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Fulltone Tube Tape Echo

Summary
Price New Fulltone Tube Tape Echo @ Musician's Friend
Manufacturer URL http://www.fulltone.com/
Ease of Use 9.1 (42 responses)
Sound Quality 9.4 (43 responses)
Reliability 7.9 (34 responses)
Customer Support 7.5 (32 responses)
Overall Rating 8.8 (39 responses)
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Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $900
Submitted 08/23/2005 at 02:00pm by tony

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy.
A couple of the smaller dials have a big impact on the sound so that is worth looking out for.

Sound Quality : 10
As said elsewhere, truly glorious. Difficult to think of a guitar application where this is not the best option. Lacks of the of the warbly special effects and huge delay times of some of the digital gear, but for most applications it provides the most rounded and musical delay you will find.
Very little noise - amazing for a tube tape echo. You can hear the tape swirling around, but I like that and you have to be next to the unit to pick it up.

Reliability : 10
No worries for gigging. its in the nature of this gear there is more to go wrong than stomp box but I have always found Fulltone gear to be very robust.

Customer Support : 9
Not had to deal with them, although I will get in touch about operating the unit with two amps. I cannot seem to get this to happen without a ferocious hum, which seems to remain despite what combination of power points I use.
The manual could use some work. It promises more information on a sound on sound feature, but I can't it.

Overall Rating : 10
I have owned taped echoes by Roland and Korg, and digital untis by Boss and Electro Harmonics. The Fulltone is easily the best..
It is not possible to get the Space Echo multi-head effect on the Fulltone alone, so be prepared to have a stomp box around if this is occasionally your thing.
One minor quibble is the lack of a footswitch. You really need one and although its possible to pick one for about 20 bucks you should not have to after putting out the thick end of a grand for the unit itself.
A lot of money, but truly the best there is.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $850
Submitted 08/20/2005 at 02:43pm by Robby F.

Ease of Use : 10
Ease of use, "Not complicated" very good manual easy to understand i was doin just wat I do with a good delay in the first minute...

Sound Quality : 10
I just love this TTE.. It's the real deal I play lot's of rock&roll rockabilly Scotty More/ Chett/ Brian Setzer/ Jump swing groove. I am big into vintage gear, I use a bunch of stuff... 65 Fender Bassman piggy-back 64 Fender Vibroverb original, 72 Marshall Super-Lead 1/2 stack a 68 Marshall 50 watt Plexi 1/2 stack Wow! I used the TTE in stereo with the Marshalls I am hooked... I like all kinds of music and this unit will do it all. I am playin a 58 Gretsch 6120 original vintage also a Gibson Cloud 9 les Paul with P90's great honk... I can be eric johnson or Jimmy Hendrex or Brian Setzer it's just that good!!!!

Reliability : 9
I don't know about it's true reliability. I mean I have only had it a short time however, if you fallow the manual and do all the things they ask i think you will have it for decades with no problems... I don't use backups and I don't have $1000 bucks extra to use as a backup... I have lot's of Fulltone stuff and never had any problems!

Customer Support : 9
Never had to deal with Customer support however, I have heard good stuff from them...

Overall Rating : 10
Lets just say, It's a very pro unit I have been playin for over 40 years and I used the original echoplex and this is light years better in sound and in overall operation... I would think that in time the price will come down but, not like a boss pedal or a digital rack unit. It is a very serious unit with lot's of moving parts and tube's I know that the machining casts were $250.000 alone! So with all that said you just can't compare it with anything... I love mine and it's the Bomb!!!


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $1000
Submitted 08/08/2005 at 07:18pm by lathoto

Ease of Use : 10
This unit is well laid out for the user. It took me about five minutes to find exactly what I was looking for in this effect. The manual is helpful and I am one of those guys who reads it through and through. My serial number came in just under 1000.

Sound Quality : 10
PRS Hollowbody I > Barber Launch Pad > Barber Burn Unit > Fulltone TTE > Fender SRRI. This unit is very quiet on all settings. Once the TTE was set for my liking it sounded very warm and full. With true bypass you can easily go back and forth to really dial it in. The sonic properties are astounding. I cannot put into words what I heard when I first cut loose with this analog delay unit. You really have to hear it for yourself.

Reliability : 10
I carefully reviewed the design and saw the five year warranty as a testimonial. All of the Fulltone products are extremely well made (Mike signs each one). I bought an extra tape cartridge for back up. The tubes will last a long time in this circuit. I try to buy good equipment and take care of it.

Customer Support : 10
These guys (and maybe gals) work hard to bring us outstanding product. They were friendly and knowledgable in answering all of my questions. On top of that, they rock.

Overall Rating : 10
I play rock, blues, and country originals laced with worthy covers. The slapback from this sounds really good. I have been playing for 30 years and I have never heard or played a delay of this caliber. The Fulltone Tube Tape Echo is worth every penny. "Go for it dude."


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 07/31/2005 at 04:46pm by eliot323

Ease of Use : 8
I thought the manual was pretty good - I got it going very quickly. It's obviously not as easy to use as a digital delay but if you wanted that you're probably on the wrong page.

I think you'd have to try very hard to get a bad sound out of it. Of course you don't get mega-long delay (1.3 seconds max - how much do you really use?), midi synch and tap tempo but if you want that, you're best looking elsewhere.

I like the carry case that comes with it.

Sound Quality : 10
Fender CS Clapton Strat, PRS Standard 24; Cornford Hurricane and Cornford Harlequin run clean/wet/TTE in loop and dry/dirty respectively; Fulltone OCD, 69 and Dejavibe; Keeley TS9; Dunlop 535Q wah.

The sound is gorgeous - I never really knew how beautiful analogue delay sounded - just ask Brian Setzer. And it is so quiet - I had a T-Rex Replica before this; there is no comparison. I cannot honestly criticise the sound - it is just what I wanted.

Reliability : 9
The TTE is a marvel of design and engineering. There is the risk of tape and tubes playing up but I recently recorded a rockabilly album, we had it on all weekend and it worked like a dream - we blew two amps but the TTE was fine.

At this price though I couldn't afford a backup (but you could always use a digital delay if you needed to).

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never needed to contact Fulltone (so far...)

Overall Rating : 9
I play mainly rock and rockabilly. This gives me slapback and the soundscape delay like nothing else I've tried.

I imported mine from the US and modified it myself and saved myself ?400 on the UK price. OK I know the warranty is void but I don't anticipate I'll need it.

There's really nothing else like it on the market. If you can afford to get one (I sold a guitar to pay for it) get one NOW! Are you still here?


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 06/20/2005 at 05:44pm by tom

Ease of Use : 10
THE MANUAL IS INADEQUATE, BUT THE UNIT IS OVERALL EASY TO USE IF YOU HAVE EVER USED AN ECHOPLEX. BEST THING IS JUST PLAY WITH IT. It would be great for someone to try out all the combinations and write it up so you would know what combinations of delay and saturation yield which kinds of effects - with perhaps reference to famous songs that have used tube tape echo effects.

Sound Quality : 10
Be sure to sequence the TTE correctly - you don't want to run the tape loop before a wah pedal or a distortion box as the impact on the echos is bizarre. I run it through an effects interrupt loop on the back of my Dumble by itself and run the pedals up front.

Reliability : No Opinion
Totally dependable. You'd have to be kidding not to provide backup regardless of how you feel. I have a spring reverb for backup but rarely gig and then just for grins so don't go by me.

Customer Support : 10
I'm writing this to express my concern for Baron Luigi who couldn't get his questions answered and felt customer service sucked. I feel badly for him and I hope Mike called and took care of things for him -- I am literally fuck-all nobody in the music business and Fuller got on the phone and helped me out right away, so I am really surprised to read somebody is having trouble. Customer service is probably what they do best (or maybe building effects is). In a way, it's like a visit to a really well run theme park where when you have a problem the customer service is so good it actually ENHANCES the experience.

Overall Rating : 10
Generally everything.....poorly but with great hope. Desperately trying for the Hendrix Power of Soul thing or the Robben Ford thing. Like I said, I'm nobody - just a schmo with a good day job who loves to play. I've owned the original tube Echoplex back in the day, the "The Plex" re-issue from Mike Battle, a digital Echoplex and Mike Battle's more recent Tubeplex and this one from Fuller is the best. The others sold quickly on eBay and selling the original Echoplex financed all my other experiments. The original Echoplex should today be regarded as a museum piece - other than "art" value an authentic Echoplex adds nothing to the equation. Such was not always the case as the component Echoplex Tape Echo and other attempts at re-manufacture were noticeably inferior to the originals. But both Battle's "Tubeplex" and the Fuller TTE do the job with better components, infinitely superior motors, less noise, better tape and far higher quality transformers, jacks, wiring, chassis and pots. A purely, purist, purist can always get NOS tubes if they must, but recent manufacture is equal to if not superior to 90% of the original tubes and to most NOS tubes whose glue, paper components and generally sloppy spot soldering decay more than most think sitting on the shelf.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $899.00
Submitted 04/18/2005 at 08:56am by Jordan

Ease of Use : 10
Pretty much plug and play just read the manual to know what settings to have versus low and high speed.

Sound Quality : 10
Can you say amazing. I have never played through any type of tape unit before but I can see what Mike says about "you will never turn it off once you feel it" Yep I felt it right away

Reliability : 8
As reliable as a tape unit can be. I am a little nervous everytime I set it up for a gig because it's a little intiminating. I haven't changed tapes yet. when I do and it still works I won't be nervous anymore. I bought some head cleaner but still need a demagnatizer and rubber lubricant. Radio Shack doesn't sell a lot of this stuff anymore but Mike has some links to get some.

Customer Support : 10
MIke has always been cool to me via email. I hear mixed reviews about this but he is always been nice and helpfull.

Overall Rating : 10
Just spend the cash and turn it on. You will forget about the price.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $900
Submitted 03/19/2005 at 05:19pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
You can get great sounds from this immediately. Then, sit back and read the excellent manual and learn even more about this fine piece of gear.

Sound Quality : 10
I have run this with everything from a H&K 20 Tube combo to a 1973 Marshall full stack. Guitars are Stratocaster, Les Paul, Flying V's, EVH Music Man, etc. As long as you know your amps and how to match the TTE with the given amp this tone machine will do it right. And, that's exactly what the TTE is, a tone machine.

I saw another review that said the TTE was noisy. Mine is dead quiet and maybe the other person had all of the volume levels on the TTE maxed out and/or was having a bad day. This machine is even quiet on the Marshall stack once you get the settings musically correct.

This baby sounds great on everything I have plugged it into to...awesome stuff.


Reliability : 10
Very quiet and no problems as all...even came with an extra tape cartridge in the box. Not sure if they all to but mine had on in the nice carrying bag and I was the first person to play mine as the music store had it "on hold" but the guy who ordered it never came back with the money...I'm glad he didn't!

Yes, I don't see how a backup would be required unless you have misused it (not read the manual), etc.

Customer Support : 9
I exchanged emails with Mike Fuller prior to buying this and although his responses were short and to the point, he is busy making top of the line effects for us to use. Other than that, no reason to contact them as this machine is just humming along so quiet I don't even know that it is on...

Overall Rating : 10
Classic rock, blues, etc...this machine nails all of the good stuff. This is the real deal...go try one. Playing 20+ years and own several other Fulltone pedals. Match the TTE with a TC Electronics chorus and a killer and and guitar and you have the classic Rush sound...as an example. I would buy it again after I beat the crap out of the MF who took it - yes. This tone machine makes everything sound good and the tubes in the TTE are like an additional preamp...its beautiful! Worth every penny and I don't evene think about the price now that I have used it.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 03/19/2005 at 09:54am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 9
Mine came with the felt tension arm unattached and able to roll about in the unit. It took a few minutes to set up the arm and feed the tape through the correct path as shown in the instructions. The TTE is reasonably easy to use. Adjusting it to get the right delay time takes a bit of time with this type of device.

Sound Quality : 8
I am using the TTE primarily with a Vox AC30 and a divided by 13 FTR37. Guitars are a strat and an LP. The unit has a considerable amount of mechanical noise, but a lot less hiss than the Plex which I also own. Given the glowing reviews so far on this device I think that mine may be sub standard. The repeats are noticeably pitch shifted. Worse than on my other tape echo. Long and loud delays produce a warbly seasick sound. Nevertheless, for short slap back delays and a low echo volume it sounds extremely good. It maintains more high end clarity than my other tape echo. I have tried to improve the pitch shifting by adjusting the felt tension arm but without success.

Reliability : 9
I am surprised that the felt tension arm came unattached and furthermore that there is no way to securely attach it unlike on my other tape echo. Its just held there by tension and could easily fall off in transit. Everything else about this unit seems to be excellently designed and built.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 8
Since I find this unit pretty much unusable for loud and long delays I cannot give it as high marks as I would like. Presumably I've just been unlucky having a pitch shifting issue with the delays. In spite of this problem it still has a great sound as long as the delay volume is kept low.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 02/22/2005 at 03:14pm by Mastervolume

Ease of Use : 10
I have used all of the knobs and still have yet to read the manual. I would consider this easy to use.

Sound Quality : 10
I am running the tte into a divided by 13 JRT 9/15. I use it with and without a pedalboard full of effects. The TTE is nothing short of amazing. I wish I had this years ago. Much better than screwing around with all of the vintage crap I have owned. If you like old school tone, big, warm, fat, thick then you will love the TTE. I find it inspiring. Words cannot describe the quality. Go buy one and stop whining about the price.

Reliability : 10
I am sure that it is a quality product. Nice bag too.

Customer Support : 10
If by customer support you mean taking the time to develop and build a unique vintage/modern analog echo device even when every other manufacturer is designing modelers, then there is no contest. Mike gives the people what they need to sound their best. A+

Overall Rating : 10
I would buy another in a heartbeat. I would tell my friends to stop pissing away hundreds of dollars on analog delays. How much for an Aquapuss? If the aqua is a 10 this is a 100.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 12/15/2004 at 11:24am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Its very easy to get the sounds out of this unit. Basically just a plug and play with some tweaking of the nobs. Easy to get the sounds you want. The manual is simple and easy to use. Even has a section on care of the tape rollers etc.

Sound Quality : 9
I use this through an Vox AC30 and a '66 Bassman head and cabinet. THe guitars I use are a Vox Starstream 12 string and a Gibson ES-35. THe sounds are great and very warm. Easily one of the most beautiful echoes I have heard. THough I have never used any tape echoe machines. Only have experience with anolog delays. My one complaint is that the machine itself is noisy. The signal itself is dead quiet but the tape path is what makes the noise. Its not heard when jamming with friends but if I play quietly it annoys me. I prefer my MoogerFooger 104 Analog delay for these situations like playing in the bedroom at night.

Reliability : 9
It is built very solid. Unfortunately I even dropped it and it still plays the same. Quite a beatiful piece too. Proud to have it sitting on my amp.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A-- No complaints or reasons to contact yet, but I have always heard they have good support.

Overall Rating : 9
I play spaced out blues/ sixties garage music so it fits right in. If it were stolen I don't know if I would replace it but I would try. THis is because of the steep price for a unit like this. This #14 in the production run so perhaps later models have tweaks and changes to make it even better.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 12/08/2004 at 07:21am by baron luigi
Email: baronluigi at comcast<dot>net

Ease of Use : No Opinion

Sound Quality : No Opinion

Reliability : No Opinion

Customer Support : 10
This is a follow up, no sooner did I submit my review here and Mr Fuller personally assisted me. I should point out it is the Christmas Season so that's probably why it took a little longer to answer my original email.

If you look all but 1 person that delt with Fulltone rates them very high with customer service, myself included.

Take it from me, if you have a problem these guys are musicians first and are on are side, they care and they are goona get ya fixed.

Mr Fuller also took time to personally answer non-related questions, and was very informative.

Overall Rating : No Opinion


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $969
Submitted 12/04/2004 at 08:55pm by baron luigi
Email: baronluigi at comcast<dot>net

Ease of Use : 7
The tape that came in my new unit looked like it was chewed to hell. I didn't even try it. When I put the 2nd tape in, no problem. The manual pretty much walks you through everything.

Complaint - practically impossible to wind up the tape cartridge yourself, the top and bottom is completely covered, so maybe I've just gotta learn how to use it better.

-----------------------------

Once I got it hooked up there is very solid switches. Lo-HI tape speed, Stereo 1,2,3, Bypass/Echo on, Big knobs for Guitar Volume,Echo Volume, and Echo repeats. Little knobs for record volume, and record tone. And of course you slide the playback head closer or farther away from the erase/record head to manually set delay time.

Really easy to use once I got the tape cartridge installed.

I'm givin this a low rating only because of the tape cartridge which probably was bad from the get go.

A 10 for ease of use regarding knob and switch layout. A 5 when you have to remove the cover and change the tape.

Sound Quality : 10
I have older guitars, amps, and effects. Some Fenders Marshalls Orange, Vox and some Boutique. The unit itself makes a lot of noise,
well...to explain the circut is quite, but the mechanical tape sliding around and the capstand rollers, or pinch rollers or whatever its called is pretty noisy. It sounds louder than an old
reel-to reel.

For me It sits on top of my Marshall so its not something thats heard once I start playing. Even recording at bedroom studio levels The mic didn't pick up any of that noise sitting again way atop my Marshall Stack.

It would pick up noise sitting on a combo amp.

No big deal hear, but definately not "DEAD QUITE" like they advertise.

I have honestly never heard a delay sound so good. This blew my mind, and when I hooked up two amps I was totally amazed. I think I played 6 hours when I first bought it, and it seemed like 5 minutes. Trully awsome sound quality an absolute MUST HAVE effect.

Reliability : 4
The tape cartridge and the inability to wind it makes me nervous. At $30 bucks a piece Its not like I can buy a huge box of em and dispose every other one or what ever.


I've had it a week or so and so far so good. Also there is a felt tape guide that you have to bend at a right angle to put "just the right" amount of tension every time you change the tape cartridge. (this felt arm comes with a new cartridge). Haven't had to do this, but man that's one hell of a bend. We'll see I guess. Maybe I forgot about working with Tape since CD's and DVD's spoiled me. I had to buy tape head cleaner, pinch roller cleaner, head demagnizers. It takes a lot of maintanance compared to my Deluxe Memory Man. NO complaint here that goes with the territory.

Other than maybe an expensive learning curve in dealing with tape cartridges, the unit itself seems well made. Since Mine cost me $30buck right off the bat this gets a low rating.

I wouldn't gig with it period, I use an Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man for that, it isn't nearly as good of a sound, but I wouldn't care if I lost the Memory Man.

Customer Support : No Opinion
...Well I bought a supposedly "new" unit that came full of fingerprints and an obviously faulty cartridge. There was no registration materials, nor no DVD owners manual that is taked about
on the web site.

I have emailed FULLTONE a few times with no response yet...I have also emailed the Dealer with no response yet. I basically want to register the unit, and get a FREE replacement tape. Taking 10 days and several emails you'd think they would at least respond.

This sort of pisses me off, but I'll give em the benefit of the doubt. Not like Zvexx or other "boutique" pedal companies who've emailed me very quickly or at least the same 24hours.

I am gonna hold of slamming them with bad rating here until I do get in touch with them. I'll report back here.

I have also left some telephone messages too.

Right now they remind me of Steinberg's (cubase/nuendo) customer support, which is basically NONE.

I hope in the end I'll have a good experience like others who have posted here

Overall Rating : 10
Overall it sounds great, I can nail delay based music like U2's Joshua Tree, or Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, with this unit. It is also really good for slap back or just general echo.
Like I said I've never heard a Delay that sounded this good. It's a
lot of $$$ and takes $$$ to keep it working, and takes a bit of effort too, but to me it's a Fantastic Value, because of what it delivers in the end.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $1050.00
Submitted 10/27/2004 at 05:03am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to set up, and a good manual that covers all the basic operation. I guess a dvd tutorial with more in depth possibilities is on the way. I got an extra tape cartridge right away.

Sound Quality : 10
Well Ive had it for a few weeks now and just love this thing. I started out with one amp and in about one minute was getting amazing tone from this unit. I'm usually using a digital delay which I never had a real problem with. But after reading about all the pro's that were and still are using echoplex's, and how all the pro's were snatching the tte's up I figured I get one. I know why now. It is just a whole different tone. You get so used to your own sound after a while your tone perception really gets jaded. This really put a spotlight on how good this thing really is. Then I plugged into another amp and WOW!!! I have never heard such an amazing 3d, warm, analog sound. I dont think I can do this thing justice in this review. The stero feature is fucking awesome. I use it with Parker guitar into a Bad cat hot cat 30. When I tried it in stereo I plugged its other output into a cheap Johnson modeling amp and it just filled the room with the most 3d stereo Ive ever heard.

Reliability : 10
The build quality is A+ I dont expect any problems but if I do I will reevaluate it.

Customer Support : 10
I talked with Fulltone directly and they were very helpfull.

Overall Rating : 10
It's the best time based effect you can buy. Ive played for 20 years and am so glad ther are still people willing to make this kind of gear. But after hearing one youll know why.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999.00
Submitted 09/15/2004 at 04:14pm by Mark Hering
Email: markh<at>skookum dot org

Ease of Use : 10
Easy to get a good sound. All of the various setting are nice, just a bit overwhelming by all those variations. Comes with a very clear to understand manual.

Sound Quality : 10
My setup includes a 59' RI les paul, 6120-60 gretsch or my 76'lawsuit Ibanez destroyer into a Prescription electronics fuzz, a Fulltone Fulldrive II into the TTE and split between a Reverend hellhound and a Carvin Belair. I haven't spend a lot of time tweaking with this setup and feel it will just keep getting better as I do. I love raw rock tones and big rockabilly tones. Not into metal, but love 70's punk rock. I may still purchase a 1987x 50w marshall for a heavier sound, a 100w would probably be overkill (any opinions?) but the TTE has been a great addition to my quest for tone.

Reliability : 10
It seems to be built like a brick s***house! Of course you are dealing with tape and tape heads that are perhaps not as roadworthy as a sealed stompbox, but it seems as reliable as a tube tape echo can be. I plan on using it at home, in the studio and in the clubs and I will not be purchasing a second one as a back up. I have too many guitars and amps still to purchase! Seems very dependable.

Customer Support : 10
I had a brief chat with Mike Fuller during the purchase process and he volunteered some good advice about the unit and seemed in no hurry to get me off the phone. I've read other reviews of his products where people supposedly have had less than favorable contact with him but not I! Very friendly and helpful.

Overall Rating : 9
I play a variety of roots rock, everything from the 50's Sun records stuff, rockabilly, British invasion, punk rock to that Petty, Byrds, Wilco, Steve Earle, Old 97's, etc. type of stuff. I've been playing for over 36 years. I have a few guitars (teisco del ray et460, 2 danos, a taylor acoustic, a guild acoustic, g&L bass and the above mentioned guitars). I love the richness of the TTE, very natural and quiet. I would probably buy another if stolen or lost, but at $1000.00 a pop it might be a while. I can only compare the quality to a couple of echoplexes I played in the 70's and remember them not being as smooth and quiet. It really helps with the rockabilly sound and a lot of the rich clean folk rock stuff. I only give this a 9 because of the price. It's unfortunate that my life long love for the guitar is becoming such an expensive hobby. Actually, look at the Fulltones website because Mike Fuller has a serious gear addiction!! (all in fun Mike!) Actually he has an amazing array of guitars and amps.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 09/07/2004 at 03:23pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use... if you've ever used an Echoplex, you're in there. A bit complicated to get the right delay time, but hey you can't have tap tempo when you use tape... the tonal benefits of tape greatly outweigh the drawbacks. It's like recording to 2-inch tape... it just sounds better than digital.

Sound Quality : 10
It's a great sounding delay... again, tape is king. It might be "inferior" technologically speaking to digital, but tonally it will never be surpassed. I use it with a '65 Fender Twin and it sounds great... I don't like running it all the time because I feel that the tubes alter my sound a little too much... I will try experimenting with other tubes, but I will still probably end up switching it in and out when I get my switching system later on. Great delay... easy to get the sounds of Jimmy Page and other players that made the EP famous.

Reliability : 10
I've only had it for a short time. It seems to be built great and feel confident in my purchase.

Customer Support : 10
This is where I disagree with some of the other posts. Maybe those people caught Mike Fuller on a bad day. In my experience, he exceeded expectations of customer support. I left a message on Friday, and he called me back at the very beginning of the next week, personally. He was very patient in explaining some different aspects of the TTE and genuinely seemed interested in making me happy. He was very enthusiastic about his product.

Overall Rating : 10
Again, great delay and much more reliable than an Echoplex. I would buy it again if I had to. A must for anyone that's into the tape delay sound.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: 1100 (euro)
Submitted 08/29/2004 at 12:17pm by jc

Ease of Use : 10
its very simple, just dial your sound in.
The manual is simple and to the point.

Sound Quality : 10
Fender strat - Teese wah - TS9 silver mod(analog man)- Fulltone stereo chorus - TTE - Fender vibroverb - Bogner Shiva.
The best sound i ever experiend period.
i leeve the TTE allways during play on, i feel in tone heaven.
the best setup in my opinion is when you in stereo, spli before the TTE.
i split direct after the CF1. one go to the TTE in to Bogner Shive, the other to Fender Vibroverb.
in this setup you get a three dimensional sound.
for my taste i use the vintage setting of the TTE.


Reliability : No Opinion
Can't tell.
Have the unit for two months or so.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never contact them

Overall Rating : No Opinion


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $899
Submitted 08/09/2004 at 10:45pm by Bruce Illig
Email: thevintageidiot<at>webtv dot net

Ease of Use : 10
Set up was explained in the manual, and straitforward. Manual is helpful overall, but all diagrams have some parts hidden under tape cartridge, i.e. the Felt Tension Arm lower attachment area is under the cartridge, and that arm is the most sensitive and frequent user adjustment the player will have to access. Expanded version plus a DVD manual coming, supposedly. Was easy to use until tape cartridge failed, and instead of tech support, I got a face full of rude nonsense from Fuller, which I understand is a standard feature. So I don't know how to definitively rate ease of use. Not working now, so it's hard to use. Maybe 10 for two weeks, and then 0.

Sound Quality : 10
I am using it through two Soldano Surf Boxes into '58 and a '59 tweed twin. I use seafoam Tyler strats on stage and '54 and '63 strats in my studio. It is very quiet when set properly as per manual instructions. The warning to use the shortest, highest quality cable for the footswitch is well heeded, as your signal path runs through them. I tried a Fender dual footswitch purchased separately at the Fulltone dealer (oddly doesn't come with one) and signal was weak and hideously noisy. Oh oh, I thought. I immediately grabbed my high quality Soldano SLO footswitch with detachable cord, and put a three foot monster cable on it. Problem solved. I haven't tried it with a longer monster cable yet, because my cartridge is defective, and when I asked Fuller about replacements he went ballistic. As to the effect, it is wonderful. I get all the classic sounds I need for my surf band. Great slapbacks. Vintage repeat echos for "Apache". Perfect "tack guitar" muted sounds (especially good with baritone guitar, I use Fender subsonics).

Reliability : 3
No. I bought this because I want to gig with it in place of my beloved echoplexes, hoping for more reliability. Had 2 EP2's and one EP1. Sold one EP2. The EP1 is intensively serviced and the quietest one I've had. I put it on one twin and fulltone on the other. Much to it's credit, the sound quality, effect quality and noise level were EXACTLY the same on both units, keeping in mind that the EP1 I have is the quietest echoplex I have owned after being intensively serviced a number of times. To its discredit, the fulltone tape cartridge first emitted only echoplex type identical squeaks and scrapes, which was normal and somehow reassuring, but then developed a constant whine, and then went warpy and pitch shifty. In contrast, I had, two weeks before recieving fulltone TTE, foolishly left my EP1 running after rehearsal WITH INPUT LEVER AND HEAD ENGAGED, FOR 48 HOURS! before returning and discovcering it. I feared the worst. When I turned it off I was afraid to try it again, but when I did, it was perfect, no noise, no pitch shift, no tape degradation, perfect echo. Amazed, I placed three gold stars on my tech's forehead. It is still performing flawlessly. In contrast, the TTE is unusable until Fulltone deems to sell me a replacement cartrdge, and sits unplugged on the floor in front of the '59 twin. NO tape echo is reliable, and should not be depended on without a backup. I have gone back to my original plan of screwing BOTH the EP1 AND the TTE to the steel roll-out tray in my rack case with the Soldano reverbs. I'll give it a three, based on the fact that echoplexes are unreliable also.

Customer Support : 1
I do have an opinion, but it rates below basically wothless. If I tell you how I really feel, or even relate my experiences in trying to obtain support, this review could not be published. I have heard many scary stories about trying to personally contact this manufacturer over the years, and mainly discounted them. I was wrong. They were a vast understatement. In the interest of factuality, let me say that I wrote saying how great the product was, then asked about the cartrdges and heads advertised for two years, and was treated to a barrage of insults and cursing.

Overall Rating : No Opinion
I play roots rock, blues, country, and jazz, for 45 years. I own a black parts 57 Les paul Standard goldtop that I have played on major label tours and in barely legal roadhouses, full time(5-7 days a week) for 30 years, part time the other 15. I have some 50's L-5 CES's and Dumbles, and some tweeds and teles not listed in the "used with" section. Love the product, features and sound. Wish it was not made by a company that is a nightmare to deal with. As they say on the letters to the editor page, "You won't print this."


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999.00
Submitted 07/22/2004 at 10:11am by Jason peterson
Email: jason at fullcompass<dot>com

Ease of Use : 10
This unit is a breeze to figure out. The Manual is very well laid out from what to do out of the the box, trouble shooting and upkeep. There will be a DVD manual coming out later this summer which will go more in depth and touch on some more features not mentioned in the manual.

I got mine and used it the same night, I was a little cautious to make
sure the tape cartridge was lined up and ready to roll, but after that
I have been using it non stop. That's Two three hour rehearsal's and two 3 1/2 gig's a week. No issue's yet!

Sound Quality : 10
I gave this unit a 10, because the sound is amazing. I prefer the Low speed setting for my taste and it blow's away everything I have owned in the past. I decided to let go of my Maxon AD9 and Line 6 DL4 to make space for this bad boy. Money well speant!

The unit doe's produce a little bit of noise when not playing, this can be countered by setting you're record level lower or just hitting the Bypass switch when not in use. This is not a big deal, Im a little bit more anal over thing's like that. I prefer my amp's to be quite when im not playing. The sound of the delay is what you want and you can do anything with this unit. Floyd,Setzer,Police...

People will notice the sound, it make's a world of differance! If you're like me you are looking at this unit for a reason, the same
reason we all spend top dollar to get us even closer to the sound.
You won't think twice about the money after you fire it up!


Reliability : 9
The unit is built like a Brick sh&t house and meant to be used. I would not expect anything less from Fulltone and you get what you pay for!

The unit ships with a Padded carry bag. This is a added bonus and
come's with a front pocket for extra cables,ETC-1 cartridge or footswitch to control the unit.

My only concern with Reliability is ? When are the ETC-1 tape going to be avail for purchase ? I would feel allot better going to a gig with a back up.

Customer Support : 9
Mike Fuller make's great product's, we all have know someone or read a negitive about his "To the Point" response. If you're product is not working correctly Fulltone will take care of you. I would bet 90% of his phone call's and email's are all user error. You can imagine how short and to the point you would be as well.


Overall Rating : 9
I play in a cover band, so I need to cover a ton of ground from Rock,Country,Jazz and blues. This thing cover's everthing I would want to do and than some. If it broke or was stolen I would find the cash and track down another one ASAP!

$999 may seem like allot but compaird to the $500 I had invested in the Maxon AD9 & Line 6 DL4, this unit is leap's and bound's ahead in sound quality and features. You will not regret the money spent once you get it home and fired up.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 07/06/2004 at 12:00am by stewart

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use, the manual explains all. Levels for guitar, echo and record can be set to best suit your needs .Childs play really.

Sound Quality : 10
When submitting a review here you are asked to be critical and I will when I say this is the best tape echo ever made full stop. As mentioned above it is very quiet and the sound is fantastic. If you want a less high qaulity sound switch to the lower speed setting and youve got vintage echoplex without the noise.
Superbly made inside and out. I think I am the first person to own one of these in the UK and when it arrived I had to switch 2 wires to allow the unit to be used at 240v, all very easy under the guidance of Mr Fuller and his tech.
I just tried the amp in stereo with my reissue bassman and a peavey classic and as mentioned this really is a treat.
Mentioned on Fulltones website is the fact that Brian Setzer now uses one of these and no wonder.
I have owned a Echoplex a Roland 301 and a copicat in the past but this is the best unit for sound and qaulity.

Reliability : No Opinion
Build qaulity is second to none so I cant see any problems with reliability.

Customer Support : 9
Very helpful in insructing me on 240v operation spoke to Mr Fuller himself and received a easy to follow diagram from his tech.

Overall Rating : 9
For me this is the ultimate echo unit it may not suit you if you are a lover of digitaly processed delays but if you want a tape echo this is the one. Yes it is dear but your paying for qaulity.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999.00
Submitted 06/16/2004 at 05:23am by Karl
Email: emo_sound<at>yahoo dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Well I have never owned a digital delay or a tape delay. I do have a vintage DOD 680 analog delay so for playing this is what I have to compare to but I have heard various tape echoes and this captures that magic echoplex sound on the slow speed but takes on a sound of its own with the speed switched up. It is very versatile. I will say that Mike Fullers claims of being dead quite are quite true. My analog delay is the quietest I've heard until this tape echo. Bear in mind comparing my analog delay to my new TTE is not comparing apples to oranges but it's my only point of reference. The manual that comes with it is very good and is going to be supplemented with a DVD manual later this summer. I got number 56 thanks to MusicToyz.com. The manual shows you how to check everything out before you first start it up and it was perfect I didn't have to adjust anything. Right out of the box it was set up and ready to go. It is very easy to use!

Sound Quality : 10
I am using a Gretsch Duo Jet and a 63' Gretsch 6186 into a Vox AC-30 and it is a great combo with this echo unit. The sound is dead quite and lacks nothing. It is very warm. My wife was listening to me play through it and loved it. She sat down and listened to me for about an hour and never asked me how much it was (Thank God!!) I set it up to play stereo through stereo setting 2 between the AC-30 and Tweed deluxe. STEREO SOUNDS KILLER!!! This thing is an instant classic.

Reliability : No Opinion
I cannot comment on reliability as I just got it but I can comment on build quality. If you have done your homework you have read about the quality of parts that went into this thing like the heads, transformer and motor but there are some features that are not commented on that are great touches. For example. I unscrewed the pilot light jewel and discovered that instead of a bulb they used an LED. This is a great touch since you don't have to replace bulbs but also shows that every detail even the smallest, was well thought out.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I have never dealt with them. This is my first Fulltone product and have not had to contact them.

Overall Rating : 10
I play Shoegazer space rock and this is well suited. It sounds so good I thing it is well suited to anything really. You can dial this thing in and get so many different sounds out of it. If it were stolen and I could afford to get another one I defenitely would. The only thing I wish it came with was a footswitch. After spending a grand an extra 20 bucks for a switch can break the bank. It really is a great unit.


Product: Fulltone Tube Tape Echo
Price Paid: US $999
Submitted 06/05/2004 at 07:50am by Jack Palmer
Email: jp004 at yahoo<dot>com

Ease of Use : 9
Very straight-forward, but I grew up using Echoplexes so it's a logical extension of that, with all the Bad points of an Echoplex remedied!

Sound Quality : 10
Where do I begin? There is no digital or analog delay in the world that I can play now. I'm ruined, the TTE has MAGIC on every repeat, and there are way too many "parameters" to that magic, making the cloning of that magic by a bucket-brigade or Digital Delay IMPOSSIBLE.
On HI_SPEED you get about 650 millaseconds maximum delay time and because the Tape runs so fast there is no hiss, no hum, NO noise whatsoever, Unlike an Old Echoplex, the REPEATS are in-tune, with Lot's more HIghs and Lows, in fact, this thing does better Hi-Fi delays than any of my studio Rack Digital delays! I run the TONE CONTROL (which is for the repeats only) at about 11 O'clock but you can turn that up and have way too much highs if you so desire.

LOW SPEED gets at about 1.5 seconds and the sound is slightly fluttery just like my old EP-2 Echoplex, but again, NO noise, Yeah baby!

STEREO! Oh my God, I have been running the TTE between 2 Blackface 60's Fender amps (Twin Reverb and Deluxe reverb)on Setting #2 (there are 3 stereo toggleswitch choices) and I can't explain what's going on on this setting better than saying it has the most 3D psychoacoustic imaging I've ever heard! I think that this setting is:
Right amp=Delay+Guitar
Left amp= Guitar+ out-of Phase? delay because something's going on with this setting that is unbelievable.
Whatever the case may be, it's majestic.

Reliability : 10
I wanted to wait before writing a review because quite frankly one would expect these types of devices to be "tempermental." But I've had it now over a month now (on for a couple of hours every day) and it is perfect, BUILT LIKE A TANK! There are 2 roll-bars on top that protect all the knobs/levers/toggleswitches and heads from taking the brundt of a drop or direct hit. And it comes with the COOLEST carrying bag I've ever seen: this bag is a padded thick Nylon bag with wooden inserts around the whole thing so it might as well be an ANVIL case. So well designed, damn I love this thing.

Customer Support : 10
After I waited to see if my feelings for the TTE would stay as Positive as during the "honeymoon phase," I called Fulltone and got the Man himself, Mike Fuller. He was so nice, and even shared some tips about the TTE, like to change the #2 12AX7 to a Higher gained Ei brand tube ($6) to get a totally different tone and Lot's more volume on the Repeats, you see there is a part of the TTE that's the RECORD amp (tube#1) and a section that's the PLAYBACK amp. (tube#2)
So, being the tweaker that I am, I've ended up with a new GrooveTubes Mullard 12AX7 in the #1 position and an Ei in the #2 spot.
$#%^ it's good.

Overall Rating : 10
This is the easiest "10" I've ever given a pc. of gear.
Even when I'm not using the echo I run through the TTE because it has an all-tube path that gives me all the boost I'd ever need to drive my Amps insanse....screw all those transistor-radio Boost pedals, this thing is the REAL DEAL.
Add to that the greatest delay ever made, and you got an easy 10.
Well done Mr. Fuller, no wonder there are 500+ on backorder.
I also want to thank Teddy at Musictoyz.com for somehow getting me my precious TTE so early on.

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