The Drunk Beaver EM-1 Echo Machine is a digital delay pedal that emulates the Ibanez EM-5 Analog Delay, released in 2025 as part of the maker's affordable XR Series. Its distinguishing feature over the EM-5 format is a fourth Tone control, which shapes the output from brighter digital delay sounds to a darker, more subtle vintage sound. It lists at $90 on the Drunk Beaver webstore as of August 20251.
Controls and delay range
The EM-1's delay time spans 50ms to 600ms, covering short slapback-style repeats through to medium echoes. The Tone control is the pedal's addition to the EM-5 format: it ranges from brighter digital delay sounds to darker vintage output, letting the player dampen the repeats for a more subtle, older-sounding character or open them up toward a modern digital delay1.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X reviewed the EM-1 at its August 2025 release, with Stefan Karlsson describing the pedal's character in warm terms:
"The EM-1 is lush, exceptionally musical and well-behaved, even with maximum Delay Level or Feedback1."
The same reviewer compared it with another delay he owns, noting that it holds its place in a mix without dominating:
"The EM-1 is not quite as lush as my SeaWolf - not quite so bold either - while it is exceptionally musical - and even with the Delay Level at max - doesn’t really get in the way of your playing."1
Related Drunk Beaver delays
The EM-1 sits alongside other Drunk Beaver delays, and it takes a different route from a straight analog design: it is a digital pedal that emulates the Ibanez EM-5 Analog Delay, with a Tone control that ranges from brighter digital delay sounds to darker vintage output1. For the wider field, see the site's Delay Pedals page.
Videos
Pair of Pandas
Mind the G.A.S.
Questions
Is the Drunk Beaver EM-1 analog or digital?
The EM-1 Echo Machine is a digital pedal. It digitally emulates the Ibanez EM-5 Analog Delay, so the repeats are produced by digital circuitry rather than an analog bucket-brigade chip, while aiming for the character of the original EM-5. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found the result lush and exceptionally musical, even with maximum Delay Level or Feedback.
How does the EM-1 differ from the Ibanez EM-5 it emulates?
The EM-1 follows the Ibanez EM-5 Analog Delay format but adds a fourth Tone control. That control shapes the output from brighter digital delay sounds to a darker, more subtle vintage sound, giving the player a tonal option the original format did not have.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-08-08
