Ocotober 2004

STOMPBOX FEVER – FLIP TD-X TUBE ECHO
By Art Thompson

Combining analog and digital technology, the Tube Echo ($300 Retail/ $225 Street) is a hybrid delay pedal that offers controls for Level, Feedback, and Delay Time.  The latter knob works in conjunction with a Delay Time switch that provides three delay ranges: 20 ms – 160 ms (Short), 80 ms – 650 ms (Medium), and 330 ms – 2600 ms (Long).  Also included are a Simulation/Analog control that adds bucket-brigade-style saturation distortion to the delay signal and a Simulation/Tape knob that allows you to make the repeats sound progressively more lo-fi.  As its name implies, the Tube Echo uses a 12AX7 tube to warm up the signal before it hits the digital delay circuit.  The unit sports a steel enclosure, dual outputs (Dry and Mix), true bypass switching, and is powered by an included 12-volt wall-wart adaptor.

The Tube Echo delivers juicy-sounding delays that can easily be adjusted to sound as clear or as lo-fi as you like.  Seeking to make this compact pedal replicate some of the fat, organic goodness delivered by the excellent new Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, I dialed in a delay time of about 500 ms, adjusted the Feedback control for several repeats, and turned up the Simulation/Analog and Simulation/Tape controls just enough to put a little hair on the delay tone and make each repeat sound a bit browner than the one preceding it.  Using the Delay Time switch to toggle between Long and Medium delay settings, it was possible to obtain great sounding slapback and ambient effects that were vibey and very distinguishable from my straight guitar sound.  The Tube Echo doesn’t have any tap-tempo looping, or preset functions, but it’s easy to use, and it sounds killer.