| Build Quality: |  |
| Hardware: |  |
| Electronics: | |
| Sound: | |
| Value: | |
| Average: | |
Pros:
- Warm tones
- Compact
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Chorus is not very effective
- Sucks the battery out
If you fancied Way Huge pedals back in the day, the chances are you will love the unit I am going to discuss today. Even though things have changed and the brand is now owned by Dunlop, not much has been altered in terms of quality and sound. Way Huge line we have today still has that distinctive character and mesmerizes its customers with outstanding sonic possibilities. This is not surprising even a bit, since we all know many wonderful pedals from Dunlop, particularly their MXR line.
The shining star of today’s article is Echo-Puss, one of the best analog delay pedals out there. It is slightly different from its closest sibling, Aqua Puss MKII, and delivers the performance we expect from a badass analog pedal. Not to take up any more of your valuable time, I will jump right into it and start breaking down the features, controls and sound of this tiny beast. If you want to gather thorough information about Echo-Puss, just keep on reading!
Features
Before we move on to discussing the specific features Echo-Puss comes with, I want to mention that it was designed by delay expert Jeorge Tripps. He was the genius behind the Way Huge brand and one of the main contributors to the greatness of those pedals. This time he has employed his craftsmanship to create Dunlop Echo-Puss – a simple, yet powerful delay pedal. As I have already mentioned, this bad boy has an all-analog circuit, which means it will make all your vintage dreams come true.
It is comprised with dual bucket brigade lines, which guarantee amazing end results. It also features LFO circuit that creates different flavors of modulation depending on your taste. This way you can easily thicken your tone and enhance its best qualities. Echo-Puss has sturdy construction with an aluminum anodized enclosure, heavy-duty knobs and a footswitch. It also has true hardwire relay bypass that makes sure your signal is not sucked and compromised while the pedal itself is disengaged. This unit can be supplied with a single 9V battery or a standard AC adapter.
Keep in mind that the analog circuit will drain your battery in a blink of an eye and even though you can change it in a matter of seconds (thanks to the battery compartment with a flip-out door), it is still recommended to reach for the adapter. Echo-Puss has an eye-catching design with expressive graphics and writings. This means that this little fella will be a statement on your pedalboard not only with its sound, but also with its cool and distinctive chassis. And when you add its compact size to the equation, you are left with a go-to delay pedal that knows perfectly how to deliver the best results.
Controls
The brains behind the design of Echo-Puss knew that increasing the amount of normal-sized knobs forces you to enhance the size of the pedal. Instead of going for such attitude, they decided to avoid compromising the tiny enclosure and paired those bulky encoders with their smaller siblings. This way you have the maximum tonal control without the pedal taking up your whole pedalboard. This is definitely an advantage, but cannot be considered as the most important factor. The main thing is how these controls perform and what they can do. Let’s see!
Two big knobs mounted on the top of the pedal are responsible for the delay itself. These are Delay and Feedback. The former alters the delay time and allows you to go from 20ms to 600ms, while the latter modifies the number of repeats and lets you choose the number of echoes fed back into your signal. Below these knobs you will find four tiny pots. Depth changes how much modulation is blended with the delayed signal, while Speed sets the rate of LFO sweeps. Tone brightens up your sound and accentuates the high-end frequencies; and Blend mixes your original signal with the affected one, allowing you to saturate your sound to the desired extent. On the lower part of the pedal, you will find a footswitch that activates the pedal or turns it off. There is a blue LED, which indicates on the state of the unit.
Echo Puss Sound
When it comes to the performance of Echo-Puss, I can briefly say that it sounds amazing. But the majority of you would probably hate me if I left it at that (which means I am not going to). This pedal is a rather versatile analog unit, producing almost any type of delay one could think of. Plus, it has all the warm and bitter characteristics of the analog pedals, making it a strong rival to other units.
With the help of the Tone knob, you can easily darken up your delays and recreate the vibe of older times, or brighten everything up and produce the sounds that are reminiscent of Aqua-Puss. Feedback and Delay knobs have great range and can go from those fast slap-backs to interminable repetitions and unending delays. The modulation is not the best thing you will ever hear but can be a nice touch of thickness and depth.
The sweet spot of this pedal will hugely depend on your musical preferences and style, but you could always experiment with the sounds you thought were unsuitable for you. With that being said, Echo-Puss leaves a lot of room for those who love exploring and conquering new territories every time they pick up their instrument.
Conclusion
All in all, Way Huge Echo-Puss is exactly what you expected when you read its specifications for the first time. It will last you through years of performances and rehearsals and be by your side in every scenario. This pedal is a true analog delay and excels at creating different types of this effect. Once you listen to the swirls, sweeps and echoes, you will immediately fall in love with this one. Take your time, understand Echo-Puss to the fullest and get down to business. After all, delays are good only in your sound. Good luck!
Click here to view more from 10 Best Delay Pedals.
