Binson Echorec 2 T7E Super-Slow Varispeed

Binson Echorec 2 T7E for sale.

This is an exceptional example – sonically speaking this is one of the very best machines we have restored. Naturally this features our favourite heads from the early 60s; the full restoration/rebuild is complete with super slow varispeed motor and our brand new valve buffered wet-only output mod. It is with Tony for the first round of critical listening/testing and we estimate it will ship in early February 2023, but it is important that we do not rush these final stages – this is where the final incremental improvements happen that result in such astonishingly good machines.

Please note that this Soundgas Binson is not a collector’s item: it is a recording tool first and foremost. The ground up rebuild focuses on detail/sonic performance, future reliability (and of course, safety) ahead of all other considerations. To the utter horror of collectors/purists, we make improvements and modifications based on our many decades of collective experience servicing and using these machines. I’ve been told Dr Bini would not have approved of our super slow varispeed motor mod because of the loss of fidelity that occurs at very slow speeds. He perhaps also wouldn’t have enjoyed much of the electronic and experimental music we love. The custom valve buffered wet-only output may have been more to his taste. And using the very best modern valves we can source (Genelex Golden Lions at £360 a set). And only using heads from pre 1966/7, because they sound better.

We rebuild these to create machines that we want to use (and abuse), rather than to satisfy those who seek to put things in glass cases and expect them to appreciate in value while they fall into disrepair through lack of use. Yes, it’s still capable of utterly gorgeous Gilmour/Hank tones, but it also does downright dark, dirty and weird if so required.

Our senior tech and workshop manager Max is a true artist. He has been rebuilding Binson Echorecs for some years now and was originally trained by Dr Huw who stopped working on Binsons when Max’s skills overtook his own. Max is also now training the next generation of Soundgas techs. His work restoring Binsons is exceptional: we long ago realised that there are no shortcuts if you wish to achieve the best results and the machines Max has been producing have got better and better. See the freshly uploaded photos of Max’s wiring.

Unfortunately, we are about out of parts: our stock of parts donor machines is exhausted and asking prices for both unserviced basket cases and partially restored machines are out of all proportion to their true value. This looks to be the last Echorec 2 we’ll restore and sell for some time: in 2023 we are opening up limited service spaces for customers’ machines for restoration and/or varispeed modification.

See the demos below of this machine – we’ll add more as they come.

The amount of time, parts and modifications we are putting into Binsons eclipses any found elsewhere. We take low use component parts from other donor machines to create the very best possible performance: a good set of original 60s heads as in this machine (which once relapped have superior performance to heads from later machines or new replacements) is only possible by doing so.

All our machines are completely stripped of old wiring/components and rebuilt from the ground up for optimum performance. The new valve buffered wet-only output mod is our latest upgrade and offers a significant improvement in signal quality.

All this comes at a cost, but with a Soundgas Binson you truly get what you pay for – the very highest possible quality machine – as near to a new (but substantially improved/upgraded) sixties Echorec as you could wish for.

Supplied overhauled and working flawlessly with our super slow varispeed and wet-only modifications. All Soundgas Binson restorations are completed in house by our senior echo tech Max Dawson and come with 12 months’ warranty (UK/EU/USA/Canada only) plus lifetime tech support for our customers. Supplied complete with our Binson manual and an original case in excellent order; Tony is on hand to answer your Binson questions prior to ordering, or in the future.

Modifications:

The Super-Slow Varispeed Motor offers the full functionality of a standard Binson but with the advantage of being able to tempo match the repeats. Binsons have fixed-speed motors which will run fast in the USA (unless they are specific export models) due to the different mains frequency, which is something Pink Floyd discovered on the eve of their first US tour. The tempo of their songs was determined by the Echorecs’ repeat patterns so their tech spent a sleepless night moving all the heads to compensate. In addition to allowing tempo-matching to the song, and longer echoes (allowing a Baby Binson to achieve similar echo lengths to an Echorec 2), the super-slow motor offers the option of much longer, darker, dirtier repeats. This can get properly gnarly when pushed into distortion at slow speed. Please note that at the very slowest speeds there is very little fidelity or feedback: this should be viewed as a bonus for special effects use rather than more traditional guitar echoes. A control knob is placed on the side of the machine near the sockets for motor speed.

Wet-only output requires an extra socket (located on the side) and is for use with a mixing console or effects loop. We have now designed our own valve buffer board for the wet output – this gives a much clearer wet signal.