SIB Echodrive

Well...I have read all the previosly posted reviews of the SIB! Echdrive, both the analog blue box and the red digital box and the upgraded red one with "slam"...I hacve the regular red box and no 'slam' but: this is indeed the coolest delay pedal I've used. Now, I ain't no pro, just an older fella with a lotta long grey hair but I been at this guitar stuff a long long time and the ease with which a great tone is acieved with this delay pedal is nothin' short of a miricle of electronic guitar surgery science engineering. There's no manual for the Echodrive and Rick ( the Man at SIB! ) tells me there really never was one, though some of these had some instructions printed on the bottom of the box. Mine's blank, just paint there but really, if ya get a delay like this usually a player has a good idea of how to stomp on it and shake some action!

I play a lotta Chcago stuff and other loud guitar sounds. Because I work as a guitar tech at home I play lots of styles and makes of guitar through my rig, and the Echodrive is always in the signal path whether on or off. Strats sound 'strattier', teles sound 'tellier' and Les Pauls sound like Jimmy's Hammer...Unlike some reviewers, I have no noise from this pedal. No rumble, no nothin' 'cept what the box is supposed to. I play thru a Jo Mama Blues Special and this echo makes me feel like Elmore James. Whatever is in the chain sound way way better with this pedal.

Dependability is something I just wouldn't question. Like a tank this box is built, strong and superior Big Steel box and inside, well...there's just one word: superfine. I have used it daily for six months ( I bought it used for a buck sixty five and tax ) and there's been no variance in the tone or reliability of the Echodrive. Because these devices become such an integral part of our tone, I reall must say that short of a loss of line power this box will keep on echoin'. I'd never think to get a back-up.

About three monyhs after I got this gizmo it came down with a switch problem. SIB! adverts their swithces as being really good, studly, and so I got hold of the builder, Rick, and he was especially helpful. Instantly got back to me via the Yahoo and told me what was up and he included the proper replacement part numbers and even gave me access to the website of his parts supplier! It don't get friendlier than that. I replaced the switch with an OEM and the Echodrive was/is purrfect! I read about the newer versions of this box but for what its worth, its great as is so I am happyhappyhappy!

For my music I play a lotta slide. Really cool hearing it recorded with the Echodrive. Live, this changes things...there's that tube in there, hot alla time and warmin' all the rest of the stuff up that is hooked up with it...I'm 60 and been playin' since 1962. I have this goin' on when I play: Fulltone FD-2, Echodrive, Fulltone SupaTrem, ElectroHarmonix Holy Grail, into the amp mentioned above. If this pedal was lost or stolen I would be quick to find another one and I'd not negotiate the cost. The delay is so variable and the repeats decay like a tape echo minus the hassles. I especially enjoy the warmth the pedal imparts to every note. I had a DD-6 (boss) that I liked a lot. And long ago I had an MXR analog delay ala Keef. And back inna day I had a Roland Space Echo. I figure if I'd had an Echodrive I woulda made the cover of GeePee! You like delay? Echo? Tube tones? Get yo self one of these gizmos and do yo self a big Favor! I am so lucky to have an Echodrive. Get one. Get one. Get one.

Well...I have read all the previosly posted reviews of the SIB! Echdrive, both the analog blue box and the red digital box and the upgraded red one with "slam"...I hacve the regular red box and no 'slam' but: this is indeed the coolest delay pedal I've used. Now, I ain't no pro, just an older fella with a lotta long grey hair but I been at this guitar stuff a long long time and the ease with which a great tone is acieved with this delay pedal is nothin' short of a miricle of electronic guitar surgery science engineering. There's no manual for the Echodrive and Rick ( the Man at SIB! ) tells me there really never was one, though some of these had some instructions printed on the bottom of the box. Mine's blank, just paint there but really, if ya get a delay like this usually a player has a good idea of how to stomp on it and shake some action!

I play a lotta Chcago stuff and other loud guitar sounds. Because I work as a guitar tech at home I play lots of styles and makes of guitar through my rig, and the Echodrive is always in the signal path whether on or off. Strats sound 'strattier', teles sound 'tellier' and Les Pauls sound like Jimmy's Hammer...Unlike some reviewers, I have no noise from this pedal. No rumble, no nothin' 'cept what the box is supposed to. I play thru a Jo Mama Blues Special and this echo makes me feel like Elmore James. Whatever is in the chain sound way way better with this pedal.

Dependability is something I just wouldn't question. Like a tank this box is built, strong and superior Big Steel box and inside, well...there's just one word: superfine. I have used it daily for six months ( I bought it used for a buck sixty five and tax ) and there's been no variance in the tone or reliability of the Echodrive. Because these devices become such an integral part of our tone, I reall must say that short of a loss of line power this box will keep on echoin'. I'd never think to get a back-up.

About three monyhs after I got this gizmo it came down with a switch problem. SIB! adverts their swithces as being really good, studly, and so I got hold of the builder, Rick, and he was especially helpful. Instantly got back to me via the Yahoo and told me what was up and he included the proper replacement part numbers and even gave me access to the website of his parts supplier! It don't get friendlier than that. I replaced the switch with an OEM and the Echodrive was/is purrfect! I read about the newer versions of this box but for what its worth, its great as is so I am happyhappyhappy!

For my music I play a lotta slide. Really cool hearing it recorded with the Echodrive. Live, this changes things...there's that tube in there, hot alla time and warmin' all the rest of the stuff up that is hooked up with it...I'm 60 and been playin' since 1962. I have this goin' on when I play: Fulltone FD-2, Echodrive, Fulltone SupaTrem, ElectroHarmonix Holy Grail, into the amp mentioned above. If this pedal was lost or stolen I would be quick to find another one and I'd not negotiate the cost. The delay is so variable and the repeats decay like a tape echo minus the hassles. I especially enjoy the warmth the pedal imparts to every note. I had a DD-6 (boss) that I liked a lot. And long ago I had an MXR analog delay ala Keef. And back inna day I had a Roland Space Echo. I figure if I'd had an Echodrive I woulda made the cover of GeePee! You like delay? Echo? Tube tones? Get yo self one of these gizmos and do yo self a big Favor! I am so lucky to have an Echodrive. Get one. Get one. Get one.

Red digital model, not the plus. No slam function. Easy to dial in a good sound, but . . .

With low delay time settings (9:00 and less in either range) and with the mix anywhere above 9:00 there is a loud "rumbling". It's more than a hiss or hum, it's a percussive rumble. I tried many different tube types. It's really a shame because this is one of those effects that makes everything sound better.

I can only assume at one time it worked properly.

I'm done with all the fancy boutique "next big thing" stuff. Gimme a Boss Digital delay and a stock tube screamer.

I am reviewing the Blue analog Echodrive.
If you are familiar with tape echo units, then you will be completely familiar with this.
There are no bad sounds in this thing.

My setup, (if you care), is a custom Fender Tele into an 18 watt Marshall clone. I switch between 2 SIB Varidrives for crunch tones and an old MXR Flanger that I set for chorus, and then the Echodrive is last in the chain.
Getting the right tube is absolutely critical for this unit. When I got it, I noticed that on crunch tones the Echodrive would color the tone quite a bit. Not in a bad way, but it no longer sounded like my tone with just echo added. After much experimenting with tubes, I see that the Echodrive will be 'colorless' after all.
There is no noise engaged, even while not playing,and it's true bypass. Perfect.
I think in many ways this is superior to tape echo. If I had a second one I could say with certainty that I would never go back to tape. Unfortunately, these are in short supply and huge demand, so if mine craps out, I may have to go back to tape after all.

My other SIB pedals have been completely reliable. Never a problem, for years now

Never contacted them.

I play progressive music, sometimes join friends for jazz jams too.
Been playing 27 years (holy crap), and I have to say that the Echodrive has become a vital part of my setup. Wouldn't want to even think about having to replace it.
It's a lot of money and hard to find, but if you can get one and are REALLY into the tape echo thing, don't blink, just buy it.
I paid alot for this thing but still less than a TTE (Fulltone), which is a really stellar unit as well. I don't have to deal with "revisions', "upgrades", or replacement tapes.
I'm very happy with this thing.

I want to Clarify Mine is The BLUE Analog Echodrive. Easy to use. Very cool feature having the record knob. The record knob will increase the amount of tube saturation. Also has CV controlling for control of your delay time in real time. Everything is self explanatory. There is a manual printed on the back of the pedal that explains all the functions. This pedal is a no brainer.

I am reviewing the Blue Analog Echodrive. I played the Red Digital Version but its was cold and digital I really wasn't impressed but the Blue Version is completely different. Imagagine an Echoplex in a small reliable box without any tapes to deal with that is what the Blue Echodrive is. First off let me say one thing: This pedal kills as a boost/overdrive or just a tone fatner. All you have to do is take the delay time down to zero and use the volume knob to adjust volume and you get this great tube warmth sound added to your tone. Adjust the record level and you get more gain and can't start to overdrive. This pedal is just as good as the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo. Mike Fuller Raves about the tone improvement you get just running through his TTE, well he is right but the Echodrive Does the same thing and imo its a bit juicier. Ok now on to delay. I love delay I have chandlers and a Fulltone Tube Tape Echo. I trade a Way Huge Aqua Puss and $100 for the Echodrive. It was well worth it. The Aqua puss was thin and had 300ms of delay and no tube warmth. The Echodrive has 600ms of delay. It is crystal clear and warm. Sounds as good as the Tube Tape Echo if not better. The Tube Tape Echo has a bit more delay time but seems to get overly dirty and muddy on the repeats. The Chandlers are great but they do sound digital compared to the fulltone and the echodrive. I use a 63 JMI Vox AC30 with Blues a 69 Plexi and I just got a Komet Constellation. The Constellation is great. My favorite amp right now. I use a variety of Paul Reed Smith Guitars as well as a few Anderson's and a Suhr Telecaster. My signal Chain is Teese RMC3LE->Analogman sunface->Analogman KOT->TIM overdrive->Analogman Clone Chorus->Blue Analog SIB Echodrive->Demeter Tremulator. The Blue Analog SIB Echodrive is also True Bypass so it won't F up your tone but I leave mine on alot for the Tube tone.

I have been playing this thing for 2 years no problems. No noise. No hum. No problems whatsoever. Its a tank and looking at the insides its built like a Matchless Amplifier military Grade. I have never heard a hum or any noise with this pedal its super silent. The tube adds warmth but no noise. I never use a backup.

I had good service with these guys. I bought a few other pedals and had a problem with a Varidrive. Not a problem to reach and they fixed the varidrive for Free and in like 2 days time. Fantastic.

I play blues to pink floyd. I like some modern bands like Incubus. I am a big fan of U2 as well. This pedal nails all the U2 songs. The edge never goes above 600ms so this pedal covers his entire career. My favorite music is the blues. Buddy Guy BBking Eric Clapton these guys are great too.

Very simple easy to use pedal. Couldn't find a bad setting on this pedal.

The Sound quality is unreal. I use fender guitars and gibson guitars usually strats and les pauls. Ampwise I am usually running a matchless DC30. I use a bunch of effects Way huge swollen pickle and green rhino zvex super duper Teese RMC3LE wah Lovetone Doppelganger flanger and the SIB Echodrive. Keep in mind my Echodrive is the Blue analog one. I didn't like the RED digital version. I tried a bunch of delays Fulltone TTE,Line6 DL4, Boss DM2 and DM3, EH memory man, Maxon AD900 and AD999 and AD80, Roland Space Echos, Old Echoplexes and a Way Huge Aqua puss. The memory man was too fragile to even consider. The Aqua Puss was my favorite for years. The Fulltone TTE was cool but I still liked the echodrive better. I never thought I would say this but the Aqua Puss was thin and kind of sterile sounding compared to the analog Echodrive. I sold the aqua puss just recently I guess it was the right time got $500 for it now burning a hole in my pocket. Might buy a new guitar with that.

Never a moments worry. This pedal is as solid as it gets. I don't know about the RED versions, they seem kind of fragile. This thing is a tank. Plus the custom support is top.

Rick is fantastic, answer all my calls and emails. Very reliable, smart smart guy. I can depend on him definitly. I bought my pedal used and he offered to check it out make sure it was running smoothly for FREE. I told him it sounded amazing and worked fine that if I had a problem I would look him up, now thats service.

This pedal is perfect. I love U2 and this pedal with its 600MS can cover every U2 sound, in fact I think it sounds better than the edges delays might want to ring him up and get him to change his delays.

Very straightforward to use. A couple more switches than a lot of delay pedals, but nothing to fret over. A one page instructin sheet would have been nice.I can't say precisely what the the echodrive switch does, but it appears to be another option in powering up the feedback signal. Nice big box with easy to operate switches - nothing too fiddly.

I have a number of delays units - Virtual Sound H20, Boss DD6, and old Roland 501 Space Echo.
I like them all for different things, but the stand out unit is the Echodrive. It has a truly glorious tone, so warm but without all the noise, hiss and hassle of the Space Echo. I notice a couple of grumbles from other users about background hiss - my unit is now about three months old and absolutley no problems on this front.
A strong clear signal, and very musical.

Built like a tank, and no problems so far. Big, heavy and with a nice homemade feel to it. I trust it.

Not had to deal with them

I feel guilty about using Harmony Central so much and not posting any reviews, but felt dutybound to do so with this pedal.
There has clearly been a price shift while the unit has been in production. Frankly I think its worth 4-500 dollars for a largely handmade unit of this quality. I bought it off the internet for $259, which is roughly the going the rate now, and for that money it is a steal.
I have been playing for about 25 years, and now play strats through a few effects into a Matchless DC 30. If lost I would replace the Echodrive immediately.

10.Es muy facil de usar solo hay que enchufar y listo, tienes un buen sonido de eco o delay muy musical y muy parecido a los ecos de cinta.El efecto consta de volumen master,volumen del efecto,(este volumen al maximo deja oir solo el efecto y al minimo la se?al "seca" sin efecto),luego esta el feedback o cantidad de repeticiones del eco,tambien tiene un nivel de drive (he aqui lo original del pedal)que actua sobre la ganancia del efecto.Este parametro es el que le da calidad al pedal ya que responde de diferente manera variando el nivel de ganancia.Se pueden tener repeticiones claras y naturales con la ganancia al minimo o repeticiones mas oscuras y calientes que le dan un tono analogico muy musical un perfecto tono para tener la atmosfera espacial sin que el efecto este tan presente.Diria que este pedal tiene un tono ideal para cumplir la funcion que fue dise?ado.

Como dije anteriormente es un 10.La calidad del sonido de este pedal puede llevar a confusion:Es provable que alguien pueda decir que tiene un sonido de baja fidelidad contrario a sus hermanos fatdrive y varidrive que tienen una calidad sonora cojonuda,el motivo de esta aparente "baja fidelidad" es perfecta para lograr un sonido analogico muy parecido al de un eco de cintaEstamos ablando de un pedal a valvulas pero con chip digital, o sea lo mejor de ambos mundos para lograr un delay o eco muy muy efectivo.

Este es un pedal muy bien parido:a diferencia de todos los delays y ecos de mercado sean digitales analogicos de cinta sin cinta... este es un pedal que ademas de utilizarse para a?adir eco o delay al sonido, puede utilizarse como booster para subir el volumen de la se?al a un volumen perfecto para solos,bajando el nivel de "dry" o sea, quitando el efecto consiguiendo que sea el ecodrive mucho mas que un simple delay ana?adiendo al sonido ese calor de valvulas que se busca en estos casos.O sea que en realida son dos pedales en uno."Bien pario que digo yo".

No he tenido ningun problema tanto con el ecodrive o con el varidrive o fatdrive de la marca SIB.Aun son nuevos tienen 1 a?o pero los uso mucho(a veces estoy todo el dia tocando eso son unas 8 o 9 horas encendidos)Solo decir que es muy importante usar un buen cable de salida del pedal,o sea que el cable de salida del pedal ha de ser de muy buena calidad porque si no facimente cae el nivel de se?al del pedal a la mitad.Esto me pasaba a veces al conectar el pedal,su nivel de volumen era distinto, bajaba sin ninguna explicacion cuando lo conectaba al final de la cadena de efectos cosa que no pasaba al conectarlos de penultimo antes de un chorus TC electronic.Hace tiempo me di cuenta que era el cable que conectaba en el output del pedal.Seguramente el pantallado del cable hacia que el volumen del pedal bajara considerablemente cosa rara pero despues de intentar comprenderlo y provar ese era el problema.

Vivo en la isla de Ibiza en el Mediterraneo.Aqui gusta el house la musica de discoteca la "cultura de clubs".Suelo tocar con DJs blues,funkie,aunque a mi tambien me va el rock and roll autentico.Felicidades SIB pedals.Un saludo de Ibiza.

No big problem with figuring out what the knobs are supposed to do. The problem is that there is no usable throw in the balance knob. Anywhere past 9:00 and the things hums like a mother. Transformer problem, you say? You bet. Read below.

I am running a number of boutique and vintage pedals (e.g., TS 808, Klon, Mojovibe, Lovetone, CE-1, etc.) in a hard wire bypass system. Guitars: '59 Strat and 1958 LP Historic into either a Maz 18 Jr or a Divided by 13 amp.
There is a mid hump that is cool with a Strat but not so great with the LP. The thing, when working, has a killer slap back and OK longer delays. When it works, the sound quality is good.

Broke after 2 months use. Blew a transformer, all on its own. Tried to get in touch with SIB. You know what? You can't get in touch with them. No email on website and my dealer, the ever-not-helpful Musictoyz.com did not get back to me with their info. So, my tech diagnosed the problem and tried to contact them through professional techie channels. Still no go. Finally, after 2 months, he contacted them, gave them the transformer code number and, guess what? They don't recall using that transformer. I'm still waiting. Really irresponsible. Depend on it? Not on your (I mean "their") life!

Forget about it. See above.

When it works, it is good. Better, to my ears than the much vaunted Chandler (have one). Not as groovey as a tube 'plex of course. Huge points off the total for poor reliability and support.

Very easy to use if you are familiar with the knobs. It takes some getting used to, to REALLY understand and develop a good feel for the pedal. It has a great character, getting to know it was FUN!

My rig consists of a Les Paul, 335, and a Strat, all through a Dr. Z KT-45 combo w/ greenbacks. This pedal is the blue analog version from the 90's. Very noisy...with ungrounded power it's worse. This pedal, from my research, was designed to replicate the analog warmth of a tape echo. It does that PERFECTLY. To achieve this, lo-fi components are used. Not BAD components, but lo-fi to achieve the "warmth." The effect is AWESOME! I mean, it's the finest I've ever heard. I was looking for some versatility with the unit, definitely there, 600ms. The newer ones have a switch on the side, I really wish this one had it. The tube makes a big difference in the tone. I can't get past the hum though. I am selling this one for the red version because it has longer delay time. This one is at 600 ms, the newer red ones, 1.3 seconds. It gets a 9 because of the drone/hum.

It is very reliable. SIB is known for it. I went 2 years without a back, and it NEVER failed. HEAVY GIGGING.

Tough to find information on them. I had to call once, they were pretty cool, but it seemed like SIB wasn't there main priority, but rather the amp company was. Eh....

I play it all. Great live pedal, not so much for the studio because it's noisy. I wish it had the switchable delay times for a more gradual sweep on the delay time knob. I wish it wasn't noisy. This pedal, IS a music maker. Gotta take the good with the bad on this one folks, that's all I gotta say.

No manual, lots of knobs... not very easy to use. It's not real obvious to me what all the knobs did. After a few hours of playing, I think I have it down. A manual would be nice.

This is the newer red version. This thing sounds great to me. Very transparent. I can't complain about the sound at all.

After a few hours of using this pedal, the thing starting humming pretty bad. I thought the tube went microphonic, but changing it did nothing. Probably a bad solder on one of the grounds. Luckly the place I bought it from allowed me to send it back and they replaced it with a new one. That one has worked ever since.

Never dealt with him.

If you're looking at buying a delay/echo pedal, you could do a lot worse than this. I'd buy it again.

This thing is self-explanatory. Turn a knob, it does what's described. My unit supposedly belonged to Eric Johnson and the true bypass has been overridden. It's harder to use standing up than some of the units with bigger, farther-spaced knobs, though. I can't control the regeneration with my foot as I did with my memory man, and at gigs I seem to inadveredly kick the level quieter and quieter.

I play an old hollow-body Gretsch and a cutom-built NYC hollowbody, both with Bigsbys. My amp is a Matchless Chieftain and my pedal board contains a Perscription Electronics Throb, a Boss Harmony pedal (for +1 octave-which I hardly use), a DOD overdrive(the old grey one), and a Swollen Pickle. My guitars are bright as is my amp. For the longest time my echo was an Ibanez Analog, black with purple butterfly(?), which got stolen. I replaced it with a deluxe Memory Man, which kept falling apart. Of the three, the Ibanez is the cleanest-sounding. It is also the most boring. The Memory Man lacks input headroom, and squashes the sound. It also makes the coolest sounds of the three. But it's built like garbage; if you're touring and you love the Memory Man, buy 2. I was tired of getting my Memory Man repaired, so I checked out the Moog and the Echodrive. The Moog is great, but it's too precious to tour with. It definitely does not belong on the floor! I tried that Line 6 thing too- it does a good job of not emulating the magic of anything it tries to copy. The echodrive just sounded magical from moment one. Now that I've had it for about a year I can report that it is reliable, and that it can withstand being zapped by 220 volts without frying. Rick fixed it within a week and reported that I only managed to blow a fuse. It'll do rockabilly slap and psychedelic "Lucifer Sam" Pink Floyd stuff, and manage to sound like a tape delay. It is a bit mushy sometimes, and I'm interested in trying some other tubes to see how it reacts.

If you want to see this thing broken, bring it to Europe and eat lunch while entrusting your gear to some techs. They can feed it their current and do a good job of putting it out of commission. I can't think of another easy way to destroy this thing. It's over-engineered, sits in an extremely heavy box, etc.

Rick is the nicest guy in the world. He is competent, polite, charges little for his work.

This gets a ten, because it has integrated itself into what makes me sound unique.

I am reviewing the red, digital Echodrive. As stated in other reviews, this pedal is very easy to use. The manual is printed on the bottom. With the digital version, you are unable to control the delay time with a volume pedal, but it does offer 1.2 seconds of delay time.

This pedal comes with a 12AX7 tube, which does warm up the sound. Rick said he tuned this pedal to sound like natural echo, NOT an echoplex. If you want an echoplex-style sound, the analog version of this pedal is what you want....but they are no longer being made. This offers warm digital delay, but it does tend to boost the mid-frequencies when engaged. This pedal also has true-bypass.

This thing is built quite well. The only problem is, mine came D.O.A. It just didn't work at all. Rick did fix it for me...I guess something was wrong with the rectifier or something. Oh well. I wound up returning it because I wasn't pleased with the tone.

Rick Hamel is very helpful and knows his stuff. He is very responsive to emails and/or phone calls.

The pedal is well-built, but I guess I didn't like what it did to my tone when engaged. It does provide warm digital delay, but it does boost the mids a bit. I play acoustic instruments, and that just wasn't going to work for me. I play professionally in Nashville. Also, I'm not sure it's worth 400 bucks!

My echodrive was one of the original analog ones (blue), not digital (red or black). PEOPLE NEED TO SPECIFY which pedal they are reviewing else these reviews are worthless.
It's very easy to use as stated below.

It does a great job at preserving your tone, although it does color your tone slightly. But unlike cheaper delay units it still maintains the main dynamics of your tone. It does seem to boost the midrange of your tone a bit, unfortunatly. I can see though how a lot of people might like what it does though in that regard. Tweaking my amp couldn't really solve the change in balance of the lows,mids and highs. You have to be a real tone-freak like me to hear these things though.
It's very quiet...
As for the delays, I didn't care for them. They are too muddy for my tastes. I'm judging them a little harshly given the $500 price tag. I'd rather my delays be too "sterile" than too muddy. I considered opening the unit and changing tube, but I didn't for two reasons. One, I read somewhere that this will make matters worse and two, the screws were so damn tight I couldn't get them off with the screwdriver. I of course could of gotten them off if I really wanted too, but I'm sure I would of stripped the screws a bit in the process and I planned on returning the unit anyway because I didn't think the quality of the delay warranted a $500 price tag.


If the digital version of this pedal also preserves the dry tone as well as this pedal, I would think that it would be much better to own, but I haven't tried one. I've heard that the delays are more realistic and less colored and muddy. You can also find them for $400...
I heard that Eric Johnson uses these pedals and prefers the digital version. Also, he had the original version modified so that it was NOT true-bypass. I'm assuming he did this because he didn't want a change in tone to be apparent when switching the unit on and off. Actually a true-bypass on/off switch would be a neat feature. Like I said, some people might prefer how this pedal "enhances" their tone and may not want that tone adjustment to go away when they switch the delay off...
If the delays sounded better, I'd give this a 9 or 10, but as it is, it gets a 7.

It seems very reliable, solid as a brick.

Probably good but don't really know...

I'd suggest the digital version of the Echodrive and since they no longer make the analog one it shouldn't be a problem. If this pedal only cost $100-150, I would of surely kept it, but for $500, no thanks! I'm not sure the $400 digital Echodrive is worth it either, but I haven't heard it so I can't say.

wonderfully easy, instructions are printed on the bottom.

sounds great, super warm, gritty low-fi just like an ol' tube echoplex.
I use a 58' Gibson LesPaul Special, an 82' 57'Strat re-issue, a 64' Silvertone and a 74' tele through a bunch of assorted vintage MXR, Ibanez, EH pedals as well as a few newer Menatone pedals. into either a 67' Vibrolux, 66' Princeton, 71' Deluxe Reverb, 66' Bassman Head through a Marshall 4x10 cab, or my 71' superlead through 4x12 Marshall cab with Vintage 30's.

it hasen't faltered yet, besides the super hi-end roll-off issue, which I totally agree with.
there is a super easy way to remedy this problem.....
replace the tube! w/ a better quality 12ax7. or better yet, what I tried was a NOS Sylvania 12at7. which has LESS gain than the 12ax7. so you don't overdrive the preamp as much (hence cleaner,clearer, more defined highs.
still way warm & huge tone.
also it allows the drive control to be more interactive. you can have clear echo when turned down, but still have it feedback and freak out on it self when maxed!
I also want to try a 12au7. which would even be less gain that the 12at7. try experimenting with a few different pre-amp tubes from a guitar amp. they shouldn't hurt the Echodrive because
1. the thing is built like a tank!
2. the 12ax7 has the most gain of the guitar preamp tube family.
checkout www.varidrive.com click onto the varidrive, and you'll see the tube gain chart.

I love this unit, I tried the SS model just to check it out. it sounded great, but to my ears the analog one is the shit!
my only complaint is that the tube isn't of the best quaility. but again that can be remedied quickly.

I have been using and gigging with the SIB Echodrive analog version for almost a year. This unit is very easy to understand and use, especially for those of you who are already familiar with Echoplex controls. Immediately you can get a good Echo/delay from this unit. Over time, as you play with the unit you will discover that each parameter replicates very close the original functions found on a tube Echoplex. There really is no directions for this unit other than a label on the bottom side that describes in brief what each function does. The functions on this unit include, an over all output level , mix , amount of repeats, delay time, record level. There is an input jack for a passive volume pedal (not an expression pedal) which allows you to operate the mix control by foot (real time). Note...The digital version of this pedal will not allow you to do this.

I am a working top forty guitar player. My setup generally is either a Fender reissue strat with EMG SA pickups or a Tom Anderson Hollow Classic with Anderson pickups. Sometimes I also use an Anderson Cobra with Seymore Duncan Antiquity pickups. My pedal board includes in this order: A Fulldrive II, a Barber Dual Unit, Fulldrive Fatboost, Fulldrive Choralflange, Fulldrive Tremelo, SIB Echodrive. My amps are an early seventies small top 50 watt 4 input Marshall with a 2x12 cab. The cab is loaded with a Vintage Thirty and Celestion Blue. For small club gigs a Dr Z Carmen Ghia 2x10 combo. The SIB is very quiet with either amp. The true bypass is dead on. There is no coloration of the signal when this unit is switched off. My only complaint about this unit is the high end roll off. I have used Echoplexes all my life and I know the characteristics of these units well. The high end roll of on the SIB is a little more than a good tube Echoplex would have. If my Echoplex had as much high end roll off as the SIB I would clean and demagnetize the heads, and get a new tape. Now some people may like this about the SIB. I found, depending on the amp you use with this unit it may not be a problem. With my Marshall, I get back some of the high end by tweaking the presence control. This unit sounds great with my Marshall. With the Dr Z, the SIB is too muddy and takes away from the pristine presence and clarity of this amp. The Z does not have a presence control so I can't compensate for the loss of highs when the SIB is on. Other than a little too much high end roll off, this unit sounds like a tube Echoplex. You will get an exact copy of an "early seventies" delay heard on almost every classic rock album of that era.

I have been gigging with this unit for over a year and have had no problems.

I have called Rick at SIB to talk about the design of this unit and he has been very helpful. I am sure if it needed repair he would take care of it without a problem.

I rate this unit very high for what it does. I have gigged with it for over a year and love the sound of it. I have tried many delay units including the Chandler and have always gone back to my Echoplex. This is the first time I have been completely satisfied with a delay that sounds like my Echoplex. I have not used the Huges Kettner or the Moog delays that are now on the market so I can't provide a comparison to those products. If it were stolen I would replace it, which would be hard because it is not being made anymore. It has since been replaced by a digital version that SIB claims is in some ways better. I wish the unit had less high end roll off and more foot controlled parameters {such as the mix control like the Moog}. It is the best sounding delay I have used for recreating the Echoplex vibe. I highly recommend this unit if you can find one.

It's a cinch to set up and use. The parameters on the knobs are common enough to speak for themselves. There is a long/short delay switch on the side that is not marked (and mine didn't come with a manual), but if you're plugged in and you engage it, it becomes obvious what it does. And this pedal is red, not blue. Looks great!

"Sound Quality": a loaded question when dealing with an echoplex simulator. Does it sound like an Echoplex? Not as much as the analog Echodrive, IMO. But it enables you to do lots of different things that the analog version can't do.

1) It lacks the high-end rolloff that characterizes the analog version, trading it for a truer reproduction of tone coming from your guitar. I've never heard an Echoplex that wasn't dirty-sounding as all heck, so that's why I said that the digital version of the Echodrive is less true to the form. But that's not necessarily true, depending on what your perception of an ideal tape-echo sound is.

As a side note, notice that I said "high-end rolloff" as opposed to "low-end rolloff". I've always noticed that the tape Echoplexes actually get a low-end rolloff happening even with short feedback settings, but every non-tape analog delay pedal I've heard cuts the frequencies in the high end, which sounds inaccurate as a simulator (although still very musical) to me. Note that this version does neither, UNLESS...

2) You turn the feedback way up. Then you can get the crazy "runaway" sound - it's very nice, especially for a digital unit! And with that comes all of the high end (harmonic?) sizzle that you're hoping for, implying a perceived low-cut to my ears.

3)Delay times can be much much longer, to the point of even becoming a useful looping tool. A great feature which may elimate the need to gig with an analog delay for slapback sounds, and to simultaneously shlep around a Boomerang for the longer, loopier-sounding stuff.

I should say that I happily own both a Boomerang and an analog Echodrive, and that they both do their thing very well - better, in most cases, than this unit. Maybe it's a matter of convenience, but I primarily enjoy taking the digital Echodrive to jams - less bulk with lots of options. That and running it BEFORE a tube distortion circuit (call me crazy, but I think that gets it to sound more analog in the sense described above).

Everyone knows that these things are built like tanks. I would never anticipate any problems.

I think that I actually got one of the first of these digital units that were sold (I had to wait 6 months to get it drop-shipped via a dealer in Honolulu). At one point, the kind dealer had conference-called me and SIB, allowing SIB to explain to me what was taking so long. R&D is obviously important, and knowing that they didn't just slap a digital chip into the existing Echodrive circuit is re-assuring. They also said if I had an analog delay chip that I'd rather use, I could send it to them and they'd install it for me. Gotta love that.

See the above comments for this category..

Takes some tweeking, really, to get the right sound. The Record Level control, I assume, controls the level sent to the delay chips, and doesn't seem to affect the sound much; but I think it's best to set and forget at 12:00 o'clock (50%) to keep from either starving or overdriving the bucket brigade (which is not a problem, though). This device, at least for me, seems to want to do a lot of repeats and play the delay sound pretty loud, so I have to back off the mix and repeats quite a bit to get a subtle, usable echo.

No noise. The tone is very warm, despite what previous reviewers have said. There are good and bad points to the EchoDrive's tone; it's not _all_ good. Let me point them out, so you'll have a more realistic sense of this unit:

GOOD:
1. Very forgiving of the input level, due to the tube driver. You just can't overdrive this thing! Doesn't need careful monitoring of the input level like _every_ solid state and digital unit requires.
2. Full, round, tube sound. The direct, un-delayed signal is transparent, and the delayed signal is big. Not sterile or harsh or thin or pixillated like a digital. There is no clamped, tinny sound you will get from a solid state unit (even the venerable Roland Space Echo suffers from this ailment).
3. True bypass switch; when it's off, it's out of the loop.
4. No worn-out tapes or dirty heads to deal with, and no inevitable glitches from tape splices.

BAD:
1. Rolled-off highs and slightly colored, low-fi delay sound. Not pristine or in-your-face enough to convincingly do the self-accompanying repeats represented by "Run Like Hell" or "Talk To Me" by Pink Floyd and much of The Edge's work in U2. For those applications, maybe an MXR, Chandler, TC Electronics, or a WEM Copicat digital unit might be the best choice? (I haven't tried any of these, but they're used by some of the best and have great reviews)

It does sound like a tube EchoPlex; the only problem is that it sounds like the tape is a little too worn out. If my EchoPlex or Space Echo sounded this crappy, I'd put a new tape in it and clean and demagnetize the tape heads. It's not that bad, though; I can live with it. Apparently this is not fixable. I emailed one of the SIB partners about it, and the high end has to be rolled off the delay output, because the clock signal for the analog delay chips becomes audible if you don't. Just thought you should know...

Besides being built very much like a brick, the design quality of SIB is admirable. At any rate, it's way more reliable than a tape echo could ever be. If you forget the AC cord when you go to a gig or someone's house with it, any AC cord from a computer, monitor, printer, or Marshall-style amp will do. So you could replace the stock straight cord with a right-angle cord to get more room in your pedalboard (like I see someone did, in another review below, and drilled a hole in the bottom of his board to run the cord though) or a longer one if need be.

Very nice and accessible via email. They will answer all questions promptly. No problems.

I traded a Roland Space Echo RE201 (worth at least $325) and an old MXR Phase 45 (worth about $45) to 30th St Guitars (http://www.30thstreetguitars.com/) for it. That's why all the comparisons to a tape echo. (I had just gotten totally fed up with the Space Echo after I couldn't get a decent replacement tape made that wouldn't glitch every time it came to the splice no matter how carefully I spliced it. I had found it impossible to find NOS Space Echo tapes, but since then I found a couple of them around online.)

Overall, a very solid, warm, and musical unit, well suited for just about any echo application. Haven't tried hooking up a volume pedal to modulate the delay time yet, but that would be really fun if you're into dub or crazy DJ effects.

Just don't expect pristine audio quality from the delay signal, 'cause it aint gonna happen.

I like it, and I'm not planning to sell it or trade it unless I find a better value with superior sound quality, which is not likely. I would consider trading it for a real tube EchoPlex, though, because tapes are readily available for those.

The unit is very easy to use. It has all the standard delay knobs: time, repeats, and mix as well as record level and drive. The manual is printed on the back of the unit...that's how simple it is.

The sound quality on the Echodrive is superb. It is not noisy at all. I am using the unit with a Relic Tele--->Z Vex SHO--->Blackstone Overdrive 2--->Crowther Hotcake--->Klon Centaur--->Echodrive--->'64 Fender Vibroverb and/or Matchless DC-30. My favorite thing about the unit is the drive control. It has the most humongous boost in beefiness when you kick it in. Gone are the days when you lose tone after you kick in your delay.

This thing is built like a tank and then some. I have an Ibanez AD-80 and MXR analog delays as backups, but I don't think I'll ever need them.

I am not sure because I have never dealt with them directly.

I give it all 10's due to the fact that I cannot imagine a more perfect delay. It is fat and warm but not mushy. I would definately buy a new one if it got stolen...if they have any more. I also have an Ibanez AD-80, an MXR Analog delay, and an old Digitech 8 sec Delay/Sampler. The SIB soars high and above all of these pedals.

Their is no formal manual as such- knob functions are silkscreened
on the under-side of the steel case for 1st time reference.{It is not
a decal or sticker} The knobs interact predictably with each other.
The case is dark-blue power-coated. Find your ideal sound, and put a
tiny 'dot' of 'White-Out' next to each scribe-line for quick reference. You will love the massive & quick changes in sound as you mess-around with the controls. Everything you would want to have control over is right there.

I love great echos for the tunes that call for it. This is the best
sounding unit I have ever heard in pedal format. The warmth you can feel in your fingertips as you play through it is something the other
boxes can not do. Previous favorite was a Boss DM-2 analog delay. Yes-I own the new Line 6 Delay- the 'Swiss Army Knife' of delay pedals. A great and versital unit, but it DOES NOT compare to the Echo Drive.
Your guitar signal comes into a 12AX7 tube, then on to a pair of delay circuits, and then back through the tube again. This echo is incredibly rich sounding, and does not get the 'crunchiness' on the very high notes that some of the other units do. The Line 6 has a clear sound, but the resulting output is not warm- I would describe it as 'sterile' sounding, as well as to the dynamic touch as you play. 'Sterile' vs. 'alive' is how I would distinguish the two. The Echo Drive can be
set using simple pots to have the 'echoed' notes be LOUDER that the initial note, if you'd like! You can also induce a desireable mild
overdriven sound to the echo if you want, as well as adjust the
output volume to be higher than the original guitar signal if you want. It is not stereo- but a stereo mix can be done in the mixing
board by the soundman, and you don't have to take 2 amps. Unlike the
Line 6 Delay, this unit has an internal power supply. The Line 6 uses
a hugh wall-wart- sold spearately. Both of these pedal are real estate
hogs, but are much smaller than an 'EchoPlex'. Max delay time is almost a full second, but I find that longer delays are hard to fit
into a song. About 300 ms is all I ever seem to use. The repeats can
be tuned to do a v e r y gradual fade-out, with very decent sound resolution. You can also set it to do long-drawn spacious echos- almost reverb-like. I could never get the Line 6 to do this as well. The Echo Drive is extremely quiet when in use. It is 'voiced' very musically! The high's are not rolled-off as severely as an EchoPlex, and I have never personally considered that to be a great feature of a tape-based unit- more of an inherent flaw if you ask me. The Line 6
is well distributed, and you either have one, or you are going to get one. But as soon as you try the Echo Drive {perhaps the best EchoPlex replacement ever built } the Line 6 will be sold to a friend or put on eBay. The difference to the audience may be nill, but the difference to you as you play through it is NOT subtle. This unit
is a player's dream come true- I kid you not. I had the luxury of being able to try one out at Jeff's Guitars here in San Diego- one
of the very 1st ones built. I had also just purchased the Line 6
3 weeks before this 1st batch was available. The Line 6 is a keeper,
and a really nice 'Jack-of-all-trades', but it is the Echo Drive that
made it to the pedal board. My observation is that the Line 6 did a
nice job of replicating the Boss DM-2, but is not nearly as
good sounding as the real DM-2.[The DM-2 is not 'sterile' sounding]
But the Echo Drive is clearly the king! No question. 'Red House'
though this unit sounds like you're playing to the studio recording.
The Line 6 is an absolute engineering marvel, and I give the design
team two thumbs up for what they have delivered to the world. But if
you are truly serious about your tone, you HAVE to at least play through an Echo Drive once. That's all it takes.

So far, so good- but like my amps there is a genuine tube inside.
But unlike the older units it replaces, there are no heads to clean,
no heads to de-magnatize, no tapes to replace, doesn't need it's own
road case, doesn't need it's own stand when in use, etc.

If you ever find it necessary, you can communicate with the actual
designer of the unit. Rick Hamel is a very, very nice person. He
just relocated to St. Louis as of 6/1/2000.

It has sounded wonderful with every combination of guitar and amp
it have run it through. I would definately buy another one.
Love the sound. Just love it! Footprint is smaller than the Line 6,
but I still wish it was the size of a Boss. But there is a 12AX7 and
an AC power supply built-in, something Boss-sized pedals do not feature.

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.