rare birds: Echolette SE-251 tape echo unit

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video upload by ohm_studi_ohm

"This is quite a rare tape echo manufactured by Dynacord. It seems to be one of the very last tape echo introduced by the brand (with the Echolette Echo 400).

It shares many parts with the Echocord line of delays like motor, pinch roller, heads, oscillator board etc But this one useS op amps instead of only transistors for amp stages (the Echocord Super 76 also already used one op amp for the output stage).

The unit has 2 heads which you can mix with the dedicated pot. Otherwise classic features like input volume, tone, echo send level, echo feedback and echo level.

In the back the original DIN socket enabled output and aux input. In this case you only get the wet signal out of the delay, which is nice in a studio environment.

Unit was fully serviced and modded. [mods below]

I demoed it with 3 different instruments so you get a good idea of how it sounds with different sources. First is a Roland MC-202, analog mono synth, then an analog drum machine (Roland CR-78) and last an electric guitar (Squier Jagmaster, not in frame). Please note the SE-251 has no hi input impedance so I run the guitar through a DI Box first.

00:00 ROLAND MC202
03:18 ROLAND CR78
06:16 SQUIER JAGMASTER"

via this listing

"Unit was fully serviced and modded:

- all electrolityc caps were replaced (except 3 bipolar ones )

- original 4x op amps were upgraded to better one (TL081)

- original DIN socket was replaced by 2 jack sockets, one for the output and one for the aux input. Also a pot was added to attenuate the level for the aux input

- unit was meticulously cleaned

- heads were cleaned, demagnetized and aligned

- unit was calibrated

- tape is new"