Electro-Harmonix Full Double Tracking Effect

One knob, which dials in the clean/delay mix, and one switch that allows you to go between 50 milliseconds and 100 milliseconds. Basic stuff--makes a modern delay look like an IBM.

You're probably asking, "What the heck is a Full Double Tracking Effect"? Simply put, it's a slapback echo--a really simple one at that. You get one--just one--repeat, either at 50ms (great for 1970's style "recorded in the bathroom" sounds), or 100ms (classic rockabilly slapback). Dial in your wet/dry mix, and you're off!

My favorite way to use this pedal was to hook it between my Fender
Vibro-Champ amp, and a cheezy Guyatone SG-13 Hollowbody guitar. I'd set the Double Tracker on 100ms, turn the amp up to 6, and have rockabilly noodles in my living room whilst I watched TV. Great grungy fun!

It wasn't until later I noticed how much volume the pedal sucked out of my amp. With the pedal out of line, The Champ was louder and ballsier at 3 than with the Double Tracker in line at 6!

I decided to then hook the rascal up to a bigger amp (in this case, a 55-watt Gibson Ranger, with is Gibby's wimpy version of a Fender Super Reverb). What I discovered, under the critical eye of the Gibson's big clean tone, was that the Double Tracker not only sucks tone when bypassed, it actually gets SOFTER when engaged, and rolls off a good chunk of the bottom end of your guitar as well. The echo itself is quite clean, almost digital sounding--totally unlike what I had thought! What sounded so cool and lo-fi while goofing on the sofa turned out to be Lame City when used in a more realistic context. This would not be a practical pedal at live show. Look elsewhere.

Electro-Harmonix pedals are legendarily unreliable--at least the vintage ones are! I've had a few (an Electric Mistress, a Bass Balls, a Rooski-made Big Muff) that either went bonkers or flat-out died at a gig. They were all eventually fixed(except for the Mistress--it actually got cooler sounding as it died!). To the Double Tracker's credit, it has never complained, and only once needed a repair when I yanked too hard on one of the battery snaps and broke one of the wires.

Speaking of batteries, this rascal has a double 9-volt habit, and the batteries are NOT accessible via the bottom battery hatch--you'll have to carefully take the pedal apart to figure out where they're located, or get a special 18v power supply for it. A pain in the arse, but with one caveat: Most analog delays are notorious battery pigs, but this guy, with it's double battery need, will actually run for quite a while, so go fig.

Only dealt with the E-H folks with my Russian Big Muff; the switch kept dying, and they happily sent me more switches (at four bucks a piece). No refunds for crappy switch gear or anything like that, but hey--at least they OFFER replacement parts! Ever deal with Danelectro?

I bought this pedal ages ago at a yard sale for five bucks! The guy I bought it from thought it was broken 'cause it wouldn't work with his 9v adapter! I thought I scored a major coup, getting this wacky old EH pedal for chump change--and maybe I did--I've seen these pedals sell for 150 bucks at vintage guitar stores. Frankly, I can't see why. There are OODLES of lesser delays out there (DOD's fx90, Danelectro's mini-slapback echo, the amazing Ibanez DE7, stuff made by Nobels or Behringer, etc, etc, etc,) that do everything this uber-primitive booger does, plus more, plus better. If the Double Tracker perhaps boosted the signal when engaged, it might have a fighting chance, but otherwise it's an impractical curiousity, maybe for studio use, but not bloody likely!