review

Guyatone TD-X Flip Tube Echo

Review by Mark Starlin

Guyatone TD-X Flip Tube Echo

Echo is a naturally occurring effect. Since the first days of recording, men have attempted to create an artificial method of duplicating this effect. The first attempt were echo chambers (or rooms) that created a “natural” echo. These rooms still exist at some recording studios. Tape echo effects came next, offering portability and variable rates of echo. These units were often noisy, but are still favored for their warm echo tone. Analog delays solved the problems inherent with tape (bad tubes, noisy tape, and misaligned or worn out tape heads) but had limitations in the length of their delay. Digital delays offered more delay time and added features but also came with sterile sounding tone. With the Flip Tube Echo, Guyatone has attempted to create a single pedal that simulates the best qualities of each of the echo technologies without their weaknesses.

Technologies And Features

The TD-X Tube Echo is a hybrid analog/digital delay with up to 2.6 seconds of delay time. If features a custom filter that simulates the tone of tape echo and analog delay units. In addition, it incorporates a Sovtek 12AX7 LPS tube to add tube characteristics to the delayed tone. It has a metal True Bypass Switch and mono/stereo output jacks and comes housed in a solid metal case. It includes a 12v power adapter.

Controls

The pedal has five control knobs and a small switch to change the basic delay time. There are three delay settings (short: 20–160 ms/ medium: 80–650 ms/ long: 330–2600 ms), with a Delay Time knob to give you full control of the delay time for each setting. The Level knob allows you to adjust the volume of the echo compared to the original signal, and the Feedback control lets you control how many times the echo will repeat. There are also two “Simulation” knobs that control the tone of the echo (but not the original signal.) The Analog knob allows you to overdrive the 12AX7 tube and add warmth or distortion to the signal. The Tape control cuts the high and ultra low frequencies, and also boosts the mid and low frequencies to simulate tape saturation.

The Tone

The one word best describes the Flip Tube Echo is “warm.” The two tone controls allow you to dial in anything from clean to heavy distortion. The Tape control is particularly nice at getting that old tape echo tone (without the hiss.) The Analog (it really should be labeled Tube) control does add some nice tube distortion when used sparingly. However, I found that using any Analog setting over 3 resulted in “fuzzy” distortion that was not very pleasing to my ears. When using a clean original signal, the resulting distorted echo sounds odd. Maybe that is something worth exploring with longer delay settings. Another option is to swap out the tube, since the Sovtek 12AX7LPS is a very "hot" tube, the saturation is pretty intense even at low settings. Using a 12AX7 tube that doesn’t break up so quickly should give a the echoes a more "natural" tone at higher settings.

In Use

Using the Tube Echo is a snap. It really only does one thing: echoes. There are no looping or infinite repeat functions, and no tap tempo control. You simply dial up a great delay tone and switch it in when needed. One warning. Turning the Feedback control over 7 results in each consecutive repeat being louder than the last and could damage your amp. Kevin Bolembach from Godlyke (Guyatone distributor) explains:

“This is known as self-oscillation, a common (and often desirable) feature of analog delays that most digital units cannot duplicate (except for the TD-X, of course). Basically you are going into continuous regeneration and it will cause a continual volume increase until eventually you would fry your amp if not checked!”

You also will need to find another outlet for a wall wart, since there is no option for battery use.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a full-featured digital delay, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for a simple echo pedal with great tone, the Flip Tube Echo is definitely a contender. It has delay time that makes most analog pedals blush and warmth digital delays can only dream about.

Reader Comments

Better Guitar encourages your input. Agree with this review? Think I’m crazy? If you have used a Guyatone TD-X Flip Tube Echo, email me your comments and I’ll post them below. The more opinions we have available, the better our buying decisions will be.

John Dillon

Thanks for the review of the flip. I purchased one recently, and your comments are spot on. A little analog (tube) and tape (lo fi decay) go a long way, but way cool to add to pristine delay up to 2600 ms. Like to try a little “cooler tube” as per your suggestion. Overall, haven’t had it long enough to rate reliability, but relatively intuitive controls and sweet sound have me thinking Guyatone has a winner here.

stats

  • • 2600 milliseconds of delay time with Delay Level, Delay Time, and Feedback controls
  • • Switchable Short, Medium and Long delay ranges
  • • Frequency filtering system combined with tube warmth and saturation for a unique, organic delay tone
  • • Tape Simulation knob blends in a preset EQ curve against the unfiltered Delay sound
  • • Dual Outputs (Wet and Dry), allowing the user to run it in stereo with multi-amp setups
  • • True Bypass Switching
  • Positives
  • Very warm tone; long delay time.
  • Negatives
  • No tap tempo; no looping.
  • Rating
  • Performance: 7
  • Sound Quality: 9
  • Construction: 9
  • Overall: 8.3
  • Ratings Key
  • 0 = Worthless
  • 10 = Excellent
  • Estimated Street Price
  • $239

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