Cicognani Engineering Pompeii PE603 4-Head Echorec Delay

Description

The original Binson Echorec P.E. 603 was used by many artists from the early 70’s onward, including Led Zeppelin, The Shadows and Pink Floyd. The Floyd used the 603 on stage during the Dark Side tour and also on Live at Pompeii.
The P.E. 603 had a magical sound and the POMPEII aims to revive these echoes of the past in a smaller, lighter pedal format with improved sonic performance.
Pompeii provides everything from classic slap-back up to 740 mS of delay. It can generate single repeats like a standard echo, but its multiple tape head combinations are where the unit truly shines.
To fully re-create the original magic, the POMPEII circuit is set up as a true “multi-head” echo, sharing the same first twelve switch positions as the early machines. This 12-position rotary switch selects different “tape-head” combinations to create a vast array of multi-tap/beat-split delay effects. Head combinations are displayed graphically on the panel, back lit by classic “Italian green” lighting.
The Swell mode creates a reverberation effect through the use of all the heads simultaneously. Both wet & dry signal pass through a 12AU7 tube for the warmest sound with maximum transparency. A cascading FET circuit is employed to mix gains and buffer the signal.
A great deal of time was also spent developing POMPEII’s feedback and tone circuits. As a result, the interaction between the Feedback and Tone controls can create incredibly beautiful and lush multi-dimensional sounds.
The original P.E. 603’s motor could be modified to change speed, lengthening the time between recording and playback heads (and therefore repeats). This was called the “varispeed” mod.
By applying the same concept via an ultra-low harmonic distortion circuit, POMPEII can achieve a delay time of 740ms with the Varispeed knob turned to its maximum setting.
Thanks to great signal dynamics the POMPEII can be used either in front of an amp or in an FX loop at instrument or line level without making any adjustments.
POMPEII not only sounds gorgeous, but looks gorgeous as well. A custom-designed chassis with laser-etched plexiglass faceplate and hammered-silver finish completes an image that truly echoes its inspiration.