'm likely to use this more for recording in my home studio than anything else, I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it.

continued from "Sound Quality" section:

As an effect in its own right, without comparing it to anything else, I think it's pretty darned good. It's the deluxe version of the Dan-Echo (and the Dan-Echo was already plenty good as it was). If you're looking for a pleasant-sounding, sophisticated digital delay with a few bells and whistles in a fun, eye-catching package that won't break the bank, you can't go wrong with the Reel Echo.

As to whether this thing is a perfect simulation of a tape echo, that's debatable.

If what you're doing is relatively straightforward, then yes, this pedal will do a passable job of sounding like a tape echo, but you could say that about just about any delay on the market that has three or more knobs (including the Dan-Echo).

Unlike the Dan-Echo, this pedal allows you to go into runaway feedback, which can be fun, but it's not the same as when you do it on a real tape echo.

The "warble" control, which is meant to simulate tape stretch and the slight fluctuations in motor speed you'd find on an old tape echo, will do a nice chorus at short delay times, but again, it doesn't really sound like what it's supposed to be emulating.

Overall, this is a fun pedal and an excellent digital delay that can do double duty as a simple chorus pedal, but the bottom line is, if you're a purist who wants real tape echo sound, you're going to have to cough up the cash to get a real tape echo (the only tape echoes I know of that are in current production are the Fulltone, about $1000, and the studio-oriented Blue Coconut, about $3000, while used units like the Roland Space Echoes are going for outrageous prices; if anyone knows of any real tape echoes that are currently being produced that I haven't mentioned, email me, 'cause I'd like to know). If you're not a purist and you're not doing anything specialized like dub reggae (which practically demands real tape in order for it to not sound like ass), this will get you 90% of the way there.

FYI, I've been using the pedal with a Telecaster knockoff through an old Fender Princeton amp. The pedal is completely transparent, other than the effect; no clipping, no noise whatsoever.:

it's easy to use, but you'll need to spend time with it , lots of combinations here , ddon't dismiss it , theres stuff you can do that isn't apparent at first. SPEND TIME!

EXCLNT SLAP BACK Does everything you'd expect , plus in tube mode, with knobs turned all the way left can get a tube rectifier SAG thing awesome! it can mellow out a overly bright amp in this way and smooth it out. I think the peope here that give this a low rating either havn't spent enough time with it or their expecting a single pedal to perform mircles with a rig thats suspect to begin with . with a decent slightly overdriven tube amp it awesome , ITS NOT AS GOOD AS AN ECHO PLEX and WONT DO EVERYTHING THAT AN ECHO PLEX DOES but it will help you make music , i'm giving it a 10 to compensate for the chuckle heads here who rate this WAY low , the tube sag effect (dial it in) alone is sweet.

no opinion

no opinion

i use an (OLD SCHOOL) crybaby wah (analog) a boss CS-2 compressor, BD-2 blues driver, sometimes a boss chorus and this REEL ECHO into various FENDER, SOVTEK, CARVIN amps, it allways turn key ... look around at other pro pedal boards you'll see this on it.

It's pretty much a case of plug in and go really. Repeats knob changes the number of echoes, Mix alters the proportion of dry to wet signal, lo fi determines how much high end is rolled off, tube / solid-state affects tone and warble is either on or off. It's dead simple.
I'd only give it a 9 because you do have to understand what everything does first, but then to be fair making it any easier to use would severly reduce the variety of sounds avaliable.

I was stunned.
I was initaially after a Memory Man deluxe, until I saw the price tag. I figured that this could be a nice alternative, how right I was.
I'm playing through a Mexican Fender Tele Nashville, usually with the strat pickup engaged > Vox AC30 CC2 > Snarling Dogs Black Dog distortion pedal > Danelectro Reel Echo.
I first plugged it into an old 9v adpater i had, it buzzed and hummed like anything. I then replaced the adapter for a standard battery and it was dead silent, I think i had a duff plug to be honest.I was really worried about losing tone as i love the combination of my tele and vox but I haven't noticed any tone drop or hum wahtsoever since, it's like it's not even there.
I've only used the smaller delay times, usually under 375 but if you need something with really long delays this pedal can do it too. I've never used an echoplex or anything like that but I've heard samples, this thing sounds pretty damn close. The Warble feature is absolutely fantastic, I was initially planning to get a chorus pedal aswell but I just dont have to now. It's a really subtle pictch deviation but it adds alot of depth to the sound.
teamed with high gain and ringing strings you can get some epic feedback sounds with it too, just playing with the delay speeds and repeats.

It seems sturdy enough, all metal casing and solid switches. The jacks are very tough, which suprised me as they were a big problem with another danelectro pedal I have. The battery lid is made of plastic but to be honest you've gotta be pretty careless to damage that.

I play in a small indie band, play alot of dark riffs and choppy chords, rarely high distrotion. We also have alot of breakdown passages which always seem to lack something, I have tried tremelos and reverbs but they just don't give it the wide open feel that I am after. This pedal does. It's epic, gives me just what I need.

(It works great for building into kicks aswell, just getting noisy before a bigger bit and ambient noises, Miles Kane of the Rascals/Little Flames-esque)

For me the warble function is the thing that really makes it shine, it's so subtle but so powerful, something that i really think I would miss if I were to get a Memory Man.

This pedal seems to be able to do it all, from really subtle filling out to screaming totally over the top feedbacks and delays, the sound on sound function makes it dead easy to loop things aswell then play over them.

Basically it sounds increbile, has great functions, easy to use and comes with a very reasonable price tag. get one bought

First off the instructions are "OK" at best. But if you've played with a delay before you pretty much know what it does and how to get the sound(s) you want off the bat.

Mix knob: how much delay signal is put in (Maxed out is delayed signal only)[kinda useless maxed out]

Lo-fi knob: adds a high frequency cut on successive repeats. (But also reduces amount of repeats, works in junction with repeats knob)

Repeats knob: How many repeats (with lo-fi knob turned all the way down and repeats all the way up, it gets an almost infinite repeats feel, which is fun with the sound on sound feature!)

Speed Slider: controls how fast the delay repeats. 0 to 1500 milliseconds (1.5 seconds)

Tone switch: "Solid state" and "Tube" I???ll talk about this in the sound quality portion.

Warble switch: turns warble ON and OFF; again talked I???ll talk about this in sound quality.

Where to begin. I bought this looking for a delay, DUH. I wanted an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man. Until I saw the price. Now I???ve never played with and echoplex, but have heard one on Youtube, which severely compresses their audio, so I can't really say "Oh this pedal sounds dead on", or "man this pedal is ugly and I don???t like it cuz I can't spend hundreds on tape and new tubes". So I don???t really care. I just wanted an effing delay pedal.

I open the box and plug it in; as soon I turned it on I noticed it actually repeated the click of the unit's engage button! I was like ahh **** I bought a ****** pedal. Then I tweaked some knobs (ooh that sounds wrong) and got a PERFECT SLAP BACK DELAY!

the tone switch is kinda weird, the Solid state is pretty much just your exact signal while the Tube is more of a mid cut bass boost on just your repeats, not you actual tone. Both are nifty.

The warble is more of a weird chorus, but again is useful. Especially when oscillating, it adds a little something to it. I don't use it for anything but making whacky noises.

A little let down is when you get a cool repeat and feck with the time slider it doesn't pitch shift. Instead it cuts it shorter and shorter until you get crazy glitchy sounding noises, again, totally usable.

It's made of metal. It's HUGE. It competes with my Bug Muff Pi and Digitech Whammy. Speed slider is made of plastic, but seems fairly solid, all the knobs are very solid. I dont think this thing'll be dying on me any time soon.

Dunno, i just know they have like a one sentence description of this pedal on their own website. I don't think they'd be very helpfull.

I play blues, punk, and garage. This pedal is perfect for me. Plus it looks AWESOME!!! It ain't a Deluxe Memory Man, but it's up their on the list of memorable delays.

Very easy. If you can't figure this out, I wonder how you can start your car.

Here's the part I love. It sounds much like an echoplex. Any complaints I read here by die hard echoplex lovers (grungy, noisy, etc.) also apply to the echoplex. This is all the stuff we've ended up missing when we went digital. I play a lot of reggae and a digital delay doesn't get it if you want to add some dub flavor. Wheel up, soun' bwouy!!

Built like a tank. Heavy.

whaaaa???

veeery cool. I pretty sure this will make a permanent home on the board.

Definitely sounds different than the boss dd3. Takes up a lot of real estate. Looks like fun.

Sounds great and usable. Cool light mint green color, metal case. Slider for the speed control. Feels substantial. Retro knobs. Lo-Fi knob gives it that hi-cut rumble and fade. It must be good cause it takes me back. Not an echoplex but same neighborhood. You can see its intent and with that in mind, you can get what you like about the old echoplexes. The trade off is completely worth it. They were such a pain in the ass. Noisy, lots of maintenance. You always wonder if its gonna die on you and kill the show. I used mine as a doorstop until I gave it away.

It will give you that effect without all the headaches. I was so happy when digital delays happened. Nice and clean with no noisy tapes. Who knew we'd miss it?

It's pretty amazing. You can flavor it to taste. It has a warble feature that makes it sound like an echoplex with some wear, that could use a tune up. F'ing great. Solid state or tube tone. Clean or funky dirty.

NOT A DIGITAL DELAY. Or a Fab. Lots of fun. The Boss is an effect, the Dan is more like an instrument, like an mpc. I dig it.

Features:

Mix (goes 100% wet)
Lo-Fi (progressive delay high frequency attenuation)
Repeats
Delay Time (slider)
Tube/Solid State switch
Warble on/off switch
Sound On Sound switch
Dry and Wet out

It's more or less clear what most of these do, but it still takes some work to dial in the sounds I want. The Sound On Sound is simple to use, as long as you realize that what it's doing is letting you play without recording while the thing you just recorded keeps playing in the background. Make sense?

I haven't found this to be noisy, as some have claimed it to be. The Reel Echo is obviously trying to emulate vintage tape echo sounds, and in some respects it succeeds, but mostly it fails.

I've never owned a tape echo, but I've heard plenty of samples, and played through more sophisticated simulations. Tape echo is relatively high fi on short repeats. It cuts bass as well as some treble on longer repeats. The character changes a bit depending on delay time. The sound of the warble or wow and flutter kind of depends on the unit, how much drag, etc. Tape units also are easy to bring into self oscillation, and will pitch shift when you change the delay time while playing. The same holds true for many analog and digital delays.

The Danelectro Reel Echo actually doesn't do most of those things. It doesn't cut bass on successive repeats (although it will cut treble via the LoFi knob), the "Warble" switch sounds like fast chorus rather than a real tape echo warble, it will not self-oscillate, and will not change pitch as you change delay speeds, but rather will stutter, like a scratched CD. The delay on the Boss PS-3 does the same thing.

It's ironic that a pedal marketed as a tape echo simulator can actually do almost none of the tricks that a tape echo can do. The one tape delay trick it CAN do admirably is that Sun Records slap-back delay. It has the same je ne sais qua and warmth of those old Scotty Moore and Luther Perkins guitar tracks. I've heard the Reel Echo referred to as the king of slap-back echo pedals, and that may be true. It's very good at that.

But, even though it misses the mark on sounding like a tape delay on most settings, it still sounds very good. Judicious use of the LoFi knob is key here, but you can really create some lovely ambient soundscapes with the Reel Echo. I normally leave the Warble off because I don't like chorus. The Tube setting cuts too much treble, so I usually have it set on Solid State, and adjust the LoFi knob to taste.

The Sound on Sound isn't that useful because of the 1.5 second delay time, but it's fun to play with.

One criticism of the LoFi knob is that, although it sounds lovely, it cuts to much volume from the repeats. I am sure it could have been engineered to cut tone without cutting so much volume. Still, if dialed in properly it sounds great. I personally like warm sounding repeats, even if that isn't what a tape echo sounds like.

One thing I'd like to try is running it stereo. The delay can go 100% wet, so you could run one side dry, and the other side as the delay, and run the delay side through whatever you wanted - modulation, overdrive, compression, EQ, etc.

Seems very well built and very solid.

Overall, it's a great sounding delay with some basic design problems. Danelectro should re-engineer and re-release this pedal with independent high and lo cut knobs (that cut tone only, not volume), and a delay that will self-oscillate and pitch shift at appropriate settings. Oh, and with a more intelligent Warble. At the very least, make it a vibrato (pitch vibrato) rather than a chorus. I love the look though - don't change that.

Despite all that, I'm going to keep it because it sounds great. Just don't buy it thinking that it's an Echoplex doppelganger, except for slap-back delay sounds.

instructions suck, But if you have common sense you can operate it

I have been trying to get a certian sound for quite some time and with the reel echo and a ts-808 I got the rockabilly sound to a tee

get the power inverter... a must

I play anything from Johnny Cash to George Thorogood to Brian setzer and for the rockabilly and old sun record stuff it works well.
I have been playing for about 8 years and I play through a fender hotrod. I play a gibson es-135, a epi wildkat and a gretsch 5120.It is way hot when you play it with a tube screamer, it brings a good combo to the table

Easy to get a good sound out of it. The instruction manual could be a little better but who really cares.

Sounds very, very close to an Echoplex but way cheaper in price than an Echoplex. This will help you get Eddie Van Halen's guitar sound and also, Eric Johnson's guitar sound.

Built like a tank! Great Quality!

I love the sound of an Echoplex! The Reel Echo is way cheaper and more reliable. Worth every penny!

I dig this thing. It's prety easy to dial in. Very versatile delay.
Sound on sound feature....who cares. Never heard anybody do anything that interesting with that trick. Waste of a button to me. Rather have a little real estate back. LOVE the big knobs, slider is fun, but far from rugged.
EASY to make your sound fit in the band mix on the fly with that lo fi thingy.(Tone knob)

I Love the sound. Both "Tape" & "Solid State" have their use's, and that lo fi knob is just beautiful. I've owned a DM-3, a DM-2, an
AD-9, a Memory man, a DD-3, I could go on forever...
This pedal's versatility makes it my new choice.

I am completely enthralled with the warble feature!!!

I never realized how much some type of modulation on JUST THE REPEATS clears up your tone while still adding HUGE depth.

With my Vox AC-30 and my tele, Teese Compressor, Voodoo lab sparkle drive and this I'm pretty friggin happy.

I hate Boss's buffering. on or off the tone gets Bossified.
This Dano affects the tone a little to, but it's way more Organic than boss.
The only better delay I've tried was the memory lane. but they aint cheap. And I'd still keep this for some things....

Those foot buttons are not my favorite. It's pretty heavy duty,I like the looks, (Slider looks questionable for reliability,)
Battery eater.

Duno.

You can pick these up cheap. Listen, I play many styles and I'm pretty friggin wailing. Chicken picken, U2, Pink floyd, this pedals reel cool. (Heh.) I started in music at 6, I'm 34, my dad was a pro before me. If you need that sort of info to trust me.
I'll go 9 because it's a little big, and I dont like the slider, also, True bypass woulda been cool. ( How come nobody makes an option of 1 high quality switchable buffer on the output of the delay you can use or not(TB...or not TB!!!). (Delay is last in chain, and that would drive a long cable.)

Very easy to use. Slider for delay time (no tap tempo though) knobs: mix (wet and dry), repeats, lo/hi, toggles: solid state/tube, warble on/off. Easy to get many different sounds, slap, chorus, reverb, etc.

The first thing that must be said is that this will suck your power and the more you have in front of it, the worse it will be. I have never used an echoplex, so I don't know if the same applies there.

Also there is a noticeable pop when you engage it. I run it thru a looper, so I avoid this. A looper is also a good way to take advantage of the sound on sound. I can leave the SOS going and turn off the loop. When I want the SOS back, I can turn the loop back on and there it is.

Back to the tone suck. Since it's delay, it goes near the end of the chain (ideally in the amp's effect loop). I don't have an effects loop, so mine is after a TS and fuzz box. Thru a clean amp with no effects, the loss isn't noticeable, but it will completely suck the fuzz right off the fuzz and drop the volume quite a bit. I remedied this by running another od pedal before it. They're both in a separate loop, so I can use both or just the reel echo if I'm playing clean. So sound quality is very good, there's a variety of different "effects" in this one package. The tone loss isn't a deal breaker, especially since I don't know how else you'd get these features outside of a true tape echo (and again, I don't know if that would suck the tone)

I never bring backup anything. I take care of my stuff and use it all regularly. I would think the chances are low that anything would cut out for the few hours I really need to depend on it, but there's always that chance, it's just not likely enough for me to haul backup gear.

My opinion on this unit keeps changing. There are times when I want to chuck it and get a DD6, but the possibilities with the reel echo are almost endless. I'm sure I'll find a set-up or (mod) where I can get it to work with as minimal tone loss as possible.

It's fairly simple to use, after you read the 1 page manual and realize what the controls do. I know other people have mentioned a problem with the sound on sound feature, but, as stated in the manual, all you have to do is turn the lo-fi all the way down and the repeats all the way up. Fairly simple. the slider is great for adjusting times in the middle of a somg, and the lo-fi switch is the best part of the pedal.

I use this with an epiphone casino-boss tu2-ibanez ts9-ibanez ts9-electroharmonix big muff pi-boss bf3-danelectro reel echo-either a 1969 fender twin reverb or a peavey classic 50 and it's great for a slapback sound on rhythym, or a fattening up of my leads. I don't really use the longer times, so I keep it under the 300 ms mark. It's great for what I need, but there is a slight volume drop, which is why I had to add the second tubesreamer into the chain. (I turn the drive all the way down and use it as a volume boost) It works great, other than the volume drop.

It's appears to be quite solid, being made out of metal, and I always gig without a backup.

Never dealt with them.

I play straight up rock'n'roll- lots of strokes, white stripes, rolling stones, the who, bowie, elvis costello, blondie, etc, and it works great for what I need. If they added a volume control, they could've tacked on another thirty bucks and I would've gladly paid it. If it were stolen or lost, I'd try out a few other pedals (ibanez ad-9, visual sound h20, memory man) but would probably end up purchasing another one, unless one of the above blew me away. For the price I paid, I'm very happy with it.

Knobs, slider, switches...hmmm..how hard could it be.
If you can't run this..you could be rentally metarded

OK, NOW I WORK ON ECHOPLEX UNITS..EP-2, EP-3 AND EP-4'S...SO I KNOW HOW A MAINTAINED / NEW TAPE ECHPLEX IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND..AND THEY SOUND AWESOME...BUT I'LL BE DIPPED IN PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE IF DANELECTRO DIDN'T HIT THE MARK VERY VERY VERY CLOSE TO SOUNDING EXACTLY LIKE AN ECHOPLEX UNIT. I WON'T ARGUE THE FACT THAT AN ECHOPLEX MAY HAVE A SMIDGE MORE OF THE CHORUSY SOUND...THAT IS, UNTIL YOU HIT THE WARBLE BUTTON ON THE DTE-1...WOW..NICE JOB DANELECTRO!! I'M TRULY IMPRESSED WITH MY FIRST EVER PURCHASE FROM DANELECTRO. I HAVE PLAYED ABOUT EVERY SINGLE PEDAL AVAILABLE TO MAN AND THIS LITTLE THING IS PHENOMINAL..PRODUCES BETTER ECHOPLEX TONES THAN A REPLEX..BY A LONG SHOT. I'VE PLAYED BOTH. IT IS NOT NOISY, THE EFFECTS HAVE A TONE OF SWEEP ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM, I PLAYED STRAIGHT INTO THE SYSTEM TONIGHT AND IT SOUNDED ACTUALLY BETTER THAN THE ECHOPLEX IN A LIVE SYSTEM PLUG IN. THE SWITCH FOR SOLID STATE AND TUBE WAS A MIND BLOWER TOO..I HEARD IT CHANGE FROM AND EP-2 TO AN EP3 OR 4 !! THAT IS FLAT OUT COOL. THE SOUND MAN CAME UP TO ME AT CHURCH AND SAID, MAN YOU HAVE A LOT MORE DRIVE TONIGHT AND THAT THING SOUNDS AWESOME..! SO THIS LITTLE GUY WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY ARSENAL..FROM TODAY ON..IT MINE...GO BUY YOUR OWN...HA HA..GOT IT OFF EBAY FOR 109.00..NOT BAD.

THIS THING IS IN A NICE METAL CASE,,HAS A LITTLE WEIGHT TO IT, WHICH I WASN'T EXPECTING, BUT DANELECTRO SPENT A FEW BUCKS ON THIS ONE AND PUT IT IN A VERY NICE ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE..I PERSONNALLY WOULD HAVE COLORED IT BLACK WITH WHITE KNOBS TO LOOK LIKE AN ECHOPLEX..THAT'S JUST ME THOUGH. I'M SURE IT WON'T BREAK...

HAVEN'T EVERY NEEDED IT SO I'LL GAMBLE WITH A 10 HERE SINCE THIS UNIT DESERVES 10'S ACROSS THE BOARD, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT SOUNDS SOOO SWUEEEET.

I PLAY CHRISTIAN ROCK/ JAZZ/ BLUES/ ACCOUSTIC...ETC.
THIS WILL MATCH UP TO ANYTHING AS MOST DELAYS WILL..:)
I USE G LP'S, WOLFGANGS, TAYLORS. JSX, MESA, FENDER.. FRANKLIN MOD PEDALS, POD XT LIVE, GT-PRO, GT-8, TONELABS SE, GNX-4..ETC ETC.
I'VE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR OVER 30 YEARS...SINCE I WAS A KID.
I WOULD REPLACE THIS IF STOLEN IN A MINUTE.
I LOVE THE WAY IT REPLICATES AN ECHOPLEX SOOOO CLOSE.
I DON'T HATE ANYTHING ABOUT IT, EXCEPT THE PUKE GREEN COLOR...BUT HEY, I WON'T LOSE IT..HAHA
MY FAVORITE FEATURE IS THE TAPE WARBLE...ACTUALLY WORKS AND SOUNDS GENUINE.
I HAVE TRIED THE REPLEX...AND ON & ON AND NOTHING, EXCEPT THIS ONE, CAME EVEN CLOSE TO THE TONES OF AN ECHOPLEX..
THIS IS A MUSIC MAKING TOOL AND NOT A HINDRANCE.

I MUST SAY, DANELECTRO, YOU GUYS DID AN AWESOME JOB ON THIS AND KEPT THE PRICE WITHIN THE RANGE OF THE LITTLE GUYS OUT THERE. I DIDN'T NEED TO BUY THIS, BUT DIDN'T WANT TO HAUL MY NOS ECHOPLEX EP-3 AROUND AND CHANCE GETTING IT DAMAGED OR STOLEN..SO I CHECKED OUT A FEW OPTIONS AND ENDED UP WITH THE DTE-1 BY REFERRAL FROM OTHER PRO GUYS..THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
DON'T HESITATE TO BUY THIS IF YOU LIKE THE TONE OF AN ECHOPLEX.
LISTEN TO U-2 AND YOU'LL HEAR TONS OF ECHOPLEX TONES FROM THE "EDGE".
HONESTLY, HE WOULD LOVE THIS ONE AND WOULD SAY..MAN, THAT IS IT..THEY NAILED THE TONE....NICE JOB DANELECTRO.

Although I found the pedal easy to use. I feel that a better manual for this product would help greatly, you know some suggested settings for maybe a U2 type of sound or some examples of other band type set ups.

My current set up is a whole slew of homemade strats and homemade kramer knock-offs thru my main amp , which is an Ampeg R212 re-issue.
My sound is right out of Van Halen's Women and Children First.

This pedal opened up some great tonal qualities when I used it in series with a Boss DD-3 thru the effects loop.

I have to give it a 9 just for that !!

The only reason I don't give it a 10 is it still missing a little something. But, I couldn't be more pleased.

So far ...I think it is built like a tank ( as others have mentioned )...Can it take road abuse ???? I don't know yet.

Overall, sure looks like a pedal that would've cost $300 to $400

I have been playing for 20 + years.I play alot like Warren Demartini with a heavy Van Halen / Eric Johnson influence.I have had a lot of stuff stolen over the years and I am a less is more type of player these days (with effect units) but,I would definitely replace this if it were lost,stolen or broken. I use it almost always in the tube/vintage mode w/ tape warble on - It is more of an effect for coloring my sound but, it does a lot of stuff an echoplex does. The sound on sound is probably better on other units with a longer delay time.I personally can't find a use for SOS with my style .

Very easy to use, controls laid out nicely. Just plug it in and adjust to your liking.

I bought the Reel-Echo about 3 years ago as a replacement for my Echoplex (which it seems some other reviewers have as well). I don't like digital delays; especially the Boss stop boxes. I was happy to find that Danelectro was making this worty replacement for a tape echo. There is a lever which adjusts the distance of the "playback heads" so that your delay is longer or shorter depending on which way you move it. Then you have to dial in how loud you want it to accompany your playing, and how many times it will repeat before dropping out. There is also a selector switch for tube or solid state sound. Tube has more analog warmth to it, but I am personally used to solid state since that is the type of echoplex I owned. You can also switch between clean or warbled sound. this effect resembles a tape warble as it goes through heads. The Reel-Echo sounds REEL good, actually. As a lover of analog effects, this still sits on my board and gets used frequently and really is an adequate replacement for a real Echoplex.

The unit is reliable, but I would use it plugged in. That being said, you also have to use the right adapter with it. I have some pedals that will work perfectly with a radioshack 9v adapter, but if you use anything on this except the Danelectro adapter or a Boss adapter, it will buzz. Trust me, I tried to troubleshoot that forever. With a battery it will run fine, but I think it tends to run out rather quickly. Too fast for my liking. Plus, if you have it on your pedalboard and it's plugged in, you don;t have to worry about disconnecting the input cable and draining the battery out. It's a heavy, durable pedal but I would not stomp hard on the switches. they have been fine for me but I don't really use it outside the studio. They have that look to them; like they might get stuck inside if you push them too hard.

Never needed them so far.

Good pedal that serves as a great replacement for the ever-so-unreliable Echolpex. IK hesitated at first because I really don't like Danelectro effects but this one seems to be good. I also don't feel like it takes away from my tone much either. I wouldn't think it has a natural bypass but still it's not really noticable to me anyway. I never understood the sound on sound function, and it seems multiple users have the same trouble. It doesn;'t work like the Echoplex did. Even so, I never use it anyway. I use an MXR 1500 digital delay rackmount in conjunction with the Reel-Echo. That can provide me a hold function while I bypass and use the echo delay on the Reel. I don't think anyone would steal it because frankly it looks like a toy, but if it were stolen I'm sure I would explore my options for higher end equipment as I rarely ever but the same thing twice. But even so, for about 150 bucks (i think, don't remember) you can't go wrong and it still sounds as good as that natural tape delay that is so highly sought after.

It could not be any easier to use. Its perfect for those those who hate complicated equipment.

This is where it shines. The only echo I liked other than this was the Echoplex (the oringal tape one) and I hate to admit it but in many ways this is better. Since its digital, I was really biased to not like it. As far as I am concerned this is the best "Echoplex" sim I have ever heard and may even surpass what it tries to emulate.

All NON tape echoes&delays sound processed, even analog ones. This is the only one that gets that tape slur correct which makes the echoes not compete with the original sound and allow to crank up the delay and still sound natural.

There's no moving parts, unlike the Echoplex so it has to be more reliable.

No Opininion.

Although I have many pedals, I mainly use a few and this has become part of my permanant setup. For what this pedal offers, its a bargain and one I would have to replace if it got stolen or broke.

I got the Danelectro "Reel" Echo about 6 days ago. When I first got it, I was expecting it would take some time "a-fiddlin'" to get the delay time and delay sound I wanted, as will any new piece of equipment. It acutally took far LESS time than I imagined! This pedal is sooo easy to use.

I mean, basically, you've got 4 settings to tweak to get your delay time/sound set to your liking: Mix, Lo-Fi, Repeats, and Speed Range.

The mix controls the ratio between how much of the main signal (plucked string) and the delay signal you hear. When set at minimum, only the main signal comes thru, and when set at maximum, only the delay signal comes thru. Anywhere between, it is varying mix of the two.

The Lo-Fi rolls off some of the high frequency in the delay signal. It is just like a "tone knob" for the delay signal, while you've got the tone knob on your guitar for the main signal.

The Repeats, obviously, controls how many repeats you hear after plucking the sting. Minimum is only one echo, and maximum is several echoes (or an infinate number of echos if the Lo-Fi is at minimum; it will echo until you turn it off!!!)

The Speed Range slider controls the amount of delay, or time between each echo. You get up to 1.5 seconds of delay. At minimum, you get a cool vintage "reverb-like" effect. The other features are just "extras" that you can use.

The tone switch gives you the option of having a warmer echo on the "tube" setting, or a brighter echo on the "solid state" setting.

The warble switch is just an extra effect. When the pedal is delaying, the echo will have a chourus/vibrato effect. What I liked about the warble switch is when on, you can turn the main signal off (putting mix on maximum) and turn the slider to minimum and you have a chourus pedal right there!

The Sound-on-Sound lets you record an up to 1.5 second lick (depending on where the slider is set) and play over it. You have to turn the repeats to max and the Lo-Fi to minimum for it to work though. When you do this just play the lick and when you are done, hit the SOS button and it will play it indefinatly.

The Reel Echo has a very warm and "natural" echo. I use a Fender Esquire reissue thru a Fender Frontman 15R amp at home. I bought this pedal mainly to simulate the tape delay heard by Johnny Cash's original guitarist, Luther Perkins. During his days at SUN, Sam Phillips utilized the "feather echo", which is a faster delay. At CBS, however, they utilized a longer delay. I can easily imiate these two perfectly with the Reel Echo!

Is it noisy? A little. During normal "clean" delay settings and when set on "solid-state" and no warble, it is not noisy. However, when you switch on the warble switch, you do get a little static noise, but it is not unbearable. It is actually not enough to complain about! Also, when you set it on "tube" you get the same static as above. I have also noticed that the tube setting makes the delay signal considerably weaker than when it is set on solid-state.

The only reason I gave it a 9 is because the scale on here says a 10 is "Pristine sound quality." You need a real tape delay unit for that!

From what I have seen, this thing is indestructable. I have drop it once, and it held up. The case feels bullet-proof.

I have not gigged with it, but I would not hesitate to use it live without a back-up.

I have not dealt with the company, so I wouldn't know.

This unit is a perfect match for the type of music I play. I mean, there's no other unit out there like it! I have been playing for over 10 years and have never played a comparable unit!

What I love about this pedal is the warm, realistic, and natural delay you get from it! The Lo-Fi is probably my favorite feature becasue it allows to to adjust the "warmth" of the delay. The delay is natural regardless of where the Lo-Fi is set!

There are a few things I would like to have different, or have added. You know, most old tape delay units that depended on tape speed for the delay speed had a slight rise in pitch. You can hear this on about half or more of the SUN recordings of Johnny Cash back in the fifties. I honestly thought before I bought it, that this is what the warble switch did, but I was wrong!

Also, I'll be honest, the sound-on-sound feature is basically useless with only 1.5 seconds of delay. I mean, I will never use that feature probably, so it doesn't matter much to me, but I thought I would address that.

One more thing, you get a unique vintage reverb effect with this pedal when the delay is on. This is great in some conditions, but I wish I could turn it off in others.

I also reccomend that you invest $10 in a Danelectro power adaptor. This thing CONSUMES batteries and if you go buy a normal AC adaptor, you will get a loud hum. Get the Danelectro Zero-Hum adaptor!

Overall, this is an amazing product! It is worth every dime and I don't regret it one bit! It does have its flaws, but they are sooo minor that it doesn't even matter really!

REALLY easy to get a GREAT sound out of it. Very nice repeats and just enough features to coax a good variety of tones out of it. For all the features, though, it's laid out very nicely and simply so adjusting with a foot or toe is a peice of cake, which is awesome. No menus, which is refreshing. Very similar in function to a EHX Memory Man.

The Sound-On-Sound feature is a little counter-intuitive to me, and I thought mine was broken at first. It does NOT "record" a loop when you press the switch, like you might think. Instead, what it does is when you have the "repeats" cranked FULL UP and the "lo-fi" OFF, activating S.O.S. keeps the "loop" repeating but doesn't record what you're playing over it. The loop will repeat infinitely. Then, devactivate S.O.S. to add to your loop as desired.

So note: It only works with the "repeats" at MAX and the "lo-fi" (degrading effect) OFF.

It makes sense once you do it once, and is very easy to use. Unfortunately the manual doesn't describe how it works very well. Perhaps those folks (unlike me) with experience with real tape echo units with S.O.S. would know this already.

I use several other pedals before this and a Boss DD-20 after it. It's not noisy at all, which is good. The effect sounds very good. I got this because I couldn't quite get the Boss DD-20 to replicate that super-musical slapback echo sound that I love so much. The Boss is a wonderful unit too, it does a LOT more effects and can get close in tape/analog sounds, just not perfectly. I was skeptical of the Reel Echo, but was really infatuated when I heard it could make *THAT* sound. The S.O.S. feature is really cool too, I use it together with the DD-20's S.O.S. feature and get some wild loops going.

As mentioned, I've never had a real tape unit, but I have a very picky ear, and this thing sounds good. If I wasn't so picky I'd be fine with the DD-20, an otherwise ingenius pedal, but I needed that certain echo sound: It's that warm, real rock and roll sound that you know it when you hear it.

I also love all the 'extras' like the tube switch, the lo-fi dial, and the chorus switch. Reminds me of a Memory Man, except the Reel Echo is more transparent and doesn't color your sound like some EHX units do. It's exactly what I wanted, nothing I don't, and more. The extra control over the tone of the 'repeats' is just awesome.

It's really, really heavy-duty. I adjust the settings with my feet and without concern.

N/A

I play a lot of different styles of music, but delay (or "echo") is an important element throughout. I like looping with my DD-20 and the Reel Echo's S.O.S. feature allows for an extra dimension which is nice, though at the end of the day, I need a delay that I can dial down to a reverby slapback too, and the Reel Echo really shines in that regard as well.

I love the extra features. If I could change something, I'd add more delay time, and maybe a tap tempo. The slider is actually pretty easy to dial in, but still, 1 1/2 seconds is a pretty short MAX delay (though still actually longer than the Memory Man, I think).

If lost, I might wait and save up for something just like it but in the expensive boutique market, just to try something new, if such a product exists. I heard that the Hughes & Kettner Replex is quite nice, for example, though twice or 3x as much. But if I didn't have the money, I would be very comfortable buying another Reel Echo.

Also note: It's kind of a big pedal too, which is good for tuning in with your toe, but does take up a chunk of space. Of course, most comparable products (i.e. the DD-20, Line 6, Memory Man, Replex) are all pretty big too, so I can't fault Danelectro.

Rock solid, sounds great, very creative to use and tweak on the fly (or dime into oscillation madness, if you wish). I love the Reel Echo.

i have never reviewed here before but frequently use HC for the reviews, but the person below who gave this a 2 for sound. CRRRAAAAZZZY!! there are great sounds all over this pedal. i didnt see anyone else note that the slider used to access the rate of delay is awesome! very easy to fine tune access to great slapback vintage analog tone. warble is not something i utilize for any effect its just one of those things dano does to all their pedals by adding gadgets that differentiate them from other pedal manufacturers. the lo fi knob is cool also i hate that cold digital delay sound other pedals give off.

great! rockabilly, slow blues ala red house, pink floyd sound on sound function... another gadget but it is still something fun to mess around with. easy to recreate analog sounds with lo fi knob and tube switch for that extra warmth. not a 10 because it isnt ANALOG like my stereo memory man, but it is sooo close its hard to tell them apart.

its danelectro but feels like a much sturdier pedal than they usually are known for.

i have never dealt with danelectro but own a few of their cheaper pedals (tuna melt tremolo, rocky road rotary speaker(another pedal ruined by excess gadgets(i have modded mine to leave out that sickly overdrive knob and now it is COLD SHOT sweet))and i love the fact that they try to provide a good product at low cost to customer. sorry too many parenthesis.

i play everything from waylon jennings to qotsa, no rap crap metal or new age country pop slop. i am talking music. compared to my boss dd5 and eh stereo memory man i use this the most, even though the eh sounds a little better(it is old and a little beat up, while the dano is shiny and stylish). the boss sucks, unless you want that long satriani/vai delay. true bypass would be nice but i cant tell any tone sucking unless a bunch of extra pedals are used. i have a zvex sho, nobels odr-1 original green version, dls chorus vibrato(works well with the dano), fulldrive clyde wah to a marshall jcm 2000 dsl 201 or peavey classic 20 most people still refuse to admit a small tube amp has more tone than any boutiquee overdrive. my primary guitar is a 1987 G&L asat. i have been playing for 8 years, but in that time have been very addicted to tone hunting. visit musictoyz or tonefrenzy or thegearpage for more tone hunting fun and this is danelectros best pedal. try it out ad if you dont like it go for a dd-6 because if you dont like this you dont like analog, unless you can afford a way huge aqua puss , ad-9 ad-999, or diamond memory lane of course.. no didnt think so.

easy read through the one sheet of directions and then experiment,come on its only a couple of knobs,if you can drive a car ,play with the radio,eat luch and bs on the phone at the same time this pedal should be a breeze for you!

this is as good as it gets unless you buy the real tape echo machine,then lug it around,i like it on some warm leads and some clen tones even with a lil chorus,reeeeeeeelllllll nice!

its like anything else,but its a pedal it takes more of a beating than rack gear

i love tape echo,always liked it on leads,i have this and a dd-3 thats all i need.its warm sounding like an old tape delay the warble sounds cool on a clean setting ,try playing a slow picked song,its like havin a lil tremolo in it.

This is a darn confounding unit. The manual is pretty worthless (do they think they are Fulltone?) There are a lot of knobs and some day I may figure out how to get a good clean sound out of it. As for me, I wish I had saved the money and bought a Maxon 999 or Carl Martin Delaya.

PRS CE 24 and Am. Std. Strat-Keeley Comp.-Barber LTD-Keeley Modded TS-9-Reel Echo- RetroSonic Chorus Ensemble-Chicago BLues Box Kingston 18W.

I power this with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power and have not experience battery problems.

My biggest gripe with this unit is that even alone into the amp, I have yet to find a decent clean echo. I have been all over the controls and just don't get it.

I thought it was broken because the fidelity was so lo-fi, but my guitar shop says that's the way it is supposed to sound. We even tested against a second unit and I had to agree. To me it sounds like a low gain fuzz box is running upstream of this pedal. And forget about it if you do stomp on the box to get some distortion or drive. The sound quality degrades so fast that it goes to muck which doesn't cut in a live situation. I'll keep trying, but darn, I wish I hadn't bought this sucker. To add insult to injury, Danelectro has dropped the price $30 and now I not only hate it but feel ripped off.

No problem to date

No experience with this yet. I may call them to talk about the low fidelity. Perhaps they will offer to look at it. I will write back with an update.

I would not repurchase this unit and it may end up on Ebay. I just hope I get more than $70 for it, since I paid a buck-fifty.

I will give Danelectro props for trying to do a lot in one box, but for me, the low fidelity sound coming out of this unit makes it a sucker buy.

Pretty simple, given the spectrum of features this unit has. Everything is clearly marked and easily accessable. The only thing I found to be a bit difficult to adjust to is the time control, which is broken up into 375 ms blocks. Not a very comprehensive graduation, but if you let your ears tell you where it needs to be, it's kind of a non-issue.

I'm not sure why everyone on here seems to have a hard time with using sound-on-sound... I've had no trouble, but you have to remember to turn the Lo-Fi to off and the repeats on to max. Other than that, it's simple enough.

The sound quality on this unit is good, very good. It's hard to judge this by anything but a tape-echo machine, so don't make the mistake of looping this into the same category of a Boss Digital Delay or even the Dan-Echo. Essentially, this device is longer than the average echo, shorter than the average delay, and with more ambience features than either of them. Like I said, the only thing I can really compare it to is another tape-echo machine, like a Binson Echorec or an Echoplex

So how does a digital pedal measure up to the Real McCoy? Pretty darned well, to my ears. Of course, there are subtle nuances that are exclusive to actual tape, but overall this unit holds up respectably. The secret is the Lo-Fi knob. With that sucker cranked, the LPF cuts off the edge of the repeats, giving the unit a very analog sound. The solid state/tube switch lets you switch from a brighter sound to a warmer sound, which is cool. My only complaint is the warble, which was a mild chorus for the repeats only. The reason I complain is because the sound of the warble is so un-warbly and so disctinctly chorus-y that it sounds like a typical, modern chorus pedal hooked up to your wet output. Totally blows the vintage vibe. The fix to this is to get a genuine vibrato pedal (the kind that alters the pitch slightly), slow it waaaay down and hook it up to the wet output. Warlbe City, population you.

So far, so good...

Never dealt with them...

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this unit. Althouh it is digital, it has a very organic sound to it, and the life it brings to my playing is very well-received. Of late, I've been listening to a lot of Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, not David Gilmour) and this thing fits right in.

One thing I've noticed about this pedal is it seems like an evolutionary link from regular echo to full-blown delay. It has sound-on-sound like some digital pedals, but it emulates the slapback sounds of the traditional echo quite well. The thing I like the most about it, however, is the level of control you have over the ambience of the unit, not just the repeats, lengths, and mix. You can make it sound clear and crisp as a morning breeze or as nebulous and ehtereal as murky water. It's a great unit.

You only need to be familiar do a delay. If you are not, just tweak the knobs and begin to suss it out and master the art.


Simple controls and spectacular layout. The only thing you need to get used to is the "mix" knob. The stompbox doesn't have a "volume" control, 'cause tweaking the mix control you can dose the influence of the delayed sound to the direct sound.

The sound quality is very high. I use it with a Fender Twin Amp and a Marshall JCM800. It has so much sound possibilities - just play some minutes with it and you'll discover the possibilities with this device seem endless. Whether you like long delays like, let's say Pink Floyd, or something that sounds more like an extra reverb, this will do it. You can also achieve very short echoes like that 50's rock sound (think of the Stray Cats). In the end, there are so many possibilities you will end up custumizing your own sound. But you have to be willing to test it massively.

These new Danelectro metal-made series pedals seem to follow the path that some other great manufacturers like Electro-harmonix took with the majority of their pedals. Very sturdy that is. The knobs are also firm and well built. I don't see how this pedal would break under normal circumstances.

Haven't needed to deal with them yet.

I play anything from jazz to funk, blues, classic and prog rock. I mainly bought this pedal because of the tape simulation (I really hate that Boss - Digitech - Ibanez digital sound). With it, all your problems about having to spend hundreds and hundres of dollars in a analog and vintage delay are literally dead. Instant Pink Floyd or Tool sounds. For the money this kicks the ass of any digital-delay pedal out there, no question about it.

This unit's controls make alot of sense.

I had an RV-3 Boss Echo Delay. It was ok, but not after I heard what a professional Echo/delay sounded like.
I finally found one that not only sounds realistic, is very customizable, but yet affordable. Enter the Danelectro Reel Echo. Got it for $114 plus s/h.
This is about as close to the old analog tape echo as you can get without having to fool with the tape and tape heads. I got it new on Ebay.

Gary

All I can say is ooohweeee...this in combination with my new Accutronics 3 spring long delay 17" reverb tank on my Jazz Chorus 90....is this side of Heaven!

This thing is built like a tank. Should last a long time! I would rate it a 10 but haven't had it long enough yet.

Haven't used them yet

This is better than the Boss Delay pedals and most others I have heard to date. Very close to the real deal with no fuss and muss of changing tapes and cleaning tape heads like on the old Analog Tape units.
I have to hand it to them....this baby ROCKS and is an excellent value. This is the best value in Echo's for those of us who cannot afford the high end stuff.

No effect will ever will sound great right out of the box with any guitar/pedal/amp combination. This does require a bit of tweaking to get it right for your desired sound. The cool thing is the versatility offered by this box. The Time slider does take a bit of getting used to and will not nail every Millisecond setting in its range. The mix option is a little unconventional for a youngster like me who hasn't played with a tape echo. Other than that, a little time spent can get you a good sounding delay for the type of music you are going for.

Sound quality does deteriorate rapidly if you are using a battery to power this creature. Definitely find a 300Ma adapter for the power side. Delay is a very subjective application to one's guitar playing. One person's gold can be another person's rotten cheese. I play surf to reggae to funk to space rock to classic rock to metal to avant gardey noise and it really covers a lot of ground within the techniques required for the genres. I dont find it all that noisy. Set for vintage slapback sounds, I found it inspiring. For Hank Marvin/Dave Gilmour 16th note cascades, I found it can be set for very warm tones. The only thing that gives it away that it is a digital delay is the stairstepping that occurs when you tweak the Time slider. The home-made PT-80 (See Generalguitargadgets.com -also a digital delay, for those of you who can build this stuff) doesn't do that, but doesnt get lo-fi or "tubey" There must be a low-pass-filter and a compander chip in there. Compared to other digital delays, this thing is ORGANIC and diverse in its applications.

I've used it for 2 years and no troubles. USE A 300Milliamp Adapter-it eats 9 volts like 4 'oclock crumpets. The screws around the switches and jacks have come loose on mine, but those fittings are bulletproof if you add lockwashers. Like any pedal, dont submerge it in the bathtub, or feed it too much current. Without blatant abuse, it should hold up fine. I've been gigging without backup with confidence. It has yet to do anything than sound just like it has always has.

N/A haven't needed squat

Very diverse echo unit, I like what it has to offer in the simulation of the units used on a lot of my favorite recordings. I've been playing quite a while and gig and record with a band. It has been mainly used in this combination: 1967 Fender Mustang>2002 Crybaby Boost/Wah>Harmonic Percolator clone>'80s Digitech Chorus/Flanger>Reel Echo>1974 Fender Twin Reverb. Does the trick for me!!
LIKES: I can go from the 50's-00's and beyond with these echoes.
FAVORITES: The SOS feature-Set your repeats for 100%, your echo time for LONG and record a little riff, hit SOS and jam out on top of it. Very good songwriting tool! You can tweak the time an really mess with your recorded riffs.
PETTY QUARRELS: Doesn't use tape! Is not analog!
It would be cool if it pitch shifted up or down if you tweaked the time. Smoother repeats at the faster time settings.
I wish it had its own light show! Maybe a shark with laser beams.
It has facilitated in the writing of a few of my songs-none of it's limitations get in the way of my playing.

It's not really too easy to get good sounds out of the unit. It has so much knobs, and you don't need more than 5 minutes to know that isn't difficult to get every kind of sounds out of it. So, you'll need some time to achieve THAT sound you always dreamed about.

The manual is really RIDICULOUS. I really don't know if I can call that piece of paper as a Manual. So, I don't know if there's a manual for it.

I don't like the "Mix" and "Repeats" knobs, because they're not so accurate. But it's not a problem that would obstruct you from buying it.

The delay time slider is fantastic, it's very easy and quick to change the configuration of delat time.

My current setup is: Cort MGM Signature w/ EMG-85 active pickups > Onerr Volume Pedal GV-1 > Beggiato AB Box > MXR DynaComp > Tube Screamer TS-9 > Marshall Shred Master > Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 Fuzz > Danelectro Chicken Salad > Ibanez DSC-10 Stereo Chorus > Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger > Danelectro DTE-1 Reel Echo > Boss TU-12H.

The unit is hardly ever noisy. The only noise you can hear is the crackling sound when you turn of/off the unit (but it's not usual).

To get the delay sound you always wanted, you'll need a time studying the unit, but it's not a nightmare. Just spend some minutes trying different configurations, and you'll be in heaven. You can use it as a slight reverb, if you want. Just try it. The unit is really nice.

The unit is very reliable. It has nothing to do with that mini, plastic-made pedals by Danelectro. It's steel made, and looks really sturdy. I depend on it, and I haven't backup for it. Never needed.

I've never dealt with them, but I think if I need someday there will be no problem.

I have tried a big number of echo/delay units (BOSS, Dan-Echo, Ibanez, Onerr, Zoom, Digitech, Maxon, Danelectro PB&J) and this is my favourate so far. It is excellent value for money, because it proves to be reliable. We can't say it really does imitate theose old tape echo's. But the unit offers a great sound. Everybody gets shocked by its shape and design at first but soon gots used to that aspect. Overall I really like this pedal.

Important note - do not bother using batteries with this delay as it will sound awful unless they're brand new. Use a mains adapter.

So anyway it's a cheap and cheerful "fun" tape echo simulator, but actually - if you use it with a wall wart - has quality echoes and lots of fun features. Above all remember this is a FUN unit, if you want pro delay features, buy a pro rack unit.

Very easy to get good sounds from it, if you can't then you probably need help turning the tv on. There's probably a manual in the box but I didn't look at it. The only fiddly control is the delay time slider but even that's not so bad.

I use the Reel Echo with a THD BiValve, and Gibson guitars (ES-335, Les Paul Special, Blues Hawk). It's not noisy in front of the amp and the bypass is pretty good (not sure it's true bypass though). Not so happy in the fx loop but it's not meant to be afaik.

Effects are really outstanding for the money. The key control to this delay is the lo-fi control - turn it all the way anti-clockwise and you get good quality echoes that don't decay with each repeat. Turn the lo-fi control clockwise and you gradually dial in hf cut so your delay decays just like a tape delay. The more you dial in, the muddier the delay gets.

Sound on Sound - excellent for accompanying yourself. Turn lo-fi OFF then repeats to max, set time to suit, play a phrase, press the SOS button then solo over it to your heart's content. If you feel like adding to your loop, just turn SOS off and you can add what you want then press SOS to start soloing again. Hours of fun :-)

Solid State / Tube - SS gives a repeat which is pretty true to the original signal, Tube gives a thinner, crispier sound. Can't say I ever use the Tube setting, but some might like it.

Warble - adds chorus to the delay to simulate tape flutter and wow. Nice for an effects-ey delay, and if you select minimum delay time and repeats of course then you have a chorus unit of sorts.

When I gig it I don't take a backup, but then I don't feel I have to have a delay unit to play. It seems solid enough, but probably if I keep operating the delay time slider with my foot it'll break eventually...

I emailed them once and got no reply, probably personal support isn't their thing.

Overall the Reel Echo is a great delay unit, but firmly in the Dan Electro mode of not taking itself too seriously. What it claims to do, it does excellently. If it had a tap tempo facility it would be truly outstanding, and would walk all over most "boutique" makers' delays. It's not my only delay, but if I lost it I'd definitely get another one.

Its all pretty straight forward, mix, repeats, delay time, the usuals. Then there is the Solid State / Tube switch, the Warble On / Off switch, and the Lo-Fi knob.
Everything is explained in the manual. The manual has no presets in it though, but not that you really need it to be honest.
The only annoying thing is that the slider for the delay time has a stupid scale, 0 - 375 - 750 - 1125 -1500. It splits the 1500 max delay into 4 parts, granted, but its pretty useless when you're trying to get a 400ms delay time, you have guess it. The slider itself is a great idea, but the scale is useless. I've made my own out of a sticker, divided into 100ms intervals, works like a dream.
The two buttons on it are effect on and off, and Sound on Sound function. This is good, they suggest you use it for looping, but I like to use it to 'deaden' delays, meaning that the delays die away 'naturally' instead of completely cutting them out, then you can turn off the unit nice and easily.
All the knobs are nice and big, you can turn em with your foot, except for the lo-fi knob, but you won't need to change that often.
I give this a 8, because it does pretty much everything you could want, but like i said, the slider scale is stupid, and the lack of a tap tempo is also quite annoying.

My current setup is Strat > Small Stone > Marshall MG50 > (efx loop) Reel Echo > Boss TR-2 > (return)
The unit is hardly ever noisy, only occasionally you can hear the buttons popping when you switch on and off the unit, but rarely.

The effect itself sounds good. It is however easily overdriven, and you end up with a crappy drive to your repeats which is annoying. It is a Tape Echo Simulator, I dunno if its meant to do that, but it sure is annoying.
With too much gain, the repeats are weak. If used in an Effects Loop, turn down the Post Gain on your amp or dist. box you are using, and it should be ok.
The solid state and tube functions work well. The solid state is nice and clean, does what it says on the tin. The tube effect is occasionally weak, but it sounds cool in some applications, and has a nice "synth" sound to it.
The warble function: all it does is add chorus to your repeats, or summat very similar. It sounds ok, and can be used very nicely to create a desired effect, again, sounds "synth" like.
The Lo-Fi control I have found to be pretty useless. It really only has two setting, off or on. What it does is cut off the the treble frequencies. But in reality it also adds some bass to them, so you get a stupid pounding repeat. And the range isn't great either.
The Mix and Repeat knobs are good. The Repeat knob has a strange tendency to "jump" ie, you can turn it for quite a bit before there is an actual audible change in the number of repeats. This can be either useful or incredibly annoying; you can use it as a kinda "preset" idea, but otherwise it is just limiting.

sounds I like to get out of it:
Apart from all the obvious bog standard delay stuff, it can do a lot of ambient stuff too.
Reverb - set delay time really short, set repeats almost to infinite, set mix to taste, solid state for a good reverb. If you change it to tube, and maybe add the warble, you get a nice "synth strings" effect.
"Backwards" guitar - set the Mix control past halfway (about 3 o clok works well). This means that the repeats are louder than the dry signal, giving a swell effect, very nice.

It is very reliable, made very sturdily. But it eats batteries like there's no tmmrw.

n/a

I play many things, but concentrate mostly on stuff like Radiohead, Verve, U2, Coldplay, Doves, Interpol, all that jazz. It can certainly do all that, in fact it does Interpol very well.
There are a few annoyances I have with it, the lack of a tap tempo, the stupid scale, the jumping of the pots, the easily overdriven sound. But I like it all the same. I will be getting a new delay in the future, and keep this one along side it, to do some crazy dual delay stuff. I'll probably let this do the standard stuff and leave the crazy stuff to another, more versatile unit (Boss Delay, Line 6 DL-4, Digitech DigiDelay etc).
If it were stolen, I probably wouldn't buy another. I'd go for something that doesn't include all the annoying things this unit has. Don't get me wrong, this is a good delay, just it could be so much more for what it cost.

The pedal was pretty easy to use and I was able to get a nice slap-back echo right out of the box.

I was also able to get the SOS (sound on sound) function to work ... after reading the instruction sheet, which tells you to, turn the REPEATS knob to the maximum setting (100%) then step on the SOS button after you've played a sample up to 1.5 seconds.

I've never played a "real" tape echo unit before so I can't comment on how easier / harder one is from the other, etc.

I used this pedal through 2 different Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amps (one being made in the USA, the other made in Mexico) and played a Fender American Standard Stratocaster.

Through the USA amp I noticed no tone change when the pedal was on or off ... also I didn't notice any extra noise coming from the pedal.

Through the made in Mexico amp, I used other pedals along with the Reel Echo. The pedal setup was: guitar -> AB box -> Keeley Compressor -> Loooper -> Boss BD-2 (Keeley mod) -> Effector 13 Eye Of God -> Boss DM-2 -> Digitech Multi Chorus -> Danelectro Tuna Melt -> Danelectro Reel Echo -> amp. I noticed once again no tone change / extra noise when the pedal was on / off. Also the pedal works great with other effects (overdrive, delays, chorus, etc.).

I did notice a small tone change when I switch the tone switch from "tube" to "solid state" ... to me the solid state was a little more brighter sounding (which I liked). Also the warble switch was cool, it reminds me of the Flerb setting on the Electro-Harmomix Holy Grail reverb pedal (which I own, and will most likely be selling soon, since I've been keeping that pedal for that sound for awhile now).

The box is made out of steel (or aluminum) and looks pretty sturdy. I ahve other Danelectro pedals (6 minis and 2 big steel case pedals) and I've never had any problems with any of them (with the exception of one and it was a defect).

This pedals can use a battery or an A/C plug (which one came with mine) so you have 2 power options which is nice to have.

I've never delt with them, but they have a nice website with some info on their products.

Overall it's a good delay / echo pedal. I like the options of the solid state / tube tone switch, warble switch and the lo-fi knob ... with those options you're able to make the delay / echo suitable to the type of song you're playing. At $70 it's a great pedal, for anything over $90, I'd look into getting something else (I think $100 for any delay / echo is too high, IMHO).

The Dano REEL ECHO is a fairly simple echo unit to use. For those who remember the classic "Echoplex" tape machines this unit will be a breeze to use. Even if you never owned an old machine you'll be able to dial in a sound you'll like right away. The manual is vague in it's instructions, so my best advice is to play with it.

The REEL ECHO sounds best when run through the front of the amp- do not patch it through the effects loop! There is a noticeable loss of sound if the unit is run through the effects loop. The REEL ECHO has a very nice tube setting which gives some added vintage warmth to your sound. I use it with a Fender solid state amp (Princeton 65) and it creates a very life-like tube sound (I like that)!
The "sound-on-sound" effect is possible after you get used to setting it up a few times. Remember, you've only got 1.5 seconds of memory to work with- so you can't go on with unlimited "loops".

This unit is built to last with ultra-sturdy metal construction! Dano has gone to great lengths to get this thing right...unlike their light weight plastic mini-pedals. I like the mini's but man, you've got to be careful when using those little tykes!
I would use the REEL ECHO wothout a backup (I do now).

I have contacted Dano (via email) in the past and they will help you out. They may not be fast but they're fair...

Echo effects are great for giving your guitar sustain and presence. The "Lo-Fi" roll off control adds a little sparkle to the echo's tone. Cool. The unit reminds me of the sound that made Les Paul famous in the early 1950s. With a little delay your guitar gets a nice "doubling effect" which is vey natural sounding. The "Warble" control adds some tones that aren't always in tune, so I don't use very much. I do love the "Tube" tone the best (as I've already stated).
It's a damn good unit that is well made and seems like it will hold up over the long haul.
Dano has made a real valid attempt at creating value-priced yet high quality products for us guitar pickers.

Manual doesn't give away too much, but easy to use if you have used a delay before. Wish the cool looking 'Capstan' like knobs were weighted so they felt as good as they look!

I've used this pedal with Peavey Classic 30 and Cornford amps and various guitars, it does effect the tone whether on or off, but only in the same way Echoplex's do anyway. Heres the deal... under no circumstances even think of using a battery with this pedal, it will sound cheap and nasty, however, with the right power supply (300Ma Regulated)the tone improves enormously and the whole unit can sound really quite classy.

Obviously it's not as good as a real Echoplex, but then i've heard Echoplex's that aren't as good as an Echoplex, if you see what i mean!

It nails a good early Buddy Holly and a class 'Jeepster'esqe Marc Bolan. Can't seem to get a convincing Eddie Cochran yet, still keep trying.

Basically it does what it say's on the box, sounds 'like' a tape echo, without the hassle... Top behaviour!

Seems Ok, but i don't beat pedals up.

N/a

I record and produce all sorts of styles, but predominately Indie/Rock and Dance, some Blues/Jazz. This is a fun piece of kit and that's the point.. It's supposed to be fun!

I have studio echo's old and new and this funky little box has a smile factor everytime i, or someone else, uses it. It will never replace my analogue delays and it's not as versatile as the Line 6 Echo Pro, but it is a third of the price, (Don't pay over #100) and it does what it does well 'AS LONG AS YOU DON'T USE A BATTERY'!...So some hassle then..ahem!

Its easy to get going. The manual doesn't say much, but its echo - pretty straighforward.

I've read all the reviews here. I will say it is noisy - it has a really loud "white noise" hiss to it when turned on. I haven't used a real tape echo personally, but I'm certain this thing doesn't produce any more noise that those units do - or perhaps it was even designed to have a tape like hiss to it. What really prompted me to write this review was one thing I noticed but didn't see in other reivews. Battery life - this thing killed the new battery that came with the unit within 1 hour of its first use. The tone goes downhill dramatically but yet the jewel lamp glows bright red. But when I put in a new battery - the rough tone was gone. So what I'm saying is, don't even bother with a battery - you better plug in the AC adapter. I got the Danelectro chromatic tuner and they almost say flat out to only use the AC adapter. I think this would be true for the reel echo too. I like the sound of the unit overall. I can set the controls up and nail Brain Setzer's tone on "Sleepwalk" really close. You can't emulate this with a standard echo because it must roll off the high frequencies on each echo like tape does for it to sound right (50's style). Its a good match with my Fender Blue Jr. and 63' Gretsch double anniversary.

Fine so far.

?

Too expensive! The only reason I finally gave in was the store were I bought it from (MF) - gave me a Danelectro Dan-O-Matic pedal for free with the purchase of the real echo.

Pretty easy to use. Plug in and go. I like that it doesn't need a wall wart.

Not that great for such an expensive unit. Kind of ironic but this pedal uses state of the art digital technology to emulate the imperfections of analog. It hisses a bit and the echo can make a popping noise depending on how you hit the button to engage echo. I don't think the delay time of "sound on sound" is long enough to do anything useful musically with. Really I think it's only usefulness is as an enhancement for reverb (I mix it in with the reverb from my
Fender Super reverb) It does give a very vintage sound in this mode and it's what I use it for most. Rockabilly and surf sounds.

Good so far

Not bad but a bit pricey for what you get. If I had it to do over I'd wait till these were selling used on ebay and pick one up there for 50 bucks.

So so. It is modeled after a tape echo so if you are used to delay pedals this seems just a bit weird. Too much turning of any knob causes dramatic effect. This is good or bad depending on your preference.

Sound on Sound: is simple. Hit echo and get your loop, then hit sound on sound to play over it without recording. VERY NICE FEATURE. Hit echo again to shut everything off. Loop ends when you shut it off. No fading off like a Boss.

Left Mix knob: Should be set to middle if you want to hear both signals at the same time. Some have commented here that Sound on Souns doesn't work. I suspect they had the mix knob turned all of the way up.

Does infinite repeat better than my Boss. Quality does not disentigrate unless...

Lo Fi ...unless you use this knob. The repeats start to diminish and even infinite repeat will not go forever (it does what it says it does).

Warble: It also works. Warble is something I really hate about tape. It is good if you like that sort of thing. The warble on this unit kind of takes the randomness out of the tape malfunction. I just kept it OFF.

Tone: Solid State or Tube. I didn't take it apart, but I suspect there is only a resistor and capacitor in there causing a tone knob effect here. Change is subtle. I think tube probably sounds better, but I could have been tricking myself. It seemed subtly warmer.

Speed Range: Full on digital, easy to use. Will not speed up like a tape or slow down. It isn't as bad as the Boss it will not repeat a bunch of CD skipping fragmented crap when you change the time. It repeats once or twice and then changes the time with no hassle.

I am not really sure about this unit. I am from the digital age, but I admire old things. This is an oxymoron product. It is a tape echo simulator with no variable on-the-fly speed control. Yet it has a nasty click when engaged (possible patched end of tape loop simulation)? The clicking is very noticable and would sound like total crap if it were enhanced by your amps reverb. Some may be looking for this sound but I was not.

I expected analog delay with minimal noise and long delay times 2 seconds or more.

This unit is pretty good, but could use a bit of tweaking. As a sissy Delay pedal it is ok (clicking).

As a tape echo it is ok (no variable speed)

As either one or the other it is no contest. The delay time is too short for a machine that doesn't know what it is to cost this much. I'd get Danelectro delay, Digitech, DOD, or Boss before I'd pay for this.

It isn't a bad pedal, it just doesn't live up to it's promise in its price range.

I just demoed it at Guitar Center.

Never had dealings...

It is half-delay, half-tape echo...simulator.

I could REALLY get into this pedal. I loved the sound on sound, but hated the clicking. Lo fi control was a fun novelty, but a waste of a good pot. Tone and Warble switches are nice addition, but a waste of switches for my use. (After eliminating all of the things I would not use we are left with a digital delay pedal).

If they put all of these cool additions on it they should have made it analog so one could adjust the Speed Range. 1.5 seconds is not long enough for sound on sound.

I'd recommend a used Digitech PDS series delay over this one.

This is not a bad pedal, but it is too big, overpriced for what it doesn't do, and just can't make it's mind up what it is.

Demo this before buying. It teeters on the edge of something useful.

Good variation in sounds as echo/delay goes. Tone control, Tube/solid State switch and warble all very effective with highly descernible differences in sound. It really can replicate those old and wonderful tape echo's, Copycat, Echoplex, Roland Space Echo! It did however take some to work out how to get 'sound on sound'to work, the instructions not being too helpful here. It's only when you happen to look at the base of the unit, that all becomes clear! But hey, who really actually uses SOS?

I use echo/delay as a sax player, as a major part of the sound. The sound produced by the Reel Echo is truley excellent. Only proble is that the volume/mix button is a bit erratic. The effect doesn't fade below the dry sound too progressively as the knob is turned anticlockwise meaning that the echo tends to scream a bit sometimes. The sensitivety can be adjusted however by using the tone control to get round this problem. Overall it is great, giving real presence to sound.

Haven't used it enough yet but, like all digitally based delay pedals it has a veracious appetite for 9v batteries and a power pack is a must. Using a power pack does introduce some hum and I am yet to try Danelectro's own low hum pack. I wouldn't use any FX pedal without a back-up and this one is yet to prove itself but, I'm sure it will.

Not owned it long enough and have no previous experience of Danelectro.

I have used many echo/delay units over 30 years and this is my favourate so far. At just under a hundred pounds it is excellent value for money if it proves to be reliable. I have seen it selling for #120 around the web sites, at which point, it has to compete with some really good delay pedals so it needs to remain at sub #100 prices. Nevertheless it really does imitate theose old tape echo's and offer something a bit different. I was shocked by its size at first but soon got to like that aspect. It appears heavy and robust but is it 'beer proof'? The slider for the delay time is excellent much like the old Echoplex, making it very quick and easy to change the delay setting. Overall I really like this pedal? box?

the sound on sound is so simple my cat could figure it out. RTFM

1. set the feedback to maximum (or close).
2. set the delay time, preferably to something long.
3. step on the ECHO footswitch, and play a phrase to fill up the buffer.
4. step on the SOS footswitch, and play over the top of your repeating phrase.

the delay time slider adjusts the buffer-length, not the sample-rate, so you can't get realtime pitch shifting by adjusting the d.time slider. I don't know what they were thinking here. almost seems like they put the lowpass filter *behind* the buffer.

maximum setting on the feedback knob sounds like it's 100% exactly.

the overall tone is nice. the lowpass filter is not as sharp as I'd like. I didn't try the warble. the 'tube' switch had no audible effect.

the unit I played through was a guitar center demo model, and it had a nasty bounce in the footswitch, and the battery cover was wearing out.

they always respond to my emails personally and promptly. more often than not they include undocumented technical information.

I play what they call "post rock". we "post rock" types need the sample-rate adjustment on our delays - buffer-length just doesn't cut it. for now I'm going to stick with my old Ibanez EM5. it has a nice (though fixed) lowpass sound, and it can do the pitch shift sound.

I am going to keep looking for a 1) digital 2) affordable 3) SOS capable 4) delay pedal with variable samplerate however.

If you read the other reviews on this you will see that it is not difficult to use except for the sound on sound feature that I could never get to work. The manual is a bit lacking in information but it is not that difficult to figure out how to use the pedal. I found the sound to be very lacking in analog authenticity. I have owned a number of real tape echos and a number of good analog delay pedals and no matter what I thried with the Reel Echo, it sounded like an inexpensive digital delay. I was very disappointed and finally took it back to Guitar Center and got a refund.

The paragraph above describes what I thought about the sound.

Didn't own it long enough to form an opinion on this, but I own two other Danelectro pedals, a Cool Cat Chorus and a Daddy-O Overdrive and both of them have performed well and sound good.

This is where Danelectro really gets a failing grade. I sent them two emails asking about the sound on sound feature and after not receiving a reply, I tried their non toll free number and you get trapped in a voice mail jail. There is no way to talk to live person. I left my message and that wasn't responded to either. This experience has totally turned me off of Danelectro products. Even though I own two of their products now, I seriously doubt I would ever consider buying another if they don't feel customer service is important. If they don't care about me, why should I care about them?

As I said earlier, I was terribly disappointed and took it back to Guitar Center who cheerfully refunded my money.

I just bought the Danelectro "Reel Echo" today, and I must admit I liked it. It was easy to get into, except for the "Sound on Sound" function, which was confusing, oh, and it pays to have a fresh battery handy.

It certainly sounds very authentic, apart from the absence of the "spaceship" effect, which is a very strange ommission in a so called "authentic" re-creation of an original tape echo. I am a bit dissapointed as well. It does sound very good if you like "surfy" type guitar tones.

It seems to be fairly well constructed, but I personally wouldn't use such a pedal like this on any stage, it's just to breakable looking! I'm not that convinced by the dodgy looking "speed" slider.

I may just take this back, because the "sound on sound" function just did not impress me a lot, and I bought it because it seemed like a great idea to me. However when I finally got it working I thought it was useless. Robert Fripp would throw this one away, I think!

I play on a recreational level, a lot of fiddling and widdling in a quasi "psychedelic" manner (not all that good though), but I'm not sure this pedal is for me. I've used quite a few analogue delays over the years, including an old Ibanez tabletop unit (which I still use), but this does sound cleaner than that. I also have a Korg "stage echo" tape device, which still works. This unit I think is a resonable recreation of the tone, especially the "warble" function. I think this unit is for die hards mainly, I don't think its all that great, oh well!

Besides the Sound On Sound function, which was a royal pain in the ass to get working, the effect itself is just turned on via a light-duty stomp switch, and once you get the hang of adjusting everything it's pretty good functionality-wise.

I'm one of the old-school guys who's coming from a real Echoplex to this thing. I got rid of my Echoplex because its time had just come, and I need something reliable right now. I use this in conjunction with a few other pedals and effects through a 65 deluxe reverb or a princeton chorus. Personally it sounds better in the deluxe. The tube option really warms it up. I hear people saying that the unit is noisy - well, I've owned an Echoplex for quite some time and those things aren't exactly quiet, so this will suffice. Won't go and say it sounds like an Echoplex, although it does recreate the sound if you tamper with it enough and matches it pretty close to the real thing. what I'll need to do now is try it with headphones to really hear the detail of the effect at close range. Seriously, it;s an ugly-ass effect box that looks like a cheap toy, but being that it matched up close enough to my picky-ass ears and had echoplex-like versatility, it works fine for me. now try to get Eric Johnson to try this thing (yeah right).

This is dependable. I could really do without the cheap-ass box like I said before, because original tape echos have on off switches that you do by hand and leave running throughout. We all know that the heads on those things got really dirty quickly, and you don't deal with that here. Reality though, it's too bad you can't just hook up an external stomp switch to the back (without having to actually connect the wires inside to a new switch) so you can limit the amount of times you step on this cheap aluminum box, therefore saving it some years (or months, who knows - just got this 2 days ago).

I'm sure they're fine...they're still in business which is a plus for a vintage analog guy like myself. I'm sure if there was a problem they'd fix it (though don't quote me on that)

Overall and to sum this up, it's a cheap box with an Echoplex-like mimic. If you've had an Echoplex before we all know one thing: it uses a tape. A very flimsy recording tape which is unprotected from dust and crap (especially if you leave the cover off for whatever reason), and the worst part is, they're tape delays. Shit breaks. I'm actually satisfied with this thing, being that I brought my Echoplex to the Guitar Center and did a side by side comparison at the store and really honestly could not tell the difference when you tweak it right. Obviously this is not a pro pedal by any means, and if I were richer I probably would have gotten a vintage MXR Analog Delay or a Hughes & Kettner Replex, but for what I do I guess it works. I'm sure sooner or later I'll run into the flaws that everyone talks about. I truthfully never really even used the sound on sound function on my Echoplex so as aggravating as it is told that it is to get working, I'm sure I'll never even give a shit about it. As a cheap version of an Echoplex; it does the job, and I'm not going to complain. I think $150 is a bit pricy for this thing being that it is a Danelectro, but oh well. My friend bought a Danelectro distortion pedal a few years back when they only had 3 pedals on the market and he still uses it to this very day exclusively so it must say something about the product, right?

Sound on sound function is a little funky but everything is pretty easy to figure out and use.

It sounds better than any of the other imitators out there but I really wish it did the whackey rocket ship thing with the increase and decrease of the delay time. It doesn't even come close ! But for just a pure echo pedal it sounds good.

Never had a problem with Danelectro.

??? OK I guess ???

I tried the Line 6 delay and this one is alot warmer sounding minus all extras that the line 6 gives you. It's a good solid warm delay pedal. I play all styles of music and I am still searching for the ultimate delay, this one comes close but no cigar !

digital delay - to me, harder to nail the EXACT sound but a little over the 375 mark makes it sound like a model for the electro harmonix memory man WITHOUT that pesky noise gate!

played thru a gibson SG to pedal board to an orange 30 watt twin channel head, crystal clear, does not corrupt your sound on or off. preserves distortion the way you intend it.

i don't believe this has a battery option, must use an AC adaptor. don't kick the plug out!

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good for emo, space rock, f-ing with people before you blow your stack live. i sold my EH memory man after buying this, because it used to suck the life out of my sound with its "gain" control - now this pedal lets me preserve the signal and mimics the EHMM pretty damn close. as for the sound on sound, read your manual, or crank the repeats to max, hit echo, play a 1.5 second (maximum) sound bite, hit SOS and fire away. it will loop your lick, then you get to play clean/distorted/effected over it............cool!

It's pretty easy to get a basic echo happening. The sound on sound thing was a little quirky but easy enough after a minute and a half. Frankly, I'm not sure why this paragraph is even relevant for most pedals.

Sounded pretty decent clean. Sounded like it wanted to be an analog tape echo.

The painful shrill came when I tried it with a mildly overdriven tone. What an awful sound. It was brittle, harsh, <insert more synonyms here>.

Unless you are looking for an echo for just clean tones, stay away.

Oh, did I mention it was noisy too.

It seemed like it was made OK -- not as sturdy as a Boss pedal but I don't think there would be too much to worry about here.

Never used their support.

I didn't end up buying it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone really. There are much better delays to be had for around the same price.

simple sound on sound worked for me but I would never use it anyways

Just got it yesterday. I put the dry out into a Fender Tone master w/ 2X12 cab and the wet to a Peavy Classic 30 w/ 4X12 tonemaster cab. (Normally I use a Fender Twin for a second amp) I've tried other delays (SPX990, Boss DD7 or something ect ect) but they would break up or alter the sound too much, this didn't do it as much and if there was that analog sounding distortion to the echo cutting the highs on the unit would help a lot. Little bit of noise plugging my guitar direct in then to the amp but thru the loop of the Tone master it was pretty clean for an inexpensive delay.
I really like setting the delay as a VERY short delay or doubler with this setup, very thick sounding. I tried that with the SPV990 and it sounded like crap. I'm trying to find a reason to send it back but it's just cool enough not to. I wanted to try a real Echoplex or the like but I saw this in an add and had to give it a shot for the money.
I will use it for a while and after 30 days if I still like it i will keep it. I does not do just one reapeat though, you can still hear trails after no matter what but they are quiet so in a live situation it won't be a problem.
I think it sound decent for the cash.

Never bought anything Danelectro before so I don't know. I never used a delay giging before because they all soundlike crap (to me)if you dont mike the amp and go through a board. This may be the first delay I try playing out with. I may just end up using it to thicken my sound by putting a few milliseconds between amps and occasionally for some slide stuff. I don't like over using any effects.

don't know

Classic rock, blues, southern ect. Playing 25 years ( shit I'm getting old!)I would probably accept that it was fate if it got stolen and give up on delays.
I still have some toying around to do with it before I'm sold on it but I have tried a few and they go back almost instantly so they must have something here. If it takes away from either of my amps I will send it back. I didn't pay $4,000 in amp gear to fuck it up with a $150 dollar pedal but if it works for me I will keep it.

Easy to Use

Has a white noisy, whiny quality to it. This unit is not defective, it sounded a little off.

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When I first heard about the Reel Echo, I thought it would be a cool idea. I purchased it at Guitar Center (I hate them, but you can return stuff without a hassle-which I do a lot). I brought it home and it just didn't sound good.
I am not an analog or boutique snob, I have a mix of boutique stuff, with cheap stuff. I own a Danelectro PB&J Delay, which I bought for $25 used. I have had a Boss DD5 and a Maxon Ad-80, and the PB&J is a perfect for me, the DD5 was too "perfect" and the AD80 was too muddy. What I'm trying to say is, I'm open minded.
The Reel Echo was a big disappointment to me, I was hoping to get a fun pedal, but it just killed my clean sound, on or off. I'm not super anal about my sound, my single coil guitar buzzes near my amp, and I don't jump off of any buildings or anything, but this pedal sounded "wrong" to my ears. Definately not worth the money, and probably not worth the money at $50, because it is unusable to me.

IT's very easy to use but will take some time to get the setting right for particular effects, ie. I took it to a gig the same day I purchased it and thought I had it set for a slight echo, as used on CHina Grove (Doobie Brothers) but when I kicked it in, starting that song, the echo was as loud as the original signal. I've since made mental notes of about where the "mix" control should be according to the effect you want.

I'm considered a tone freak by most of my comtemporaries and playing live, I was very happy with the tone. It does produce some hiss but not more so than many other pedals. I tried using a very short echo, ala slap back for Roy Orbison & other 50's tunes and loved the way it sounded. YOu can get a chorus effect by turning on the warble effect and setting the echo very short, which sounds cool. I have tried using the sound on sound feature and it seems useless to me - I expected to play a phrase and step on the s.o.s. button and play over top it but with the controls sets per their instructions it does a poor job of recording and looping - I'd get the Line 6 unit if this is a feature you will use.

Haven't had it long enough to know how reliable it will be. Buy the AC adapter, batteries only last several hours.

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You don't go out and buy a Dan Electro pedal to have a state of the art pedal. I buy one because they are reasonably priced, they sound good and they are a lot of fun. I own an original solid state Echo Plex and have really enjoyed using it over the years. It does require some maintenance and I don't like to take it out and get it banged up, since it's 20 or 30 years old. The Reel Echo does a very good job of recreating the sound and "feel" of my original and I am pleased with it. I do wish the sound on sound worked better but for $150, I'll get my moneys' worth out of it.

Pretty self explanatory,although I think the one I bought is broken.I messed with it for a couple hours and never once could I get the "sound on sound" function to work at all.
I'm definitely sending it back from whence it came.

Disappointing.I have owned many Echoplexes,and currently am using a Roland 501 Space Echo religiously.This pedal couldn't even begin to muster the musicality and sweetness of a real tape echo....and here's the most important thing.... IT WON'T DO THE CRAZY ROCKET SHIP THING where you turn the repeats up full blast and then mess with the delay time....you know,like the middle of "Dazed and Confused" and about a million other classic 60's & 70's records.
Who could ever create a "tape echo simulator" that won't do the frickin' rocket ship thing fer Chrissakes????
Oh and did I mention that it has a nasty 60 cycle hum but ONLY when you switch the echo effect on??(Another useful feature)

I think the brand new one I just got is malfunctioning....what does that mean about reliability?

I'm sure if I sent this back to Dan-O they'd replace it and send an extra T-shirt...however I'm gonna send this back to dude I bought it from on Ebay and let him deal with it.

This pedal is lame....if you absolutely MUST have a digital delay at least get the green Line 6 box....the Line 6 colors your tone in an undesirable way but it can yield some form of a cool usable delay effect without noise.....the Boss DD-5 is great for tap tempo but the delay effect is unbelievably sterile and totally un-musical....(kinda like "N-Sync")......
IMHO,if you want awesome sounding warbling organic delays that even Radiohead would approve of,you must play your guitar through a real tape echo.
Therefore,you must pay to have it serviced like the rest of us....you must feed it new tapes occasionally.It's really the only way.

Fairly easy. You get the hang of it after a few minutes. I can't really get the sound on sound feature to "loop" the way they say it does, but it's not like I'd use it that much anyways. The manual is adequate. This is basically an upgrade from the Dan-echo, which I thought was a decent unit for some things. It is an improvement as well. It looks kind of goofy, kind of cool. I like the color. Not the graphics.

It's a fairly good unit. I use a setup with two amps and am auditioning this to use for my distortion amp (69' Marshall Jmp-50, modified by Voodoo amps). In comparison to a real tape echo, this of course is just a fascimile. But, this seems as though it will work fine for my application, as most analog units I had previously used for my distortion amp were too warm and broke up too early, muddying up the sound. This, however walks a good line between warm and, well, not-warm. It adds less distortion and the thickness of analog circuitry, basically. My amp's sound is thick enough. It has a good sound, less inspiring than my deluxe memory man, but it isn't bad at all. In comparison to the dan-echo, it is the dan-echo to the second power. Longer, cleaner repeats, and just an overall better unit. Compared to my deluxe memory man (which I run through my clean amp), it is noticeably thinner and less prone to distortion and run-away echo. It actually just seems like a digital version of the DMM. In comparison to analog units, it's really a different animal, but for my application, it works quite well.

seems sturdy..... the plastic slide switch for delay time makes me nervous, though.it's new though, so I cant say.

dont know....

It does it's job... For my apllication, I think it will work nice, but my goals probably aren't the same as others. If it were lost, I might check out other units, but would probably just go ahead and get the reel thing then.

Manual is specific enough to get you running fast. But it was easy to figure out right out of the box.

Close.....really close. And the versatility is neat too. I'll use it in the studio, but it won't be moving onto my pedalboard permanently.

It is the first Dano pedal I've purchased. Many of my peers have used their product for years without problems. This is consistent with what they've done before, so I would consider it reliable.

I'll be able to use it. Which is the most important thing to me. It got some good sounds in it which makes it a good buy. It has a funky vibe to it as well and that makes it kind of fun, which doesn't hurt.

Very easy to use. It's pretty self-explanatory. Manual is basic, although not very clear on Sound on Sound function- but easy enough to figure out.

Okay. It sounds good. That's about it. It looks and feels a bit like a toy. It's cool, it's vibey- but toyish (and that's okay). The solid-state mode sounds really good. The tube mode sounds a bit boomy (I weird low-end thing). I've never used a real tube tape unit- I don't know how this compares to the real thing. However I have used solid state models (Roland Space Echo, Echoplex, and other cheapo solid state echo units). Feels and sounds like a digital version of an old sound. It's cool, don't know if I would use it in a professional situation. It's fun, however not as inspirational as others digital simulations (Echo Pro, etc). The Warble function is cool- but a bit sterile. I'm a bit of a delay/echo freak. I've got a bunch of analog delays (tube and otherwise), several tape delays (s.s.), and plenty of digital delays and simulations.

I just got it yesterday. But Danelectro products that I've had in the past have been very reliable. This seems pretty sturdy- heavy casing- pretty good feel on the footswitches.

Don't know.

I am a producer that works with pop, rock, country, singer-songwriter, heavy, and soundtrack/instrumental music (so far). I've been working for about 10 years. Own a studio and a ton of gear (a bunch of delay/echo products). If it were stolen, I'd buy another Echo-Pro. I like the vintage vibe (color)- I hate that it sounds digital- but like it because it's a decent digital delay with some vibe. Compare? Not really- it's cheaper than the Line 6 Echo models, but maybe a bit pricey for what it does. I'm not sure it will help me too much- I might give it away or sell it. I got this because I hardly ever buy anything new, and I was a little intrigued- so I thought I'd give it a shot. The guys at the store said it was "killer"- (it's not, by the way) and I've always felt like Danelectro made good products. I'll keep it just for the vibe if I don't give it away. I'll stick with my analog pedals (DM-3, Memory Man) and digital model (Echo-Pro).