Hi everyone,
I would like to tell you about my Vox Long Tom valve tape echo unit and how I got it working again after being neglected.
A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to buy a Long tom. It hadn't been used for years, was extremely dirty and was in need of a good overhaul but the worst thing I came to find out was the tape heads had been changed and some obscure heads fitted in place of the originals.
Finding replacement heads has been extremely difficult as they are now out of production but there are people around the world who have stocks. The problem was I didn't know what the specification of the heads was and was advised to consider the importance of the resistance and inductance readings to obtain the correct head as well as the size, alignment, fitting and of course the asthetics because they need to look right.
The original tape heads were manufactured by a company called Marriott and had a brown mica (plastic) type head face. Similar heads were fitted to the early Copicat tape echo made by WEM/ Watkins and I now know that they are almost indentical.
Having searched the internet I found very little technical information on tape echo units but I have probably learned most from this web site. If you look back at the threads there is a lot information from members past experiences so it's worth a look.
Sometime ago I came accross http://www.ampfix.com run by John Beer. He fixes amps of course but he also repairs Copicat tape echoes. I spoke to him about tape echoes and the problem I had getting heads for the Long Tom. He sympathised with me and said he needed some for the Copicat also. Over a period of time John sourced some heads for the Copicat and said they would also probably work on the Long Tom.
I purchased a set of heads and fitted them but was dissaspointed when I couldn't get the echo to work so I asked John if he would have a look at it for me. After studying several drawings and a doing a lot of rewiring and soldering he managed to get it working for me and now it sounds brilliant. A real tape echo sound at last, fantastic.
If anyone is in a similar situation get in touch with John. He's a nice guy, very fair and has a very informative web site.
The picture below is the Long Tom with the new heads fitted.
I will highlight some other points of the overhaul another time.
Barry
Reply
From: Bill Sent: 7/8/2008 1:47 PM
Hi Barry,Yes ,John Beer is the man one would wish to speak to if you have questions about the old valve Copicats or I would guess ANY valve powered echo units.The great thing about John is that he will without the slightest hesitation tell you exactly what you wish to know about these old tape units which is really refreshing
since most of the Techs who know,simply won't tell you anything about the in depth nuts and bolts of what is required to get these old units working.With Johns help I managed to resurrect and old CopiCat and the only major problem I had was the longevity of the tape loops.They just seem to be a real problem in the fact that these loops only seem to last about two hours in operation,then it is replacement time.Maybe it is the tape I am using ,I just don't know. Personally if I were in the U.K. I would simply send the unit to John and let him fix it as he is certainly knowledgeable and no doubt has spent a great deal of time sourcing parts that are essential.cheers,bill
Reply
From: MSN Nicknameve6itv Sent: 7/13/2008 2:26 AM
Hi Bill, how are you keeping those days?,Do you know how i can get in touch with John Beer?. I'm still experimenting with tape echoes. So far , the best sound is from a Schaller drum echo (nice warm sound). I'm interested in adding another play-back head (i managed to buy a few Bogen heads via the i/net). I'd like to try using your idea of "movable-head". And i'm quite confident with the proper space settings, i can emulate the Meazzi Echomatic 2 sound. Have a great day. Scott
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 7/13/2008 11:15 AM
Scott,
You can contact John Beer on his web site http://www.ampfix.com or on his mobile no.07747 104703.
If you want to source a variety of tape heads try Jo Dundovic at Nortronics in USA
http://www.magneticheadcompany.com There is a comprehensive list of products on line and you can e mail him at jodun@magneticheadcompany.com New heads are
$40-00 each plus p&p.
Let us know how you get on
Barry
Reply
From: MSN Nicknameve6itv Sent: 7/13/2008 8:57 PM
Hi Barry, tnx for the info. i'll checkout his site and maybe he can give me some guidence, as i want to mount the extra playback head in a temporary position so i can move it to get as close as possible to the proper to placement. Have a great day. Scott
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 7/13/2008 11:20 PM
The photos show the posts that the tape travels around. The dirty grey one is how it was when I got the machine. I was told these posts were made of brass and after a clean up using 20000 grade wet/dry abrasive paper and metal polish you can see the result.
Barry
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 7/13/2008 11:33 PM
Here is the other photo of the cleaned up post
Reply
From: MSN Nicknametlento2 Sent: 7/17/2008 6:06 PM
Hi "barryg" and others!
Few years ago I heard from local tape-echo "guru" here Finland that early Wem (and also Kent and Hagström) echoes had same tape heads as a Vox do (Italian Marriot).
About ½ years ago I found Amfix site from internet and send a e-mail to John Beer. I asked about tape heads he used in Wem machines and if they can be used for my Vox Echo CO-3. John was wery interested about it and send me seven pieces of heads and brackets to fit them. This "guru" here assemled the heads to my Vox at spring 2008. Sound is good and fitment is also good!
Pictures:http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/tlento/vox%20co3
Many thanks to John!
Regards
Terkko Lento
FInland
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 7/18/2008 9:39 PM
Hi Terkko,
Yes ,the heads John has fitted do work OK on the Long Tom but he tells me supply of those heads are running low so be quick if you want some more.
Barry
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 7/21/2008 8:29 PM
Hi everyone,
I need to correct the web site address for John at Amp Fix. It's http://www.amp-fix.com sorry for the error.
Barry
Reply
From: barryg Sent: 8/3/2008 9:20 PM
Hi Terkko,
Can you e mail me about Vox echoes at [url]bgillam@talk21.com[/url] I can't get you on your e mail
Thanks, Barry
