This echo machine is fairly common here in Japan. It shows up on auction sites regularly, and judging by the amount I see on the market, I suspect many of them were manufactured. The EM-4 is clearly an improvement over the other Elk tape delay I own, the Echo Machine; it features a variable speed motor (the Echo Machine does also, but has a 5-position speed knob instead of a continuous speed control), decent tone controls, a standby switch to disengage the pinch roller, and it’s also much smaller than the Echo Machine. In fact, it’s probably the smallest tape delay I’ve seen using the Sony RE cartridge tape transport, apart maybe from another Elk delay, the Elk EM-5, which is slightly smaller but lacks many features of the EM-4.
The biggest limitation of the EM-4 is the number of playback heads; most tape delays have three or four heads (with the exception of 8-track and Apollon cassette delays), but the EM-4 only has two. Thus, the unit is limited in the number of available delay colors. Nevertheless, it sounds pretty good, has good controls over delay tone, and its small size is a big plus.
Technical Info / Service Notes
I was able to use my EM-4 as soon as I unpacked it, and it gave me crisp, steady delays from the start, but unfortunately mine suffers from a bad case of hum, perhaps induced by failing filter capacitors. I tend to think that it’s just my EM-4, and not a design issue, because the problem is so obvious Elk wouldn’t have been able to sell as many as they did if they were all like this…
I haven’t gotten around to fixing the hum yet, but when I do I’ll update this page with my findings.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Elk Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) |
| Date | |
| List price | |
| Transport type | Sony RE tape cartridge |
| Motor speed | Variable |
| Playback heads | 2 |
| Head selection | 5-position rotary mode switch |
| Delay time | short/mid-range |
| Inputs | 5 (2 x line input, 3 x microphone) |
| Outputs | 1 |
| Wet output only | Yes (Switch at back of unit to disable dry sound) |
| Pinch roller | Disengages with 'standby' switch |
| Tone control | Individual bass and treble knobs |
| Remote Control | Echo on/off footswitch jack |
| Operating Voltage | |
| Related models | Elk Echo Machine, Roland Space Echo RE-100 |
Gallery
How much do you think these are worth (in good condition)?
Around here in Japan, they usually go for about 10,000 to 15,000 yen, but it can really vary a lot, as these are all auction prices. Having the tape cartridge or not with it also makes a big difference…
Hi
Do you know where I can get the tape cassettes for the EM4 – I can’t find them anywhere. I have a lovely looking EM4 just waiting to be used!
They are becoming harder and harder to find, unfortunately. Your best bet is to try online auction sites; keep looking until one comes up. I do not recommend purchasing any Sony RE cartridge-based echo unit if it doesn’t come with the tape cartridge. Nowadays the cartridge is often more valuable than the machine itself!
I’ve had an EM-4 for about 15 years. It was a junk buy from Hard-off – I forget how much I paid but it was a few thousand yen. Luckily, the cartridge was included and it basically worked from the go, although it clearly wasn’t outputting it’s full echo capabilities. I knew I’d have to dive into it for an investigation and recapping sooner or later. Thanks to coronavirus, I’ve got a lot of these stalled projects out the way. After finally recapping the EM-4 PCB, it’s now ‘Lee Scratch Perry-tastic’! I also replaced all the panel pots as some were noisy beyond cleaning.
Regarding replacement cartridges, if none can be found, you can hack an old 8 track tape:
dissemble it for for the inner wheel holding the tape, splice the tape, turn one side over and stick the spliced ends back together so that they are now facing opposite ways. Put the wheel on the echo machine, threading the loop through the pinch wheel/spindle, and start winding. At this stage, there’ll be a ‘twist’ in the tape between it exiting the spool and being wound back on, but there is sufficient distance between the spool and pinch roller for it not to cause issue if you keep an eye on things. Once the splice reappears the other side, stop winding, re-splice the tape and stick it back together so both sides are now facing the same way – thus eliminating the twist. A little fiddly but manageable with care and/or trial and error. You could also splice in fresh 1/4″ tape of course. Perhaps, I’ll make a YouTube tutorial (the next time we have a pandemic!).
I also have an Elk EM-13 analog echo – no tape but a fairly decent BBD model.