Echoplex Journal Entry 2 - Tape

Tape: the guitar string of the Echoplex. This is an insane topic. In this the 21st century, we the musicians have held onto many things that the rest of time has forgotten or just plain abandoned. We call those things requirements, and standards. Spring reverbs, germanium transistors, vacuum tubes, and most definitely, tape. At least records are currently highly prized again.

But tape, why? Mylar packed with glue and iron dust. So primitive, so 20th century. Yep, and so are some of the best songs ever recorded. Guess what medium they were recorded with? Most of them TAPE.

Nothing sounds like physically moving analog stuff. Wah wah pedals, Leslie speakers, guitar strings, an Echoplex tape loop passing over the heads creating a rhythm that only it can. Bring it on!!!

You can wind your loops out of whatever you deem “the best” and trust me, there are a lot of opinions and theories as to what “the best” actually is. At the end of the day though, who cares? Did you jam on your Echoplex? Did you feel the TAPE vibe that only analog tape can generate? I hope so. Around here, tape snobbery and arrogance are usually a symptom of a poor imagination or bad playing. At least that’s what we see when an “expert” calls in to talk shop. In my mind I wonder, “you know a lot about the right and wrong tapes, but can you silence an audience with your Echoplex and your argument?” If you can then, I stand corrected. If not, then that’s another discussion all together.

I have met so many different Echoplexes in my lifetime, most of them a treasured possession of its owner. So many different perspectives of what “good” is. I love it. Some come in sounding muddy and treasured. Some are shiny like a chrome bumper and also treasured.

I value that their owners treasure their Echoplex. That is something important to respect and not violate. They trust me to repair their “baby”, not hot rod it. And it all starts with the tape. No matter what kind you use, it has to make you smile to pass the test of "good" or "not good".

There are a couple standard things when it comes to tape. Here they are:

1. No wrinkles. The tape you use should be not physically wrinkled or warped. You will here those kinks as a thump that keeps coming around. Visually inspect your tape and watch for weird movements as it passes through the heads. Replace it if you don’t want a thump sound. Maybe you do want that, and that’s cool too.
2. Good tension pad. That is an overlooked critical component. The tension pad and spring should be pressing pretty good against the idle roller. If its felt pad is “C” shaped and packed with graphite, replace it. You can reverse bend the flat spring to help for a bit loud you’re in a bind. It is important in getting the right erase and Redford mojo going.
3. The splice point. Where the end of the loop meets the beginning. That precious 45 degree angle. Make sure to butt the pieces together without overlap. Or else you get a thud when it hits the head. Too much of a gap between the two and you get a drop out in your echo just at the union. This takes a lot of practice to perfect it, but you can do it.
4. Remove the tape when you are storing an Echoplex. Just like winding down the guitar’s strings for extended storage, please take the tape cartridge off if you’re packing it up for a while. This will protect the face of the heads from any possible tape deterioration goop. Your Echoplex will thank you before it enters hibernation if you would have the decency to take its tape off before it’s bedtime.
5. The standard is a graphite back coated tape. That doesn’t mean you have to use it. Some people like nonlubricated plain old tape and that’s cool too, your loop will need to be significantly shorter in length though. The lubricated tape allows a longer loop which means longer wear time, longer record time, and that’s just what Mike Battle used when he designed the cartridge. And he spent a long time engineering the cartridge design many people take for granted. Once upon a time, there was no Echoplex or its beloved endless loop tape cartridge. Think about that for a 3 minute loop of time!
6. Clean the heads. Remove the cartridge from the machine first. ThenUse a good high quality alcohol like 90% isopropyl. Denatured alcohol is good too. Use a good, cotton swab to cleanse the heads. Do not go cheap on the swabs…dollar store swabs are quite abrasive most of the time, and you don’t want to scratch the heads with cheap swab sticks poking through a millimeter of alleged cotton fiber. That can cost hundreds of your currency to fix. Let the swabs do the work. If you see black junk on the head face, try to clean it off gently. Use plenty of swabs! Let the alcohol dry completely before putting the tape back on. Demagnetize if you have a degaussing wand. Swabs are cheap, new heads are not.

Thank you for reading.

Bart Postlewait
9/30/2022