Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo

A legendary Roland tape echo with chorus, spring reverb and the unmistakable movement of real magnetic tape.

The Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo is the final and most refined evolution of Roland’s classic electro-mechanical echo line. Built around a free-running tape loop, multiple playback heads, spring reverb and warm analogue chorus, it delivers the deep, animated delay sound that made the Space Echo family a studio and stage classic.

The RE-501 records the incoming signal onto magnetic tape, plays it back through selected heads, then erases it as the loop completes. Delay time is controlled by tape speed, while the intensity control feeds the signal back into the loop for anything from short slapback to long, repeating echoes and self-oscillating textures. Like all great tape delays, it is not only an effect, but an instrument in its own right.

Compared with earlier Roland echo units, the RE-501 adds useful studio refinements, including noise-reduction circuitry, a second mono input and balanced XLR connections for professional integration. Its six echo modes combine single-head and multi-head patterns, while separate chorus and spring reverb sections give the unit a wide tonal range, from subtle thickening to spacious, dub-style ambience.

The sound is rich, warm and unmistakably alive. The repeats soften and move in a way that only tape can, with pitch shifts when the repeat rate is adjusted in real time, musical feedback at higher intensity settings and simple Bass and Treble controls for shaping the echo tone. The flexible output routing also allows creative split setups, separating direct, echo, reverb and chorus elements across the two unbalanced outputs.

The Roland RE-501 remains one of the most desirable tape echo machines ever made, valued for its combination of classic Roland delay character, lush chorus, real spring reverb and professional connectivity.

Main features

* Classic Roland tape echo unit

* Final evolution of Roland’s electro-mechanical echo machines

* Free-running magnetic tape loop system

* Built-in analogue chorus

* Built-in spring reverb

* Noise-reduction circuitry

* Six echo modes with single-head and multi-head delay combinations

* Sound-On-Sound function

* Repeat Rate and Intensity controls

* Slapback and repeat echo modes

* Self-oscillation possible at high feedback settings

* Bass and Treble controls for echo tone shaping

* Balanced XLR input and output

* Unbalanced 1/4″ input

* Two unbalanced 1/4″ outputs with flexible routing

* Switchable output levels: -10, -20 and -35 dB

The unit has been carefully serviced by the Retrosonic Pro Audio tech team, no internal motor defects have been found, motor control electronics were checked, contacts cleaned.

A new tape loop was made to replace the old and worn out one from 37 micron magnetic tape.

Serial no.: #166429

PSU works on 220V, EU power cord included.

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