Roland Space Echo - RE - 201

Roland Space Echo - RE - 201

[@TheEnd-vn9rb]

So I went to go see Brian Setzer the other day and I told my dad that he used one of these. My dad told me he had one just laying around in the attic. What a freakin score! I had no idea.

[@williamsisk6707]

You gotta go to better shows, man.

[@5argetech56]

The machine Reggae dub was built on.... Kudos to Ikutaro Kakehashi who just died April 1, 2017....... He was no fool....... He was a sonic Genius.. RIP.

[@rmoni01]

The diagonal cut helps to keep the splice together. If a straight cut is used, there is more stress to the splice when it goes over the multiple heads. The diagonal cut helps to distribute this stress across the splice.

[@LeslieDugger]

it also "crossfades" the sound

[@justiny.997]

What an awesome guy!

[@cgarciaad]

Great explanation! You're a amazing person !!! Thankz !

[@Lets-Drone-With-Bone]

what a great in depth overview of the space echo, i have always wondered how this old gear works, it fascinates me how things used to be. i love the old analogue gear, cant beat it :-) thanks for this great video :-)

[@droogiewoogie9115]

A beautiful piece of gear. Thanks for the demo!

[@TheDavidJonestown]

I’ve got one and it’s been with me almost as long as yours. Still works fine. Thanks for the video and cool photo!

[@aganton4977]

Neat! I have the Boss re 201 digital pedal and love it. It mimics all the noise of the original. Thanks Moni for showing the real deal. Cool.

[@aboullon]

Thanks for the info! Very useful. You where rocking it back in the day! Good that you keep the love for music.

[@slamcrank]

This is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this video. Loved the photo at the end. I used to play at those battle of the bands and stuff too (in the 90's - I *WISH* I had grown up in the 60's and 70's.) I have great memories of those times, as I'm sure you do, as well. Love the Twin Reverb II. Great stuff! Definitely subscribing.

[@rmoni01]

Hello Slamcrank, Very happy that you like the video and the Old Times! I am a big believer though that These Are The Good Old Days! Thank you, Rudy

[@bhfsim]

Thanks for sharing! Def one of the more in depth videos about the re-201.

[@synthnchill7457]

Amazing overview, thank you!

[@kombik7189]

Great demo vid with a classic piece of personal history.

[@Mario_DiSanto]

That picture of you at the end is a CLASSIC. Great stuff, thanks for the video.

[@dashampelstielzchen1239]

Thx for the insight in this little box. I only know softwares trying to simulate it, but never seen a real one before. Quite amazing what could be done before the digitalization.

[@Jalliams]

Thanks very much for your demonstration, and video. All the best mate 👍🏻

[@Digiphex]

Meets my definition of cool for sure.

[@az0r22]

This is amazing.

[@eobrah]

You're cool, dude! Nice demonstration, I like that! The RE-201 is just a gem and you showing how to splice and handling the inside of the equipment makes me feel fuzzy inside. Thanx!

[@jakezunino6352]

great video, thank you

[@roland1313]

thanks for this great video on a classic piece of gear..BTW I was also in a battle of the bands in my old high school (Bergen catholic) in the late 70's in Paramus NJ..cheers !

[@EBMZEQUENZER]

Fascinating ! 10/10

[@panhead55]

This guy is cool! Great explanation. Thanks!

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

I want one of these so much. I should have bought one years ago when they were much less expensive than they are now!

[@winwin997]

Dear Rudi..you won't believe this...after having watched your vid, i went out to one of the local karaoke bars here in Taiwan and guess what..underneath a pile of speakers was an RE-201..I went to ask the guy how much he wanted for it and..1) he wanted 175 us dollars..plus it is in minty condition, no scratches or dings, it works perfectly except for some minor hiss.(needs cleaning) and with it came a pack of original replacement tapes.My name was on this unit!

[@surfstrat59]

I learned a lot! Thank you.......

[@arnev2017]

Wonderful Machine. Really Nice video.

[@PegranHimself]

damn that sounds great

[@rmoni01]

The tape has the electrical signal ( sound ) recorded onto it ( at the record head ) then after the tape moves along for a few inches, the electrical signal ( sounds ) is played ( at one of the playback heads ) . . . so the time that the tape travels is the length of the delay.

[@graphene1487]

great run down! many thanks

[@rmoni01]

Happy you like the video ... It is a very cool piece of gear ...

[@tresmildoscientasvec]

Great video. I´m looking for one of those units and now all the doubts have disappeared. :D

[@baaaaaf]

classic, now I just need to sell my kidney.

[@mikaakim1797]

:) I Also.

[@rareform6747]

Don't waist a body part , so much good digital & analog too make you happy ...

[@gimmigimmigimmi]

it's not that expensive dude. An american strat costs more.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

2 grand easily

[@mikemiddleton8847]

i came here to check it out cuz a friend is selling 1 for $1000 cad roughly $700 US

[@johnblissington5265]

lee scratch perry used to use 3 head reel to reel tape recorders as an echo system feeding audio into mixing desk then back out again on the 3rd head

[@iplaymytele]

Are used one of these when I was touring on the road for several years ......🎶❤️🎵 I would load it up with AMPEX 1.5 mill tape .....! I put about 10 foot of tape in there you wouldn’t have to change it as often.....🎶🎵🙏🎓🎓🎓

[@sabaurae]

Hey rudi thank you for the info, im on my second view now! great shot of you at the battle of the bands!! peace Danny

[@michaelinglis8516]

Excellent

[@verve92]

Got a question! I have zero experience with this unit. I am picking one of these up soon and wanted to know: How long does the tape need to be? Does it matter at all? And how does it go in the machine after you splice it? Also cassette tapes are 1/4" right? Can I use old cassette tape for the 201? If so, do they have to be blank??

[@rockin-smallmouth-bass4377]

Great demo !! I just got one and wondering why the tape just bunches up. It's a Rivera - model Fender Twin Reverb II from the early 1980's. Sweet amp also.

[@songwriterjj6022]

I bought one of these from the Music go Round in Arlington Heights, IL years ago.. The guy told me that it was owned by the guitar player from the New Colony Six. LOL. Whatever, I still bought it. I'd consider selling it.

[@mariohartmann0001]

for how much?

[@brookscarney7209]

How much?

[@goognamgoognw6637]

Hi rmoni, you seem like the original owner that's impressive ! I was born around the time these were made. I own a very used re301 (with the echo+chorus). I have to open it up one of these days, use a Scope, circuit schematics (i found it all) and my soldering iron and hopefully get mine back to a quality sound. I have a huge roll of 8 tracks BASF studio recording tape that i bought from Germany to make loops. I am getting a muddy, band limited type of sound. I am trying to get an idea what components need to be replaced to restore the sound to its original. I am an engineer but it always helps to find someone who restored one before for pointers.

[@infindebula]

Emily, you could do this by adding a small stereo mixer of your own (in this case acting as a "sub-mixer"). Plug your rhodes into a stereo channel, or two mono channels panned hard left and right. Feed the RE-201 from the FX send, and return it into another channel, panned wherever you want your echoes to be. Give your FOH guy the left and right outputs of your mixer. Mackie and Soundcraft have some decent offerings in this department for not too much money.

[@Bravohalo]

Have you actually had it all these years? That's hard to beat.

[@rmoni01]

Hello Danny . . . I am happy that you like the piece . . . we tried for a recount but just could not pull it off! Thank you . . . Rudy

[@tokenofdevotion]

What a nice guy

[@BajooGigaEristavi]

WOW!! :))

[@GBscottieUK]

Nice video I am guessing the -11 are from Hudson county he he. Thanks for sharing.

[@winwin997]

Can you connect the overdrive before the unit or will the level peak and thus cause damage to the unit?

[@8toesleft]

I was privileged to own 2 RE-101s ,a RE- 201, a slightly wobbly Echo Plex and a "modern" Alesis MIDI VERB, (it was the 80's)Anyhow, the smoked lucite cover, knurled metal screws, METAL knobs and quality cabinetry in dark green enameled livery with brushed steel panel screamed quality. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but the Space Echo models were and are the essence of awesome outboard guitar gear.Of course, being an idiot, I let it all go, ta least I have some fairly embarassing/awesome basement tapes of all the machines working in a chain. Sonic mayhem to be sure.If you can find one,hang on to it and enjoy!!!

[@studiostefan]

Oh, and I forgot to mention. If you're only after the sound and don't care about the vintage stash, you can use a (roland)boss re-20 pedal. It's stereo through. :)

[@VinceDSkates]

hell yeah jersey city!!!

[@rmoni01]

The One and Only!

[@orlandirafael]

What kind of tape are you using on it? I recently bought one and don't know what tape I can use. I've heard of Ampex 457, Basf and many others. Any recommendation? Yet, my tape seens to stick sometimes and stop working. I thank any help you can offer

[@rmoni01]

I am using some real old tape that I got at Radio Shack. To me they all seem about the same. I have had the same problem with the tape sticking. It kind of just went away. I kept cleaning it a real lot. I think I also even rubbed some WD-40 on the heads and tape path!

[@Coleman_H]

VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT USED EXTENSIVELY IN CLASSIC DUB REGGAE MUSIC!! ARTISTS SUCH AS KING TUBBY, SCIENTIST, AND PRINCE JAMMY

[@Blueguitar007]

The Band pic at the end is cool! You should have won for having the guitars, amp and echo alone...and the clothes! :)

[@joncarling]

Standard 1/4" tape can wear the heads down much quicker than the original space echo tape. The roland tape is thinner and less abrasive.

[@thendara69]

isnt the shiney side the side that runs over the heads though?

[@rmoni01]

Hello John, I am not sure of when it was made. I got mine around 1976. Wikipedia has a real good site on the device. Search on RE 201 Thank you, Rudy

[@johnblissington5265]

what year was the roland made

[@emilymajzer8893]

Dear Rudi, i have a Rhodes suitcase that i tour with. the vibrato that i send to my FOH engineer is stereo. how can i use the RE-201 and still send my engineer a stereo signal? can i use the two mic inputs? or is there another way you can think of...maybe a different model? thanks

[@justinkinter8651]

The RE-501/SRE-555 Is the last tape echo Roland made and it has stereo output, they're a little hard to find but you can usually find one on reverb, the problem is finding a quality one, Soundgas.com is a really great place to look as well, they specialize in vintage tape echoes. And I just realized this was posted 6 years ago hahahahaha

[@studiostefan]

I've done this. You have to use two units. It's a bit of tweaking, but you have amazing possibilities. It's hard to get hold of two re-201. I actually used one re-201 and one re-20 pedal while I was searching. 0_o It worked ok, but wasn't as cool looking. ;) If you plan to tweak a lot while you are playing, with tempo and such, you'll have a challenge operating two units at once.

[@Rhythmicons]

Have someone install an effects loop prior to the preamp and you can run anything through it and get a stereo out.

[@edilsoncunha3186]

The Best world

[@thendara69]

i hav an issue with the little copper arm feeding the tape into the row of heads. theres lots of wow and flutter but when i touch this arm and push it a little onto the point of contact with the tape it seems to sound ok but its just setting it to stay there that im having trouble with. maybe wow and flutter is a sign that the motor bearings have worn down? hope not. looks like a pain in the ass/wallett to rectify this issue

[@eric-682]

Sorry Rudi, but it's more a fun video than a demo video ;-)

[@jogaz86]

Try the Boss RE-20. It's a reissue of the Roland RE-201, but it's stereo, smaller, sounds a lot like the original RE-201 and got a lot of improvements, specially to use it on live shows. There are a lot of reviews on youtube, you should check it out.

[@rmoni01]

Hello Emily, I wrote an answer to your question, but it was to much to fit in this reply post. To sum it up, there is no way that I know to run the RE-201 in stereo. I do not know of any other tape method. You can try sending a dry signal to one channel and another one from the RE-201. Panned all the way left and right. Not only will there be echo (delay) but some cool phasing effect as well. I have not tested this . . . it might / might not work. Please post results if you try it. Thanks, Rudy

[@rmelono]

Fortunately, my definition of cool is the same as yours

[@equaleyez]

Can't believe an RE-201 istn't a birthright.

[@Alm0stEZ]

For what purpose is this device used for.other than give the guitar a unique cool sound ?

[@marcusdolby1]

+Alm0stEZ For what purpose is your keyboard used for other than typing letters and numbers on your computer screen? Cmon man .......really?

[@godofrainbows]

+marcusdolby1 IKR. What a weird question.

[@Rascaduanok]

Is this what Radiohead used on 'Airbag' and 'Karma police' from their OK Computer album?

[@robstand]

Yes.

[@JeromeBertrem1]

Can anyone tell me what the tape does?

[@brownmonkeybananayellow]

nice also I spy a leslie

[@chrisneary8538]

little extra treble??!! it was at full whack while everything else is on 12o clock

[@vangimot]

A old guy give me this analog echo as gift with out tape so I use to test cassette tape and work fine not so Good like 1/4 but have echo I have a question the Space echo is stereo or mono? Thanks!

[@rmoni01]

Thanks! Great question ... This space echo is mono. There are a bunch of digital delays that have great stereo delay features.

[@vangimot]

@@rmoni01 thanks for answering!

[@rmoni01]

If you love this one . . . you will really dig another one in my rmoni01 account . . . Skyway - Rocket Roll

[@MrGaryhead]

Jonny Greenwoods rig?

[@dreammachine432]

🤓✌

[@kbtube8125]

how long should the tape loop be?

[@jimirayo]

HI Kurt. If you're splicing your own loop, I've found the the optimal length is 16 feet. More than that and it can get too crowded in the well and bunch up. Best tape to use is BASF LGR50 or Ampex 457

[@kbtube8125]

thanks for the reply!

[@sabaurae]

Hey rudi ihave a problem the unit comes on but the tape doesnt move and i just changed the tape a last year any suggestions?

[@rmoni01]

Hello Sabaure, I had the same problem for a real long time. I just kept cleaning the tape path. Two things come to mind. 1. You can try roughing up the rubber pinch roller with some sandpaper. 2 After you clean the tape path let it dry thoroughly before running the tape again.

[@sabaurae]

what do you suggest to clean with what do i use. thanx very much! Danny

[@rmoni01]

Sabaurae Hello Danny, I use rubbing alcohol.

[@sabaurae]

Hey thanx rudi!

[@bitspacemusic]

Just finding a razor blade like that can be tricky, not to mention the tape.

[@rmoni01]

I never thought of it that way . . . very cool and interesting comment . . . Thank you!

[@MrUltraworld]

I owned one of these in '78, I think it cost $500, a lot of $$$ at the time.

[@BimMorrison]

It's not "tubes" that would be vulnerable if it was tube-driven, rather the other components, like the "resistors" and "capacitors" that would not have the head room.

[@19451412]

Yes. The wood on the guitar will start to peel if you play it through a Space Echo.

[@rmoni01]

It cost me about $350.00 in 1975 ... about $1,600 in 2017 dollars ...

[@RickJando]

Yeah, yeah,We know we know.just play the dopey thing ! I mean, what use is it just to go duh duh duh,is there any saturation settings on this machine ?

[@zzxprezz]

i had tis machine i took the heads 4 my schaller echo unit

[@man-crabhouse-mouse3250]

Not bad

[@dirkshrubb]

buy a pedal that splits your signal to stereo... and some adapters if need be...?

[@interstellardriftambientgu5834]

Cool. How much would these have costed back in the day in today''s dollars would you say?

[@rmoni01]

Cubic Pi Ambient Guitar Music Videos ... see comment below ...

[@rmoni01]

I do not think that any damage can happen to the Echo Unit . . . it is all solid state . . . no tubes to hurt . . . on the other hand . . . running things all out for a long time is probably not the best thing to do . . .

[@BlueCheer4Me]

This effect sounds great. I can really hear the difference between this and the Boss RE20. Analog beats digital hands down in my view. Digital audio effects just sound "cold'. I think I was born in the wrong decade :/

[@almightyshux303]

hehe, nice Soviet watch?

[@Preidon666]

Peepin at your mumbo jumbo

[@BimMorrison]

Echo-plex clone basically; add a reverb then it becomes....A Space Echo!

[@hoover728]

...and 3 playback heads instead of 1, and speed controlled by variable motor instead of moving the head, and free flowing tape instead of a cartridge...but yeah just a clone...

[@hoover728]

...and 3 playback heads instead of 1, and speed controlled by variable motor instead of moving the head, and free flowing tape instead of a cartridge...but yeah just a clone...

[@hoover728]

...and 3 playback heads instead of 1, and speed controlled by variable motor instead of moving the head, and free flowing tape instead of a cartridge...but yeah just a clone...

[@hoover728]

...and 3 playback heads instead of 1, and speed controlled by variable motor instead of moving the head, and free flowing tape instead of a cartridge...but yeah just a clone...

[@hoover728]

...and 3 playback heads instead of 1, and speed controlled by variable motor instead of moving the head, and free flowing tape instead of a cartridge...but yeah just a clone...

[@bilikbunyi]

Radiohead OK Computer

[@EarlKrempe]

You should have played and toggled with it more rather than rambling. Cool piece of equipment though!

[@joshk2181]

hey great a 10 minute video with no sounds

[@rmoni01]

Josh K - over 189,000 views and you are the only one who cannot hear the sound ... hhhmmm ...

[@zedster911]

please please rehearse your pitch before posting it

[@simontrem080]

You should drink more water, you sound desidrated

[@rmoni01]

Thank you for the comment . . . any and all help is appreciated!

[@mauriciowilson8829]

rmoni01 -- Durante mi extensa vida he podido ver a muchas personas torpes de cerebro... y otras torpes de manos... usted reúne las dos condiciones.... Mas Uno Extra: su pronunciación del inglés es de lo peor.... muy propio del montón.