The Fulltone Tube Tape Echo (TTE) is a tube-driven tape echo unit launched by Fulltone in 20041. It is a delay effects unit built on the model of the tube-driven Maestro Echoplex EP-2 of the 1960s, with a hand-wired, point-to-point audio path and 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes handling the record, playback and bias/erase functions21. Guitar.com's review found it replicates those vintage tape delays perfectly and reliably, and noted it can be found in many studios around the world1.
The Tube Tape Echo is not currently made new3. It is a large, floor-standing tape machine rather than a pedalboard-sized unit, and Pedal of the Day described it as BIG, doubting any pedalboard velcro could hold it2.
What it is and what it does
The TTE records your guitar onto a loop of tape and plays it back, giving the repeats the darkened, slightly degraded character that only real tape provides. It is descended from the Maestro Echoplex lineage, and its circuit is based on the tube-driven Maestro Echoplex EP-2 unit of the 60s14. The audio path is hand-wired, point-to-point, a construction choice reviewers have pointed to as part of its appeal2.
Pedal of the Day's reviewer found it holds a spot near the top of the all-time list of modern analog echo recreations2.
"certainly holds a spot near the top of the all-time list"
The controls
The front panel follows the Echoplex layout: a slider sets delay time, and a row of knobs shapes the repeats2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Delay time slider | Sets the delay time given to the echoes, adjustable on the fly2 |
| Guitar Volume | Sets the level of the dry signal2 |
| Echo Volume | Sets the level of the echo signal, for blending the two at will2 |
| Record Level | Controls the record level of the echoes2 |
| Tone | Shapes the echoes, from dark and brooding to bright and shiny2 |
| Echo Repeats | Sets repeat count; high settings send the delays into analog-style self-oscillation2 |
| High/Low speed switch | Switches between two different sets of rate times for more delay ranges2 |
There is no tap tempo; delay time is adjusted with the slider, which the reviewer still found relatively easy to do on the fly2.
Stereo modes and footswitch connections
The TTE can run in mono or stereo, with stereo offering three modes2:
- Position 1: guitar signal and echo signal sent equally to both outputs2
- Position 2: guitar plus strong echo from one jack, guitar plus slight echo from the other2
- Position 3: guitar only from one jack, echo only from the other, for true wet/dry stereo rigs2
On footswitching, the units changed over their production run. Older units can use a special footswitch made by Loop Master that controls the bypass and record functions, while the newer units are compatible with an Echo Control on/off switch only2. If you are buying secondhand, which switch arrangement a unit takes is worth knowing before you shop for a controller.
Where it came from: the Maestro Echoplex EP-2
The TTE is based on the tube-driven Maestro Echoplex EP-2 unit of the 60s1. The Echoplex itself was developed by Mike Battle and Don Dixon after a design created by Ray Butts, and was branded the Maestro Echoplex after its distributor5. The EP-2 was patented by Market Electronics and distributed by Maestro in 1962, and MusicRadar calls it undoubtedly the classic of the line, now highly sought-after5.
With the rise of solid-state technology, Maestro instructed Battle to get rid of the tubes and update the machine, which led to the solid-state EP-36. That split matters here: the TTE follows the earlier, tube-driven EP-2 side of the family, while Fulltone's later Solid State Tape Echo takes the EP-3 as its model16.
What players and reviewers say
Joe Perry of Aerosmith keeps a Fulltone Custom Shop Tube Tape Echo on his board and told Guitar World7:
"Fulltone makes a copy [Custom Shop Tube Tape Echo] that can't be beat. It's the best [tape echo]"
Perry also noted a practical point for owners: the Fulltone and Echoplexes interchange tape cartridges7. That interchangeability matters for maintenance, since Echo Fix sells a DIY service kit for Echoplex EP-1 and EP-2 units that includes a NOS vintage tape length for reloading an existing cartridge8.
The TTE has drawn sustained attention from reviewers. It "certainly holds a spot near the top of the all-time list" of modern analog echo recreations, in the words of one reviewer2, and it has been described as replicating vintage tape delays "perfectly and reliably," to the point that it can be found in many studios around the world1.
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Questions
Is the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo still made?
No. The Tube Tape Echo is not currently made new, so units today are found on the secondhand market. Fulltone later pursued other tape echo designs, including the Solid State Tape Echo, an interpretation of the Maestro Echoplex EP-3 announced for 2016 release.
What tubes does the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo use?
It uses 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes to control the record, playback and bias/erase functions. That tube-driven architecture is what ties it to the Maestro Echoplex EP-2, the tube-driven tape echo of the 1960s, rather than to the later solid-state EP-3.
Does the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo have tap tempo?
No. Delay time is set with a slider on top of the unit, in the classic Echoplex manner. Reviewers found it relatively easy to adjust delay time on the fly with the slider, but there is no tap tempo function.
Will Echoplex tape cartridges fit the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo?
Yes. Joe Perry told Guitar World that the Fulltone Custom Shop Tube Tape Echo and Echoplexes interchange tape cartridges, which helps with keeping a unit running since Echoplex service kits and replacement tape are still made.
Can the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo fit on a pedalboard?
Not practically. Pedal of the Day described the unit as BIG and doubted any pedalboard velcro could hold it. It is a floor-standing tape machine in the Echoplex tradition, not a compact stompbox, so plan for floor or bench placement.
Sources (8)
- Fulltone Solid State Tape Echo review, Guitar.com, 2016-02-08
- Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, Pedal of the Day, 2016-07-29
- UAFX Orion Tape Delay And Fulltone TTE, That Pedal Show, 2024-02-20
- Great Tape Delay Tones Part 2: Fulltone TTE vs Pedals, That Pedal Show, 2020-04-10
- Blast from the past: Maestro Echoplex, MusicRadar, 2015-02-02
- Echoplex EP-2, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2015-02-17
- Joe Perry on the guitar pedals he can't live without, Guitar World, 2026-04-10
- Echoplex EP1 EP2 DIY Full Service Kit, Echo Fix
