SIB Echodrive

Five Knobs: Volume, Mix, Delay, Record Level, and Repeat. 1/4" Input/Output plus a 1/4" "Pedal" jack to plug in a passive volume pedal to vary the delay time dynamically. The knobs are highly interactive - especially Mix, Record Level, and Repeat. The "manual" is a well written decal affix to the bottom of the unit. However, I can no longer read mine because it now covered with a solid sheet of velcro that attaches it to my pedalboard. I ordered a right angle plug/cable from IEC, drilled a hole in my pedal board, cut the cable to a short length, threaded it, and attached a new "cobra" plug to the "inside" end. It plugs into a 3-way gang plug (along with my Fatdrive and Fulltone Deja'vibe - both powered the same way). It would have been nice for SIB to supply a right angle IEC plug (like Fulltone does) - because on a "tight" pedal
board there is not room to accomodate the 3" a straigt IEC plug needs for clearance. Now back to using the Echodrive. I love the fact that I don't have to go though LCD menus to set this thing. The control are simple and interactive. You can very the delay time in real-time with a pedal. What more does a cowboy need?

This unit is an attempt at a Tube Echoplex (the Echodrive acutally contains a Tube) in a stomp box format. I'm not familiar enough with a real Echoplex to say if the Echodrive "nails it" or not. However, for my money the Echodrive is the box to own. First of all it takes up about 1/8 the space of a real Exhoplex (or the new Plexecho. This is real important for me because I don't like long set up times and carry a bunch of extraneous boxes around. The Echodrive is pretty quiet in "normal" volume ranges and the tone is quite warm and analog.
SIB advertises the Echodive as having a 900ms MAX delay time. I don't have a watch with a milisecond resolution, but I'm happy to report that this unit delays well beyond "Rockabilly standard time" (although it will do slap-back just fine). I don't hear a bad sound on any setting - but I stay away from the "radical repeat/feedback zone". My pedals go like this: Ernie Ball Volume Pedal -> Fulltone Deja' vibe -> Fulltone SupaTrem -> FullTone ChoralFlange -> Fulldirve -> Echodrive -> Fatdrive. I play a Don Grosh Retro Classic Strat and either a Dr. Z. Maz 18 or Kendrick original Texas Crude Delux amp. Styles include Gospel, Pop, R&B, Jazz, and bit of Country.

The Echodrive - like it's Varidrive/Fatdrive cousins is housed in a "brick like" steel box. It is a very new idea/technology so I'm not going to rate it for now.

Rick seems to be very cool and usually answer EMAIL withing a day or two.

This is a pretty cool unit and I think if it disappeared, I'd get another one. However, I hear rumors that Mike Fuller might be inventing a delay. I will certainly check out anything he does. I also considered a Plexecho but for twice the money, I'm not convinced I'd get twice the value.