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JACQUES PEDALS
Vintage Vault
DYNACORD

I have reviewed here my Dynacord tube amps, but this brand is more famous in our small vintage world for their echoes. So here we are with 2 versions of the ECHOLETTE, their contri to gorgeous tape echoes. Which one from Klimt or Dynacord was first? I really do not know but the old echocord super reminds me the Binson echorec too. Let us say for the least that echo was a popular effect in Europe at this time.

What a stunning stomach ! You understand why it is so hard for a chip to compete with all that mechanics and tube circuitry. The sound is so fabulous that it is very usual to forget playing because you are listening to the last echoes of your first phrase. You feel like you are in some forgotten valley of a lost continent , playing chords invented by some ancient civilisation. Do not let rockabilly guys buy them unless they are Brian Seltzer.

This is the newer version, probably from early '70. Tubes are gone and the system has changed from Binson selection to Echoplex sliding head construction. Like actresses often say about celebrity, that saves a lot of heads. Hum. The motor is the same however and construction is very serious too. But our heart will always go to tubes machines.

dynacord cls22 leslie sim

 From my organist origins, I have always been a true leslie effect lover. How can you forget this incredible rotating delight! But these cabinets look more like your Grandma cupboard than a musical instrument. And they weight like your aunt. So, every one has tried to imitate this sound and put it in a small package. In fact I am no exception with my Spin Acher. Here we are in presence of a very interesting example of what it is possible to do with a lot of analogue electronics engineery.

You see I was not kidding about the lot of electronics! Boy , this thing is more complicated than a French social security form. But, as in almost Dynacord stuff, it works great! Maybe they could have spent a little more time on the doppler effect and a little less time on the accelerating / slowing gimmick.I pair it with my Roland VK1 hammond wanabe keyboard and fool anyone who has not heard a real b3 through 147 in the flesh. Best other thing is its floor pedal, with CHORALE/SPACESOUND switch , making this rack a guitarist must have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


DYNACORD TUBE AMPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I already mentioned DYNACORD about their wonderful '70 delay racks and I am about to write something about their tape echoes I owned. But this German firm did also an incredible R&D job on tube amps.
Here are 2 example of their '80 REFERENCE line, the 600 and the 1002. They have to share the same cabinet which is very nice tainted plywood loaded with 100w G12H celestion.
The construction is perfect and they were very expensive amps.
I have the exact list price of the 600 which was about $2000.
Considering it is the 50w and than the 1002 is programmable 100w , I can guess $3000.
Hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the 600 is quite classical all tube 6L6 50w with reverb , the 1002 is quite another story.
It is an all tube EL34 100w amp fully programmable !
You just have preset you call for the setting you have saved.
This lead to dangerous experience when you touch any knob:
Imagine that on the preset 1 the master volume knob was on 8.
You adjust it to 9.
Then you go to preset 2 where master is on 3 because drive is maxed.
Here if you touch the master knob you break your ears because the moment you touch it it goes from 3 to 9 suddenly.
This, an incredible circuit complexity , high price tag , a different if not ugly look , a not-so-famous-amp-brand-name , no endorsement , and you have a commercial failure for what is a very courageous and interesting amp.
But if you find one , they are always very cheap. So buy it immediately. You will own a very fine piece of a tube amp.
P.S. The BATMAN kite is optional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JACQUES PEDALS