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!

It's fairly easy to use, but must be maintained periodically as any tape based unit would. It's not that hard- all you need is some Caig rubber roller cleaner, and a head demagnetizer.

Truly deserves a 10. I went through a bunch of analog delay units including the Maxon AD900 and Moogerfooger before I got my TTE (one of the first ones made). I know, tape echo is its own thing and probably should not be compared to analog delays. However, the TTE beats the analogs in every parameter- it's dead quiet, the fidelity of the repeats is user settable (fast or slow tape speed) and there's three stereo options. The guitar volume knob can be turned past unity to give a great tube-driven boost to your tube amp.

There is moving tape, so things can happen. The unit itself, though, is built as well or better than any boutique amp out there.

This is where I wanted to respond to "Topher" below, who I strongly suspect is an anti-Fulltone troll. I have about 6 Fulltone pedals in addition to the TTE, and my dealings with Mike both on the phone and through e-mail have been nothing but great. About a year after I got my TTE the tape stuck and unraveled while I was playing. I emailed Fulltone and said that I had one of the first TTE's and described what happened. Mike replied (the next day) "Wow! you have one of the first ones. Does yours have the plastic corner roller? Give me your address and I'll send you the new improved stainless steel one." Three days later the upgraded roller arrived; I installed it and many hours of use later and I have had zero problems. This is typical of my experience with Fulltone.

The TTE instantly become the cornerstone of my rig. There's nothing else I have heard in my 25+ years of playing that sounds this good. There's nothing like two good amps run in stereo, and the TTE delivers. If you want that Eric Johnson-like clean sound with two amps and a little chorus, this is the ticket. It will be passed down to my kids when I go.

TTE is very easy to use but it is necessary to dedicate some care to obtain the best performance from it.

I have played with several echo ( old echoplexes, binson, roland space echo, etc..) but TTE is the greatest echo ever made: great sound, no noise, high dinamic !

At this moment FULLTONE TTE-DVD support is not yet available but it is necessary for all overseas users to maintain theirs TTE TO working fine

I play rockabilly, blues and jazz: for my personal set up a better unit than TTe is another TTE !!!

It is very easy to use. Move a slider to select your delay time, twist a knob to set guitar volume, another for echo level and another for feedback. Two smaller knobs for tone and stength of the signal - these are important and take some work, but very simple.

Outstanding. Addictive, and truly glorious. Between the fast and slow settings you can all the delay sounds you wlll ever need for any kind of music I think of. Even on bypass the tube circuitry rounds out your tone.
Using two amps on the stereo setting is jaw dropping. If you have two valve amps you will need to ground one of them, and they include the plug for this.

No problems in over a year and half of pretty much constant use. Fulltone stuff is made for a hard life. Clearly it needs careful handling, but its old school build quality, and comes with a great carry case.

The very big plus is that you get to deal with Mike Fuller direct, which is also the main drawback.
He is as close to a genius as there is working in guitar gear right now, and is truly passionate about his stuff. But he can also be dismissive and rude. If you can get past that there seems to be a very decent fellow in there somewhere, and he does want all of his customers to get the best out of his stuff.

This is a unique unit. No question it is the best echo unit you can buy. Period. It makes amps and guitars sound better, and will flatter your playing.
I have been using echo as a key effect for over 20 years and owned some wonderful tape echoes from Roland, Korg and Wem. I am an admirer of Boss, patic if you are on a budget, and EHX.
But nothing comes close, honestly.
I know it is a heap of money for a regular player, but its worth it. It is handmade, unique, and once you have one you will never want to let it go. Bite the bullet and buy the one piece of kit you will never have to upgrade.
Oh, and it looks fabulous as well.

Easy to use. 3 main knobs and 2 secondary, some switches. Delay time selector with a vintage style. Clean. Wonderful blonde tolex covering. Nice cordura bag. Spartan but efficient Manual
I think it's impossible to get a bad sound of this.

Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Custom 1981, Fender Telecaster 52, Fender Stratocaster American Standard 2000, Rickenbacker 330, Gibson ES 355 Stereo, Gibson SG 1971.
Amps: VOX AC-15, Rivera R55, Demeter TGA3, Laney Head 100W Valve.
Effects: MXR DYNACOMP, TONEBONE CLASSIC DISTORTION, FULLTONE '69 PEDAL, TTE.
No matter how is the combination of amps and guitars, the sound is always awesome.

Built like a tank, but it's a mechanical device. May be need some maintenance someday.
It's part of my tone, but I don't use backups.

OK.
At last, after decades of search and prays, my redemption; now I own the Holy Grail of echoes, The FULLTONE TUBE TAPE ECHO!! Thanks, Sir Mark, the Protector of the Holy Grail of Echo Chambers, by giving it to us, poor mortals!!
Everything of my old Echoplex had, minus the mechanical instability, the noise, etc.
Just the vibe remains and the same face for instant recognizing. Inside, state-of-the-art components, tubes and intelligent solutions to old problems.
The result? The most absolute warm echo machine that money could buy (and it?s expensive, dudes!!!) but, after 40 years of playing, I learned the lesson: there are no miracles in musical gear, if you want the best, you have to pay for it. Period.
But this wonderful piece of art is not for anyone, even with money. It?s for purists, people with good ears and an understanding of the story of rock?n roll, of how the good sounds that caused that emotions in most of us was conjured. If you don?t ear the difference between this equipment and a delay pedal, forget all the words above and buy the pedal.
To the few that agree with me, all we have to say is:
God bless you, Sir Mark Fuller.

I was looking for the best delay out there and I found it, along with my Divided by 13 amps that I realy love and proud to own I think I have a wining combo. It took me 28 years to find the gear that works for me. I got TTE #105

I have owned and play through most of the anolog tape, digital pedals, and anolog pedals out there and this is the holy grail of Delay. your surch will end when you get this machine, trust me I've wasted alot of time and money surching. after I got the machine I sold off all my other delays qwick, I did keep a old boss anolog DM-3 pedal for back up in my gig bag incase of emergency.

I gig about 2 to 3 gigs a week and, So far so good.

They helped me out fast to answer any Questions I had.

If DELAY is a big part of your sound them you need this machine. I dont no how I could play with out it, its now my sound, If stolen or lost I would have to buy another one Qwick I would never settle for less, infact I might have to get a second one for a spare. I hope they keep them in blonde.

very straightforward, after an hour or so it's easy to get a handle on the functions. Every knob performs a useful function that affects the way it sounds. The manual is pretty detailed, but I'm waiting on the DVD manual that Fulltone has promised. Haven't had to change a tape yet, and I've heard that can be tricky. . .

I've had my TTE for about four months now and I love it more now than I did when I bought it. This thing is chock full of juicy, fat, thick echo, slapback and delay. At certain settings it can also cop a very nice reverb type sound as well. You name it and this unit can do it, maybe with the exception of super long delays, but who needs that crap anyway? Seriously, this thing sounds amazing and it is very quiet as well. I'm playing it through my only amp, a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30. It sounds great with clean, overdrive and heavily distorted amp tones. I usually use a short delay, less than 10 ms, but it's very fun to crank up the knobs all the way and enjoy some cool sonic mayhem. I can't wait to get another amp to try it in stereo. Simply put: You won't find a better delay sound out there, anywhere.

no problems so far. It seems to be extremely well built and the wood reinforced case that comes with it is very cool and will protect the unit well.

never dealt with them since I bought it. . .

This is my first Fulltone product but it won't be my last. Mr. Fuller really outdid himself with this. I used to own an EP2 Echoplex and this unit sounds better, with more features and cool options like stereo outs. I got it before the price went up to $1200, so I felt like a got a good deal. At $1200 it's still a fair deal and I'd probably still buy it. If you like delay of any type I would encourage you to try one out but be careful--you'll probably end up taking it home!

it aint rocket science kid

i've pretty much always used a space echoe which i love and a couple of wem copycats which i also love but these are so noisy compared to digital delays. i had a chance to check out the tube echo recently and could not believe how quite this unit is, i still love my other echo units but am seriously considering selling them to get one of these beauties.it sounds fucking killer.i didnt use it on guitars which seems to be the norm but this has been all over everything else in the studio in the short time i had it and really left its mark..

couldn't really say personally but it had been brought from the states on tour so it had been gigged for about 6 weeks on the road and behaved perfectly.

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absolutely brilliant!!! very easy! manual is fine. this is amazing.

i play a strat and tele through zvex and fulltone pedals into this unit into orange amps. the only noise is mechanical noise. in 20 years of playing, owning a ton of digital, analog, and tape echo units, this is THE one. this is the most amazing sounding echo i have ever heard!! my favorite piece of gear i own!!

it seems very solid. i will not gig with it. i will use a maxon analog delay pedal live. i want to keep this baby mint AND 99% of the people watching you live cannot tell what kind of echo you are using. trust me, most people can't even hear the difference between analog and digital (this does not include us musicians and tone freaks so don't get mad at me!!!) i will use it for my at home pleasure and on all recordings.

i have emailed fulltone. i think it was mike e-mailing back. lets just say this. he acts like someone who has been spoiled by a lot of praise and success.

the most perfect echo unit i have had the pleasure of using!! www.myspace.com/thebusylights is where you can hear my band. i will try to add some music with the TTE in the recordings.

If you haven't used an Echoplex or tape unit you could be in for some 'dial-in' time. The directions are simple and the layout is 'user friendly'.

Well, I have a MONSTER amp made by Scott Splawn and is easily the best Marshall (clone but MUCH BETTER) type amp I've owned. I put the TTE in front of the amp (between the guitar and amp input) and played a bit. Sounds terrible :( the echoes are thin and muddy. I adjust the 'echo tone' and 'record' knobs as suggested in the manual and more of the same....I think I made a HUGE mistake in buying this expensive boat anchor...the echoes get worse as the gain on my amp increases. I'm not impressed. AHA! this is a 'tube' echo, maybe there is a tube problem? I open the unit up and swap out the EI 12ax7 tubes with NOS JAN Philips 12ax7 tubes (don't touch the 12AU7 the manual warns!!!). Fire er' up and VIOLA! there it is! the tone I was expecting to hear! (I've owned tube tape echoes before)It was a couple of(or just one)severely microphonic tube(s). I put the TTE in the effects loop of the amp and it sounds even better (more uniform echoes between clean and gain channels). Absolutely quiet, I have to put my ear up against it to even hear any mechanical tape travel noise. I haven't tried the stereo option yet but am doing some recording soon and will try it with an acoustic guitar going into the TTE and out into the board in stereo. Try changing the tubes out for a change in tone.

The EI tubes can be finiky (I've heard), Telefunken clones, but have quality issues....I won't hold this against this unit and its maker because the EI's are great when they aren't microphonic, and this could have happened to the tubes during shipping...unit is built with great care and highest quality throughout, nice job! I hope to own it, trouble free, for MANY years!

Mike Fuller is usually accessible and always helpful when I talk to him.

If you want the best possible echo tone, this is it, if you want the clearest sounding echo get a digital delay. I've been around for quite a while and have used ALL that is out there....this product is a keeper.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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!!!!

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!

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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).

Never needed to contact Fulltone (so far...)

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty much plug and play just read the manual to know what settings to have versus low and high speed.

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

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.

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

Just spend the cash and turn it on. You will forget about the price.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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,