The Keeley Electronics Memphis Sun Lo-Fi Echo Reverb Double Tracker is a lo-fi reverb, echo and double tracker effects pedal in one box1. It is a themed reverb-line pedal combining LoFi Reverb, Delay and ADT, made by Keeley Electronics2. The idea behind it is a recreation of the classic Memphis studio room: Guitar.com's review describes it as a unique small room reverb pedal, simulating the hallowed 33x18ft asbestos-tiled room, with added slapback and ADT, short for automatic double tracking3.
Three modes: Echo/Slapback 600, Sun and Room
Pedal of the Day describes the Memphis Sun as offering three modes for three distinct starting points1:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Echo/Slapback 600 | Echo with long delays, a lo-fi echo paired with the small room reverb13 |
| Sun | Auto track doubling and slapback with short delays, with modulated slapback echo and the room reverb13 |
| Room | "Studio simulation reverb", the same room reverb effect with pre-delay and variable filtering13 |
The controls are Time, regen/mod, reverb and mix, covering the echo timing, the modulation and regeneration of the echo, the reverb level and the overall blend3.
What it sounds like
As with any pedal, the sound descriptions here come from the maker and from reviewers rather than from testing on this page. Guitar.com's reviewer, Sam Atkins, wrote of the filtering in the pedal: "All this filtering makes the signal almost tape saturated with an edge of subtle distortion, which would make contemporary retro stylists such as Dan Auerbach and Jack White feel very much at home"3.
Pedal of the Day's take on the Room mode was that "it's like being transported to a 1950s recording session"1. The same review summed the pedal up as a vintage vibe addition for a pedalboard, sure to inspire rock 'n' roll vintage vibe1.
Size and where it fits
The pedal gathers all of its effects into a really small enclosure, which matters if a pedalboard is already crowded1. For players comparing it within Keeley's reverb range, the Memphis Sun sits alongside other Keeley reverb designs such as the Keeley Aurora, the Keeley Gold Star, the Keeley Hooke Reverb, the Keeley Nocturner and the Keeley Electronics Realizer Reverberator 21st Anniversary. The earlier Keeley Memphis Sun Lo-Fi Reverb page covers the original version of the same concept. For the wider picture of how pedals in this category work, see Reverb Pedals and Delay Pedals.
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Questions
What is slapback echo?
Slapback echo is a single, short delay repeat that lands close behind the original note, rather than a series of repeats. It was a staple of 1950s rock 'n' roll and rockabilly recording, and it is one of the sounds the Memphis Sun is built around: its Sun mode pairs slapback with short delays alongside automatic double tracking and the pedal's room reverb.
What does automatic double tracking do to a guitar?
Automatic double tracking, or ADT, creates the impression of a second guitar playing alongside yours, without you recording a second take. On the Memphis Sun, Sun mode features auto track doubling together with modulated slapback echo and the pedal's small room reverb, thickening a single guitar part into something that sounds like a doubled performance.
Is the Keeley Memphis Sun a small pedal?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review notes that Keeley harnessed the pedal's effects into a really small enclosure, which the reviewer framed as a practical way to add vintage character to a pedalboard without giving up much space.
Does the Memphis Sun do long echo as well as short slapback?
Yes. The Echo/Slapback 600 mode delivers echo with long delays, according to Pedal of the Day, while the Sun mode handles the short-delay slapback and double tracking. Guitar.com's review describes Echo 600 as a lo-fi echo paired with the small room reverb effect.
What is the Memphis Sun's room reverb meant to sound like?
The room reverb is a recreation of a classic Memphis studio room. Guitar.com describes it as a unique small room reverb simulating the hallowed 33x18ft asbestos-tiled room, and Pedal of the Day calls the Room mode a studio simulation reverb that feels like being transported to a 1950s recording session.
Sources (3)
- Keeley Electronics Memphis Sun Lo-Fi Echo Reverb Double Tracker, Pedal of the Day, 2024-05-05
- Keeley Electronics, Stompbox Book (stompboxbook.com), 2019-01-13
- Keeley Electronics 30ms Double Tracker, Abbey Chamber Verb & Memphis Sun Reverb reviews, Guitar.com, 2016-02-22
