Classic, Vintage and Exotic Electronic Instruments and Recording Equipment
That Pedal Show meet Soundgas Space Echoes & Binsons
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When Dan from That Pedal Show called in at the Soundgas HQ to choose a Roland RE-201 Space Echo for their new Pedal Barn, it’s fair to say he was somewhat blown away by the Soundgas Studio. On that night’s show he told Mick that when he dies he wants to be stuffed and put on a chair in there with his Tele!
This was Dan’s second visit; it’s always a pleasure to host someone who’s as passionate and animated about gear and sound as we are. The first time, he came to collect a Gurus Echosex 2º for a Binson pedal shootout they were filming; he left with the pedal and a loan of one of our fully-restored Echorec PE-603s to use as a benchmark in the shootout. Needless to say, the real Binson somewhat dominated proceedings and made quite an impression on the guys…
He and Mick recently encountered one of our restored RE-201s when they grabbed one for their show at Thomann Gear University 2018 (#TGU18) along with an SDD-320, both of which we’d supplied to Roland for the event (did we mention that we supply Roland with Space Echoes?). The looks on their faces when they start digging into the Space Echo are what keep us doing what we do: musicians being inspired by gear is the very essence of Soundgas. Click the image to see the moment in full...
Like many, Dan’s previous experience of a 201 Space Echo was with a typical well-used example back in Australia, and he’d written them off as unreliable and not particularly great-sounding (my own experience and feelings mirrored Dan’s until we started getting them prepared by the amazing Dr Huw). The one we’d supplied to Roland for TGU18 was a revelation, and as the show progressed we heard the words ‘can we get one?’.
When they learned the Roland machine had come from us, Dan asked if we could find them one that sounded as good for the show’s permanent collection. So last week I got to spend a couple of hours watching and listening as Dan compared several 201s, as well as a couple of our Binsons and one of our Grampian 636s.
He’s my kind of guitarist - no flashy showing off, he plays with great soul and feel - and it’s an education as he reacts to different settings on the various machines. Below is an edited Youtube video of some of the best bits - not easy choosing from so much good source material!
We both agreed which of the three 201s was the one - some are brighter/cleaner sounding and make superb studio machines, while others just have that warmth and magic that works so well with guitar. As happened the first time, he left with a bit more than he came for: the varispeed modded Echorec 2 in the latter half of the video is headed for the show, and thence to earn its stripes on a few studio sessions before it returns to us for eventual sale. He also took our last Echosex 2º T7E for the show (but we have more stock in transit and pre-orders are open on the listing); this was also meant to be returned, but Mick fell for it during that evening’s filming and it’s staying put on his pedalboard!
We talked echoes, gear, health and guitars over lunch in the studio (thanks, Jo!) and it seems that Dan and Mick will be coming to film a future episode of That Pedal Show in the Soundgas Studio...
For now scroll down and tune to the new and final show filmed at the Pedal Shed, where you get to see a jaw-dropping stereo rig featuring our gear...
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