Keeley Electronics ECCOS Delay Looper

Hey kids! If you’re tired of your news feeds filled with politics and coronavirus posts, why not kick back and relax with a fun review and in-depth demo video for one of the hottest new pedals around? It’ll be a great way to start your weekend….promise. (and please don’t forget to wash your hands!)

It’s no secret that Robert Keeley and the crew at Keeley Electronics put out some incredible gear….that said, the pedal we are going to take a look at today is up there with the best they’ve ever released. The ECCOS is a Delay and Looper in one, but not like any combination of these two that you’ve seen before. Plus, the Delay portion sounds so unique and amazing, we just can’t stop using it over and over and over….but enough about us. There’s a ton to explore here, so let’s get right to it!

The Delay portion of the ECCOS features a studio-quality delay, with a twist: the trails are tape-flanged. What is that, you say? Basically, the echoes are flanged with the sound of vintage reel-to-reel tape decks, creating sounds you’ve never heard before, but have probably imagined in the depths of your brain at some point in your life. Time, Blend and Feedback (FDBK) knobs give you the basis for controlling these awesome repeats, boasting up to 1.5 seconds of delay time if you need it. There are two other main controls here as well, Rate and Depth, which control the amount of modulation (Speed and Intensity, respectively) added into the repeats. But that’s just where the ECCOS gets started…

The FDBK control doubles as a push button switch for controlling the Secondary set of controls, which really make this delay stand out from all others we’ve encountered. These other controls include Manual (Flanger Time), Vibe (Modulation style), Tone and Regen (Flanger Regeneration), and add new dimensions of tonal bliss into an already fantastic-sounding delay. Holding the FDBK knob and hitting the small toggle switch allows you to choose select the delay-time subdivisions, giving you access to Quarter, Dotted Eighth, Eighth and Triplet modes, further customizing the lush echoes to fit your rig.

As for the connections on the ECCOS, a slight stereo field is created when using both Outputs, but the delays truly shine when you use the subdivisions, for real ping-pong echoes that fill the room. There are a couple of external control options here as well, as you’ll see in the demo. We used an Expression pedal to control the Blend parameter, making for fun swells and fade-in and outs, as well as an external Tap switch for setting the tempo without using the actual pedal. The Tap switch has more uses, too, more on that in a bit.

Meanwhile, a quick flip of that same toggle switch will launch you into Looper mode, where the Bypass footswitch becomes your Record/Playback/Stop control. You can also use this switch to add Overdubs to your original loop, and even use the FDBK knob (hold it down for 1 second) to Undo the last passage you recorded, if it wasn’t to your liking. The Delay side is still present when you’re in Looper mode, and you can even switch back to Delay mode and the Looper keeps looping, a feature not often found in pedals like this. The Tap switch gives you access to both Reverse and Half Speed modes as well, adding yet ANOTHER dimension of sound to this powerful piece of gear.

Flipping back to the Delay mode once more, we need to discuss the Presets. There are 3 available here, and can be accessed by double tapping the Bypass switch, or by tapping the FDBK knob. The Tap switch (external switches work here as well) allows you to scroll through your presets, and saving new settings is as easy as selecting 1, 2 or 3 and holding down Bypass for 2 seconds. You can scroll through these while the Looper is playing, too, if you switch back to Delay mode and following the normal routine, giving you access to your unique settings at any given time. Don’t forget about the Trails option and Self-Oscillation capabilities, too.

Trying to showcase everything the ECCOS does is no small task, but we tried to cram as much as we could into the demo video below. As always, the full spectrum of information about the ECCOS is available on the Keeley website, if you want to know about every nook and cranny and special thing they did in the design of this marvelous effect. Thanks to Robert and the team not only for letting us put this thing through the paces, but for such a creative and innovative pedal creation – not that that’s a new thing, but to continuously top yourselves can’t be an easy task, and they seem to do it with ease on the regular. So, sit back, grab a coffee and dive into the world of ECCOS – we don’t think you’re going to be disappointed in the least.

Use this link to purchase this pedal on Amazon and support us: Keeley ECCOS Modulated Delay Looper