Dunlop EP101 Echoplex Preamp

The original Maestro EP-3 Echoplex is best known for its warm tape-echo effects, but many players—most notably Eric Johnson, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen— discovered that the EP-3 has a sweet- sounding preamp that does wonderful things to a guitar&tone, even when the tape echo effect is bypassed. While some have compared the EP-3 preamp to a clean boost, it&much more than that. In addition to providing a few dB of gain, it affects the phase response of different frequencies to make a guitar sound bolder and more focused. The Dunlop EP101 Echoplex Preamp is a faithful reproduction of the FET (Field-Effect Transistor) preamp used in the original EP-3. It features only a gain control (with the same style knob found on an Echoplex) that provides up to 11dB of boost and operates either with a nine- volt battery or optional adapter. The EP101 affects tone in a subtle but noticeable manner, making single notes sound bigger and fatter and chords more lively and balanced. Less like a compressor and more like a loudness maximizer, the EP101 brings the guitar&entire frequency range into focus while retaining dynamic response. It sounds so good that you&want to leave it on constantly.