Fulltone Tube Tape Echo

I read through the reviews here. There seem to be two camps. Those that love this thing and those that can't stand it. I've had some trouble with mine and continue to, but it is still a really nice product. I haven't contacted Fulltone yet. I hope I get a good response from them. It's easy to get really great sound out of it if you read the instructions and set things the way they suggest then sweeten to taste. This thing can get noisy if the guitar volume knob is up too high. The echo quality is superb, in my experience. The guitar tone is darkened a bit by this unit. I have to be careful to use good patch cords, but with a little extra highs dialed in on the amp(s), the sound is great. True bypass is only available with the hand operated switch, not with the pedal. It would be nice to have true bypass from the pedal, but there are circuitry difficulties with this, so it is the way it is.

My best setup with this TTE is into a Carr Rambler with some reverb and tube tremelo dialed in. It likes a clean sound as opposed to a lot of overdrive. You can put a little overdrive through and it will still sound good, but it loves clean tones and thickens them fabulously. I'm a blues guy but I love doing rockabilly and country licks through this rig because they just sound so hypnotically good. If you're a gain freak, the signal can get too processed and muddy with this thing added. Again, it is what it is. You need to find what it's good at and exploit that, not try to get it to be something it is not.

I've got some issues here. When I bought it used from ebay, it had a brand new tape installed. I breezed through the instructions and cranked it up. It immediately ate a tape. I tried taking the cartridge apart and respooling. You can forget about that deal. Not possible. Luckily, I got two extra new tapes in the deal. I installed one carefully and it worked. I now make a point of warming up the unit before I engage the capstan. I've used the current tape for months with no problems. I don't know if warming up makes the difference or not, but so far no problems and I've taken it out to a couple gigs.

The other problem is a bit trickier. When I have this unit in my effects chain, I'll play for half an hour or so and nearl all sound will fade out for 30 seconds or so and then come back. This can happen 3 or 4 times in a two hour session. It's really strange. I've tried to isolate it to one amp or one box. It seems to be the TTE. I'm using the no-ground adapter provided to avoid buzz. That seems to work, but it seems like some capicitor loads up and cancels all the signal or something. There is just no sound. It may be a bad tube. I bought a set of new tubes for it but I have not taken the thing apart and it has the original tubes. IF ANYONE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND SOLVED IT, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM THEM.

I'm almost afraid to contact Fulltone. I didn't buy this new and I just don't know what to expect given the numberous bad reviews on their service and attitude.

It sounds great and it's an ambitious project on Fulltone's part. I'm glad this thing was created. I doubt it's been a big money maker for the company. It shows that Mike is willing to go out on a limb to fill a need in the market. The tapes should not be so fussy and prone to jamming. I may have a bad tube in mine. I should not be afraid to call these people. There is no excuse for bad customer service. I don't know if these other reviewers were nasty on the phone or what. The price of this thing is high, but when you look at the amount of work put into it, it's amazing that they ever created it. The old Echoplex units were prone to all kinds of trouble. The only issues I've seen that really need fixing are the tape cartridges. It's a slick idea and the execution of it is almost there.

as simple as the layout is, you can really get many different variations of delay. More so then any other delay I have ever used.

This is the best delay I have ever heard period. It is like an out of body experience. I am absolutely possesed by this thing. I have always used delay as my main effect for years. I used the Boss delays for years which are good, then I stumbled across a Chandler Stereo Echo which was great, now the TTE which is absolutely fantastic. I dont know how anything could sound better.I run a stereo rig consisting of 2 50 watt Marshall Jubilees. Guitar-Boss BD-TTE-Marshalls, thats it. TONE, TONE, TONE, SWEET THICK DRIPPY TONE.This TTE adds majic to my sound.It is the Holy Grail of delays for me.

I have the black tolex model which I think looks cooler then the blond. I bought it used and it looks and works like new. The previous owner only uded it a couple of times so it is just like new. I have had zero problems with this unit and doubt I ever will. This is the best built effect I have ever seen. All of these people that seem have problems with their units must not know what the hell they are doing.This thing will outlive me. Top of the line build quality here people.

Emaild a couple of times just asking small questions and was always
responded to.

Been playing 30 years and have been through my share.To me this is as good as it can possibly get.I got a smokin deal on this since it was used, saved myself around $400 dollars. I guess the black tolex models were more expensive ($1200 new) and I got mine for $850 , so I am very happy to say the least. Now that I have this and heard how
glorious it sounds I wouldnt mind having pay full price for it if I had to,worth every penny to a delay guy like me.

Very easy to use. Just remember to turn it on first before you plug in the output. No big deal.

This is the best Analog delay on the market. Doesnt get anymore Analog than this, tubes and tape. If you can dream of the delay sound you can get it on this unit.

For the people saying that it is noisy, try out an old Tape or Tube Echo. THOSE are noisy. Compared to them this unit is dead quiet. You have to be reasonable on this though and remember that there are tape heads, and motors to turn the tape. Of course those are going to make some noise. Nothing to complain about though.

I don't know what people are talking about the tapes being bad. Maybe they just have bad luck. I've had my TTE for over a year now and havent had any problems with the tape binding. I'd bring this on a gig and not worry about it at all. Mike's pedals are top notch. I own quite a few Fulltone Pedals and have not had any trouble with them.

Customer Support is good. If you've dealt with Mike in the past you know he is a little quirky. He'll send the one word or one sentance replies from time to time. BUT, have you ever met a musician that isn't just a little quirky. But he will take care of his customers too.

If you've got the money for this unit take the plunge and buy one. It's a life long piece of gear for me. When I'm in my 50's-60's I'll still be using this unit. Just hope I can get tapes then! If it was to ever be stolen I'd buy a new one in a heart beat.

Thanks for this unit Mike. Looking forward to the SS-TE (Solid State Tape Echo).

Made my $1500 Fender Vibro King sound like an $800 Roland Jazz Chorus. This may be because of the 12AY7 that is in the unit (if my memory serves me correctly). If I still had one --thankfully I don't-- I would probably swap out the exitsing tube for a 12AX7 to restore some of the grit/ character of my amplifier. The echos were very nice, but definitely not worth the hassle of dealing with Fulltone and coping with the sterilization of my amp's sound.

This is a follow-up to a review I wrote about 1-1/2 years ago after a miserable-- and costly-- venture into the dark world of Fulltone. I submitted a review which has since mysteriously "disappeared" from the forum. You'll notice a theme in reviews of the TTE: that many of us who were foolish enough to spend $1200 or so on this unit have been treated to Fulltone's pathetic excuse for "customer service." Included in that "service plan:" contempt for the customer, hostile or non-existent responses to e-mails, overpriced tapes and an utter lack of instruction on how to service the unit. (I assume the maintenence DVD is still unavailable.)Do yourself a favor: save your money and buy a Memory Man. There are too many other decent guys who build superior pedals and who appreciate their customers(Robert Keeley, Paul Cocheron, etc.) to continue supporting Fulltone. And incidentally, I'm not an "anti- Fulltone troll" (as alleged by an previous reviewer). I'm just a serious guitarist who expects that his equipment should work, not a sycophant who wants to endear himself to Fuller.

Fairly simple but you have to keep in mind some quirky attributes. For example, you have to turn the unit on BEFORE plugging in the output cable.

Tubes and tapes. If you dig that sound, you'll dig this.

The machine itself is well-built and reliable. However, the tape cartridges are utter garbage. I treat the unit and tapes very very gently and clean the heads properly and regularly and STILL no fewer than FOUR tapes have twisted and locked up during operation. Let me tell you from experience, when that happens on stage, the sound engineer will literally stop the show and insist that the unit be turned off before continuing because it produces such a wretched noise.

When the tape fails - and believe me, even if it's only one day old, it could fail at any second - it is completely lost. You cannot correct the tape. You cannot rewind the tape. The tapes can only be ordered two at a time and cost about $60.

I wrote to Fulltone explaining that I keep having this problem of the tapes getting twisted up and jammed. I received a two sentence response. The first said it was my fault. The second said I could mail the tapes in to be rewound, but only if I paid $15 per tape plus shipping both ways. I wrote back asking what it is that they thought I was doing wrong. Then never responded. I wrote again. No response.

I've been playing for nearly 20 years. Every once in a while, I come across a piece of gear that I want to love but can't because it fails too often. That's what TTE is. While I love the sound, the tapes for the unit absolutely cannot be trusted.

ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GOOD SOUND OVER THE NOISE OF UNIT.BEEN PLAYIN 40 YEARS AND CONSIDER MY SELF AN EXPERT ON DELAY UNITS THIS WAS A DISAPOINTMNET, I NEVER WRITE REVIEWS BUT I THOUGHT BECAUSE OF THE EXSPENSE OF THIS UNIT I WOULD WORN OTHERS AS I LOST A LOT OF MONEY AND NO HELP FORM FULLTONE READ THIS !

NOISE LIKE A BAD CHEVY MOTOR , THEY SAY ITS BUILT LIKE A TANK AND SOUNDS LIKE ONE . EATS TAPES AT 27 A SHOT

USE IT ON A COUPLE OF GIGS ATE TAPES AFTER 4 OR 5 TIMES OF USE AND BELIEVE ME I KNOW HOW TO INSTALL A TAPE

THIS GUY DOESN,T EVEN ANSWER E MAILS NOT COOL MAKES SOME GOOD PRODUCTS BUT THIS THING IS A FAILURE , BOUGHT THE NEW BOSS ROLAND SPACE ECHO FOR 249 AND BLOWS THIS 1080 DELAY AWAY

I PLAY IN THE BAND THE BONESHAKERS WWW.THEBONESHAKERS.NET AND WE COVER EVERTHING ROCK N ROLL WITH BALLS GIVE A LISTEN AND THERE IS NO FULLTONE TTE AS IT WAS BROKEN WHEN WE RECORDED LAST CD BEEN PLAYIN FOR 40 YEARS HARD *** ROCK N ROLL WITH NO BREAKS NEED DEPENDABLE GEAR

This Delay is easy to use, the instructions seem detailed enough, but the delay is useless while playing live,unless you use a footswitch which is not included,(it should be for the price of this thing)

I have owned many delays and this one is the only delay I have used so far that does not add any thing to your signal that isnt already there when the unit is bypassed, to me this is the best part. The warm echos and "warble" that tape echos make on the repeats is the icing on the cake. Sound quality to me is best judged by the user
play the unit your self and you deciede if it is right for your setup. I am using the TTE with a 68 circuit Plexi, 56 Nos Strat reissue, a 59 reissue Les paul.

Any Electro Mechanical device requires care in operation and maintenence, I will keep up on the maintenence and purchase a spare tape cartridge just in case of failure. The unit seems well made anf Mike Fuller Clams that this unit is made to last, but I will probably find a backup for outdoor stuff.

Have'nt had to contact Fulltone yet So far So Good Lets hope it stays that way !!!

I play Classic Rock and Blues, the TTE seems to fit in with what I play, I have been playing 7 years. I really like the TTE but it is hard to justify the cost of this thing..

Its pretty easy. In, Out, Volume, Repeats. Go. But I used it as an outboard effect on my mackie bia fx bus and the in/out arent set up for line level or impedance so the sound quality suffers a bit in this application. however its still pretty easy to set up. although getting just the right record level makes a big difference, its not that critical in terms of set up. but if you are looking for that hottest level to get the best dynamic range, it can be fiddly to set up. the manual is pretty good although it talks about sound on sound and says it'll be discussed later but it never comes up. this is important to me. i think the playback switch jack will activate this so i will try it. otherwise the manual is very good with instructions for setup and use.

It sounds great. I have used many-a vintage echoplex, roland space echo and korg tape echo over the last 30 years. the sound quality of the tte is definitely on par with an echoplex but minus the tape flutter (pretty much). the sound is really nice. its smoother and warmer than an echoplex. i find that its difficult to set a nice hot tape level without it saturating the tape but then again the tape drive circuitry is pretty simple and tubes dont have a lot of dynamic range. anyway, its basically everything "we" wanted from an echoplex but could never get until now with the tte. oh and the infinite repeat sound is merely ok... echoplexes create a great wall of sound where-as the tte has a thinner, more aggressive sound and the effect of moving the tape head sounds different too so if you use this kind of effect a lot and are used to the way echoplexes sound, try the tte out first because its quite different.

its solid. i took a look at the insides and can say that it looks totally solid. i've never gigged with it yet but i wouldnt hesitate too. so my rating is based on what i see of it. also the motor that is used is way more reliable than the big ac motor in the echoplex.

i've never dealt with fulltone.

so my application is a bit different as its an outboard effect. i think with some mods the tte would work better in this application but with guitar level ins and outs its not quite there. but as a tube tape echo is amazing and just what we needed. im still blown away that someone took the time, effort and expense to re-create a better tape echo.

I can't begin to tell you how easy it is to get a good sound out of this,actually there isn't a bad sound from this machine. The manual does a great job of getting you started,but the rest is up to you.I had a little trouble with the tape,but it was damaged in shipping so it's not Fulltone's fault

I can totally nail that "Live at Pompeii" tone with this echo. Finally the delay of my dreams has come to life! I also didn't get any noise from the unit,it was dead quiet. All of my effects pedals sound great with it,no complaints. It does add a little "goodness" to your tone courtesy of the preamp tube so you may need to adjust your amp a bit,but really not a big deal to me. The TTE really seems to work with you rather than against you when searching for your tone. I use a Fender Vibroverb with a 15 inch speaker and couldn't be happier!

It really seems to be built like a tank,I don't think I would have a problem gigging without out a backup unit, just would want an extra tape and maybe some extra tubes.

I have dealt with CS from Fulltone, and I have to say I am very pleased! My TTE came from the dealer with a binded tape,so upon recieving it,I couldn't even fire it up. I had to order the 2-pack and wait a few days before I could give it a try. I let Mike know about the messed up tape and wasn't really expecting much because I think it happened during shipping. However when I recieved my 2-pack,there was a 3rd tape in the bundle for free. Now that is phenomenal CS in my opinon.After that initial experience I don't think I will have a problem with the CS from Fulltone. Thanks Mike!

Overall I think this suits most kinds of music,the faster speed sounds very "clean/modern",where as the slow speed sound very "vintage/breakup" I've been playing for 12 years now,and have owned the Maxon AD-999, also a Blackbox Quicksilver.Although both pedals were great and had a good sound,it always just seemed like an effect you could easily pick out of the mix.This TTE "melts" in with your tone.My advice, if you have been searching for that "perfect" delay than look no further!!!

Very easy to use. Like most boutique products, the manual has some flaws and omitions. But Fulltone is very responsive and helpful with inquires.

You can't beat this thing. No analog, digital or modeling pedal can reproduce what this thing can do. It's unbelievable. And it's a blast to play with. It can be played mono or stereo. It has a true bypass. But with a footswitch (Boss FS-6, not included!), you can turn off the echo and use the TTE's power tubes as a great in-line boost. It can't do reverse echo (as far as I can tell). But who cares? Obviously, the better your amp, the better this thing will sound. But you could use this thing with you Ibenez 15W practice amp and get great tone. I use a Carr Rambler and a TopHat Club Royale. Neither of these amps has an effects loop, and the audiophils will argue the best place to put echo or delay is in the dry signal path. But to Hell with those guys. Get one. You won't be sorry.

No problems so far, but I expect to have a few since this is a mechanical device.

FANTASTIC. They return my emails immediately. Very helpful. Great company.

By far the best effect I've every bought. I've had many regrets when it comes to guitar gear, but this is not one of them. This thing is destined to become a classic. With a little luck, someday I'll be like one of those schleprocks that bought a funny looking amp from some nobody named Dumble back in the 70's and I'll have to keep my TTE in a vault until I'm ready to retire!