The Xotic EP-3 is a boost pedal from Xotic that recreates the preamp section of the Echoplex EP-3 tape echo, a circuit Guitar World describes as "famed for the tonal colo[r]" it adds to a guitar signal1. It provides up to 20dB of boost1, placing it among the hotter boost pedals in the boost pedal category.
Where the circuit comes from
The Echoplex EP-3 was a tape echo machine, and Xotic notes that many renowned players ran it not for the delay but as a preamp: "They all used the legendary echo machine EP-3 as a pre-amp"2. The maker names Jimmy Page, EVH and Eric Johnson among the players whose tones involved the EP-3 used this way2. The Xotic EP-3 distills that preamp section into a pedal, so a player can get the same kind of color and lift without carrying a tape machine.
Guitar World's history of boost pedals points to the EP-3 as an "Echoplex-flavoured" option for players chasing classic tape echo preamp tones, alongside the Catalinbread Epoch Boost3.
How it compares
Xotic's own range includes the smaller Xotic EP Booster, which shares the Echoplex preamp inspiration, and the larger-format Xotic EP-Pro, an enhanced EP Booster with volume control. The EP-3 sits in the same family as a dedicated Echoplex preamp recreation with a 20dB boost figure1.
What reviewers said
In Guitar World's buying guide to boost pedals, the EP-3 received a Guitar World Score of 4.5/51.
Videos
The Official Xotic Guitars and Effects Channel
Andertons Music Co
Sources (3)
- Best boost pedals 2026: including the best clean boost pedals for guitar, Guitar World, 2020-07-01
- EP Booster, Xotic California (xotic.us)
- Boost pedals: the history of the stompbox that supercharged the sound of rock 'n' roll, Guitar World, 2023-07-26
