Review: Dunlop EP101 Echoplex Preamp — Video

These videos and audio files are bonus content related to the August 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at the Guitar World Online Store.

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’s tone, even when the tape echo effect is bypassed.

While some have compared the EP-3 preamp to a clean boost, it’s 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.