Ed's Echoplex

[leadguy]

The EP-3's with the compressor board seem to be around the 25xxx serial ranges.

The EP-3's serials went into the 3xxxx serials and the EP-3's were made and sold alongside the EP-4's.

They did not stop the EP-3 production when the EP-4 was introduced in 1977.

The CA3080 chip in the Echoplexes compressor board (which is the main deal about it) was also used on vintage and 76 reissue Dyna-Comps, vintage Ross compressors. other vintage compressors and currently in the BBE BenchPress.

Also there are some cheap Chinese made compressors that seem to use the CA3080 or the LM3080 chip which are basically the same.

The CA3080 chip is not made anymore as far as I know but the BBE BenchPress and maybe some others are using NOS CA3080 chips.

[spaceace76]

CA3080's are readily available and easy to find

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=219" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/CA308 ... 0-1093.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

no need to hack up an old pedal, they sell for around $2.50

they aren't produced anymore but stock is pretty plentiful from what I can tell

[spaceace76]

yes but the EP-3 version is slightly different. and its wired into the signal after the JFET boost but before the recording head. so an old dynacomp would do the trick in terms of matching the circuit, but I don't own an echoplex or a dynacomp so I can't say if placing the compressor into the circuit will sound different or not. My guess would be that you won't hear much difference, if at all

[spaceace76]

neither have been in production. you can check mouser, digikey or any major supplier and they won't have it, but lots of the guitar DIY sites have them. our own Steve Mavronis built an original spec dynacomp with a metal can IC, ask him about his opinions on the metal can and normal versions of the 3080, or even the dynacomp in general.

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=33409" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cerrem]

Here is an original EP3 comp board for those interested in what it looks like...


Over and out.....
c-errem

[vanhalen5150]

Hey Chris, I'll need those Daoust 501's for next season!

Shannon

[spaceace76]

Ep-Pre

Xotic EP Booster

Badgerplex AC

Do any of these actually do compression too?

none do compression. the Xotic is not a carbon copy of the EP-3 preamp, but is basically the same. it has a buffer to lower the output impedance, which the original obviously doesn't have. however, the boost section, while similar in topology and most likely sound, it's not dead on. The EP-Pre is pretty much the same as the original. The badgerplex claims to use an original TIS58, which would imply the circuit is close to the original, but i've never seen a schematic for one. I would imagine that an EP-Pre and a dynacomp would do the job just fine

[Rich_D]

Xotic EP Booster

I just sold an Xotic EP Booster because I found it to be too noisy and not really a good EP3 sub. It was better on clean strat sounds. I much prefer my eq as a boost for distortion.
I really need to rectify my recording situation so I can post instead of talk. Sorry for all the post-less opinions.

[spaceace76]

wow... quite a bit of the badgerplex circuit seems unnecessary. seems he kept the old power supply instead of the easier and cheaper route of using a charge pump. but i guess if you're a stickler for accuracy it IS more accurate, just not as practical to build or use with a pedalboard PS because it needs a 120v connection (which they supply). they are both close in price so in that case it's up to the user, as you're buying basically the same circuit. build quality seems comparable too.

as for the compressor board, it's not a "tone enhancer" but the added compression in front of the amp keeps the signal high and constant, which may have contributed to Ed's increase in gain heard in the bootlegs, and thus have contributed to his VH1 sound. the boards are typically removed because of their implementation in the actual unit. the compression is on the dry and wet signals but cant be adjusted or switched off. unless I was using the EP-3 for VH purposes, I'd probably leave it off too. it basically forces the user to use a dynacomp without being able to adjust it or take it out of the dry signal, which obviously won't work in some situations where you already have more gain and volume than you need and a strong/constant signal is unnecessary.

[spaceace76]

well there is really no benefit one way or another. your signal doesn't pass through the power supply (though it can be affected by it) so having one over the other isn't really a big deal. as long as they provide the same voltage/amperage and are noise free there isn't any difference. the AC version just uses power supply circuitry that is dead on for the original, which was obvious from the schematic and gutshot you posted. I didn't realize he made another version with a charge pump and output buffer, so having the AC version makes more sense now that I see he has both. It just struck me as odd that he'd be building his version that close to the original, but the typical EP-3 user probably wants a very convincing reason to give up the tape delay, and that would definitely do it even for the most picky of cork sniffers. good marketing on his part

[leadguy]

Yes, the EP-3 preamp is only a part of a Echoplex.

The Tape delay is a big part of the Echoplex tone as well.

If someone buys a Echoplex based preamp then they basically get a FET preamp and not a Echoplex.

[leadguy]

Ha!

I'm going to try it soon.

I'm going to put a CA3080 chip based compressor in front and then after my Echoplex and see what happens.

[leadguy]

Got hold of a CA3080E chip based compressor and tried it out but only with my Epi VJ and it surprised me a bit.

I've never used a compressor pedal before.

It colored the sound a bit but it colored it in a way that is not that incompatible with Ed's 1977 tones.

It boosted things a bit and made it sound a bit more gainy.

Pete Townshend apparently used a MXR Dyna-Comp as a boost for years and so have others.

It didn't compress in a really heavy way even with all controls set at the max settings.

It made some aspects of Ed's 1977 tones easier to obtain, to my ears anyway.
Things like the harmonics and pick harmonics and muted picking and increased sustain and it made the legato runs sound more Ed 1977 like.
The ATBL riff came out pretty well.

I havn't tried it with my Echoplex yet.

Try a CA3080E chip based compressor out and see what happens.

[rgorke]

Got hold of a CA3080E chip based compressor and tried it out but only with my Epi VJ and it surprised me a bit.

I've never used a compressor pedal before.

It colored the sound a bit but it colored it in a way that is not that incompatible with Ed's 1977 tones.

It boosted things a bit and made it sound a bit more gainy.

Pete Townshend apparently used a MXR Dyna-Comp as a boost for years and so have others.

It didn't compress in a really heavy way even with all controls set at the max settings.

It made some aspects of Ed's 1977 tones easier to obtain, to my ears anyway.
Things like the harmonics and pick harmonics and muted picking and increased sustain and it made the legato runs sound more Ed 1977 like.
The ATBL riff came out pretty well.

I havn't tried it with my Echoplex yet.

Try a CA3080E chip based compressor out and see what happens.

Cool. I think compression is a big part of Ed's tone; whether it came from an effect up front or some sort of load or in the studio.

Which compressors have the CA3080E chip? Just the MXR or others?

Do you have a way to do any clips? I don't think I have heard any from your rig.

[leadguy]

My rig is basically small amps now.

My Plexi went ages ago.

I would like to try the compressor with a Plexi.

I would also like to try a Echoplex EP-3 with a compressor board into a 12 series Plexi but I don't think that's going to happen.

I'll try to put a clip up using my Echoplex and the compressor but it will probably be using a 5 watt Champ or maybe something else and it will take a few weeks for me to get it done.

I've got a Laney 50 watt but that's got too much gain compared to a Plexi and the Champ's and VJ's don't have enough gain but I'll see what I can do.

The 3080 chip is in quite a few compressors listed earlier in the thread.

I bought a Chinese compressor which uses believe it or not a NOS CA3080E chip, the same chip that the Echoplex compressor board used, of course I knew that it used the 3080 chip before I bought it.

btw all of the 3080 chips are basically the same like the CA3080 or LM3080, the main thing is the 3080 number in the chips ID.