The Echo Fix EF-X2 is a multi-head tape echo unit from Echo Fix, an Australian company, released in 20191. It is a real tape machine rather than a digital emulation: on That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick described it as "a multi head you know real tape echo"2. Its circuit is based on the classic Roland Space Echo, and the unit carries three echo playback heads plus a Sound On Sound head, giving 14 head combination settings in total31.
Beyond tape echo, the EF-X2 bundles four core functions into one unit: tape echo, a real spring reverb, DSP reverb and chorus, and a preamp3. At launch in April 2019 it was available for pre-order at $1,450 USD4.
A multi-head tape echo inspired by the RE-201
The EF-X2 sits squarely in the tradition of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, the multi-head tape echo that, as Guitar World's Trevor Curwen put it, "has become the stuff of legend"5. JHS Pedals' history of tape echo notes the EF-X2 "is based on the classic Roland Space Echo"1, and on That Pedal Show the hosts called it "heavily inspired by" the RE-2012.
The multi-head design is the heart of that lineage. Where a single-head delay gives one repeat path, multiple playback heads spaced along the tape loop let a player switch between different repeat patterns and intervals. On That Pedal Show, Mick explained why they reached for the RE-201 in the first place: "the reason we've chosen this one is because it's a multi-head"6. The EF-X2 follows the same principle with its three echo heads and Sound On Sound head, and its 14 head combination settings3.
The EF-X2 appeared alongside the vintage RE-201 in That Pedal Show's episode "Tape Echo: Echo Fix EF-X2 meets Vintage Roland RE-201... And Others", published 26 July 2019, when the unit was new7. It was also compared in a later multi-head episode against an original RE-201, the Boss RE-20 pedal and the Strymon Volante8.
Inputs, outputs and controls
The EF-X2 is built to sit at home in both pedalboard and studio settings. On the front panel it has independent inputs, each with its own level control, for instrument-level and line-level sources, and at the rear it has balanced input and output connections34.
| Control or connection | What it does |
|---|---|
| Instrument and line inputs | Independent inputs, each with its own level control, on the front panel34 |
| Balanced I/O | Balanced input and output at the rear34 |
| Bass and Treble | Two-band EQ controlling the echo signal34 |
| Time and Feedback | Core echo parameters, adjustable by knob, control voltage or expression pedal34 |
| Head selector | 14 head combination settings across three echo heads and the Sound On Sound head3 |
For players who want hands-free control, the echo's Time and Feedback can be adjusted with control voltages (CV, 0 to 5 volts) or compatible expression pedals3.
How it compares with the Roland RE-201
Because the EF-X2 is openly modeled on the RE-201, the obvious question is how the two sound next to each other. On That Pedal Show, comparing the two directly, Dan and Mick found the EF-X2 had "more clarity, more headroom" and was "brighter sounding" than the RE-2012.
"the echo fix more clarity yeah more Headroom yep brighter sounding"
The comparison cuts both ways. The RE-201's own character is well documented: in a later That Pedal Show video on the RE-202, the hosts noted the original "definitely does sound different" from its modern recreation and "has its own thing"9. A player choosing between them is choosing between a vintage machine with its own sound and a new-build unit that reviewers found cleaner and brighter.
There is also a practical angle. Vintage RE-201 units require maintenance, and Echo Fix itself sells an Ultimate Service Kit for the Roland Space Echo RE-201 and RE-101, which the company says "solves nearly all common faults for the RE-201"10. The same company that builds the EF-X2 therefore also keeps the RE-201's descendants of the original design running.
Versions and the MK2 mod
Echo Fix's current tape echo line includes the EF-X3, available in versions such as the EF-X3 Desktop White with Walnut Sides. For EF-X2 MK2 and EF-X3 owners, Echo Fix sells a DIY Erase and Record Head Off MOD, a user-installable kit supplied with a new top PCB cover, cables and an instruction guide11.
Echo Fix states that the EF-X3 and EF-X2 MK2 DIY Erase and Record Head Off MOD is not compatible with the EF-X2 MK111.
The mod can also be factory installed: Echo Fix will fit it with a new EF-X3 purchase if it is added to the tape echo order11.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the EF-X2 in November 2020 and counted it among the units they had most enjoyed covering, alongside Echo Fix's EF-P2 spring reverb12. MusicRadar, in a 2024 producer's guide to the Space Echo, described the EF-X2 as "the more boutique Echo Fix EF-X2 (£1,760)" alongside other tape echo options13.
That Pedal Show's demo video puts the EF-X2 head to head with a vintage RE-201 and other tape echoes, walking through the head combinations and the differences in clarity and headroom the hosts heard2.
Videos
Echo Fix
Echo Fix
Echo Fix
Questions
Is the Echo Fix EF-X2 a real tape echo?
Yes. It is a multi-head, real tape echo unit, not a digital emulation. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick described it as a multi-head real tape echo, and it uses three echo playback heads plus a Sound On Sound head, giving 14 head combination settings in total.
How does the EF-X2 compare with the Roland RE-201?
The EF-X2 is heavily inspired by the RE-201 and follows the same multi-head tape echo concept. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick found the EF-X2 had more clarity, more headroom and a brighter sound than the RE-201. Echo Fix also sells a service kit for keeping vintage RE-201 and RE-101 units running.
Who makes the Echo Fix EF-X2?
Echo Fix, an Australian company, makes the EF-X2. It was released in 2019, and the company also makes related products such as the EF-X3 tape echo and service kits for vintage Roland Space Echo units.
Does the EF-X2 have balanced outputs?
Yes. The EF-X2 has balanced input and output connections at the rear, alongside independent front-panel inputs with level controls for instrument-level and line-level sources.
Is the MK2 modification compatible with the EF-X2 MK1?
No. Echo Fix states that the EF-X3 and EF-X2 MK2 DIY Erase and Record Head Off MOD is not compatible with the EF-X2 MK1. The mod is a user-installable DIY kit supplied with a new top PCB cover, cables and an instruction guide.
When did the Echo Fix EF-X2 come out?
The EF-X2 was released in 2019 by the Australian company Echo Fix. At launch in April 2019 it was available for pre-order at $1,450 USD.
Sources (13)
- ULTIMATE HISTORY OF TAPE ECHO, JHS Pedals
- Multi-Head Tape Delays: Roland RE-201, RE-20 & Strymon Volante, That Pedal Show, 2020-07-10
- Echo Fix EF-X2 Tape Echo, Pedal of the Day, 2020-11-17
- Echo Fix’s EF-X2 might be the next evolution in tape echo units, Guitar.com, 2019-04-10
- Boss Space Echo RE-202 Review, Guitar World, 2022-06-24
- Strymon El Capistan dTape V2 vs V1 vs Roland RE-201 & Fender Space Delay, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2023-01-13
- Tape Echo: Echo Fix EF-X2 meets Vintage Roland RE-201… And Others, That Pedal Show, 2019-07-26
- Multi-Head Tape Delays: Roland RE-201, RE-20 & Strymon Volante, That Pedal Show, 2020-07-10
- BOSS RE-202 & RE-2 Space Echo Upgrade From RE-20? And Why Use A Space Echo Anyway?, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2022-04-29
- Roland RE-201 Ultimate Service Kit for the RE-201 & RE-101 Massive Sav, Echo Fix
- EF-X3 EF-X2 MK2 DIY Erase + Record Head Off MOD, Echo Fix
- Echo Fix EF-P3 Chorus Vibrato, Pedal of the Day, 2024-01-17
- The producer's guide to the Roland RE-201 Space Echo: "It can cover everything from simple saturation to wild, out-of-control and bizarre self-oscillation", MusicRadar, 2024-02-19
