The T-Rex Binson Echorec is a magnetic drum delay pedal: an analog recreation of the vintage Binson Echorec, built by the Danish company T-Rex. Where most delay pedals store the signal digitally or on tape, this one uses a real spinning magnetic drum with record and playback heads, the same principle as the Italian original that defined the sound of the 1950s and beyond1.
T-Rex says the four playback heads let a single note unfold into melodies, harmonics, and textures that evolve in real time, allowing individual echoes, lush swells, and rhythmic patterns1. The original Echorec is known for its use by David Gilmour, Hank Marvin, and countless studio pioneers1. T-Rex acquired the Binson Echorec trademark and name before building this recreation2.
How the drum echo works
The original Echorec worked on a magnetic disk, which uses a thin wire, rather than a tape, to imprint the delay signal6. Binson released the magnetic drum echo with playback and record heads arranged around the edge of the drum: one record head and four playback heads7. Because the heads sit at fixed positions around the drum, each playback head taps the signal at a different point, which is what gives a drum echo its multi-tap repeats and rhythmic patterns.
T-Rex's recreation keeps that architecture in a pedal enclosure, with the controls on the top and a footswitch, which Delicious Audio described as very close to the original8. Gearnews called it an analog effect that is complex and very well made9.
The controls
The control panel mirrors the original machine1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Echo Volume | Sets the level of the echo signal |
| Record Head 1 / Record Head 2 switch | Chooses between two recording heads, one short like the original, one long10 |
| Drum Speed | Varies the drum pace by plus or minus 20 per cent10 |
| Record Level | Trims the input gain to the drum2 |
| Playback Heads 1 to 4 | Four individual, switchable playback heads with level controls1 |
| Repeat | Sets feedback of repeats |
| Repeats / Swell switch | Selects between the echoing repeat effect and the reverb-like swell setting6 |
| Echo Tone | A tone dial that alters the EQ balance of the echo signal6 |
| Bypass switch and indicator | Footswitchable bypass6 |
Guitar Pedal X's review also notes a Magic Eye Vacuum Tube Saturation Indicator, a display tube that shows the signal level hitting the drum, alongside the playback head buttons 1 to 4, feedback, the repeat and swell switch, echo tone, and bypass5.
The record level knob on the bottom left lets you trim the input gain to the heads, as That Pedal Show's Mick Taylor explained when demoing the pedal2. The maximum input signal is adjustable, and input impedance is greater than 500K Ohm at 1KHz1.
An expression pedal can be connected to control the delay time10, and the pedal also offers balanced I/O for studio applications8.
Power
The pedal runs on 24V DC, center negative, with a 2.0mm center pin, and the power supply is included1. Current draw is 300mA at 24V DC1.
This is not a standard pedalboard pedal. It runs on its own dedicated power arrangement, and the included adapter means you do not have to source one separately1.
External connectors are an input, an output, and a DC inlet1.
Recreating the Binson Echorec
Guitar World reported that the pedal slavishly recreates the original circuit, meaning you can use that unobscured, or switch in the modern additions6. The project took 8 years in the making before it was ready for pre-order in April 20239, having first been shown years earlier and re-emerged in finished form at NAMM 20233. At launch, T-Rex reportedly had about 500 of these built6.
Every unit is handcrafted in Denmark1, which That Pedal Show confirmed when they noted it is made by the laudable people at T-Rex in Denmark111. In a 2018 development update, T-Rex's Jeannette Aaskoven addressed the price directly: a hypothetical 250USD street price would have required omitting the drum and the heads and making it DSP-based, which the company chose not to do.
"We could easily put it out for 250USD street price, but then we´d have to omit the drum and the heads and make it DSP-based."
What reviewers said
On That Pedal Show, Mick Taylor and Dan compared the pedal against a vintage Binson Echorec Baby and several drum echo simulators. They found it is not a true bypass pedal, and that it is also pretty noisy in operation, though quieter than the vintage unit, with the hosts attributing the audible noise to the level boost noise floor2.
That Pedal Show's video demonstrates the Binson Echorec's record and playback heads13.
Delicious Audio's coverage called it a gorgeous take on the Binson Echorec echo by Danish company T-Rex8, and their buying guide of Echorec-style pedals lists it as the analog recreation in stompbox format, at $2,1003.
Videos
That Pedal Show
Sweetwater
T-Rex Effects
News
Questions
Is the T-Rex Binson Echorec true bypass?
No. On That Pedal Show, the hosts noted that it is not a true bypass pedal. It does have a footswitchable bypass on board, so you do not need to connect an external footswitch to switch the effect in and out.
Can you control the Echorec's delay time with an expression pedal?
Yes. MusicRadar reported that the pedal accepts an expression pedal to control the delay time. There is also a drum speed control on the pedal itself that adjusts the speed by plus or minus 20 per cent.
Is the T-Rex Echorec analog or digital?
It is analog. Delicious Audio describes it as an analog recreation in stompbox format, and Gearnews called it an analogue effect. It uses a real magnetic drum with record and playback heads rather than DSP.
Where is the T-Rex Binson Echorec made?
Every unit is handcrafted in Denmark, according to T-Rex. That Pedal Show also noted it is made by T-Rex in Denmark, and Gearnews reported that these modern recreations are all built there.
Does the T-Rex Echorec come with a power supply?
Yes. T-Rex lists a power supply included with the pedal, at 24V DC, centre negative, with a 2.0mm centre pin. The pedal draws 300mA at 24V DC, so it is not a standard 9V pedal.
Sources (13)
- → T-REX EFFECTS ← Pedals for guitar and bass players!, T-Rex Effects
- T-Rex Binson Echorec Vs Vintage Baby Rec, Volante, Boonar, Catalinbread Echorec & Boss DD-200, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2023-11-10
- The Best Binson Echorec Pedal Clones In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-06-24
- T-Rex Binson Echorec, T-Rex Effects
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-20
- NAMM 2023: T-Rex unveils stunning $2,100 Binson Echorec reproduction, Guitar World, 2023-04-14
- What is a Drum Echo?, www.strymon.net, 2019-03-13
- T-Rex Binson Echorec, Delicious Audio, 2024-04-30
- T-Rex Binson Echorec Magnetic Disk Delay, gearnews.com, 2023-04-14
- NAMM 2023: T-Rex Effects brings the Binson Echorec back to life with a spectacular $2,100 reproduction, MusicRadar, 2023-04-14
- T-Rex Binson Echorec Vs Vintage Baby Rec, Volante, Boonar, Catalinbread Echorec & Boss DD-200, That Pedal Show, 2023-11-10
- T-Rex Binson update #2, T-Rex effects
- Real Binson Echorec vs Catalinbread, Boonar & Echosex, That Pedal Show
