So, Fulltone TTE or SSTE ?

Wazmeister

Anyone actually played em, and what are your thoughts ?

FreddieVanHalen

Ha! I'd be interested in hearing about this also.

Although my interest waned when finding various threads on users' problems and how they were treated by Fulltone customer service....

Sassafras

Always wanted to try either or both but they're too expensive to buy on spec.

mburekenge

I really fancy one too. Agreed on the alarming user feedback, but I always wonder whether the guys moaning about reliability ever used a mechanical tape echo before or are just expecting them to work like a stomp box.

My RE-201 is out of action at the moment - it needs new tape, a head clean and demag. That's just how it goes with tape echo.

woukd love to hear from anyone who has one, as the preamp alone sounds fantastic.

dindude

I'd keep looking at them until I got used to the price. Then I'd buy a T-Rex Replicator and feel like I'd grabbed a bargain.

Wazmeister

I cant quite get the lowdown on the Replicator; I've heard some poor things about them ,but they sounds great.

FreddieVanHalen

mburekenge said:

I really fancy one too. Agreed on the alarming user feedback, but I always wonder whether the guys moaning about reliability ever used a mechanical tape echo before or are just expecting them to work like a stomp box.

My RE-201 is out of action at the moment - it needs new tape, a head clean and demag. That's just how it goes with tape echo.

woukd love to hear from anyone who has one, as the preamp alone sounds fantastic.

@mburekenge ; You may be right on the antsy users - I'm sure it is a whole different kettle of fish in terms of maintenance.

Assuming that you're not going to be reliant on Fulltone given either the geography or their Jeckyll and Hyde customer service, is it even possible to find people capable of servicing this kind of gear these days?

Wazmeister

No one played either of these ?

Gassage

I've told you- Hiwatt TE.

jacksparrow

go for the sste mike has addressed all of the problems now, i prefer it to the tte it nails the echoplex ep3 sound easily and i could easily give up my echoplex's and just own the sste, i don't think i could give up my ep3's for the tte. Although the tte is lovely and you can drive the valve preamp.

But the size and weight of the sste is a no brainer, and no tubes to maintain.

Wazmeister

@jacksparrow = brill info thanks mate

FreddieVanHalen

@Wazmeister i hope you will not be too offended if I post my usual line about "please can you buy one of these so that I can buy it off you." ;-)

Would love an SSTE but really cannot justify...

Wazmeister

FreddieVanHalen said:

@Wazmeister i hope you will not be too offended if I post my usual line about "please can you buy one of these so that I can buy it off you." ;-)

Would love an SSTE but really cannot justify...

Id never take offence from you mate ! We have bought and sold together havent we ?

I do tend to flip stuff I suppose !!

FreddieVanHalen

Wazmeister said:

I do tend to flip stuff I suppose !!

That's not such a bad thing, I get stuff and then never flip it!

FreddieVanHalen

@Wazmeister ah just saw your other post about the TTE - mind if I ask why it wasn't for you?

Wazmeister

@FreddieVanHalen ;;

Well, I played a Fulltone TTE today at Hotrox (excellent service and lovely chaps, by the way).

Hmmm, ok it wasnt through the greatest amp (a Fender Concert) but I was a little underwhelmed. The unit itself is gorgeous and you just WANT to own it, but at £1500, it has got to blow your balls off.

It didn't.

Very nice, lovely tape and tube sounds. The 'sound on sound' was lovely. 

It was all a bit too 'subtle'; maybe the vivd modern digital delays have spoilt my pallet... I dunno...

I did play the T Rex Replicator and that was VERY nice. A bit more plastic, and a lot noisy (the actual mechanism) but an almost endless array of sounds and options.

Food for thought...

ThePrettyDamned

I think modern delays are much improved in many ways - you can do so much more. And they sound excellent - even in really cheap pedals, a digitally modelled tape delay is decent. 

Perhaps you have been spoiled. You're paying for the technology and the complex build - not the sound. So if you don't dig it, stick to the digital emulations that sound different but maybe better. 

I don't think I've ever played through a tape delay. I'd like to, but for that money I'd get a vintage one overhauled. And a dd-2.  

ThorpyFX

Hiwatt tape echo is the absolute best tape echo I've heard, give one a go..... Honestly fantastic

FreddieVanHalen

@Wazmeister when you say the t-Rex was plasticy do you mean construction or something about the sound?

@thorpyfx that's interesting but @gassage has suggested this already and we can't justify his HiWatt obsession any further!

ThorpyFX

FreddieVanHalen said:

@Wazmeister when you say the t-Rex was plasticy do you mean construction or something about the sound?

@thorpyfx that's interesting but @gassage has suggested this already and we can't justify his HiWatt obsession any further!

The thing is..... He is absolutely correct.firstly it sounds awesome, secondly it's small, thirdly it has an auto turn off feature that stops the tape when you stop playing. I.e. It preserves the life of the tape. 

FreddieVanHalen

ThorpyFX said:

The thing is..... He is absolutely correct.

This just makes it worse ;-)

maybe be time to start looking out for one...