Wem (Watkins) Copicat Custom

Good cosmetic condition and excellent working order for a 45 year-old valve Copicat.

Compared to the later IC Copicats the valve units don’t usually produce such clear echoes, even when in good order. Custom Copicats sound lovely both as a pre-amp and as an echo unit with 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 – great valve saturation. The echoes have a good 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 digital recordings (eg the Arctic Monkeys used a Custom 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. 

CONDITION: In good cosmetic condition for its age. The face is a little discoloured and has minor scuffs and scratches scattered across it. One of the gold knob caps is missing. The case is scruffy with the usual wear and tear all over, mainly towards the edges. See photos for more information on cosmetic condition.

It’s fitted with a new tape – these are easy to bulk buy online. For best performance tape loops should be changed regularly.

UK 240v unit.