The Roto-Echo is a compact delay pedal from Third Man Hardware, roughly the size of a typical Boss pedal, with an integrated roller wheel for controlling your delay parameters hands-free, in real time, while you play12. MusicRadar calls it "an analogue delay like no other"1. A three-way toggle switch lets you assign that wheel to control blend, feedback, or delay time2.
MusicRadar describes it as a compact delay pedal about the size of your typical Boss pedal1. Jack White has already used the Roto-Echo, reportedly when recording No Name, and it was on his touring pedalboard1.
What it does to your sound
The Roto-Echo is built around the PT2399 chip, a delay chip widely used in compact pedals for its analog-style character. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson writes that "The PT2399 delivers lush, analog-style delay"2, and Pedal of the Day describes "warm, gritty echoes from 60ms to 588ms, emulating classic analog delay tones"4. The signal path combines digital delay processing with analog circuitry4.
The Roto-Echo is an analog delay, and its three knobs, Time, Blend and Feedback, set the delay time, the repeat level against your dry signal, and the number of repeats1. The roller wheel can be assigned to any of those three parameters, so delay time itself can be ridden with your foot while you keep playing2.
Controls: the roller wheel
The control scheme is what sets the Roto-Echo apart. There are three knobs: Time, Blend and Feedback1. A three-way toggle switch assigns the roller wheel to control blend, feedback, or delay time, so you can ride any of those three parameters with your foot while playing2.
Guitar Pedal X identifies the roller as a further development of Black Mountain's "Freewheel" technology, the same construction used in the company's expression rollers2. Delicious Audio frames the appeal as "expressive control over feedback, mix, and pitch warble"5. The pedal is built to take a player's full body weight on the roller, so you can stand on it while performing16.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time knob | Sets delay time1 |
| Blend knob | Sets the repeat level against your dry signal1 |
| Feedback knob | Sets the number of repeats1 |
| 3-way toggle | Assigns the roller wheel to blend, feedback, or delay time2 |
| Roller wheel | Foot control of the assigned delay parameter, in real time while you play3 |
Power, bypass and jacks
The Roto-Echo takes 9V DC, center negative, from a pedalboard power supply, with a current draw under 100mA3. That makes it an ordinary pedalboard power customer, with no battery option to plan around.
The side-mounted jacks and power socket mean cables run out the side of the enclosure rather than the top, so leave room beside the pedal on your board.
Versions and pricing
At launch, MusicRadar priced the Roto-Echo at £216 in the UK and $279 in the US1, and Premier Guitar gave it a $279 street price13. The two US figures agree, so $279 is the number to work from either way.
Where it came from
The Roto-Echo was announced as a delay pedal designed to give guitarists hands-free control over their delay parameters in real time while they play3. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley speculated on the design's character: "we'd bet good money the circuit was all Third Man/Jack White, gritty, warm analogue delay"1. Jack White has already used the Roto-Echo when recording No Name, and it was on his touring pedalboard1.
What reviewers said
Early coverage was positive about the roller concept. Pedal of the Day praised the feel of the wheel and hoped for more like it4:
"I love the smoothness and flexibility of this unit, and I certainly hope it isn't the last roller-inspired creation that" comes from the two makers4.
In Premier Guitar's demo video, Tom Butwin summarized the bypass behavior as "True Bypass: Keeps your tone pure when switched off"7. Gearnews highlighted the build: "a compact and rugged design, which will easily handle a player's full body weight"6.
Videos
Premier Guitar
60 Cycle Hum
The-Art-of-Guitar
Questions
Is the Roto-Echo true bypass?
Yes. MusicRadar and Premier Guitar both list the Roto-Echo as true bypass, so your dry signal passes through untouched when the pedal is switched off. Delicious Audio describes it as delivering true bypass clarity in the bypassed state.
What power does the Roto-Echo need?
It runs on 9V DC, center negative, from a pedalboard power supply, with a current draw under 100mA. The power socket is side-mounted along with the input and output jacks, so plan your patch cable routing accordingly.
What chip does the Roto-Echo use?
The core delay circuit is based on the PT2399 echo/delay chip, the same chip found in many compact analog-style delays. Reviewers describe the result as warm, gritty repeats that emulate classic analog delay tones.
Does the Roto-Echo come in colors other than black?
Yes. It is available in black or a limited edition yellow finish. Guitar Pedal X reported the standard version at $279 and the Third Man yellow edition at $299 when the pedal launched.
Where are the input and output jacks on the Roto-Echo?
The input, output and power sockets are all side-mounted rather than on the top or back of the enclosure. That keeps the footprint compact, but it affects how the pedal sits next to its neighbors on a board.
Who makes the Roto-Echo?
It is a collaboration between Third Man Hardware, Jack White's gear operation, and Black Mountain Designs. MusicRadar's writer guessed the circuit itself was all Third Man and Jack White's work, though that is speculation rather than a confirmed detail.
Sources (7)
- “With practice, players can perform swells, shifts, or rhythmic changes in their delay sound as they play”: Jack White's Third Man Hardware teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, the delay pedal you can control with your foot, MusicRadar, 2025-08-27
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-09-10
- Third Man, Black Mountain Intro Roto-Echo, Premier Guitar, 2025-08-26
- Black Mountain + Third Man Hardware Roto-Echo Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2025-09-14
- New Pedal: Black Mountain-Third Man Roto Echo, Delicious Audio, 2025-09-10
- Guitar Journal: MXR Randy Rhoads, Jack White Roto-Echo and more, gearnews.com, 2025-09-02
- Foot-Controlled Analog Delay??, www.premierguitar.com, 2025-08-26
