Gear In-depth & Longer Blogs — valve/tube tech

Looking to buy a Binson? At the time of writing many of the machines that feature in the image above, and in the demos below, are available on the site. You can see the Echorecs we have listed for sale here, but if you can't find what you need then please get in touch; most of the valve T7E and PE 603T machines sell on a pre-order basis and rarely make it to the site. Which Binson Echorec? By Tony Miln I’ve been a Binson head for approaching a quarter of a century now, and have owned and used many examples from all eras of production:...

Why buy an original Binson Echorec? Original Binson Echorecs are the classic Ferrari of electro-mechanical delays. They’re rare, expensive, require specialist restoration and servicing, parts are scarce, and they need to be cared for and run regularly to remain in top condition. Once the preserve of the lucky few - in 1962 a Baby Binson cost around £140 (£20 less than a Fender Stratocaster, £20 more than a Vox AC-30) and most of those British guitarists wishing to replicate the sound of Hank Marvin and the Shadows, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd (and latterly David Gilmour) had to make do...

See this amp for sale (or quite possibly sold) and the full set of detailed photos here. Only ten of these 'Black Star' Westminsters are thought to have been produced in the late 50s. So-called because the cabinet had a black with white stars covering - long gone on this one, sadly - see below for what it should look like (image courtesy of the peerless vintage hofner site). Unusually, this 14w Westminster is powered by a pair of EL90 (6AQ5) valves, giving it a warmer, mellow sound. According to the late great Charlie Watkins, this made it 'popular with jazz players' at the...