The Binson Echorec Experience...

Having had a few weeks to use the Binson and get used to it's sounds and features, it is safe to say that it was one of the most illuminating and enriching experiences I've had in my musical and engineering career.

The Binson has sparked new ideas and made me ponder about what makes this piece of equipment special in a market where it pales in comparison to the ease of use, features and versatility of the many modern delay available today.

What is that makes the Echorec special...? Here are my thoughts.

• The sound. This isn't to say that the excellent BOSS DD500, Strymon Volante, Strymon Timeline... (the list goes on and on...) aren't as good as the Binson. In fact they are far superior to the Echorec in many ways. Cost, reliability, user friendliness, availability of manufacturer's support etc. In many cases I prefer the sounds offered by my DD500 to those offered by the Binson, the many different types of delay and the tweakability of the many different parameters within the unit. The DD500 has a very good Binson Echorec-type sound within it and it does have the characteristics of the Binson's delay and swell, yet it doesn't sound exactly like the Binson nor would I want it to... For me I want my DD500's Echorec sound to go beyond the limitations of the real unit, those key limitations being audio fidelity, delay time and consistency.

Ergo, what is it about the sound of the Echorec that is so special?

Personally, I think it's a couple of things:

1. The interaction of the Binson and the amplifier's preamp. The Binson shares a lot in common with a normal valve amplifier and the circuitry of the Binson colours and boosts the guitar's signal feeding the preamp of the amplifier. It's very easy to generate large amounts of distortion and musical, screaming feedback. That aside, the Binson's circuitry adds very different musical content to different amplifiers.

Using the Binson in front of a Hiwatt-style amplifier and an Soldano SLO-100 inspired overdrive channel yielded a rather smooth and very musical and exceptionally rich sound laden with many even and odd order harmonic overtones. Using the Binson in front of a Vox AC10 with a EF86 preamp yielded a different result all together; a bright yet nuanced sound far more musically inspiring and sonically pleasing than the little Vox on its own. Using the Binson in front of a Fender 5F6A Bassman yielded similar results to the AC10. The Echorec also works surprisingly well being gently boosted by compressors and overdrive pedals, adding an Effectrode PC2A compressor and or a Wampler Euphoria overdrive pedal proved very fruitful and inspiring.

I think that the key word to be taken from this is inspiring, the impact of the Binson on my playing and creativity is more than just simply the effect the Binson provides, it's the cumulation of all these parts which result in many lost hours and the germination of more musical ideas.

2. The fact that it is the real thing... In principle this shouldn't have an impact on the sound and my creativity. However, it does. The fact that it is one of the machines used by my favourite bands and guitar heroes adds something to the sound, it's not due to the machine itself but the association with the music and bands I like. It's purely a psychological thing, yet this invokes a different response from me when playing; adding to the Binson's 'magic'.

• The 'vibe' The Echorec has a character to it and is definitely of an era. It's an era long before me and as such there is a certain etiquette and mindset required when using the Echorec. It's a mindset of patience and reverence, being aware of the mechanical elements of the machine and routinely checking and maintaining them.

Could you argue that the Binson is a one trick pony?

Yes and no...

The Binson does what it does and it does it very well, so yes it is a one trick pony, however, the incentive is on you the player to make the most of the available sounds and use the Echorec in creative ways. You can generate some very unusual and distorted delays and self-oscillating sounds from science-fiction films and programmes like Joe 90 and Thunderbirds.

When using the Binson I am also less aware of the fact that the delay and echo are there and not concerned by the presence of the effect and it beautifully crafts itself around the guitar tone and doesn't stick out and impact my playing dynamics and note choice like a more obvious delay and echo effect would. Without changing the settings on the Echorec I could go from playing technical repeating patterns and arpeggios to ambient volume swells and not be concerned by the fact that the delay and echo wasn't 'right' for this particular part and just focus on my playing.

Is the Binson Echorec a worthwhile experience?

Simple answer... yes.