Teisco SR-450 E Analog Delay

The Teisco SR 450 E is a late seventies/ early eighties bucket brigade based analog delay. It has one very big knob for setting the input level plus a peak led; three more knobs (in standard size) are dedicated to controlling delay rate, delay feedback, delay level and tone. There's a "delay- off- chorus" switch; a "L-M-H" switch (an output level attenuator) as well as sockets for input/ mix out/ delay out/ footswitch. Oh yeah- and an on/off button- the unit is of the AC powered variety.
So no big surprises and no esoteric features.

My first delay was an analog Boss DM-2. Later on I've acquired the DM-3 and even later I've also bought an Ibanez AD-9. Then I had my own personal tape delay craze- just in time before prices began to skyrocket. In the meantime I'd realized that there is something about a good digital delay.
Each technology has it's merits and downsides.
Bucket brigade units always seemed a good compromise between analog warmth and portability. However there's something unique about their sound that sets them quite apart from tape delay units. Analog delays of both the BBD and the tape variety usually allow you to set the feedback so high that the delay system starts to oscillate, a very pleasing sound as long as you're keeping things under control. Usually there is a sweet spot somewhere near the onset point of oscillation where the delay will reach an utterly lush quality. As I said- this is a feature with both analog delay types (and not possible with digital delays, except for newer virtual concepts like the "ohm boys"), however it sounds significally different whether a tape delay or a bbd unit will be used.
The Teisco SR-450 E is an excellent choice for this kind of thing. The sound is utterly lush, yet very clean and -of course- very warm.
The delay time is as limited as with all BBd boxes I know of, yet it seems to allow for more feedback before oscillation than any other comparable delay I know.
Less impressive features are the tone knob -way too subtle for my liking- and the Chorus function. Rather than offering two further knobs for modulation speed and intensity there's just that switch, activating a rather subtle pitch shift at set values. A nice add-on that gives a tad of "warble" in longer delay time settings and a subtle, yet sweet analog chorus sound at short delay time settings with little to no feedback.
All in all this is one of the best analog BBD delays I've heared so far.

Teiso is not a very prestigeous brand name which might be a result of the fact that in their beginning they were best known for cheap guitars- but so was Ibanez. Anyway, Teisco seemed to have seen the problem and changed their brand name to Kawai, specializing in more keyboard related gear. However there are a few synthesizer models of the transitional era that bear either brand name. Hence there possibly exist Kawai branded models of this unit.
Since I've had no quarrels with my unit so far I cannot comment on the customer support isuue however.

This delay is as good as it gets. Plus the bonus of having a "secret brand name" piece of gear making it a) rather exclusive b) a lot cheaper than comparable Roland or Ibanez stuff.