Electro-Harmonix Slap-Back Echo review – a delay, boost and tonal thickener in one

With plenty of flexibility from the various combinations of boost and echo, the Slap-Back Echo is a practical boost and fattener, but it’s also a no-brainer if you want instant vintage rock ’n’ roll slap without messing with delay times, and is something you can stick on your pedalboard to free up your standard delay pedal from slapback duties.

Pros
+

Very compact.

+

Substantial boost available.

+

Instant slapback sound.

+

Sound thickening qualities.

Cons
–

A knob for variable delay time (rather than toggle-switched) would have been more flexible.

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Previously we reviewed the Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen, a reimagining of a pedal the company had never actually made in its 1970s prime. 

Here, however, we have a revamped version of a pedal that the company did make back in 1978, but in such small quantities that it has become an expensive collector’s item.

This new 2023 version takes the original ethos of the Slap-Back Echo and puts it in a pedalboard-friendly, pico-size enclosure with modern accoutrements such as a status LED, nine-volt power supply and true bypass.

While ostensibly what you’re getting here is an all-analogue (BBD) delay pedal that specialises in short delays with a single repeat, you also have something that can boost your signal to a goodly degree as there’s 20dB of it available from the Gain knob.

This controls the input signal before the echo input so can be combined with the echo, but should you wish to use it purely as a boost, you can set the Blend knob (which dials in the sound of the repeat all the way to fully wet) to zero for a completely dry sound. This is not a transparent boost: when kicked in, there’s a thickening effect, fattening up the lower midrange while keeping the top-end intact.

(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)

As for the delay, a toggle switch calls up three different delay times – 100ms, 65ms and 45ms. It’s the 100ms setting that offers the true slapback that’s instantly recognisable as the rockabilly guitar sound.

Set a blend that sits the echo just right with your dry guitar and get rocking, especially with a bit of palm-muting to bring out the rhythmic aspect. The other two delay times offer a different vibe. 

At 65ms, the delay gives you a nice degree of ambience without the obvious ‘extra’ note of the 100ms setting, while the 45ms, with a lower setting on the Blend knob, is a great thickener and particularly effective with some boost also dialled in.

Specs

PRICE: $81/£79ORIGIN: USATYPE: Delay pedal FEATURES: True bypass, 3x set delay times: 100ms, 65ms & 45msCONTROLS: Gain, Blend, Time switch, Bypass footswitchCONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard outputPOWER: 9V DC adaptor (supplied) 15mADIMENSIONS: 50 (w) x 92 (d) x 45mm (h)CONTACT: Electro-Harmonix

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Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he’s also mimed it on the UK’s Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.

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