The Anasounds Tape Preamp is an analog JFET preamp pedal that recreates the preamp section of a vintage tape echo, without the echo itself. Anasounds describes it as a preamp that pushes your amp to its limits and gives it the sonic depth of a tape echo, and the company positions it against ordinary clean boosts: it aims for "that big warm original JFET sound instead of turning it into a tame clean boost like other pedals do"1. Depending on how it is set, it works as a simple colored boost or as an overdrive2.
The circuit began as an FX Teacher project by the Anasounds team. Development started with the transistor preamp from a famous US-made tape echo built between 1970 and 1991, a circuit Anasounds then redesigned in its own way to extend its range of tones13.
Where the circuit comes from
Many musicians used their tape echoes in an unusual way: running the preamp alone, without the echo, to add character and push the signal before the amp. RockBoard's PedalPedia entry names Eric Johnson as one player who used his tape echo's preamp alone as a dirty boost4. Anasounds' manual adds that the vintage schematics the circuit is inspired by have their own defaults, and that those defaults contribute to the sound of the circuit2.
The original circuit is known to operate at 25V, which Anasounds says gives the preamp a great dynamic range. The pedal itself runs on 9V DC and generates 27V internally24.
The controls: Louder, Dynamic and the Bass switch
The pedal has two knobs and one three-position toggle. What each one does, as Anasounds describes it832:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Louder | Adjusts the amount of boost, acting on both volume and gain. At minimum, a subtle colored tone; at maximum, a rich and thick saturation with a volume boost2 |
| Dynamic | Controls the headroom, changing the bias and internal voltage from 3 to 27V. High settings give a nice dynamic sound; lower settings muddy the sound and produce the sag of a cranked-up smaller tube amp193 |
| Bass switch (up) | The voicing of the original preamp, with deep, thick and dirty bass32 |
| Bass switch (middle) | A bass cut, for more precision and presence2 |
| Bass switch (down) | Cleaner basses for a more harmonious, more balanced tone32 |
The Dynamic knob is where most of the character lives. With Dynamic at maximum, the signal is rich with a slight asymmetric saturation produced by the JFET; lowering it produces an increasingly asymmetrical signal that the manual calls the typical velcro sound8.
Anasounds suggests three starting points in its manual2:
- Dynamic boost: Dynamic at maximum for optimal headroom, Bass switch in the middle for a bass cut with more precision, Louder adjusted to taste.
- Organic overdrive: Dynamic at 2/3 for a dynamic sound with subtle compression, Bass switch down for a rich, balanced sound in the mix, Louder at noon for a light saturation.
- Gated preamp: Dynamic at 1/4 for a compressed sound and an unbalanced bias, Bass switch up for dirty lows.
Delicious Audio's write-up repeated the dynamic boost suggestion, with Dynamic at maximum, the Bass switch in the middle and Louder set to taste10.
Power and connections
The pedal runs on a 9V DC center-negative supply, drawing 64 mA switched on and 59 mA off-load34. It uses a Lumberg DC jack3.
Use only a 9V DC negative-center supply, and connect the pedal with mono jack cables: the manual warns that a stereo jack will not pass power. Anasounds' newest pedals include a protection system that cuts the power supply in case of over-voltage or reverse polarity2.
Assembled pedal or DIY kit
The Tape Preamp is sold in several forms, from a finished pedal to a bare circuit board356:
- Assembled pedal: delivered assembled, tested and adjusted, tuned with the team's favorite components, plus a bag of components that mount on terminal blocks so you can customize it with only a screwdriver13.
- Full DIY kit: everything needed to build the pedal, including a true bypass kit with 3PDT footswitch9.
- Electronic kit: the PCB and components, for creating your own design5.
- Enclosure kit: the enclosure with Anasounds' design and all holes already drilled7.
- PCB only: the bare board, with no components, for builders who want to use their own parts6.
The kit version includes unlimited access to Anasounds' knowledge database and direct interaction with the designers via blog comments, enough, the company says, to really understand and master your tone3. Anasounds presents the kit as a way to assemble and customize a legendary effect yourself while learning the basics of electronics8.
The enclosure carries a two-tone plexiglass plate engraved with a laser3.
On used pedals, serial numbers starting with "D" on the certificate were not manufactured by the Anasounds team but by DIYers, and are not covered by warranty3.
Who uses the tape echo preamp sound
The tape echo preamp approach appeals to players who want the character of the echo unit's input stage without the delay itself. Anasounds frames the pedal as a preamp that pushes your amp to its limits and gives it the gorgeous sonic depth of a tape echo1, and the manual notes it is designed to color the sound even on the most subtle settings2. Eric Johnson is the player named in RockBoard's PedalPedia as having used a tape echo preamp this way, as a dirty boost4.
Videos
Tone Factory
shnobel
Ed Pettersen
Questions
Which tape echo is the Anasounds Tape Preamp based on?
Anasounds says development started with the transistor preamp from a famous US-made tape echo that existed between 1970 and 1991, and that the circuit was inspired by the JFET preamp of a popular 70s tape echo known for its unique delay and warm preamp. The company redesigned the circuit in its own way to offer a new range of tones.
Is the Anasounds Tape Preamp true bypass?
Yes. It uses true bypass built with a gold-plated 3PDT footswitch, and the footswitch module is exchangeable. The FX Teacher range also offers a relay true bypass module as an alternative to the classic 3PDT version with its click.
What settings does Anasounds suggest for the Tape Preamp?
For a dynamic boost, set Dynamic to maximum for optimal headroom, put the Bass switch in the middle for a bass cut with more precision and presence, and adjust Louder to taste. The manual also suggests an organic overdrive setting and a gated preamp setting using lower Dynamic positions.
Can I build the Anasounds Tape Preamp myself?
Yes. It is sold as a full DIY kit, an electronic kit, an enclosure kit with pre-drilled holes, or a bare PCB for builders supplying their own components. The kit version includes access to Anasounds' knowledge database and direct interaction with the designers through blog comments.
Is the Anasounds Tape Preamp made in France?
Yes. Anasounds states that the FX Teacher line is designed and manufactured in France, in its own workshops, under the same conditions as its other products. Note that serial numbers starting with D on the certificate indicate a pedal built by a DIYer rather than by the team.
Sources (10)
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds, 2026-09-16
- fx teacher tape preamp user manual, Anasounds, 2022-11-09
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds, 2023-04-27
- Tape Preamp by Anasounds, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds, 2024-01-21
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds (anasounds.com), 2024-06-09
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds, 2026-08-26
- Assemble your fx teacher tape preamp kit, Anasounds, 2022-11-09
- Tape Preamp, Anasounds, 2026-04-10
- Anasounds Tape Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2022-12-02
