Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe Delay Effects Pedal

The Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe is an exact reproduction of the iconic 1970s Maestro Echoplex EP-3. The only difference is there is no tape.

The Belle Epoch Deluxe honors the EP-3 lineage by faithfully reproducing the original EP-3 specifications part for part. The only things missing are the record and playback heads—with a 24-bit high-fidelity digital delay line taking the place of the tape cartridge. Exact circuitry reproduction of the 22v power rail (running off a standard 9VDC power supply) helps to achieve that expansive plugged-into-the-wall sound.

The JFET preamp (later EP-3 spec), mixer stage, and high gain silicon transistor-based record and playback amplifiers and feedback loop lends to the big, warm feel expected from these legendary musical devices. Players for decades have sworn by the Echoplex, not just for the delays, but for the sonic enhancement it brings to the player’s rig as well. This is widely accepted consensus by now as there are several EP-3 inspired boosters on the market.

But the third aspect of the Echoplex was that it was a live performance instrument unto itself. Catalinbread’s addition of the expression pedal control over delay time, delay playback head volume, and even rotary speed and filter sweep behaviors expands the legacy of the Echoplex as a performance instrument.

Then the designers went further and added a momentary footswitch for echo oscillation, tunable via an internal trim pot, for even more sonic potential that even the originals did not possess! As if that weren’t enough, Catalinbread then expanded the possibilities even further by adding five more sonic layers to the Echo cake! Echo Programs 2 through 6 feature a warmer "analog delay"-flavored mode, Rotary, Filter, DMM Chorus, and DMM Vibrato modes—all benefitting from that magical EP-3 preamp feel.

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