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SECRET PREAMP – 70s HAMMERTONE GREY

Custom Shop Finish. Same circuit. Same Sound.

Vintage-Accurate, 1970s Solid State Maestro Echoplex Preamp with ‘Bright’ early EP3, ‘Dark’ later EP3 and ‘MID’ hybrid-capture EQ… Ideal at unity gain or slight boost with increased harmonic complexity and touch sensitivity.

A LITTLE HISTORY…

In the 1960s and 1970s, Echoplex tape echo delay units evolved from tube based designs into solid-state designs. Notably, the EP3 model was a solid-state model and had a few variations and revisions to the circuit. A select number of EP-3 models are highly sought after by musicians for their unique musical tone.

Famous musicians of the era and later realized having the EP-3 in their signal altered their tone, even when the echo was bypassed. An internal secret preamp was at work here, boosting and fattening the signal, along with a slight phase shift that alters mid and high frequency harmonic content providing a transparent warm boost – a truly secret preamp boost in the arsenal of the great guitarists of yesteryear!

But not all vintage EP-3s boosted, some dropped in signal due to the wrong TIS58 JFETs, and some were mediocre in tone being a different circuit revision. So, over a decade ago I did something about it! The Chase Tone® Secret Preamp™ Effects Pedal uses fine-tuned circuit components to ensure proper results. It is currently the only authentic replica of the most sought-after, musically transparent signal-boosting Echoplex units.

APPLICATIONS

1. The Secret Preamp™ provides a slight boost to a tube amplifier and you’re in complete control of the EQ for different rigs and rooms!

2. When ON and left ON, the Secret Preamp™ can be used as a ‘BIG 3D TONE’ enhancing your “normal tone” especially for overloaded true bypass pedal boards. (The industry standard of buffering can ruin the dynamics and feel and sound shrill.) The Secret Preamp™ IMPROVES tone and signal response over just plugging in a single guitar cable to your amplifier.

3. Customers love placing the Secret Preamp™ before or after [experiment] an analog delay pedal to bring vintage Echoplex tone to the signal-no need to lug that big and often unreliable/noisy Echoplex around just to have it alter the tone!

4. Engaging the Secret Preamp™ after a vintage Fuzz will replicate the “cranked tube amp combined with Fuzz” tones – without cranking the tube amplifier!”

COMPONENTS

° Vintage 1970s JFET cherry picked to cream-of-the-crop specs.

° New production, Accurate Vintage Spec, Aged Carbon Film Resistors capture the aged tonal qualities of carbon with the consistency and lower noise of film.

° New production, Accurate Vintage Spec, Orange Drop 225P Film & Foil °P ° Polyester capacitors for the original, distinctive-yet-transparent tone. ° Same exact as original Vintage 60s & 70s prized Maestro Echoplex EP2 and EP3 circuits

° Professional Low-Noise PCB DESIGN: FULL PCB GROUND PLANE provides enhanced noise reduction and rejection.

° Retro Cherry Red Impact Resistant LED BEZEL with Wide Viewing Angle.

° Vintage EP3 Faceplate Grey Hammer Powder Coat Finish (Zero Ozone Emissions and Ultra-Durable) w/Vintage EP3 Face Plate FONT

° High quality 1970s style aluminium enclosure: 100 x 60 x 38mm

° TOP MOUNT JACKS = FIT ON VIRTUALLY ANY PEDAL BOARD! High ° Quality Switchcraft are Hand-wired for Ultimate On-The-Road Reliability.

° High Quality, EPOXY Reinforced 3PDT wired for TRUE BYPASS

SPECIFICATIONS

° Standard 9VDC power PSU or battery

° Centre negative polarity

° Requires 150mA current