The Orbit Electronix Psychoplex is an analog delay pedal with a tube at its heart. Made by Orbit Electronix, it uses a 12AX7 tube to drive a circuit derived from the Echoplex EP-1, the tape-based echo unit whose preamp coloration players have chased for decades, and it embraces bucket brigade analog delay technology, the chip-based analog approach that came after tape and before digital1. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "a beautiful-sounding analog delay"1.
What it does to your sound
Premier Guitar's reviewer found the 12AX7 goes a long way toward imparting the sweet preamp-style signal coloration that makes Echoplexes, and the tube-driven EP-1 in particular, so sweet and unique sounding, and that the pedal displays genuinely tape-like characteristics with an organic presence1. The higher 12V voltage drives the buffer, which the reviewer called another essential element of the unit's Echoplex-like voice1.
The Short and Long switch selects between two delay characters: Short is soft and subdued, Long is more prominent and spacey1. The reviewer found the Level and Repeat controls the two most reactive and organic feeling controls, with great range and sensitivity to fine-tuning; past noon on the Level control, the repeats get a volume swell before they taper1.
"With the Rick's neck pickup engaged and the Tone rolled off the sound was great for smoky, noirish, bluesy jazz moves"
The Echoplex connection
The original Maestro Echoplex EP-1 was a tube-based tape echo unit, and the last Echoplexes to feature tubes carried that preamp character into their echo path2. On the EP-1, players had separate controls for echo volume and instrument volume, along with the Echo Repeats control and a movable head to vary delay time3. The Psychoplex borrows the EP-1's circuit approach and its tube-driven voice rather than its tape mechanism, replacing the tape loop with bucket brigade analog delay1.
The 12V DC jack means the Psychoplex needs a higher-voltage supply than the standard pedalboard runs. The higher voltage is not a convenience: it drives the buffer that is central to the pedal's Echoplex-like voice1.
How close is it to a real Echoplex?
Premier Guitar's reviewer judged that for most applications the pedal will get you about 80 percent of the way to a truly authentic Echoplex tone, and that it is unlikely to send nitpickers scrambling to sell their EP-1s, but impressive overall1. He found the most Echoplex-like aspects to be the way the onboard 12AX7 interacts with the circuit, the pedal's controls, your amplifier, and your playing1.
Size and look
The Psychoplex is a large, big, bright and bold stompbox with an X-shaped vent over the tube, and its white knobs are easy to pick out on a dark stage. Premier Guitar's reviewer said it recalls a time when Morley and Electro Harmonix built the stompbox equivalents of a Buick Wildcat1.
For where the Psychoplex sits among delay designs generally, see Delay Pedals.
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Questions
Is the Orbit Electronix Psychoplex analog or digital?
It is an analog delay. Premier Guitar's review describes it as a beautiful-sounding analog delay that uses bucket brigade analog delay technology, the chip-based approach that predates digital delay. The analog path is paired with a 12AX7 tube that drives the circuit and shapes the tone, which is where much of its Echoplex-like character comes from.
Does the Psychoplex use a tube?
Yes. A 12AX7 tube drives the circuit and shapes the tone, housed in an odd-looking, box-like metallic appendage on top of the unit with an X-shaped vent. Premier Guitar credits the way this tube interacts with the circuit as one of the pedal's most Echoplex-like aspects.
How close does the Psychoplex get to a real Echoplex?
Premier Guitar's reviewer found that for most applications the pedal gets you about 80 percent of the way to a truly authentic Echoplex tone. He judged it unlikely to send nitpickers scrambling to sell their EP-1s, but impressive overall, with the onboard 12AX7's interaction with the circuit, the controls, the amplifier and the player accounting for most of its Echoplex-like qualities.
What does the Short/Long switch do on the Psychoplex?
It selects between two delay settings. Short is soft and subdued, while Long is more prominent and spacey. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the sound great for smoky, noirish, bluesy jazz moves with a neck pickup engaged and the tone rolled off.
Sources (3)
- Orbit Electronix Psychoplex Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-12-20
- Echoplex, Stompbox Book (stompboxbook.com), 2019-03-03
- Echoplex, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2004-12-07