The Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo is a tape echo unit released in 1977, combining three effects in one machine: tape delay, spring reverb and chorus1. It belongs to the same family of Roland tape machines as the RE-201 Space Echo, and it sits at the heart of the delay tradition built on moving magnetic tape.
What it does
The RE-301's three sections can be used together or separately, and how a player combines them shapes the character of the repeats. Guitarist Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, who owns an RE-301, keeps his focus on two of the three2:
"My Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo tape echo unit has chorus built in, but I don't use it; I just use the delay and spring rev"
One feature that sets the RE-301 apart from a set-and-forget delay pedal is that its controls are meant to be moved while the machine is running. Stefana highlights the Repeat Rate control in particular2:
"I love that you can alter the Repeat Rate while it's running."
Sweeping the Repeat Rate during play changes the speed of the tape, which shifts the pitch and spacing of the repeats and can turn a straightforward echo into evolving textures. Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, who uses the RE-301's delay and spring reverb, described it as a way of playing the delay itself: "I love that you can alter the Repeat Rate while it's running."2
Place in Roland's echo line
The RE-301 arrived in 1977, part of Roland's run of tape echo machines that also includes the RE-101, the RE-201 Space Echo and the later RE-501 Chorus Echo1. What marks the RE-301 out within that line is the combination named in its title: reverb, tape delay and chorus in a single unit1.
Videos
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Soulsound
Miguel d'Oliveira
Questions
Does the RE-301 have chorus built in?
Yes. The RE-301 is a Chorus Echo unit, meaning it combines tape delay, spring reverb and chorus in a single machine. That said, not every player uses all three: guitarist Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, who owns one, says he leaves the chorus off and uses only the delay and spring reverb sections.
When did the RE-301 come out?
Guitar World's history of Roland effects dates the RE-301 Chorus Echo to 1977, placing it in the same era as Roland's other tape echo machines such as the RE-201 Space Echo.
Sources (2)
- The strange, enduring magic of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, Guitar World, 2022-04-13
- Reverberations: Alessandro "Asso" Stefana, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2025-06-06
