Chase Tone Secret Preamp

The Chase Tone Secret Preamp is a preamp pedal that recreates the preamp circuit of the 1970 solid-state Maestro Echoplex EP3, the tape echo unit whose preamp section players prized as much for its tone conditioning as for its echo. Chase Tone describes it as a "legendary 'always on' pedal" and as "a transparent warm boost," intended to sit in a signal chain at unity gain or as a slight boost with, in the maker's words, "increased harmonic complexity and touch sensitivity"¹.

The pedal was originally released in 2013 and was traced independently by Aion FX in 2025, which found it to be a faithful Echoplex preamp with nothing changed or added to the audio path²³. It ships in a limited-edition 1970s retro ROADSTER box¹.

What the Secret Preamp does

The Echoplex EP-3 was a tape echo unit, but its preamp section became legendary for the coloration it added even with the echo turned off⁴. Guitar World's reviewer noted that "most guitarists prefer the EP-3 for its preamp," cleaner and brighter than the tube echo units⁵. The Secret Preamp takes that front end and puts it in a small stompbox, so a player can get the Echoplex preamp coloration without the tape machine.

Chase Tone positions it as an always-on pedal rather than a boost you stomp on and off. Jim Weider, formerly of The Band, is quoted by the maker saying: "I've been using it on all shows, just leave it on all the time!"¹. Michael Wegewitz, a stage technician cited in Gitarre & Bass Magazine in January 2019, calls it a new insider tip¹. One player's rig, featured by Origin Effects in 2017, mounted the pedal under the board, out of the way entirely⁶.

The pedal uses a professional low-noise PCB design with a full PCB ground plane for noise reduction and rejection, in a 1970s-style aluminum enclosure with a vintage EP3 faceplate, gray hammer powder coat finish and a retro cherry red LED bezel¹.

An Echoplex EP3 preamp in a pedal

How it compares to other Echoplex preamp pedals

The best-known alternative is the Dunlop Echoplex Preamp, which also recreates the EP-3's front end using a Field-effect Transistor (FET) stage⁷⁴. Where the two differ is in the details: Aion FX's 2025 trace found the Chase Tone unit to be "more direct, with nothing changed or added to the audio path," unlike the Clinch and Xotic adaptations, which add an extra stage before the output².

Aion FX traced the circuit in 2025 and found only minor differences from other units, such as 110k resistors where the original Echoplex uses 100k, nothing that substantially impacts the tone². The pedal has undergone a few revisions based on control layout over its run, along with many cosmetic variations². All Chase Tone Vintage Secret Preamps from Summer 2016 onward ship with the vintage-style black knob⁸.

Controls

The three EQ positions capture how the EP3's preamp changed across the 1970s: Bright matches early units, Dark matches later units, and Mid is a hybrid of both eras¹.

Power and placement

The pedal takes a 9V DC input, and its internal circuitry automatically ramps that to 26V DC, then regulates and filters it at 22V DC, matching the vintage EP3's internal power¹. It draws 150mA, and Chase Tone recommends having 150mA to 200mA of current available; if daisy-chaining, use only 9V supplies¹.

The rear-mounted Switchcraft jacks, hand-wired, let the pedal fit on virtually any pedalboard, and its 4" x 2.4" x 1.5" enclosure is small enough to sit in the palm of your hand or hide underneath a board¹.

Chase Tone offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee for US buyers, a 5% purchase price discount for US veterans with free USA shipping, and $10 USPS Priority Mail shipping on US orders¹.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions