Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe is probably the closest you can get to owning a real 1970s iconic Maestro Echoplex EP-3. The ONLY thing missing is the tape and large heavy box!

I have owned and used the original Belle Epoch pedal for awhile and decided to move up to the deluxe.

Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe Tape Echo Delay Exact utilizes the EP-3 circuitry, from the 22 volt power rail, to the JFET preamp (later spec), to the mixer stage, to the high gain silicon transistor based record and playback amplifiers, to the feedback loop. All circuitry is faithfully reproduced and fine-tuned from the original EP-3 specifications. The only thing missing are the record and playback heads, with a 24-bit high-fidelity digital delay line taking the place of the tape.

All-discrete, through-hole construction with orange drop 225P capacitors, carbon composition resistors, germanium diodes, and other premium parts.

Players for decades have sworn by the Echoplex, not just for the delays, but for the sonic enhancement it brings to the player’s rig as well. This is widely accepted consensus by now as there are several EP-3 inspired boosters on the market. But the third aspect of the Echoplex was that it was a live performance instrument unto itself. Catalinbread’s addition of the expression pedal control over delay time, delay playback head volume, and even rotary speed and filter sweep behaviors expands the legacy of the Echoplex as a performance instrument. Then we went further and added a momentary footswitch for echo oscillation, tunable via an internal trimpot, for even more sonic potential that even the originals did not possess!

But Wait – There’s More!!!

As if that weren’t enough – we then expanded the possibilities even further by adding 5 more sonic layers to the Echo cake! Echo Programs 2 through 6 feature a warmer ‘analog delay’ flavored mode, Rotary, Filter, DMM Chorus, and DMM Vibrato modes – all benefitting from that magical EP-3 preamp feel.