Wem Copicat is finally here!

GAD

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I ordered this in mid December but the seller used the modern equivalent of Parcel Post, so along with Covid delays it just got here. It’s in fabulous shape though!

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walrus

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That's cool! Looking forward to more information! (y)

walrus
 

GGJaguar

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Super clean! Congrats! Do you have spare tape(s) for it?
 

GAD

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It works great and came with four tapes. I need to take better pics of it.
 

twocorgis

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Very cool! That looks like a whole lot of moving parts, though.
 

Rebosbro

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So very cool! Better pics and some audio of vintage true tape delay.
Paul
 

Default

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Woohoo! It would go well with,

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Guildedagain

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Is it as annoyingly squeaky as an Echoplex? These look simpler. Also pretty good deals on these. I paid $1000 for a Fulltone Echoplex and had to throw it back out there, couldn't handle the tape squeak.
 

GAD

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Is it as annoyingly squeaky as an Echoplex? These look simpler. Also pretty good deals on these. I paid $1000 for a Fulltone Echoplex and had to throw it back out there, couldn't handle the tape squeak.

So far as I've seen it's dead quiet.

I can't claim to have mastered the controls yet, but I've so far been frustrated trying to get long delay times out of it. It does slapback like nobody's business, and I can make it do all sorts of awful things, but one of the things I want from a tape echo is longer delays. Sadly I think that's just a limitation of the tape length. I'm guessing the Roland RE-301 gets those long juicy delays because the tape looks like this:

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The Guilds of Grot

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I can't claim to have mastered the controls yet, but I've so far been frustrated trying to get long delay times out of it. It does slapback like nobody's business, and I can make it do all sorts of awful things, but one of the things I want from a tape echo is longer delays. Sadly I think that's just a limitation of the tape length. I'm guessing the Roland RE-301 gets those long juicy delays because the tape looks like this:

I don't have a photo but on one of my WEM units somebody moved the last playback head to the top side of the tape loop up by the tensioner. I would have to guess they were longer for a longer delay time. Have at it!
 

Guildedagain

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It is more of a slapback, and the preset times aren't quite as fun as Page sliding the time control back and forth on his Echoplex.

The Roland Space Echo gave all these things some serious competition.

I personally have had some of the best luck with oil can delays, like this one from 1968, shipped it to someone in Germany years ago.

I'm not personally into slapback, more into spacey repeats, and that's what this one did.

This is the Tel Ray Ad-n-Echo for those who've never seen one of these before.

picture copy 8.jpg


My last tape machine, maybe really my last tape machine. In the 80's I always had a couple Echoplexes, one to use and one for parts but eventually all the motors failed.

IMG_4553.jpg
 
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Nuuska

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It is NOT the limitation of tape length - but the combination of the speed of the tape and distance between rec-&-play-heads. Should be a no-brainer to adjust the motor speed - while heads are fixed - unlike in Dynacord.

DC-motor just needs less voltage.
If it is a non-synchronous AC-motor - I have a nifty schematic for variable speed. Less voltage also - but cleverly.
On synchronous - a frequency converter? Expensive . . .
 
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matsickma

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If I recall the original Echoplex had the fixed tape loop like the Copicat and later ones had the tape cassette spool like the picture of the Space Echo.
Origional Copicat and Echoplex used tubes. Even the early "flat box" 2nd edition Guild WEM Copicats had tubes for a few years before changing to SS transistors.

The Echoplex did have the movable magnetic tape head so it could be "played" as an instrument during the long "jam" sessions. Turn the strobe lights on and it became a psychedelic scene!
 
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