Offered for sale here is an early Blue & Cream Mk2 Copicat dating from the mid sixties in near mint cosmetic condition and as near-perfect working order for a 50 year-old valve Copicat as you could wish for.
This has undergone a thorough overhaul/service and has been fitted with a three-core earthed mains cable for electrical safet. The replacement heads have been repolished and sound superb: this is one of the best-sounding examples of an early mk2 Copicat we’ve seen.
This version of the mk II Copicat is finished in blue and cream – the Watkins logo suggests it dates from 1962-3 – and is in very good original condition aside from replaced heads and a later replacement plastic grille on the underside. The original footswitch is present. The case is in exceptional condition. It works beautifully and sounds fantastic.
Compared to the later IC Copicats the valve units don’t usually produce such clear echoes, even when in good order. This sounds lovely both as a pre-amp and as an echo unit. All three heads work well and sound excellent – good strong repeats that break up in an evocative fashion, and run into self-oscillation when the ‘reverb’ knob is turned up for authentic dub effects. The echoes have a great tone for an old valve Copicat and degrade with a dark crunchy quality; they cannot be described as accurate repeats – this is not a digital delay – but they have a sound and vibe that is most pleasing and create a unique effect that sounds ‘right’.
These valve Copicats make great preamps, and are increasingly sought-after to add character and warmth to modern digital recordings (the Arctic Monkeys used a valve Copicat when recording their ‘Suck It And See’ album – see Sound On Sound magazine July 2011), as a result they are becoming harder to find, especially in good working order.
It’s fitted with a new tape – these are easy to bulk buy online, but if the winning bidder wants some spares, please message us for prices/quantities. For best performance tape loops should be changed regularly.
It is a UK 240v model so will require a step-up transformer for use in countries with 100-110v mains supplies; the UK plug will be removed for overseas deliveries unless otherwise requested (will be left on for USA/Canada/Japan).
