The Eldorado Echo from Outlaw Effects is a digital delay pedal with Repeat and Time controls1. It offers three ways to use the same echo: Normal Mode, which the maker describes as providing "crisp, clean repeats"2, and a Saved Mode that lets you call up a favorite setting with a quick double-tap of the footswitch, regardless of how the controls are set234. For a player, it is a straightforward echo box with a way to store one favorite sound.
The three modes
The pedal's main draw is its set of three echo variations, which change the character of the repeats rather than just the timing234.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Normal | Provides crisp, clean repeats2 |
| Dark | Removes some of the highs from the repeats and adds some grit2 |
| Reverse | Inverts your delays for trippy, mind-expanding sounds2 |
Normal Mode is the conventional echo: Guitar World described the pedal overall as delivering "precise digital repeats"4. Dark Mode is the same idea with the edge taken off, useful when a bright echo sits badly in a mix. Reverse Mode is the odd one out, inverting the delays for a backwards-sounding effect2.
Saved Mode
Beyond the three modes, the Eldorado Echo has a Saved Mode feature. Outlaw Effects describes it as a way to call up a favorite setting with a quick double-tap of the footswitch, regardless of how the controls are set2. In practice that means the knobs can be dialed somewhere else entirely while one stored sound stays a double-tap away, which suits players who switch between a set echo tone and something they adjust song by song.
Controls
The pedal keeps things simple with Repeat and Time controls1. Repeat governs the number and level of the echoes, and Time sets the delay length. There is no separate mix control named in the pedal's coverage, so blending the effect with your dry signal is a matter of how the Repeat control is set.
Where it came from
Outlaw Effects positions the Eldorado Echo as a digital delay pedal1, with Repeat and Time controls covering the basics of echo shaping1. Its distinguishing feature is the Saved Mode: a quick double-tap of the footswitch brings back a stored favorite setting no matter where the knobs are set at the time2. In Normal Mode the pedal gives crisp, clean repeats2, making it a mode-equipped delay in the company's line rather than a bare three-knob echo.
If you are weighing it against other echo pedals, the delay pedals page covers the wider field of types and features.
Videos
Eric Merrow
Stu Weinberg
Questions
Is the Outlaw Effects Eldorado Echo analog or digital?
It is a digital delay pedal. Guitar World described it as delivering precise digital repeats, and Delicious Audio's NAMM 2018 coverage called it a digital delay pedal. The three modes shape how those digital repeats sound: Normal gives crisp, clean repeats, Dark rolls off some highs and adds grit, and Reverse inverts the delays.
What does Reverse Mode do on the Eldorado Echo?
Reverse Mode inverts your delays. Outlaw Effects describes the result as trippy, mind-expanding sounds, which puts a backwards-sounding character on the echoes rather than the straightforward repeats of Normal Mode.
How does Saved Mode work?
Saved Mode lets you store a favorite setting and call it back with a quick double-tap of the footswitch, regardless of where the controls are set at the time. That means you can keep one saved sound available while still tweaking the knobs for something else.
How much does the Eldorado Echo cost?
The Eldorado Echo carried a $69 U.S. street price when it was announced in January 2018, a figure reported by Premier Guitar, Guitar World and Delicious Audio.
What is the difference between Normal and Dark Mode?
Normal Mode provides crisp, clean repeats. Dark Mode removes some of the highs from the repeats and adds some grit, giving a warmer, rougher echo character than Normal.
Sources (4)
- Outlaw Effects Debuts Echo, Compressor And Overdrive Guitar Pedals At NAMM 2018, Delicious Audio, 2018-02-02
- Outlaw Effects Eldorado Echo, Delicious Audio, 2018-02-02
- Outlaw Effects Debuts Palomino 4HP & New Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2018-01-22
- Outlaw Effects Launches Four New Pedals, Guitar World, 2018-01-17


