Help needed !

[hansaustria]

I have problems with my ESE Echomatic IV which was never giged by me. Bought it second hand and it worked well, no problems.
According the manual of the ESE company I removed the tape to take the tension off of the wheel - because I didnt`t play it for a while.
Today I started playing and the echo didn`t work right. I changed the tape loop twice, but it was always the same.

What could be the reason?

Regards
Hans

[dave robinson]

Is the motor spinning ? If not, is it switched on ?

Are the lights on ? Tell us more.

[hansaustria]

Hi Dave !

All lights are on, the motor is spinning and I`ve changed the tapeloop twice ! The echoes produced by the ESE
are not the same ( right ones ) as the unit did it before !
The unit was in my guitarroom for nearly one month without the tapeloop according ESE`s reference in the manual.


Here is a pic which way the unit stood on the ground with the handle upwards !!!

Regards
Hans

ESE.jpg

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[petercreasey]

Try cleaning the heads with isopropyl alcohol
Hope that helps

[dave robinson]

Or if you haven't got any isopropyl handy, use whiskey or brandy using a cotton bud, then make sure you dry the heads, as well as checking the tape is not inside out.

[hansaustria]

Heads cleaned, tapeloop changed it`s the same story. It doesn`t work / sound
right !

Who is doing the service in UK for the ESE units ?

Regards
Hans

[dave robinson]

Sadly I don't know of anyone doing servicing on these machines any more.
Here is a suggestion and I discovered this after it happened to me - just before going on stage at Shadowmania in 2006.
I had been cleaning the heads and changing the tape and the sound went funny. By chance I just pushed the back of the recording head towards the tape and it all came back clear and loud - it was a case of the head being disturbed whilst I was poking around and I had to get a small screwdriver and re-set it's position and it worked.
When the screws are loosened, the head will move around and there is an optimum position for it to work correctly - maybe this is what has happened here, try the recording head first, but check all the heads for alignment. I messed around with the tape running and got someone to play a signal so I could hear what was happening when I moved the heads and I fixed it. Just be gentle with it, there shouldn't be much wrong with it. Good luck.

[hansaustria]

Dave, many thanks, you was a great help and the rescue. I did nearly the same you said, I didn`t loose the screws but I pushed
the recording head a little against the tape and I did the same with the other heads. I can`t believe now it works as great as
a few weeks ago. It`s a killertone I get with my JMI AC 30 / 6 / TB ( 50th Anniversary Shadowsamp ) ! I like the punch of the heads
you can hear if you pick the guitar hard. But I ask mayself what was the reason for the bad sound. ESE says in his manual that it`s
good to removed the tape to take the tension out of the wheel ! So I did but with a bad result ! Hope that the unit will be constant
in live gigs.

Regards
Hans

[dave robinson]

Hans I'm really pleased for you that my tips sorted it out. I knew it couldn't be much more than that. I never, ever take my tape off, some people think that you should and others don't, so I leave mine on and it always works great. Yes it is the bees knees and since I learned a lot more about my amp and guitar over the past few years, I hear the magic every time I play through it. That little lesson at Shadowmania stood me in good stead, I knew it would someday !

[bor64]

Hans,

Like Robbo I never lift my tape from the heads.
Just recently I used my Vox LT for the first time in 3 years.... to much equipment laying around.
A friend of mine brought a few Meazzi's from his collection and with him came a bloke who had never seen or heard a Vox LT in the flesh...
Guess what...it worked flawlessly, same for my 301 also almost a "safe queen" .
Mostly it depends on the surrounding the equipment is stalled, is it moist or damped then I can understand a tape can get sticky on the heads....